The global pandemic in 2020 was a defining moment for Jombriel. 

Sixteen at the time, the artist born Jonathan Gabriel Cedeño Romero (his real name) took advantage of the COVID-19 lockdown from his native Esmeraldas in Ecuador to educate himself on how to write music. 

“I’ve always loved music — ever since I was a little kid. I used to grab the remote control and sing along to old-school reggaetón songs,” he tells Billboard, referencing Zion and Arcángel as some of his favorite acts.” I decided to become a singer during the pandemic because I had nothing else to do. It would take me about a week to write the lyrics for a song — I’d write it line by line — and over time, I gradually found my flow. I never could have imagined that all of this would happen. I loved music, but back then, I only pursued it as a hobby.” 

During that time, he quickly understood the power of social media, saying: “I saw other artists uploading a sound to TikTok and it going viral, so I started doing the same. I needed people to know more about me.”

His plan worked. 

Why Jombriel Is an Up-and-Coming Latin Artist

By 2025, his track “Parte y Choke” — a fusion of dancehall with reggaetón in collaboration with Alex Krack and Jotta — not only went viral across social media, but it also received the remix treatment from Ryan Castro, and it charted across multiple Billboard charts, including the Billboard Global 200 and a No. 1 peak on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100.

His follow-up single, “Vitamina” with Colombian newcomer DFZM, also made noise on the Billboard charts, and it shattered records as the most-streamed song in a single day in Ecuador. Surprisingly, it was part of Barack Obama’s “Favorite Music of 2025” list, joining other Spanish-language acts including Rosalía, Xavi and Manuel Turizo. 

“We made that song at 5 a.m. while eating tuna salad — because we always eat tuna salad before making any song… it really puts you in the right vibe,” he laughs. “With ‘Parte y Choke’, people were left craving more, but the moment I uploaded ‘Vitamina’, I knew for a fact it was going to blow up — though I never imagined it would go global.”

Last year, Jombriel, 23, signed a deal with Warner Music Latina and dropped his debut studio album Jombriel de la Suerte. This year, he was the top winner at Premios REM — Ecuador’s biggest music awards show. 

“I would love for everyone to know who I am and to realize that there is a wealth of talent in Ecuador — it’s not just Jombriel,” he shares. “More than just making it big, I want to build a lasting career and serve as an inspiration for the new wave of artists coming up. I want my music to reach every corner of the globe because it radiates such a beautiful sense of joy. My songs are meant for everyone to enjoy to the fullest.” 

Best Songs to Start With

The song that ultimately put Jombriel on the map, “Parte y Choke” became his first Billboard chart entry thanks to a remix by Ryan Castro in 2025.

“Vitamina”—just like many of Jombriel’s music—is an innovative fusion of dancehall, reggae, and Latin urban beats.

Powered by a catchy transition beat, “Combi Completa” was voted by fans as their favorite Billboard New Music Latin release on May 22.

What’s Next for Jombriel

In the span of his six-year career that includes chart-topping hits and many award recognitions, the Ecuadorian star says his biggest accomplishment has been buying a house for his mother and son (he became a first-time father on Christmas Eve 2025).

“With my first royalty check, I bought my mom a house,” he says. “We come from a humble family, and my biggest dream was always to buy my mom a home of her own. We never had anything of our own, and with the very little she had, my mom supported my little brother and me. I always wanted to give my mom that dream so she could live in peace.”

Following the release of his latest single, “Combi Completa,” Jombriel will continue to release singles. Though he says he has no plans of releasing a new album this year, he admits that he recently spent time in Colombia, where he worked on about 30 songs, including his upcoming collaboration with trap star Kris R. called “Esclavo” set for June 25.

Past Billboard 2026 Up-and-Coming Latin Artists

Julieta Venegas revived the song “La Niña Futbolista,” an old track by the Mexican children’s rock band Patita de Perro, in an exciting new version accompanied by the Mexican National Conservatory of Music Choir. The song, along with its video, was unveiled on Friday (May 29) by the Mexican government to promote messages of inclusion and women’s participation in sports ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The original 2003 track was written by Ignacio Silva. Venegas’ new version, with arrangements by producer Yamil Resc, came about through an invitation from Mexico’s Secretaría de las Mujeres, a federal agency that promotes women’s advancement through gender equality and respect for human rights.

“I really liked being invited by the Secretaría de las Mujeres to create a version of ‘La Niña Futbolista,’” Venegas said in a statement to Billboard Español. “The whole time we were working on the song, I imagined a girl who dreams of playing soccer, and someone telling her she can’t do it.”

“I think all women have, at some point, been told there’s something a woman supposedly ‘can’t do,’” added the Tijuana-born singer-songwriter, who recently received the Artistic Excellence Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2026. “I wanted to inspire girls and women not to let anything hold them back, but to go after what they want. I made it with a lot of love. I hope it inspires them to play and have fun.”

During the song’s presentation at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning conference, Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza recalled that the idea to invite Venegas originated months ago as a proposal by Citlalli Hernández, the then-minister of Secretaría de las Mujeres.

Curiel de Icaza later explained on X: “This project was born at the @mujeresgobmx with @CitlaHM in collaboration with @cultura_mx to share a very clear message with girls and boys: the field is also for girls, and no dream should be limited by stereotypes.”

The track, featuring empowering lyrics, comes with a video produced by the public broadcaster Canal 22 and was recorded at the legendary Estudios Churubusco, the largest film production facility in Latin America, where great classics from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema were filmed.

The presentation of the song is part of Mexico’s official activities leading up to the 2026 World Cup, which the country is cohosting alongside the United States and Canada. This will mark the third time the Latin American nation is hosting World Cup matches, following the 1970 and 1986 editions.

The opening ceremony will take place on June 11 at Estadio Ciudad de México (Estadio Banorte, formerly known as Estadio Azteca) with a musical show featuring major artists such as Maná, Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin, Belinda, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Danny Ocean and Tyla.

Watch the video for “La Niña Futbolista” above.

Universal Music Group (UMG) said on Friday (May 29) its board had reviewed Bill Ackman’s investment firm Pershing Square’s merger offer that would have moved UMG’s primary stock listing to a U.S.-based exchange, saying the April 7 bid “fundamentally and materially undervalues UMG and will not deliver superior value creation,” in a press release.

The decision follows comments from UMG’s largest shareholder, the Bolloré Group, which owns a combined 28% of UMG’s shares. Cyrille Bolloré, CEO of the Bolloré Group, urged the board to reject the offer, which needs Bolloré’s support to succeed, arguing the price was too low and that Pershing’s takeover bid was structured as an offer “with our money, the company’s money…not with his own money.” Pershing owns roughly 5% of UMG’s stock currently, down from around 10% at its height, and the deal would have resulted in it owning roughly 11% of the new company.

UMG said the board heard from many concerned shareholders and believes there is “strong consensus” behind rejecting the bid, especially following the board’s approval to double its share buyback program, sell half of the company’s stock in Spotify and disclose more detailed financial information.

“UMG has built an unrivaled position in the music industry through clear vision and strong execution,” Sherry Lansing, chairman of the board, UMG said in a statement. “The Board has full confidence in [UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge] and his team’s ability to deliver sustainable growth and continued value creation for all stakeholders.”

Pershing Square, which owns about 5% of UMG, proposed to merge UMG with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings and move its headquarters from the Netherlands, where it currently domiciled and trades on the Euronext Amsterdam, to the U.S. state of Nevada and list the company on the New York Stock Exchange, something Pershing founder Ackman has lobbied for since 2024.

Pershing Square’s offer valued UMG at 55.55 billion euros ($64 billion) based on its forward-looking view that UMG’s stock will be 30.40 euros ($35) per share by the end of 2026. However, if shareholders had elected to receive cash or a mix of cash and stock, the offer would have been for 22 euros a share, or as little as 40.34 billion euros ($43 billion). While the ultimate makeup of equity and cash was undecided, $43 billion would have made the deal worth less than UMG’s valuation when it IPO’d.

In a letter outlining Pershing’s offer, Ackman said UMG’s share price was hurt by not being listed in the U.S., which opens it to more institutional investors and possibly future inclusion in a major stock index, as well as a lack of public capital allocation plan and other key financial disclosures that would help investors better understand the company’s value.

In response, Grainge said on the company’s most recent earnings call that the UMG board had approved a doubling of its share buy-back program to 1 billion euros and the sale of half of UMG’s equity stake in Spotify, with a portion of the proceeds going to UMG artists as a non-recoupable check. Taylor Swift may have had something to do with that.

In its statement, UMG emphasized the company has increased revenue by 60% and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization by nearly 70% since it went public in 2021, and has for the past three years straight represented nine of the top 10 top-selling artists, according to the IFPI Global Artist Chart.

“We remain committed to leading the industry by attracting the world’s top talent, deepening fan engagement globally, and driving innovation,” Grainge said in the statement. “Central to that mission is fostering an environment that champions human creativity, protects artists, songwriters and entrepreneurs, and expands opportunities for growth and success. As we execute our strategy and deliver maximum long-term value, we look forward to providing shareholders with greater insight into the drivers of our performance and future direction of our business.”

A Texas millionaire has been ordered to repay $3 million worth of Katy Perry’s legal fees after losing to the pop star in a yearslong legal battle over a California mansion sale.

In a Thursday (May 28) court order, obtained and first reported by Billboard, a Los Angeles judge said Perry is entitled to an attorney fee refund on top of the $2 million judgment she already won from 1800Flowers founder Carl Westcott. Perry, through her business manager Bernie Gudvi, spent five years fighting in court over a $15 million contract for Westcott’s 9,285-square-foot home in Montecito, Calif.

Judge Joseph Lipner ruled in January that Westcott improperly tried to back out of the deal by claiming, without evidence, that he was not in his right mind when he inked the sales contract because of painkillers from a recent back surgery. On Thursday, the judge said this also means Gudvi and Perry are entitled to recover legal expenses for their troubles.

However, Judge Lipner did not grant the full $4.5 million in fees sought by Gudvi and Perry for nearly 5,000 billable hours of work by more than a dozen attorneys at the elite law firm Greenberg Traurig. That figure, said the judge, is “extremely high for a case of this nature.”

“There is nothing wrong with Gudvi agreeing to pay these fees,” wrote Judge Lipner. “Nor is there anything improper about Gudvi and his counsel agreeing to staff the case so heavily with attorneys and have them spend thousands of hours litigating. As Gudvi pointed out, Gudvi represents the interests of a celebrity client, Elizabeth Hudson, also known as Katy Perry. Gudvi and his principal have the resources to litigate the case in this manner and may appropriately choose to do so. The problems arise when a party seeks to shift those fees to the other party who did not make those choices.”

The judge thus ordered Westcott to repay a lower figure of $3 million in legal fees. This amount will now get added to the complex balance sheet between the adversaries; Perry’s reps have already paid $9 million to Westcott out of the original $15 million purchase price of the Montecito home, and Judge Lipner deducted $2 million from the remaining $6 million balance as Westcott’s penalty in the January judgment.

Reps for Perry and Westcott did not immediately return requests for comment on Thursday’s ruling.

The saga dates back to July 2020, when Gudvi signed a contract on Perry’s behalf to buy the Montecito home that Westcott had recently purchased. A month later, Westcott sued to invalidate the deal, alleging he had been too foggy from painkillers to properly consent.

The case went to a bench trial in 2023, and Judge Lipner ruled that Westcott was indeed in his right mind when he made the deal. Among other things, the judge noted that Westcott was cogent in communications with a real estate agent and had rejected a lower offer from former California first lady Maria Shriver just days before selling to Perry.

A second-phase trial was held to determine damages last year, and Judge Lipner ultimately awarded $2 million to Perry’s team. This number accounts for the money Perry could have earned if she’d been able to rent out the Montecito house during the yearslong legal battle when it was sitting empty.  

Westcott is appealing the judgment.

And then there were three, maybe. After announcing the throwback lineup for the Great American State Fair concert on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, organizers have been hit by a raft of cancellations. At press time, it appeared that nearly two-thirds of the nine acts originally revealed on the poster for the series of shows slated to take place from June 25-July 10 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary had dropped out.

And though former Poison singer Bret Michaels, Morris Day & the Time, Young MC, Milli Vanilli, Martina McBride, the Commodores have all said they will not be participating despite being announced as part of the lineup, two of the remaining acts on the diminished bill vociferously confirmed their participation over the last 24 hours.

In a cheerful Instagram post on Thursday (May 28), MAGA-friendly 90s rapper Vanilla Ice said he’s all-in on the event operated by Freedom 250, a not-for-profit organization created by a Trump administration task force to plan and lead the U.S.’s official semiquincentennial anniversary celebrations.

“America is turning 250, let’s go! I’m super honored to do this concert with everybody,” said a smiling Ice (born Robert Matthew Van Winkle), 58, while walking through a construction site to the strains of his 1990 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single, “Ice Ice Baby.”

“We’re gonna bring back the ’90s, put your dancin’ shoes on, you’ll be happy, trust me. It’s all about enjoying the great times of 250 years,” he said. “This is a magical event that’s gonna happen and very rare. I’m honored man, this is gonna be epic!”

In the accompanying caption, Ice hinted at the division sown by the announcement of the shows, writing, “This is to bring us all together. I’m tired of all the news channels dividing this country. We are all one. This is not a political platform. This is celebrating America’s birthday. Nothing too serious just enjoying some fun, dancing and great memories.”

Some of the comments begged to differ, though. “Being connected to the current administration is simply NOT a good look, no matter how you try to spin it. If it’s truly about celebrating America, then find a different venue,” wrote one commenter, with another adding, “How can you perform for the President? The corruption and laws broken are off the chain man. You’re a smart good dude. Don’t do it.”

In a somewhat mixed message, pointedly delivered from atop a toilet seat, C+C Music Factory rapper Freedom Williams said he won’t back down after claiming his phone blew up with friends asking why he would sign on to an event put on by the Trump administration.

“I don’t give a f–k about Trump. I don’t give a f–k about Trump’s family,” Williams said in his expletive-filled rant, explaining that he got a call from his agent three months ago asking if he was available for a show on June 25 in D.C., though he noted that Trump was not mentioned at the time. “I know the type of f–king anarchy he creates. But the day I let you motherf–kers tell me what to do is the day I die … I will vote for f–king Genghis Khan, Hitler, and motherf–king Ivan the Terrible before I let you n–gas tell me what to motherf–king do.”

Williams said he initially opted to cancel, but once he heard more of the blowback about the lineup, the MC behind “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” changed his mind. The full seven-minute monologue included swipes at former President Barack Obama and Trump’s harsh immigration crackdown, as well as a clear message to Williams’ detractors.

“You know who 90% of the people was at our shows? White people. You know who 70% of those white people probably voted for? Republicans,” he said. So you n–gas don’t f–king count. You need to stop being on social media thinking that your f–king opinion matters. It don’t. Go talk to your mama. Your mama opinion matters. Only to you.” Williams then dared keyboard warriors to keep pushing him, revealing what controversial booking he might take next time.

“I’ll do the motherf–king show in North Korea,” he said defiantly of the totalitarian state and U.S. antagonist. “Pissing on a f–king American flag. Smoking a Cuban cigar. Drinking Venezuelan wine. Playing golf with motherf–king Kim Il-Jun. With an Iranian b–ch on my lap. While Trump’s standing there with his d–k in his hand, that’s how much of a f–k I give what you n–gas think.”

Michael joined the rush of acts fleeing the lineup ion Thursday when he wrote, “what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of. Concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of my fans, band, crew, family and myself, including threats that are completely unfounded and unforgivable.”

On the day the shows were announced, Morris Day quickly denied his “Jungle Love” band would be appearing, writing on Instagram, “Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR. It’s a no for me.” Similarly, “Bust a Move” rapper Young M.C. weighed in the next day, posting on his socials, “I HAVE INFORMED MY AGENTS THAT I WILL NOT BE PERFORMING AT THE FREEDOM 250 EVENT. The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event. And despite the claims by the organizers that the event is non-partisan, SPIN magazine describes it as Trump-backed. I hope to perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.”

“Girl You Know It’s True” act Milli Vanilli also bailed on Thursday, with the actual studio singers behind the disgraced lip synch duo explaining, “The original/real vocalists of Milli Vanilli, Jodie Rocco, Linda Rocco, Brad Howell, John Davis, and Charles Shaw will NOT be performing their hits live at The Great American State Fair. Others using the name ‘Milli Vanilli’ that appear on the advertisement should be considered a tribute band with no association vocally or musically to our sound or songs.”

Country star Martina McBride was also quick to distance herself on Thursday, writing on Instagram, “I was presented with the opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading. I asked lots of questions and was assured this was a nonpartisan event that was meant to celebrate ALL 50 states. In my mind I thought this was a great way to celebrate the states and also bring people together in the way that only music can … Yesterday things started changing and what we were told is, not what is happening.”

While Vanilla Ice and C+C’s Williams appear to still be on board, another of the announced performers, rapper Flo Rida, has not commented so far and organizers have not said how they will fill the now-vacant performance slots for the 16-day festival.