YouTube’s global head of music, Lyor Cohen, had a fireside chat with Billboard editor-in-chief Hannah Karp to talk AI.
Dion DiMucci considers his new album, The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher, to be “like a concert” experience.
“I thought I would just let it run like a concert,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and proud son of the Bronx tells Billboard via Zoom, sporting a New York Yankees baseball cap shortly after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. “That was my vision; if I had to do a set with a band, I’m gonna do these 16 songs, in this order. It’s the perfect concert.”
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher — Dion’s fourth album released within the last five years with Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive (KTBA) Records label — is not simply a compilation, however. As Dion notes, “some of (the songs) are new, some of them are redos that I felt I could do better versions of.” Based on his January book of the same name, it includes six fresh recordings — some of older favorites such as Tom Waits’ “Serenade” and his own “Abraham, Martin and John,” for which Dion recently released a video — along with previously released collaborations with Bonamassa, Eric Clapton (who wrote a foreword in the liner notes), Mark Knopfler and Sonny Landreth, plus signature Billboard Hot 100 hits “Runaround Sue” (No. 1), “The Wanderer” and “Ruby Baby” (both No. 2).
Dion penned the brand-new songs — “New York Minute,” released in January, and “Mother and Son,” inspired by Michelangelo’s Pietà — with good friend Mike Aquilina, an author who specializes in Catholic Church history and has been writing with Dion since Tank Full of Blues in 2012; he co-wrote Dion’s 2023 book, Dion: The Wanderer Talks Truth (Stories, Humor & Music). Dion also salutes his late Little Kings bandmate Scott Kempner, also of the Dictators and Del-Lords, via new recordings of “New York Is My Home” and “In a Heartbeat of Time,” which Kempner co-wrote; the former, from the 2016 album of the same name, is a version of the track before Paul Simon added his guest vocal to the recording.
“When I get down into it, I really love that blues thing,” Dion, 86, explains. “That John Lee Hooker thing, just that groan. I love expressing myself with those three chords, even two chords; it doesn’t have to be very fancy. I just love the thing grooving. The beauty of rock ‘n’ roll is repetition, the beauty of repetition and the groan and the groove and the communication of the words. It’s very simple.”
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher album is an outgrowth of the book project, Dion’s third. Co-authored with Adam Jablin and sub-titled Conversations on Life, Recovery, Faith and Music, it’s a loose collection of stories and concepts, housing high-minded concepts, anecdotes and lists of favorite books and performers.
“The book was events in my life that I’m reflecting on, all these little stories I have, and it comes with a life lesson,” says Dion, whose first memoir, The Wanderer: Dion’s Story, was published in 1988. “So then Bonamassa and (KTBA) co-founder Roy Weisman said, ‘Let’s get an album, something compatible with the book.’ At the time I was doing the audiobook, and I just had a ball doing that ’cause you could have songs (play) in the stories, just coloring or complementing. (The album) developed out of that.”
One of the most striking inclusions is “Abraham, Martin and John,” an elegy written by Dick Holler about the legacies of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy during 1968. Dion’s recording reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year and was certified gold. It went on to be covered by a number of other performers, including Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher re-recording of it is a more intimate treatment with just Dion, a guitar and strings along with atmospheric backing vocals arranged and performed by Robert Florczak. “I wanted it in the set,” Dion explains, referring to the album’s setlist concept. “If I do a set, then ‘Abraham, Martin, and John’ has to be there, so I did it for that reason. And when I gave it to Roy Weisman he said it really struck a chord in him; he said, ‘Dion, this song is 57 years old. There are people who never heard it. I would like to release it as a single.’ And we had David Niles do the video, which is my favorite video I’ve ever done. Now, I tell ya, it seems almost timely for this song, ’cause it’s troubled times. But I didn’t even think of that when we were putting it together. It was never meant to be a political song…. It’s about a state of love and it plays so much into that speech Bobby Kennedy gave back then; he was saying love conquers all if we could understand rather than be understood, or if we could love rather than be loved, all that high-minded stuff. You can’t have cable news thinking like that, because then there’d be no shows.”
He’s also pleased that The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher gives him a chance to revisit guitarist collaborations, which appeared on previous albums.
“I did ‘Cryin’ Shame’ with Sonny Landreth,” Dion says, “and that guy, man, kills me every time. He’s ridiculous. It’s just thrilling. ‘Dancing Girl’ with Mark Knopfler, I love his sound; he just hurls me into a higher reality, another dimension, and it’s just all in his hands. And ‘If You Wanna Rock and Roll’ I did with Eric Clapton. I was totally surprised when I called him to play on his; he wrote me emails telling me how he grew up with my music, and I was like, ‘Wow.’ We became friends and he did this and it was so great; I called him and said, ‘Eric, you sound like you’re 19 on this song.’ He said, ‘I stood up. I wanted to do a good job in the studio.’”
In the meantime, Dion is looking at a proposed documentary that he says might involve a couple of performances back in New York, and he’s keeping tabs on The Wanderer jukebox stage musical, which debuted during 2022 and is now working on further financing to take it to Broadway.
As for another album, Dion says, “I’m always working on something. Like I said, I do like the blues thing; it’s in my head that it grooves and it has a mantra to it. I like that. But when I get my guitar and get in there, whether it’s a Phil Spector or Michael Omartian production, or Wayne Hood or myself, it’s all Dion music. When I did gospel music, it’s all Dion music. If it’s just me and the guitar, without the window trimmings, it’s just Dion music. So whatever I do, that’s what it’ll be — Dion music.”
A lot is changing at Spotify. In recent weeks, the company announced its founder and CEO, Daniel Ek, is stepping down from the CEO post (he will stay on Spotify’s chairman); it announced plans to develop generative AI music models with the support of the music industry; it updated its AI policies; it finally launched lossless audio; it updated its free tier; it forged new deals with a number of top music companies; and the company rolled out a number of new features, like direct messaging and “Mix With Spotify.”
The changes are a lot to keep track of, so on this week’s episode of Billboard’s new music business podcast, On the Record w/ Kristin Robinson, Spotify’s global head of marketing and policy, music business, Sam Duboff, joins to explain how the company is evolving, from a static destination for music consumption to what he calls “a place where fans can experience the whole world of an artist.”
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Duboff is one of the executives who determines how Spotify will handle the growing presence of AI music on its platform. He also is key in the development of Spotify for Artists, the company’s hub for musicians that enables them to manage their artist profiles and connect with fans.
Below is an excerpt of Billboard’s wide-ranging conversation with Duboff on this week’s episode of On the Record, focusing on its treatment of AI music on the platform.
Watch or listen to the full episode of On the Record on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts here, or watch it below.
I wanted to hear a little bit more about the fact that y’all are developing generative AI with the consent of many players in the music industry. There isn’t much information out there, so what is going on?
Duboff: We have been hearing from artists and their teams for a few years now that merging music AI tech products don’t feel like they’re built for them, not built for the power of their businesses, their careers, their existing fan bases. So we recently announced we’re collaborating with some of our top industry partners, across major labels and indies, to collaboratively develop artist-first, responsible AI music products.
So what would that look like?
We want to do this in consultation with the industry. People talk to artists about it, songwriters about it, and it feels like a lot of principles about AI and music and what these should look like. It’s happening in real time. So we didn’t want to wait until we have a product ready for a big launch to start talking about how we’re going to build AI products. We want to talk now, while we see lots of other folks in the industry are investing in the space, to be clear about our principles and how we’re gonna work with the industry for any product we build. So we’re looking at four key principles we outlined.
First, [we have forged] upfront agreements with the music industry. [We are] not using tons of music [without permission] and asking for forgiveness later. Second, we wanna make sure artists, songwriters, rights holders have agency and choice about how their music does or doesn’t participate in these tools. They should have control and choice around how fans can or can’t interact with the music using AI. Third, we will always have proper monetization and compensation built in. So artists, songwriters, right holders [are] always compensated for all uses of their work [and] properly credited transparently. We’ll have an eye towards building new revenue streams for the music industry, so not just splitting up the existing royalty pool. We think that could be really important for powering what the next stage of the music industry looks like. Fourth, and really important to us, when we think about our role right now in music, is we want to build AI music products that deepen existing artist-fan connections. With 700 million monthly listeners coming to Spotify already, to listen to their favorite artists, we can play this really unique role where we build tools and help fans go deeper with their favorite artists and connect with their favorite artists in new ways, and make sure AI tools aren’t there to kind of compete with artists or to try to replace human artistry.
I know it is still very preliminary, but you talked about how this will increase the connection between fans and artists. Tell me if I’m off base, but it kind of sounds more like Spotify is leaning towards AI-powered remixing of current songs, rather than a model that generates a new song from scratch, like Suno or Udio, right?
Yeah. I think we see our role as the biggest streaming home for professional artists today. We facilitate those connections between artists and fans through their music already. So we think we’re best positioned to help have AI power this next stage of the industry. In some ways, it’s just in that space of existing artists and connections and building on artists’ catalogs with their consent. Yeah, not tools that are built to compete or kind of siphon off [royalties] from parts of the industry.
To me, this signals a shift for Spotify. Spotify has always been the final destination for listening. This now feels like it’s a more playful, interactive music creation tool. Do you see Spotify continuing to expand from being the place for static streaming?
Over the past few years, we’ve been evolving Spotify from a place that’s just about the music to giving artists all these tools to share the world around their music. So three, four or five years ago, on Spotify, you get an artist profile with some pictures and canvases [looping visuals paired to songs]. It was mostly just about the music, and then you’d have to go to social media or elsewhere to experience the artist’s broader world. Where we’ve been focusing is bringing in artist clips so that artists can share 30-second videos, sharing the meaning of their songs, music videos, live performance videos, which we’ve launched in 100 countries outside the U.S. We’re working to bring that to the U.S. [There are] countdown pages that build up your album release. You can sell your merch in advance. We’re seeing artists use that in really creative ways. So we’ve already been on this journey of making Spotify a place where fans can experience the whole world of an artist. These AI music principles are an extension of that philosophy.
Spotify has also recently updated its policies on AI music. This included a note that the service has removed “75 million spammy tracks.” I’ve seen some outlets post stories about this figure incorrectly, calling it 75 million AI tracks, but it feels like the word “spammy” is intentional, referring to both AI spam and human-made spam. Can you explain what Spotify meant by this?
We’ve definitely seen modern Gen AI tools increase the scale of spam, and so certainly AI played a role in this scale. Not so long ago, there weren’t even 75 million tracks on streaming services, and now, we’re removing that many, but yeah, we’re working to identify spam, regardless of whether AI’s part of the creative process or not.
Spotify is also working with DDEX to create a standardized way to disclose exactly how AI is used in the music creation process. It feels like a step in the right direction to create a standard, but if I’m a bad actor, why would I self-disclose? I probably wouldn’t.
We see this as the first step. No matter what the long-term solution is going to be, of the system of incentives and deterrence that will get people to disclose, the starting point has to be shared language through the existing supply chain of music about what the formatting of that will be.
But I think you do see already a lot of artists, songwriters, producers, starting to talk about how they’re using AI more often. So you see the K-Pop Demon Hunters songwriter who talked about brainstorming with Chat-GPT when he wrote “Soda Pop” through to Brenda Lee using AI to translate “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” into Spanish, but still her voice. It was so cool, but it may have been confusing for Spanish listeners, if they thought Brenda Lee or any artist spoke a language they don’t speak. Now, [with the DDEX partnership] it will be really cool for them to know transparently [exactly how AI was used.]
When Spotify came out with these policies, it did feel like a start, but I heard from some people that they felt it didn’t go far enough. So, what do you say to those who feel like it’s not going far enough?
It’s early days for AI tech. I know it feels like it’s moving fast, but consumption of AI-generated music’s insanely low. We have some time for artists, songwriters, producers to take the lead in figuring out how they want to use these tools. We don’t want to act like we know where AI music’s headed and exactly every policy and role we need to future-proof for the next two or three years. But also, we didn’t just want to wait and do nothing. Some areas we all can agree now that we need to act now, no matter where AI tech heads. We think it’s going to be necessary to have great systems in place to stamp out spam, deception, impersonation. So that’s our starting point. We try to be upfront. We see these as first, critical early steps. There’s more to come.
French streaming service Deezer reported recently that 28% of daily uploaded songs are fully AI-generated. That’s a shockingly high number. At Spotify, have you seen the same figures?
AI detection tech isn’t really foolproof yet. You know, every streaming service has pretty much an integral catalog. We have no reason to disbelieve it’s a similar amount on any streaming service. That said, I think they shared the point that .5% of streams is all those songs were getting. We’ve tried a few different tactics to test that — different detection tech, testing out different proxies — to understand how much prompt-generated music may be listened to on Spotify, and we find it is way lower than .5% in the share of streams, in total consumption. So I know sometimes it feels scary when you see those upload percentages…but yeah, there’s a lot of uploads [of AI music.] We’re doing a lot of work to release that kind of spam, where there are mass uploads that can add up to those kinds of percentages, but keeping a close eye on the part that actually matters, which is, are listeners listening to it? Is it generating royalties?
Consumption being really low makes me think that it must be a burden on streaming services to hold all of this music, especially when no one’s listening to it. Would Spotify ever remove tracks that are just getting absolutely no traction?
I don’t think so. Whether they’re AI or otherwise, people upload their music to streaming services for all different reasons. I have family members that upload music to send to family and friends. That’s a great thing at Spotify, [where] we are focused on emerging and professional artists. Our policies are in service of professional artists and emerging artists on their way to that. So we take on the burden of how many songs are uploaded, and certainly the overwhelming majority of songs aren’t getting streamed much. I still think it’s really important for there to be this open outlet.
Is this a cloud storage issue? I have no idea how big these songs are to hold onto.
Maybe someday, with AI scale, it will be.
Earlier this year, I spoke to Spotify’s global head of editorial, Sulinna Ong, and I asked her about whether or not she would ever forbid AI tracks from living on Spotify editorial playlists. She didn’t have a clear answer at that moment — it wasn’t a yes or a no, so I wanted to ask again. Could you ever imagine fully AI-generated tracks living on a Spotify playlist?
It’s a hard question, because I think we recognize AI music as a spectrum… I think what you’re getting at is completely prompt-generated music without any human input. Is there some world where listener behavior really changes, and there’s huge musical, cultural relevance from music that doesn’t spam, deceive or impersonate, but somehow finds an audience, [that] could make it on to a viral hits sort of playlist? I can’t speak for their team, but fundamentally, 100% of the focus of our editorial efforts is helping to identify, uplift [and] develop the careers of professional artists who are making amazing music. So it’s always hard to answer that question in absolutes, but certainly that’s not the focus of anyone at Spotify, or, I think, any streaming service.
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Although it might be hard to believe, there is one place where you can get deals on streaming, prescriptions, home goods, fashion and even food. That place is Walmart+.
Yes, the retailer’s membership includes a whole host of impressive benefits for just $98 a year, or $12.95 a month (plus applicable taxes). The app provides a one-stop shop for pretty much all your needs from giving your wardrobe a seasonal refresh to filling your car’s gas tank. At a glance, when you sign up, you’ll have access perks like free delivery1, free shipping2, fuel discounts3, returns from home, and in-store features like Scan & Go which expedites your shopping process tenfold. You will also gain access to early deals, pet care, and savings with partners like Burger King.
Our favorite perk of the bunch, besides the Burger King savings, is that members will be able to enjoy Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium with ads at no additional cost4. You’ll pick from one of the two services available to you through your membership by linking your account through your Walmart+ Benefits Hub. If you’re not happy with your selected service, you will have the option to change or switch after 90 days. In summary, this gives members access to a wide range of movies and TV shows previously hidden behind a paywall.
Through Peacock and Paramount+, you’ll gain access to acclaimed TV series along with buzzed-about movies. Whichever streaming service you choose, both provide streaming opportunities that you won’t want to miss out on.
Walmart’s Burger King savings can be accessed via the Walmart app or website. Once you activate or link your account, you’ll be given a percentage off all orders so you can order in or grab takeout without breaking the bank5. As previously mentioned, members will also have access to a Scan & Go feature in store, making shopping a lot easier.
Using the Walmart app, you’ll scan items as you shop, grabbing a few fall fashion staples and home décor along the way before paying for your cart in the app. You’ll then show a QR code at the self-checkout kiosk to complete the process and show your receipt to an associate.
- $35 order min. Restrictions apply. ↩︎
- Excludes most marketplace items. Freight & location surcharges may apply. ↩︎
- 5¢ savings in AL & OK only. Subject to change. ↩︎
- One service (w/ ads) every 90 days: Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential. Add’l registration req’d. T&Cs apply.
↩︎ - Valid at part. U.S. BK’s, in the BK App or BK.com for members only. Terms apply. ↩︎
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Travis Barker is a legend in the music biz.
Drummer of Blink-182, producer and songwriter, Barker is now adding designer to his lengthy list of accomplishments with his latest collab via Vans. The sneaker is a low-top canvas Old Skool model that dropped Thursday, Oct. 23. The collaborative kicks are available now on Vans’ website and retail for $85. The unisex style is already making waves, as it’s sold out in multiple sizes.
The silhouette is an apt reflection of both Vans and Barker’s backgrounds, touching on both parties’ Californian routes and love of skateboarding. It’s also edgy, incorporating elements of Barker’s days spent behind a drum set spinning pop-punk tracks with his bandmates. The low-top offering is made of black canvas, as most Vans styles are, making them super breathable so your feet don’t sweat. You’ve also got a mix of suede in the uppers that gives the shoe durability as well as textural interest.
From the dark uppers, the shoe transitions into signature white-striped motifs that travel the length of the shoe. There are tons of custom details affixed to the model that allude to Barker’s life lived on stage and at punk shows, from barbed wire foxing and oil-stained toe bumpers that give a lived-in feel to boombox artwork on the heels, imparting a graphic finish.
Transitioning from the co-branded footbeds, the sneaker is adorned with chrome aglets, a totally rocker touch, and metal eyelets. The laces are cotton and black, coordinating with the overall black color scheme. Padded collars offer the wearer added support and comfort. The soles are your classic waffle pattern, a staple design element for Vans, giving the shoe a non-slip finish.
Through and through, the shoe is an homage to Barker’s life and music. The graphic design elements elevate the sneaker, setting it apart from Vans’ other black canvas models. This style is something we’d throw on for a coffee date, a trip to the skate park or for running errands accompanied by jeans, your favorite band tee and a cozy flannel.
The more lived-in these bad boys get, the better they’ll look, as with almost all of Vans’ sneakers. They’re made to be worn, something that matches Barker’s rocker aesthetic. If you’re a fan of Barker and Blink-182, or you’re just in the market for new sneakers, we recommend you snag these before they’re gone.
Janet Jackson has been delivering some of the slickest dance moves in the world for more than four decades — and she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
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On Tuesday (Oct. 21), the Grammy-winning music icon received the Icon of the Year Award at The Gala of the Stars, an annual benefit supporting Dancers Against Cancer. Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Liza Minnelli — a longtime friend of the Jackson family — presented the award in person, honoring the “What Have You Done for Me Lately” singer’s influence on music, dance and culture. This marked Minnelli’s first public appearance since the 2022 Academy Awards, where she presented best picture to Coda alongside Lady Gaga.
Between the British Museum Ball, reuniting with niece Paris Jackson at Paris Fashion Week, and gearing up for her final three live shows of the year, it’s been a busy few weeks for Ms. Jackson. Nonetheless, she carved out the time to accept an honor from a community to which she has greatly contributed over the course of her storied career.
“I love dance. I’ve always loved dance, and I remember, since I was five or six years old, always dancing with my brothers around the house. They were my first teachers and choreographers,” she reflected during her speech, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I want to thank all of you guys for sharing your creativity, but not just that, for your friendship through all these years. Thank you so much. I want to thank my family for their entire support and love and for always encouraging me. I also want to sincerely thank everyone who’s been there for me throughout this entire journey, and I want to thank God for giving me life, allowing me to have a career and to continue to do what I love and still enjoy.”
To close out her speech, Jackson also made it clear that she will always keep dancing, saying “In a few — more than a few — months, maybe six or seven months, I’m going to be 60 years old. I have to tell you, I have no plans to stop dancing!”
She also reflected on the honor in an X post on Thursday (Oct. 23). “I never take moments like this for granted. Your mission is profoundly important, and thank you for giving our community a meaningful way to give back,” she wrote in part alongside photos of herself at the event, including a clip of her speech as well as a snapshot of herself with Minnelli. She also addressed the star, writing, “Dear Liza, receiving this award from an icon & friend like you means more than I can say. You have been an inspiration to me and to the world, and I am deeply touched. I love you.”
Marking her second icon award of 2025 — she received an equivalent honor at May’s Jennifer Lopez-hosted American Music Awards — Jackson has spent the year tearing through a 22-show run at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas for her latest concert residency. On Dec. 29, she will play her final show of the year at Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, Calif. Earlier this year, Jackson hit No. 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Cardi B’s “Principal,” making her just the third woman in Billboard history to reach that chart for a fifth consecutive calendar decade with new material.
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Hello Kitty’s latest collaboration hits all the right notes — this time with Loog Guitars and Fender. The three have teamed up for a new collection of kid-sized instruments that blend Loog’s easy-to-play design with Fender’s rock heritage and Hello Kitty’s unmistakable style.
The lineup includes two Loog Mini Acoustic guitars in pink and white, and a scaled-down three-string take on the iconic Hello Kitty Fender Stratocaster. Each piece keeps the focus on fun and accessibility, helping young players (or collectors with a soft spot for nostalgia) jump straight into making music.
The Fender x Loog Hello Kitty Stratocaster mirrors the famous Strat shape, but swaps full-size features for a setup made for beginners. It comes equipped with a mini single-coil pickup, standard jack and a “Fender for Kids” guide so little rockers can plug in and play.
The Loog Mini Acoustic guitars are designed specifically to make learning easier and more engaging. Their lightweight bodies and three-string setup make chords simpler to master, while the bright Hello Kitty designs add a playful, visual appeal. Each acoustic guitar comes with chord flashcards, picks and stickers to make practice feel like a creative game rather than a chore.
Learning is enhanced even further with the Loog app, which offers interactive, step-by-step lessons and guided songs. Kids can follow along with visual cues, practice at their own pace and track their progress as they build confidence. The combination of the app and the physical instrument turns every practice session into an engaging, structured and fun musical experience.
“Hello Kitty is all about creativity, joy and imagination — exactly what we want kids to feel when they pick up a guitar,” said Loog CEO Rafael Atijas. “Hello Kitty is all about creativity, joy and imagination — exactly what we want kids to feel when they pick up a guitar. The Hello Kitty Strat has become a beloved collector’s piece in the music world and I’m thrilled that we can now offer a playful and accessible version designed especially for kids.”
Whether you’re shopping for a first guitar or a collectible that pops off the wall, this collab makes a gift that’s equal parts fun and functional. Available now for $149 (Mini Acoustic) and $229 (Fender x Loog Stratocaster), the collection can be found at fender.com.
On June 28, Mexican-American country singer MŌRIAH and Mexican star Ana Bárbara turned a room filled with apprehension into a powerful moment of unity, prior to a boxing matchup between American boxer Jake Paul and Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. in Anaheim, California.
“The tension in the room was palpable,” MŌRIAH recalls, as the matchup came amidst heightened political strife. MŌRIAH and Bárbara met in Bárbara’s green room and felt “an instant connection and an immediate understanding of what we had the opportunity to do in that moment.” Bárbara took the stage first to perform the Mexican anthem.
“Almost every person in the arena sang every word,” MŌRIAH remembers, who then followed Bárbara onstage, to perform the American national anthem accompanied by a guitarist fusing the song with mariachi sounds. By the song’s end, Bárbara had joined MŌRIAH as they held hands and sang the final line together.
“It felt like the room just exploded with people applauding and screaming,” MŌRIAH says. “For that brief moment, it was like, ‘This is what it looks like if we set those differences aside and we band together, we own both parts of who we are.’ That unity was so powerful, that we were like, ‘This is the beginning of something.’”
On her two new EPs, MŌRIAH also celebrates her full heritage and family. She will release the six-song English-language version, Nice Life, on Friday (Oct. 24) on F2 Entertainment, followed by its Spanish-language counterpart, Buena Vida, on Oct. 31.
The cover art for MŌRIAH’s EP ‘Nice Life’
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She and acclaimed producer Paul Mabury (Lauren Daigle, MercyMe) began working on the songs nearly three years ago, shortly after Mabury attended MŌRIAH’s 30th birthday celebration—a joint party also honoring her grandmother, who was battling health challenges at the time.
“I brought in mariachis, and my friends learned a traditional dance,” MŌRIAH recalls. “The next time we were in the studio, my producer showed me a photo from that night and said, ‘This is beautiful. This is what we need to write about.’”
MŌRIAH was no stranger to releasing music, but those songs would mark a turning point in her artistry. She was raised in California, in a home where mariachi music was played at family gatherings and quinceañeras were celebrated. Summers were spent with family in El Paso, Texas. In 2014, her CCM album Brave reached No. 9 of Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. She also released the 2022 EP Curtain Call.
Her producer’s encouragement dovetailed with the music and journal entries MŌRIAH had been quietly creating backstage while touring churches across the country.
“I would sing songs that had been written for me, then go backstage and write about my family,” she says. “It’s funny to me now how I kept those two worlds so separate.”
Last year, she released the breezy and dreamy “Hasta Mañana,” a song recorded at Texas’ famed Sonic Ranch studio.
“That song was an exciting peek into where we could go,” MŌRIAH says. The EPs build upon that song, fully celebrating themes of family, love and emotional struggle, wrapping it in sounds intersecting modern country and Latin music. The title track delves into finding happiness and contentment in simplicity, while “Sombrero” lends itself to a Western-flaired romance.
On “Supermujeres,” which serves as a centerpiece on MŌRIAH’s new project, she teamed again with Bárbara. Bárbara sang her own version of the Spanish lyrics, but also backed MŌRIAH on the chorus, singing the harmony line in English.
“She was like, ‘I’m making this the Mexican version,’” MŌRIAH says. “We tracked together in the studio, and I never asked her to sing the English chorus because it’s a lot to ask someone to do that and sing in their second language. But a week later, she heard the demo and was like, ‘When you’re singing the chorus in English, it sounds lonely. I want to support your voice in English, too.’ She worked so hard and her articulation was so beautiful.”
The artwork for the EPs features images in tin nichos, Mexican folk art shadow boxes used to honor loved ones. The Spanish-language EP features a tin nicho with a photo of MŌRIAH wearing a sombrero de charros, while the English-language version features a similar photo, but with the sombrero placed on a table in front of MŌRIAH.
“I wanted to have the sombrero in the image, because that’s what I’m honoring, the culture,” she says. “I’m honoring where I come from, so the cover of the Spanish EP is with the sombrero on and then for the English one I have the sombrero on the table, because I’m honoring the fact that my family learned English, a whole new language.”
The cover art for MŌRIAH’s EP ‘Buena Vida’
Courtesy
So far, the year has brimmed with new milestones. MŌRIAH was named to CMT’s Next Women of Country class of 2025. Last month, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, which followed her debut at CMA Fest in June, where she performed the national anthem and featured mariachi dancers onstage with her.
“My dad played bass onstage with me, which was such a special moment,” she recalls of performing at CMA Fest. “I think sometimes you can’t be what you can’t see, so just to be able to show up onstage and represent something that feels different gives people a sense of celebration.”
MŌRIAH, who is working with Nashville industry vet Fletcher Foster, now finds herself connected with a lineage of artists weaving together Latin and country sounds, from Freddy Fender, Linda Ronstadt and Johnny Rodriguez to newer artists including Angie K, Frank Ray and Sammy Arriaga. Meanwhile, Carin Leon made his Grand Ole Opry debut earlier this year, and Grupo Frontera is set to play the Opry in November.
“I’ve been looking for a female Latin country artist for years since the CMA Research study came out and just have found the right one for me. MŌRIAH has it all,” Foster tells Billboard in a statement. “Beyond a ‘triple threat’ the talent from songwriter to performing, acting, to speaking [MŌRIAH recently took part in a TedX talk in Nashville] is at another level. I’m looking forward to her bringing these two worlds together not just creatively but culturally.”
“I think that most people who are shaping culture don’t look at themselves as shaping culture—they’re just doing the work that’s in front of them and working hard. It’s not until you look back a bit and realize all that time invested, it did something that was bigger than me,” MŌRIAH says.
She will play her first show in Mexico later this month and is planning a full-length album for 2026, accompanied by more live shows. The multi-faceted creator is also an actress, film and music producer, who has acted in films and television shows including The Chosen, Reagan and Because of Gracia, and co-produced the 2024 film Unsung Hero, which chronicles the journey of her husband Joel Smallbone (of For King & Country)’s family from Australia to America. She’s already working on more upcoming film projects.
As she’s approaching the work’s long hours and creative output, she’s aware of the legacy building inherent in her rise.
“It’s what feels like pressure, but I count it a privilege to carry that pressure. It’s only two generations back that my grandparents were working in tomato fields and in factories,” she says. “They paved the way. They’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to be able to work this hard and to be able to point back to their story and their narrative. It’s beautiful how in a family, one generation’s ceiling becomes the next generation’s floor and it just keeps building. That’s what I’m hoping to do with this music, too, is create a new threshold for the next generation to springboard off of.”
Finesse2Tymes has spoken out about his Monday (Oct. 20) arrest on drug charges, and said the situation has caused him to experience a lot of growth.
The Memphis rapper was released from the Harrison County Jail in Texas on Tuesday (Oct. 21), according to local Fox affiliate Fox13, and hopped on Instagram to address the situation the next day. In his post, he said he wasn’t shying away from documenting this harrowing experience.
“See the difference between me and most is I don’t care about showing my growth,” he wrote. “I ain’t running from my flaws, I ain’t hiding behind no PR, I ain’t hiding behind no money, I ain’t doin’ what no label tell me to don’t. I show that I don’t like you n—s, I don’t sugar coat and shake hands when I see ya, and I ain’t fakin’. Thismy real life, and yeah ima shake back, I always do.”
The rapper continued, reflecting on his upbringing and determination to overcome challenges: “God never put me through more than I can handle. But while y’all posting my downfall, post what’s gone bring me up too. I ain’t just a f—k up, I got talent, and it ain’t my fault that I gotta catch on to life late. I ain’t have a mama, daddy, to hold my hand—they was fups too—but at least I know what loyalty is.”
Finesse then hopped on Instagram Live and said that he was arrested for THC vapes and not hard drugs. He also criticized his mom as “manipulative” after comments she made about his arrest, and said he was “highly blessed and favored by a high power.”
As reported by Fox13, The Department of Public Safety in Harrison County, Texas, arrested Finesse2tymes on Monday and charged him with several counts of possession of a controlled substance, including two counts of possessing less than a gram of a controlled substance and two counts of possessing between one and four grams of a controlled substance.
The World Series heads north of the border for the first time in 32 years, and the MLB has tapped Pharrell Williams alongside the Voices of Fire choir and the Jonas Brothers to perform at the first two games of the Fall Classic.
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Before the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers take the field at Rogers Centre on Friday (Oct. 24), Pharrell and the Voices of Fire will perform a synthesized two-track set of cuts from the choir’s OPHANIM album. Voices of Fire is also set to perform the U.S. and Canadian national anthems ahead of game one.
The MLB will pass the bat to the Jonas Brothers for the second game. The band will perform “I Can’t Lose” from the New Jersey-bred group’s Greetings From Your Hometown on the diamond on Saturday night (Oct. 25).
“We’re proud to celebrate our partnership with Mastercard in support of Stand Up to Cancer during such a meaningful moment at the World Series with a performance of ‘I Can’t Lose’ in tribute to this powerful campaign,” said the Jonas Brothers in a statement. “As lifelong baseball fans, it’s special to be part of a moment where music and purpose come together.”
Before playoff baseball was in the air, the MLB recruited Pharrell and the Voices of Fire to star in the league’s “October Hits Different” campaign.
“Virginia taught me the power of music and community,” Pharrell said in a statement at the time. “Bringing Voices of Fire to the postseason stage shows how those same forces of unity can come alive through sport.”
It’s an intercountry battle with the Toronto Blue Jays facing off against the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Behind superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, the Dodgers will look to secure back-to-back championships, while the Jays are hoping to clinch their first World Series ring since 1993.
First pitch for games one and two is slated for 8 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday.
