The numbers are in: The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards was a No. 1 hit.

Presented Thursday, Oct. 22, the annual celebration of Latin music enjoyed a “strong multiplatform performance,” broadcaster Telemundo reports, to rank No. 1 in Spanish-language television for the 7pm-11pm primetime spot.

The broadcaster averaged 335,000 adults (18-49) and 1.1 million total viewers, according to data provided by Nielsen, peaking at 8:30pm with 400,000 adults (18-49) and 1.2 million total viewers.

At the same time, Telemundo’s digital platforms and social channels captured 306 million total views, up 57% from the 2025 edition, with fans watching a combined 29.7 million minutes, a 41% gain against 2025.

The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards also powered “significant social engagement,” according to Talkwalker Social Content Ratings, for a No. 1 ranking across all TV in total social video views and the leading broadcast program of the day, regardless of language. Facebook, TikTok and Instagram led the way, while on YouTube, viewing minutes more than doubled (+101% vs. 2025), fueled by expanded livestream coverage.

With eight awards, plus the Billboard Vanguard Award, Fuerza Regida was the big winner at the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Although not present, Bad Bunny was close behind with seven trophies, while Karol G, Peso Pluma and Romeo Santos won four each. Rosalía, Tito Double P and Prince Royce each took home three.

The ceremony aired live on Telemundo and Peacock from James L. Knight Center in Miami, FL, and featured 47 categories spanning major Latin music genres such as pop, tropical, Latin rhythm and regional Mexican. Additionally, for the first time fans had a historic opportunity to choose one of the night’s winners through a new award, Fan Favorite Artist, which went to Karol G.

During the show, Cristian Castro was saluted with the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award for his enduring and exceptional career; and Rubén Blades received the Billboard Icon Award, celebrating his timeless career in Latin music.

Grammy first-round voting wrapped up last week, on Oct. 22, and 2027 nominations will arrive on Nov. 16 — so it’s a good time to take a closer look at next year’s best new artist race and who might snag one of those coveted eight nomination slots.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are looking at some of the likeliest nominees, including Billboard Hot 100 record-setter Ella Langley and British songstress Sienna Spiro, and why one big name won’t be included on Grammy ballots this year: newly minted pop hitmaker ADÉLA.

Listen to the full conversation below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Olivia Rodrigo is back at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, how Zach Bryan’s surprise new album young manhood and other donatable organs makes a big debut, and how a trio of tracks swoop into the top five on the Hot 100 for the first time.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

NE-YO performed the national anthem at game 4 of the 2026 World Series on Tuesday night (Oct. 27) in Tampa Bay, as the Milwaukee Brewers have their brooms out looking to complete the sweep of the Rays.

Holding his hat at his side, NE-YO brought his silky-smooth vocals to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” singing on the baseball field as a graphic of the American flag waved behind him. Watch the full performance here:

The R&B singer followed in the footsteps of Mickey Guyton (game 1), Kylie Cantrall (game 2) and Carly Pearce (game 3) as the national anthem performers in this year’s Fall Classic.

“You go over the words like a madman,” NE-YO said in an interview with MLB Network prior to the performance. “Lord knows that you don’t want to get up there and forget the words. You do a lot of vocal exercises… I try to keep it somewhat traditional.”

If the Rays snatch a victory, game 5 will take place on Wednesday (Oct. 28) at the Trop. But it could be a historic night at Tropicana Field. The champagne bottles are sure to be popping if the Brewers indeed win game 4 to capture the franchise’s first World Series championship.

2026 marks the Brew Crew’s first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1982, when they fell short to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, which was when the franchise was still in the American League.

This is far from NE-YO’s first time singing the national anthem at a major sporting event. The “So Sick” artist previously performed at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Thanksgiving’s Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game in 2021 and the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament’s final in 2023 in Las Vegas between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers.

Sporting a cowboy hat, the 47-year-old returned in July with the release of his country-inspired Highway 79 album.

Watch NE-YO’s full interview with MLB Network ahead of game 4 below.

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JoJo may not have been in the driver’s seat for her first F1 race last weekend in Austin, but she could have been.

“I like to drive fast, bi—! I love to go fast,” she told Billboard backstage at Proper Presents: Soundtracks with Tommy Hilfiger, a music series held at Austin Proper Hotel in collaboration with the iconic American fashion house ahead of the race. “I love to whip a car around,” JoJo says. “I want to be in that car.”

Despite having never attended an F1 race prior to Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the singer says she’s done her research, noting that Tommy Hilfiger is the official apparel sponsor for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, which is making its debut season on the grid. Growing up, JoJo fell in love with Cadillac by way of a friend’s family ride, calling it “the fanciest car in town. It was just so cool,” she says. “The fact that Tommy is [working] with Cadillac makes me feel so nostalgic.”

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That nostalgia extends to the clothing brand itself. “My introduction to Tommy was when Aaliyah was rocking Tommy,” JoJo says, shouting out the late singer and 90s fashion star. “Being preppy but also streetwear is something that really resonates with me because I love to inhabit that space,” JoJo continues. “I appreciate the classic Americana cool of it. As somebody who moved to New York three years ago, I am always looking for that wearability and that cool. It’s no surprise that Tommy has [maintained] that cultural relevance.”

For his part, Hilfiger says that his brand’s integration into pop culture wasn’t an accident; it’s by design. 

“I’ve always believed fashion is part of the conversation, but it’s only one part of culture. You have to be curious about what people are listening to, who they’re watching, and what they’re excited about. That’s where the energy comes from,” the designer shares. “For me, art, music, celebrity, and sport have always been connected to fashion. They’re all ways people express who they are and what they want to be part of.”

JoJo and Tommy Hilfiger have both mastered the art of longevity. This year marks two decades since the release of JoJo’s second studio album, The High Road. To celebrate, she’ll embark on a limited seven-city acoustic run called “The High Road: 20 Years Unplugged” in November. She says the tour will be a “celebration” of the album, with most of the original tracks, as well as some beloved songs from the same era, making an appearance on the setlist. 

It’s the cherry on top of an exciting year for the Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum singer, who just announced a partnership with Seeker Music. The creator-led music rights, publishing, and record company has acquired JoJo’s original and re-recorded versions of her seminal first two albums, JoJo and The High Road, and is setting the stage for the future with special releases and projects, including a special 20th anniversary rerelease of the latter.

“It feels really amazing because for a long time I didn’t know what was going on with my music,” she says of her catalog, which has been out of her own possession for years. “Now I know what’s going on with it, and that it’s in good hands. People who care, who have the resources and the infrastructure to support it, to get it out there.”

She’s getting it out there, too. Ahead of the upcoming tour, she took the stage at Proper Presents to play an intimate acoustic set. As the singer climbed a table in the middle of the room, clad from head to toe in Tommy Hilfiger, she was surrounded by a crowd of fans who were belting The Long Way’s biggest hit, “Too Little Too Late” even louder than she was, it was easy to see how JoJo’s work—and her stardom—have lasted for more than two decades. 

“I recently worked with Cyndi Lauper on a new musical, and I asked her what she would attribute her longevity to. She said, ‘You just keep going.’ That changed me,” JoJo says. “In life and in this industry, that’s what it is: You just keep going.”

JoJo was joined in Austin by Love Island USA stars Trinity Tatum and Bryce Alakai, and producer and DJ TOKiMONSTA, the latter of whom wrapped up the weekend with a set at Kappo Kappo, the Austin Proper’s omakase sushi restaurant which was recently awarded one Michelin star. 

The F1 Austin events over the weekend reflect Tommy Hilfiger’s continued investment in the intersection of fashion, music, entertainment, and sports, a space the brand has occupied through collaborations and cultural partnerships for more than four decades. Its alliance with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team brings that approach to a sport experiencing a surge in U.S. popularity, pairing the two brands around a shared vision of American style and innovation. Proper Hotels brought its own creative perspective to the weekend through Proper Presents, its signature music series, which is programmed around major cultural moments and citywide events. Together, the partnerships extended the Grand Prix experience beyond the track, connecting racing with the artists, sounds, and cultural conversations shaping the weekend.

NE-YO will perform the national anthem at game 4 of the 2026 World Series on Tuesday (Oct. 27) in Tampa Bay, as the Milwaukee Brewers have their brooms out and will look to complete the sweep of the Rays.

The R&B singer follows in the footsteps of Mickey Guyton (game 1), Kylie Cantrall (game 2) and Carly Pearce (game 3) as “The Star Spangled Banner” performers in this year’s Fall Classic.

“You go over the words like a madman,” NE-YO said in an interview with MLB Network prior to the performance. “Lord knows that you don’t want to get up there and forget the words. You do a lot of vocal exercises… I try to keep it somewhat traditional.”

Game 4 is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX, while former Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longeria is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. If the Rays snatch a victory, game 5 will take place on Wednesday (Oct. 28) at the Trop.

It could be a historic night at Tropicana Field. The champagne bottles are sure to be popping if the Brewers indeed win game 4 to capture the franchise’s first World Series championship.

2026 marks the Brew Crew’s first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1982, when they fell short to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, which was when the franchise was still in the American League.

This is far from NE-YO’s first time singing the national anthem at a major sporting event. The “So Sick” artist previously performed at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, Thanksgiving’s Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game in 2021 and the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament’s final in 2023 in Las Vegas between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers.

Sporting a cowboy hat, the 47-year-old returned in July with the release of his country-inspired Highway 79 album.

Watch NE-YO’s full interview with MLB Network ahead of game 4 below.

Lil Durk is getting support from two of rap’s biggest names as he fights to get out of jail following his acquittal on murder-for-hire charges.

Jay-Z and J. Cole both submitted letters to a federal judge on Tuesday (Oct. 27), obtained by Billboard, supporting Durk’s motion for bail. The Chicago rapper (Durk Banks) was found not guilty last month of taking out a hit on rival rapper Quando Rondo, but he remains in custody while awaiting a second racketeering trial.

In his letter, Jay-Z says he found Durk to be “kind, respectful and focused on his career” when they met several years earlier. “What stood out most to me was how he used his success,” writes Jay-Z. “Durk was signing young artists from his community to recording contracts and giving them a real path into a legitimate industry. Many of us come from neighborhoods where the options are limited and the risks are high. Durk understood that, and he worked to help others find a way out of those conditions rather than leaving them behind.”

“Release would allow [Durk] to support his family and continue the work in his community that I saw firsthand,” adds Jay-Z.

J. Cole’s letter focuses on his collaboration with Durk on the hit 2023 track “All My Life,” which earned a Grammy for best melodic rap performance and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. J. Cole notes that “All My Life” has a message of peace and growth, which Durk advocated for despite the elder rapper’s initial reluctance.

“It speaks to the vision of Durk to mature and realize the impact his art could have, and then to be willing to fight for the chance to make that impact a positive one, even if it meant going against the instincts of an artist he respects and looks up to,” writes J. Cole.

Durk was denied bail earlier in the case after being deemed a flight risk. Durk’s attorneys say his acquittal has changed these circumstances, and they’re willing to put up collateral that includes all his future royalties, touring income and name, image and likeness rights.

“Mr. Banks offers to the court a bond package that includes his future earnings, ensuring that that should he violate his bond, he and his family would remain penniless going forward,” write defense lawyers. Brian Steel and Drew Findling. “Mr. Banks, who following the time period surrounding these charges radically transformed his life, should be released on a bond.”

A hearing to review Durk’s bond is set for Nov. 4. A rep for the prosecution, which opposes Durk’s release, declined to comment on the motion Tuesday.

Durk was acquitted of murder-for-hire in September following a two-week trial, in which prosecutors accused him of putting a bounty on Rondo in retaliation for the 2020 killing of his close friend and collaborator King Von. Rondo was shot at a Los Angeles gas station in 2022 and survived, but his cousin Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab, was killed in the crossfire.

Durk remains subject to one more criminal count under the federal Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity (VICAR) statute, which broadly criminalizes gang violence. That charge is scheduled for a second trial in August 2027, though Durk’s lawyers have suggested that they’ll likely try to get it tossed out under double jeopardy rules. “The caselaw might very well foreclose a second trial altogether,” write the defense attorneys in Tuesday’s bail motion.

Tokischa has enjoyed her acting debut in House of Guerrero so much that she’s not ruling out pursuing a parallel career onscreen alongside her music journey.

The Dominican singer hinted at this last week during Billboard Latin Music Week, where she participated in the “Film and Music” panel alongside the film’s lead actor, Carlos Sanson Jr., and film and television producer Scott Budnick, CEO of 1Community.

“I really would love to play a very dramatic character, like really portray that,” Tokischa said when moderator Rebeca León, CEO of Lionfish Entertainment, asked her about her dream role following this first acting experience. “I’ve been through a lot in my life. Like I did in the [2026 AMOR & DROGA] album, for example, the video ‘Perreo Llorando’ where I’m just crying.”

“I think I’m a good crier,” the dembow artist continued. “I’m a Pisces, so I want to have a very dramatic character. I want to have a person that goes through a lot, and I want to show a lot of emotion because I have a lot of emotion. I don’t know, a drug addict, maybe somebody that lost somebody, something really strong.”

House of Guerrero marks actress Gina Rodriguez’s debut as a feature film director. In the movie, Sanson Jr. plays Alex Guerrero, a former boxer trying to reignite his career in the ring, while fellow Latin music superstar Becky G plays Maya, with whom Guerrero has an on-and-off romantic relationship. Tokischa takes on the role of Xochitl Romero, her overprotective friend.

Produced by Wayfarer Studios, 1Community and I Can And I Will Productions, the film was recently shot in Los Angeles and California’s Imperial Valley and does not yet have an official release date. The cast also includes Gina Rodriguez as the protagonist’s older sister, Paloma Guerrero; George Lopez as his father, Alejandro Guerrero; and Rosario Dawson as his mother, Elsa Guerrero.

During the conversation at Billboard Latin Music Week, held on Oct. 20 at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, Tokischa also reflected on the challenge of playing a Mexican character as a Dominican. “It’s impossible to do a Mexican accent — I’m Dominican — so I approached the character from my identity as a Latina. I’m Latina, and I brought that part of me to my performance,” she said. “In the DR, we grew up watching Mexican culture. When I went to Mexico for the first time, I felt like I was in a telenovela. They talk just like in the novelas; all the characters I grew up watching, I saw in real life.”

Sanson Jr., meanwhile, expressed great respect for Mexican and Latin American culture. The Australian actor, known for his role as Santiago “Santi” Hernández in the TV series Bump (Stan/BBC), is the son of a Chilean mother and a father of Cuban and Nicaraguan descent. “At the end of the day, we’re all human, right? So we’re representing each other, and we carried a lot of care and respect for the culture,” he said. “But we also didn’t shy away from the fact of where I’m from.”

“The story changed really when we started filming and we had all these incredible Latin artists come in from all over the world,” he added. “I also spent time in Mexico before we started filming to really try and appreciate and understand the culture, in a level that’s deeper than just what the stereotypes are.”

Addressing the possibility of Latin cinema achieving the same level of international prominence as Latin music, Budnick — whose executive producer credits include Hollywood films such as The Hangover, Due Date and Nonnas — stated that this transformation is already underway. As an example, he mentioned Bad Bunny’s impact at the Super Bowl and the development of more Latin stories within his company, including Porto Rico by Residente, with Bad Bunny in the lead role.

“When we find these common themes that are so strong in the Latin community, and then we make massive commercial movies around those themes that everyone on earth can identify with, those are the things that really break out,” he said. “I’m very, very optimistic that it’s starting to bubble up and it’s really starting to happen.”