From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

J Balvin Visits Young Fan Maité in Pereira, Colombia

On a reel posted to Instagram on Tuesday (March 31), J Balvin surprised Maité, a young girl from Pereira whose story went viral on social media, following his sold-out concert at the Hernán Ramírez Villegas Stadium. Maité, who lives with a visible physical condition affecting her hands, captured hearts with her beaming positivity as she gave the superstar a tour of her home, as seen in the clip. “I’ve been wanting to come to this house for a while. I really enjoy discovering, appreciating, and learning,” said the hitmaker in the video. The reggaeton star learned more about her family’s living conditions and announced plans to assist with the complete renovation of their house. In the meantime, Maité and her family will move into a fully furnished apartment.

The moment was facilitated by the Colombian anonymous content creator, Camilo Cifuentes, known for his social work supporting vulnerable communities, such as small street vendors and homeless individuals. Watch the heartwarming moment with J Balvin, the young girl and her family below.

View this post on Instagram

Ela Taubert Shares Her Career Journey in GRAMMY U Session

In collaboration with The Recording Academy, GRAMMY U’s Florida Chapter hosted an “Up Close & Personal” session with Colombian star Ela Taubert on Wednesday (April 1), giving members an chance to engage directly with the Latin Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. During the hour-long panel, moderated by Colombian-American artist Alemor at Studio 26 in Miami, Ela Taubert shared reflections on her artistic journey, and the evolution of her sound, offering advice to young professionals in the music industry. The 2024 Best New Artist winner capped the GRAMMY U session with an intimate acoustic performance of her introspective pop single “La Gente Cambia” released last month, and her hit song “¿Cómo Paso?”

“I started doing three videos a day, and I was studying and working at the same time. I kept doing that for three months, and nothing happened, I was frustrated,” Taubert said during the panel. “One day, I remember seeing this video have 50,000 views. But for me, the message was trust yourself and trust the process, and don’t get frustrated if nothing happens right away. For me, that’s the key to success.”

View this post on Instagram

Guaynaa Joins The Latin Music Explosion Panel at Berklee College of Music

On Monday (March 27), the Latin Management Club and the Career Center at Berklee College of Music hosted a panel titled The Latin Music Explosion, highlighting the global rise of Latin music. Moderated by Professor Marus, the event featured Puerto Rican star Guaynaa, Grammy-winning producer Manuel Lara, and Live Nation executive Jorge Garcia. Guaynaa, best known for his hits such as “Rebota” and “Chicharrón,” shared his music journey and career insights.

“I was working at a shopping center selling phones and phone covers when I had my first hit that went viral. I was identifying the necessities of the music and of the market and I delivered a way to satisfy it,” said Guaynaa during the panel. “I started surrounding myself with people with the same hungry — the same desire of making something happen for the culture. At some point, [I] started realizing that it’s not about the likes or the recognition but more about how you impact the culture.” Watch clips from the panel below in the carousel.

View this post on Instagram

Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler have announced the upcoming release of The Last Five Years (25th Anniversary Live at the London Palladium), an official live recording of Jason Robert Brown’s acclaimed musical, set to arrive April 20 via Atlantic Records.

The news was revealed during bows at the Hollywood Bowl, where the two stars surprised audiences by confirming the project from the stage. Pre-orders and pre-saves for the album became available immediately following the announcement, marking the latest milestone in the musical’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Captured during a sold-out concert residency at London’s historic Palladium from March 24–29, 2026, the recording documents Platt and Zegler’s performances in the special anniversary staging of the beloved two-character musical.

The production was conducted and directed by Brown, the Tony Award-winning composer behind Parade and The Bridges of Madison County, and brings a symphonic scale to the show’s intimate storytelling.

First premiering in 2001, The Last Five Years has long been regarded as a modern musical theater staple. The story follows two New Yorkers navigating a five-year relationship, told through an unconventional structure in which Cathy’s narrative unfolds in reverse chronological order while Jamie’s moves forward in time. The show has maintained a devoted following for its emotionally direct songwriting and distinctive narrative format.

The newly announced live album aims to capture the dynamic between Platt — a Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner known for his role in Dear Evan Hansen — and Zegler, a Golden Globe-winning actress whose recent credits include West Side Story and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Their pairing has been a central draw of the anniversary production, which quickly sold out its London run.

The 25th anniversary celebration will continue with two additional performances at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on April 6 and 7, both of which are also sold out. Those shows mark the final performances of the concert staging.

The release continues Atlantic Records’ long-running involvement in major musical theater recordings, following titles such as Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Jagged Little Pill, all of which earned Grammy Awards for best musical theater album.

The Last Five Years (25th Anniversary Live at the London Palladium) is scheduled for release April 20.

Longtime YouTube executive Tuma Basa, who most recently served as the company’s director of Black music & culture, has announced his departure after eight years at the streaming giant.

“After eight great years at YouTube, I’m taking a leap of faith and stepping into my next chapter,” Basa wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday (April 2). “Thank you to the Music Team at YouTube, the leadership, the artists, the managers, the labels, the producers, the continents, the city specialists, the uploaders and YouTubeLovers and even the Gen AI haters that made this run.. a great run. Murakoze Cyane, Asante Sana, Siyabonga, Amesegenalew, Gracias, Obrigado, Merci Beaucoup.”

Basa was born in Zaire (now Congo) to a Rwandan family, but spent his childhood in Iowa after his father entered the graduate studies program at the University of Iowa; he then relocated to Zimbabwe as a teenager. During his tenure at YouTube, which he joined in 2018 as director of urban music, Basa became known for spotlighting African artists, including Nigerian star Burna Boy, and helping fuel their growth in the U.S.

Initially harboring aspirations to start a rap career under the name B.2ma B., Basa eventually pivoted to the executive track and landed music programming roles at BET, MTV and REVOLT. In 2015, he joined Spotify, where he served as global programming head of hip-hop. While at the streaming giant, he rose to prominence in part for curating the service’s popular Rap Caviar playlist.

Billboard reached out to YouTube for comment on Basa’s departure.

A$AP Rocky teamed up with Amazon Music for the latest installment of their Songline series, which arrived Friday (April 3).

The Live From New York film finds Rocky performing eight tracks, most of whch landed on his 2026 Don’t Be Dumb album, while combining his high-octane energy, opulent taste and visionary creativity on set.

The 40-minute flick was originally streamed Jan. 18 in celebration of Yams Day, as Rocky paid tribute to the late A$AP co-founder A$AP Yams, who died in January 2015.

Rocky’s set ran through Don’t Be Dumb opener “Order of Protection,” “Helicopter,” “Stole Ya Flow,” “SWAT Team,” “Punky Rocky,” Testing‘s “A$AP Forever,” “Stay Here 4 Life” and “Don’t Be Dumb.”

View this post on Instagram

“I think this intro had this majestic way that it was layered. Made me feel like this is intro-appropriate. Out of the palette, which one stands alone,” Rocky said of “Order of Protection.” “Intros could be interludes or outros, if it checks all those boxes, but still has that significant feeling, there you have it.”

Rocky leaned on filmmaker Tim Burton and film composer Danny Elfman to help build out the world surrounding Don’t Be Dumb. He gave a look into his creative process with the decorated cinephiles.

“When working on this album initially we were putting a lot of [Danny Elfman’s] films he did in collaboration with Tim Burton on the TV monitors in the studio,” Rocky explained. “We would sometimes mute and unmute them to get a depiction of how we wanted to layer and color and how we wanted to start building the tone of the album.

He continued: “I was creating a world and was like, ‘Why not reach out to the man himself?’ We reached out to him and he turned out to be a dope-a— fella and he exceeded all of our expectations.”

Don’t Be Dumb arrived in January and served as Rocky’s first album since 2018’s TESTING. The project notched the Harlem rapper his third No. 1 album atop the Billboard 200 with 123,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Jan. 22, according to Luminate.

Watch Live From New York City below.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

From 68 teams to the Final Four, the 2026 March Madness tournament is nearing its conclusion. However, before an NCAA college basketball champion is crowned, four teams must make it through a highly-anticipated semifinal round. Tipping off this weekend, No. 2 UConn will face No. 3 Illinois before a No. 1 seed showdown between Michigan and Arizona taking place on Saturday, April 4.

How to Watch the March Madness Final Four, At a Glance:

With zero perfect brackets remaining, the March Madness tournament has been a surprising thriller so far. With the first few rounds over, college basketball fans have witnessed their share of major upsets, including No. 9 Iowa knocking off No. 1 seed and defending champions Florida, No. 12 High Point stunning upset over No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 11 Texas defeating No. 3 Gonzaga. Top seeded Duke almost made it to the Final Four before UConn freshman Braylon Mullins hit a 35-foot buzzer-beater to send them home.

Now, Michigan and Arizona are the last remaining No. 1 seed teams and they have to face each other this weekend. Who will win? Who will have the next major upset? Who will take home the coveted NABC National Championship Trophy? You’ll have to tune into the Final Four find out.

Keep reading on for our guide to watching March Madness and learn about how you can take advantage of a few free trials to watch all the college basketball you want without paying a dime.

Where to Watch Every 2026 March Madness Games Online:

Watching March Madness can be tricky, but with our guide basketball fans can choose the right streaming platform to watch their favorite teams play. Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, so you can stream the college tournament for free. Signing up to streamers like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV, you can get right into the Final Four action.

DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all of the streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll get access to local channels and the ability to stream on as many devices as you want.

Another great option for fans to watch the Final Four is on Sling TV. The streaming services offers three different packages to choose from, such as Orange, Blue and Orange + Blue. The Orange Package is tailored for sports and family channels, while the Blue package has a focus on news and entertainment channels. However, both come with TBS to watch March Madness games online and start at $45 per month. If you want best of both worlds, users can combine both packages and get everything Sling has to offer.

Please note: Pricing and channel availability varies from market-to-market.

For the most content options, Hulu + Live TV gives you access to the entire Hulu library in addition to more than 95 live TV channels — including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV for just $82.99 per month.

And, unlike the rest of the options, you can also expand your content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. You’ll not only have all of the Hulu library to watch, but also exclusive and original programming available exclusively on ESPN Unlimited.

Max has multiple subscription tiers: ad-supported, commercial free and ultimate ad-free. Max’s paid subscriptions start at $10.99/month for the basic ad-supported streaming, or $18.49/month to watch ad free. With HBO Max you can watch each channel broadcasting March Madness games, including CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV.

The Premium ad-free package is $22.99 per month and includes 4K Ultra HD quality, 100 downloads to watch on the go and you can stream on up to four devices at once. You can also bundle Max with Hulu and Disney+ for $19.99/month for ad-supported streaming on up to two devices at once and $32.99/month for ad-free streaming.

Here’s the Remaining 2026 March Madness Schedule:

Don’t want to miss a game? We’ve compiled the full Final Four schedule for March Madness below, include dates, times and channel broadcast.

Saturday, April 4 (Final Four)

Monday, April 6 (National Championship Game)

Where to Buy 2026 March Madness Tickets Online

Want to cheer on your team in person? Here’s where you can find 2026 March Madness tickets available at StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and Gametime.