50 Cent revealed that he’s recruited Eminem and the late 2Pac for a collaboration that will land on the Street Fighter soundtrack. The G-Unit boss made the revelation during an appearance on Today With Jenna and Sheinelle on Friday (July 24).

“I got some music that I’m working on. I did something currently me, Eminem and 2Pac,” he said, which sent the hosts into a state of shock and confusion.

50 clarified that he got the approval from 2Pac’s estate and that the late rapper’s vocals aren’t AI. “They delivered it. It’s for the theme of Street Fighter, the movie. We worked on it and got it right,” he added.

The Queens rap legend teased that the anticipated collab is arriving “soon” and further clarified that the loaded track will be “coming out shortly.”

Street Fighter is set to hit U.S. theaters Oct. 16, and 50 will star in the live-action remake as Balrog. Back in December, 50 hinted at notching a collaboration with Eminem for Street Fighter, but didn’t mention 2Pac.

“I’m gonna get @eminem on deck to make some music for this movie Street Fighter,” 50 wrote on IG. “New Music on the way!”

50 Cent joins a star-studded cast in the reboot, which boasts Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, country singer Orville Peck and WWE superstar Roman Reigns (Joe Anoa’i).

50 Cent and Eminem’s most recent collaboration came on Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Missionary collab album for “Gunz N Smoke” in December 2024.

The close friends and frequent collaborators teamed up on plenty of occasions throughout the 2000s, colliding on tracks like “Don’t Push Me,” “Patiently Waiting,” “Gatman & Robin” and “You Don’t Know.”

Watch the clip of 50 talking about the track with Eminem and 2Pac below.

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Who knew Drake was such a big fan of padel?

Spanish professional padel player Juan Lebrón Chincoa, aka “El Lobo” (Spanish for “The Wolf”) — one of the best padel players in the world — was a guest at the Toronto rapper’s second annual Nike NOCTA retreat, where it looks he got a game in with the host himself. Chincoa showed love on Instagram with a carousel of pictures and videos from the retreat along with a lengthy caption expressing his gratitude.

“Unforgettable days,” he wrote. “Thank you @champagnepapi for being so genuine and making me feel at home. I truly appreciate the connection we built. Grateful for the memories, the laughs and all the amazing moments we shared together. Thanks @nocta for making these days so special.”

Innocent enough, right?

Well, toward the end of said carousel, there’s a picture of a shirt that has “The only LeBron I rate is Juan” airbrushed on it — which, of course, caught everyone’s attention. It’s both a play on Jay-Z‘s line from the Magna Carta Holy Grail track “Oceans,” on which he raps, “Only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace,” in reference to Christopher Columbus and his late friend The Notorious B.I.G., and a playful jab at his former buddy NBA player LeBron James. The two had a falling-out during Drake’s battle with Kendrick Lamar in 2024, after James attended the Compton rapper’s victory lap concert “The Pop Out,” which resulted in Drake dissing him on numerous occasions since.

Drake also posted his own carousel on Instagram with a couple of bars doubling as a caption that starts with the claim that he’s been proving himself right over the course of the last two years since his back-and-forth with Kendrick.

“I spent the last 24 months proving myself right,” he wrote. “Of course I’m about to have the summer of my life/ Spent amounts on you that make my accountant roll his eyes/ Just for you to show me how you really roll when it’s go time/ I clearly have a type/ And I clearly only learn the lesson when the teacher is fine.”

Their mutual friend, former NBA player Tristan Thompson, told Shannon Sharpe earlier this month that he’s been trying to get the two to reconcile their differences. “I would love to,” he said after Sharpe suggested that he should get LeBron and Drake to bury the hatchet. “Listen, yeah. Listen. I’m trying, man. I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying.”

James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday (July 24), so they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other this upcoming season since Drake’s Toronto Raptors also play in the NBA’s Atlantic Division. Teams in the same division face each other four times over the course of an 82-game season.

Luísa Sonza made her debut on the Tomorrowland Belgium stage Friday (July 24), joining the set of Dutch duo Kris Kross Amsterdam to perform — live for the first time — their track “My Oh My,” released in partnership with French singer and producer Willy William.

The appearance took place on The Great Library stage, one of the festival’s main stages, at 5 p.m. local time, with Sonza popping up as a guest during the duo’s electronic music set.

The collaboration was born after a meeting between Kris Kross Amsterdam and Willy William backstage at the Q Music Awards. Looking for a voice to complete the track, the DJs invited Luísa, who brought her pop identity to the production.

“I’m very excited and honored to represent Brazilian pop at a festival that brings together people from more than 200 countries,” the singer tells Billboard Brazil.

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“My Oh My” isn’t the singer’s first collaboration with foreign artists: Luísa has previously shared tracks with names including PRETTYMUCH, Danna Paola, Aitana and Katy Perry, expanding her presence outside Brazil.

Listen to “My Oh My” below:

Charli xcx continued to blend the worlds of cinema and music with the release of a short film to accompany her Music, Fashion, Film album on Friday (July 24). 

Shot entirely in black-and-white to maintain the album’s aesthetic, Charli begins the clip with what feels like more of a journal entry than an introduction, explaining her inspiration and creative process when making Music, Fashion, Film. 

Prior to the album’s arrival, Charli showed the film in theaters to audiences across the globe to hear and process it visually as she intended. 

“Throughout this album process, I’ve been making things with my friends and I’ve been loving every minute of it. I made the whole album with A.G. Cook and Finn Keane,” she said. “Two people that have become my close, close friends through working on music and creating things together. I’m so excited for you to hear this album.”

Every song on the album essentially boasts a music video, filled with mountains of cigarettes, various fashion shoots and gallivanting through London. The transitions are where Charli provides context heading into every track. Ahead of “Card Declined,” she details her love for shopping when traveling through cities like Paris and London.

Actor Vincent Cassel stars in the “Camera” video, which finds a recording of Charli’s pitch to recruit Cassel and his response. “It’s kind of about the relationship between performer and camera that is sometimes really tempting and exciting, but can also sometimes be unbelievably vulnerable and a bit embarrassing,” she said.

The album closer “No One Lasts Forever” features an appearance from director David Cronenberg and Charli gives a deeper look into their conversation that took place in Toronto discussing the mortality of life and its connection to art. 

Music, Fashion, Film follows Charli helming the Wuthering Heights soundtrack in February, which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, and 2024’s Brat blockbuster. She’ll perform cuts from her new album when she headlines Lollapalooza next Friday (July 31) at Chicago’s Grant Park before embarking on a North American arena tour in September.

Watch the Music, Fashion, Film album film below.

Some groups left an indelible mark on hip-hop history, and Cypress Hill is without a doubt one of them. Since the early ’90s, B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs and later Eric Bobo became key figures in a scene that captured the harsh social reality of California and Los Angeles, blending innovative sounds with a Latino identity that has always been central to what they do.

That connection to their roots was cemented in 1999 with Los Grandes Éxitos en Español, a project that brought together some of the group’s most iconic songs adapted into Spanish and ultimately became a cult classic among Latino audiences. Tracks like “Yo Quiero Fumar” and “Loco en el Coco” made it clear that the Mexican and Cuban roots of several of its members were never a side note, but a fundamental part of the band’s identity.

Now, nearly three decades later, Cypress Hill is deepening that connection with the release of Dios Bendiga, the first album of entirely original Spanish-language material in its career. It’s a project arriving at a time when Latin rap is seeing unprecedented global growth, and one that aims to reclaim the cultural heritage that has been with the group since day one.

“Dios Bendiga is more than just a collection of songs; it’s a prayer for the culture. This album serves as a powerful reminder that our heritage isn’t a trend, but a divine legacy and a global future. We’re living through a historic era for Latin rap, and with this project we wanted to bring a sound that honors our history and resilience,” B-Real tells Billboard Argentina.

And when it comes to Latin rap, Trueno was an inevitable choice. After linking up on “F*ck El Police Remix” in 2023, the group reunited with the Argentine artist on “Saca la Bolsita,” a collaboration that adds a local flavor to the new project. “Trueno is a student of hip-hop — he’s someone who’s great to work with,” Sen Dog says.

Released Friday (July 24), the album will be presented live in Buenos Aires on Nov. 8 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, a show with which Cypress aims to further strengthen its relationship with the South American country, which the group has been visiting since 1996.

The group’s influence, however, goes far beyond its connection to Latin culture. Over the course of its career, Cypress Hill placed seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached one of its biggest milestones with “Insane in the Brain,” which hit No. 19 in 1993 and went on to become one of the most recognizable rap anthems of the ’90s. That same year, Black Sunday debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, cementing the quartet as one of the era’s most innovative and successful acts.

With more than three decades of career behind them, millions of records sold, and a legacy that has transcended generations, Cypress Hill also helped open the door for Latino artists to carve out a place within the U.S. hip-hop scene. Their blend of West Coast sounds, psychedelic influences, and a cultural identity embraced with pride ultimately became a reference point for artists now leading the global expansion of Spanish-language rap.

In that context, Dios Bendiga doesn’t come across as a mere curiosity within the group’s discography, but as a new statement of purpose. It’s an album that connects the past with the present and finds Cypress Hill embracing, more than ever, the language and culture that have always been part of its story.

How did the process of making an album entirely in Spanish come about?

Eric Bobo: I think it all came from the way things started coming together in the studio — how everything flowed and ultimately clicked into place. At first, we didn’t really know exactly how we were going to approach the process. But as we moved forward, it felt like everything was happening in a very natural way.

It was as if the music wasn’t just flowing through us, but coming from something bigger. We felt a presence, something positive. For us, it was like saying, “God is with us.” From that feeling, we started developing that whole theme. On top of that, we knew it was something very close to the hearts of a lot of people in Latin America, so the concept ended up making even more sense.

How long did it take you to put everything together?

Bobo: Honestly, it didn’t take as long as you might think. The process started last November. We finished our parts in about a month. That was surprising, because we were doing something completely different for Cypress Hill: a fully Spanish-language album, creating new music and bringing together all the pieces it needed. You’d think a project like that would take a lot longer, but everything flowed very naturally and it ended up coming together that way.

Why did you choose “Wacha Trucha” and “Campeones” as the preview singles from this album?

B-Real: We felt that “Wacha Trucha” was a very important song for the moment we’re living in — especially because of everything that was happening with ICE and the different situations unfolding in the United States. It was kind of an alert song, a message to stay aware. But it also had a very signature Cypress Hill vibe. It reminded us of the energy of “We Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.” We thought it was the perfect introduction to the album because that’s exactly the kind of sound a lot of people expect from us. We’ve always been a band that takes risks. We like stepping outside the box and trying different things.

Sen Dog: With “Campeones,” we wanted to show our versatility. We wanted to prove that we could also bring a festive vibe, something closer to the Latin spirit. That’s why we chose those songs: first to show the strength, and then to show that we also know how to make music to celebrate and have a good time — not just aggressive or confrontational songs.

Do you feel like this was a return to your Latin roots?

Sen Dog: Totally. It was a way of reconnecting with who we are, with our Latin identity and with the way we grew up in Los Angeles. We were always surrounded by the Spanish language, the slang, and that whole culture. I remember when we made Los Grandes Éxitos, which was basically Spanish versions of Cypress Hill songs. That album had a special energy.

Honestly, I like the feeling this new album gives off even more, because everything here is original. These are new songs, new concepts. We’re not relying on anything we did in the past for this project to be embraced by the fans. Musically, it reflects much better what young Latinos around the world are doing today. I think we really captured that well. And like Eric was saying, once we got started, it was just: “Alright, let’s make an album.” Every day was the same — go to the studio, spend the day together, record songs, and come back the next day to do it all again. There were no pauses or breaks between sessions. Everyone did their part, and everything came together really well.

I remember one day walking into the studio and seeing a whiteboard with the song titles on it. At the very top it said Dios Bendiga. In that moment I thought, “I like the way that sounds.” I don’t know exactly who came up with it, but as soon as I saw it, it felt perfect. And I know my mother would have been very happy to know we made this album.

As the lead voice, what did it mean to you, B-Real?

B-Real: It was something we had been planning for a very long time. Sometimes your own career gets in the way of your plans. Constant touring and other albums kept taking up our time, and we never fully committed to the idea. But this time we had a serious conversation, and when the opportunity came up, we said, “If we’re going to make this album, we have to really do it.” We cleared our schedules and made sure we had no shows for about four or five months, which is pretty unusual for us because we’re normally performing all the time.

When you make an album, you have to set aside time for the creative process to happen. Honestly, I thought it was going to take us much longer. We hadn’t made a Spanish-language album in 30 years, and this time everything was original material. We wanted, like Sen said, for these not to be translations. There are a few little nods to earlier things, but pretty much everything is newly written.

Did you enjoy the process?

B-Real: We had a great time making this album, and the process was much less complicated than I imagined. It was something we owed our followers for a long time — especially our Spanish-speaking fans — and the time finally came to do it. And from the response we’ve gotten to the two songs that are already out, even people who don’t speak Spanish are telling us they simply like the way it sounds. That’s very important to me because it means music is universal. It’s similar to what happened with our first albums, like Cypress Hill or Black Sunday. When those songs reached countries where English wasn’t spoken, people connected with them even before understanding the lyrics.

You were selective with the collaborations, choosing artist friends you had already worked with.

B-Real: I had already worked with several of them before. I’d collaborated with Alemán a couple of times, and Bobo and I had also worked with Trueno. With La Santa Grifa, it was the first time we shared a song, but I’d been listening to their music for a long time and we already knew each other. Today the landscape is completely different. There are so many artists out there, but we chose the ones we had already built a connection with and who could bring something special to the songs. With “Wacha Trucha,” for example, we immediately knew Alemán had to be on it. He has an incredible style and fits perfectly with what we do. And with “Saca la bolsita,” DJ Lord said Trueno would be ideal for it — he didn’t think twice.

Sen Dog: Plus, Trueno is clearly a student of hip-hop. All of them are. They’ve shown just how far the genre has grown in Latin America. They’re artists who can write and rap at an impressive level. They’re truly extraordinary at what they do.

Was it a challenge to rap in Spanish again alongside them?

B-Real: Absolutely. It’s a constant challenge. I can’t speak for Sen because Spanish was his first language, but in my case I grew up like a lot of Latinos in the U.S., especially in Southern California. Chicanos learn Spanish at home, from our parents. They speak to us in Spanish and we absorb that knowledge. Some people develop the language more, while others mostly understand it without speaking it as much. In school, we weren’t really taught Spanish beyond maybe a basic class. So it’s always going to be a challenge to compete with rappers who are native speakers and have a very advanced command of the language. That pushes us to work much harder.

Sen Dog: I think B-Real explained it perfectly. We grew up speaking Spanish, but at the same time we were also influenced by English through school and our friends. We know the language, of course, but when you’re working with artists from Mexico or South America, you’re dealing with people who have total command of Spanish. When I have to perform in Spanish, I really have to focus. There are words I know perfectly well, but sometimes they slip away from me. That’s why it was incredible to hear these guys doing what they do.

How does that constant reinvention work within the group? You keep incorporating new sounds over the years, and it’s clear you’re trying to stay fresh.

B-Real: It helps you explore places you might not have reached on your own. As an artist, you have to be willing to keep learning no matter how long you’ve been doing this. When you collaborate with younger artists, they’re going to learn something from you, but you can also learn from them. We’ve always been competitive people. We want to do things the right way, and we’re never going to stop showing our strength. So we adapt, take what we can learn from these artists, and keep moving forward trying to make the best songs possible.

Do you feel like the development of hip-hop in Latin America helped drive that reinvention within the group?

Sen Dog: Without a doubt. The hip-hop scene in South America and Mexico has grown tremendously since the days when we released Los Grandes Éxitos and started traveling to those countries. Even back then, we could see that people were really connecting with hip-hop, but watching how everything has evolved since then has been impressive. These artists take their craft very seriously, and they show it all the time. Year after year, they’ve kept developing the style, the writing, and the culture of hip-hop, while also giving it its own identity. Like B-Real said, he had already worked with Trueno, Santa Fe Klan, and Alemán.

Those relationships were already there. All that was left was to find the right time to come together and make music. And when that moment came, everyone showed up with their best. They didn’t just participate — they brought an incredible level. I remember hearing their verses and being genuinely impressed. All of that made me understand even more how rich Spanish is. There’s so much to discover within the language, the slang, and the different cultures. I think people should pay more attention to the music being made outside their own country and try to understand what the new generations are doing.

Over the course of your career, you’ve seen hip-hop go from a marginal genre to one that dominates the charts. What did it mean to be part of that expansion?

B-Real: That’s exactly the power of hip-hop. We had the chance to witness its growth from a very early stage. When we started traveling through Mexico, South America, and Europe, we saw how people celebrated the arrival of American artists and absorbed that culture with so much passion that they eventually decided to build their own scenes. I remember that around 1992 and 1993, we started touring Europe and seeing that phenomenon. Over the years, it wasn’t just that people started making rap in their own countries — those regions also began producing their own stars.

You also lived through the destigmatization of cannabis and the normalization of the conversation in recent years, after defending its use in songs like “Light Another,” “Something for the Blunted” and “Stoned Is the Way of the Walk.” What does that shift represent for you?

B-Real: I’m glad to see that everything has become more normalized. People no longer have the same prejudices or labels they used to. Now they understand it much better for what it is. Even people who used to criticize it or speak out against it are now allies and speak in its favor. The amount of information out there has allowed a lot of people to really understand what it is. Normalization is a positive thing because it means you’re not going to have as many problems over it.

In some places, it’s even possible to make a living from this industry. But beyond normalization, it still needs to be legalized. There are countries where it already has been legalized, and that’s extraordinary, but there’s still a lot of work to do, both in the United States and in other parts of the world. When I think about where we were 30 years ago and compare that reality to where things are now, it’s honestly pretty incredible.

A longer version of this interview was originally published by Billboard Argentina.

Ella Bright just became Niall Horan‘s latest collaborator without even realizing it.

In an adorable video posted by Island Records, the Off Campus star reacts to the Irish singer/songwriter surprising her with a new version of her “Baby Now That I Found You” cover that features his added vocals.

In the clip, Bright sits at a table and is handed a phone. After pressing play on a video, she looks shocked to see Horan onscreen.

“You don’t know this yet, but you’re about to listen to our version of ‘Baby Now That I Found You,’” he tells her.

The updated version of the track then plays as the singer/actress incredulously takes it in. “Oh my god, this is so wild,” she gushes. “Oh my god, that’s beautiful! I’m obsessed.”

Bright also compared the surprise duet to Horan’s 2016 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit “This Town” — “That’s, like, my favorite song” — before taking a moment to fangirl. “I’ve got a song with Niall Horan,” she cheers. “That’s actually wild.”

The track, originally a No. 11-peaking Hot 100 1968 hit by The Foundations, is featured on Off Campus, which premiered on Prime Video in May and quickly became one of the buzziest coming-of-age romance series of the year. Music is a core fixture of the show, as Bright plays a classical music major named Hannah. She’s recorded several other songs for its soundtrack, while hits by everyone from Elton John to Audrey Hobert have seen major streaming gains thanks to their inclusion on the show.

The duet is a bonus track on Island’s Off Campus: The Mixtape (Extra Credit Edition), which arrived late Thursday. The new release features six additional tracks, including new covers by Suki Waterhouse, The Beaches and Carol Ades.

Horan’s addition to the Off Campus universe comes on the heels of his new album, Dinner Party, which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Horan surprise Bright and listen to their new duet below.

@islandofficial

This one’s for Wellsy! Baby Now That I Found You with Niall Horan. Track 21 from Off Campus: The Mixtape (Extra Credit). Out Tonight at 8pm ET. @Off Campus @ella bright 🙂 @Niall Horan

♬ original sound – Island Records

Those attending Shakira‘s residency in Madrid will find an experience that begins long before the Colombian superstar takes the stage. In addition to the 12 dates she will perform as part of the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour this fall, attendees will also be able to explore Macondo Park, a space featuring eight pavilions dedicated to music, gastronomy, literature, art, fashion and other expressions of Latin culture.

The details of the concert series were announced Friday (July 24) during a press conference in Madrid, where Pino Sagliocco, president of Live Nation Spain, and Joao Alburquerque, architect from the BIG studio and one of the designers, shared the vision behind the venue. The temporary complex, spanning 185,000 square meters (4.2 acres), will be set up next to “Shakira Stadium,” which will have a capacity for 50,000 attendees per concert.

“It’s built like a tree where each branch leads to a different cultural experience, and all converge at Macondo Park,” Alburquerque explained while describing the design of the space inspired by Shakira’s creative universe. The idea, he noted, is for attendees to explore various experiences before reaching the stage.

For Sagliocco, the goal was never to create just a concert. “We want people to arrive early, explore the pavilions, eat and fully immerse themselves in the experience before and after the show,” he explained.

Shakira’s residency is scheduled for Sept. 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27 and 28 and Oct. 1, 2 and 3. Macondo Park will be open from noon to midnight local time, while Shakira’s shows are set to take place from 8:30 to 11 p.m. This way, attendees will have several hours to explore the space before and can remain there even after the show ends.

Macondo Plaza will be the starting point for exploring the eight pavilions that make up the experience. Organizers revealed that each pavilion will feature its own programming, the details of which will be announced later and updated throughout the residency. All activities will be included for attendees, regardless of the type of ticket purchased.

The residency will also offer two VIP options, Garden and Terrace, which will go on sale Monday (July 27) with prices ranging between 500 and 720 euros ($568 and $818). Both options will grant early access to the venue and the Front Stage, as well as an exclusive area to relax, eat and drink before the concert. Terrace will also include a panoramic area overlooking both the stage and the rest of the complex.

Sagliocco also revealed that organizers are considering opening Macondo Park Monday through Thursday to welcome school visits and host educational activities related to Latin American culture.

After a historic stadium tour, the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour is currently in its second phase in the United States, this time visiting arenas. The tour, in support of the 2024 album of the same name, began in February 2025 in Rio de Janeiro and set a Guinness World Record as the highest-grossing tour of all time by a Hispanic artist.

Angine de Poitrine are on the cover of Billboard Canada, with a cover story that gives an inside look behind their rise.

Since the beginning of 2026, there’s arguably been no hotter band in the world. They’ve earned millions upon millions of streams, praise from idols from Jack White to Shania Twain (more on that later), sold out concerts in seconds and, with somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 fans, even set a record for the biggest crowd at Montreal International Jazz Festival since Stevie Wonder in 2009.

Looking out at the audience, the band’s manager, Sébastien Collin, was amazed at the turnout — not just because of the size of the crowd, but the fact that they had come to see this band. Instrumental microtonal math-rock isn’t the kind of music that usually draws numbers, but Angine de Poitrine have shown there’s an appetite out there for adventurous, virtuosic and just plain weird music. The band’s mix of looping pedals, double-necked guitar/bass and virtuosic musicianship is a sight and sound to behold.

“When I was backstage, I was really happy to see so many people enjoying complex music and heavy rock riffs,” he tells Billboard Canada. “With so many people there of all ages, it’s impossible that it was only people who like that type of genre that were there. It’s so much wider. It shows that maybe there will be some more openness to really good ideas and really good music.”

No one could have been prepared for the popular explosion when the band’s KEXP performance video went up in February, 2026. It went viral nearly instantly, and the band, then largely unknown outside of their home province, racked up millions of streams. Currently, the YouTube video sits at 17 million views. “A global breakthrough is not something you can plan for,” Collin says.

He says the moment it went up, his inbox exploded. Overnight, he had messages from venues, festivals, merchandise producers and fans from all over the world. The Vol. II album was planned for launch in April, just two months after the video went up. The band had to act quickly. With so many eyes watching, how would they meet the moment?

The ecosystem around Angine de Poitrine was growing rapidly. They had to find the right partners to press the vinyl, distribute it, construct Khn de Poitrine’s custom guitars, make merch and posters for each show, book concerts throughout the world, register for publishing and figure out next steps — all at a much more monumental scale than they, or most people in the music industry, could be ready for.

The biggest decision was whether to release the album on a record label. Everyone wanted to sign Angine de Poitrine. That’s not an exaggeration.

“I can say that every major and most of the big indies all contacted us. Smaller indies, too. It was quite a rush. I was having around 10 meetings per week, all on the label side,” Collin says, breaking into a laugh. “It was quite fun to have a lot of them saying how long they had been following Angine de Poitrine, while the reality was many of them had discovered them two days ago.”

Collin compares the experience to speed dating, but with the extra pressure of having to get married at the end. The clock was ticking and they had to make a choice. In the end, they chose to go with no one. They would do it how they’d been doing it since day one: independently.

“We needed to talk to all the labels to choose none of them,” he says.

Read the full Angine de Poitrine cover story here. — Richard Trapunski

Canada is the World’s Fourth Biggest Music Exporter in 2026

Canadian music is making noise worldwide, while Canadian listeners consume music from around the world.

Luminate has released its 2026 mid-year report, tracking changes and trends in music consumption in the U.S. and around the world throughout the first half of the year.

According to this year’s report, Canada remains one of the biggest forces in the industry, ranking at No. 4 as the top global exporter of music worldwide

That said, it slips down from its No. 3 spot last year, landing just behind South Korea and ranking behind the U.S. (No. 1) and the U.K. (No. 2).

Canada currently ranks as one of the countries with the most diverse makeup of its music consumption worldwide, with 90% of its streaming activity pertaining to music from 10 different countries of origin.

That statistic reflects the diversity of the country. Latin music’s popularity around the world continues with waves in Canada. Bad Bunny earned his first Canadian No. 1 song and album this year following his Super Bowl halftime show performance. K-pop is huge, with the viral hit “Golden” from the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack also spending five weeks at No. 1 in Canada. BTS has also had a chart-topping comeback. The Punjabi wave has been reaching new heights, with artists like Karan Aujla, Diljit Dosanjh, Cheema Y and Gur Sidhu continuing to rack up more and more chart records and impressive streaming statistics in Canada.

That’s not to mention music from south of the border. Canada is the top importer of American music this year, a trend made evident by the domination of U.S. hits on streaming and the Canadian charts. 

Canadians are also consuming more music across the board this year, with all formats seeing a significant rise. Compared to 2025, total album consumption is up by 3.2% with an increase of 2.3 million album equivalent units, on-demand audio song streams are up 3.6% with an increase of 2.7 billion streams and physical album sales jump 4.2%, with an additional 100,000 copies sold across albums, CDs and cassettes. In the U.S., BTS and K-pop are driving a key uptick in CD sales, with a 16% overall surge and a 6.7% increase even upon excluding the broader K-pop catalogue.

Read more here. — Stefano Rebuli