Intocable will be saluted next week with a prime piece of real estate — a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Formed in the border town of Zapata, Texas, in the early 1990s, Intocable revolutionized Latin music, blending Tejano, Norteño, pop, rock, and cumbia “into a groundbreaking sound that has inspired generations,” reads a statement announcing their latest award. “Their influence is unmatched.”

The Latin music legends will receive the 2,852nd star during a ceremony next Thursday, July 16, in the category of “Recording.” Jessica Maldonado will emcee the ceremony, with Edgar Barrera and Nir Serrousi on hand as special guests.

The group has long ranked among regional Mexican music’s most durable hitmakers, with 15 No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Regional Mexican Albums chart and 21 No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay, sold an estimated 55 million albums and collected multiple Grammys, Latin Grammys, Billboard awards, and lifetime achievement awards.

“For more than three decades, Intocable has helped shape the sound and global reach of regional Mexican music through their artistry, authenticity, and enduring connection with audiences,” remarks Ana Martinez, producer, Hollywood Walk of Fame. “The Hollywood Walk of Fame is proud to recognize their extraordinary contributions to the recording industry with this well- deserved honor.”

Outside of music, the group received a Proclamation for their enduring contributions to music and cultural impact from the Governor’s Office and the House of Representatives in Texas, and were named “Emissary of the Muses” by the city of San Antonio, a title previously awarded to the likes of Bon Jovi, Journey, and Placido Domingo.

The star is forged as Intocable continues its Cultura Tour 2026, which visits 24 cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Separately, the Tejano legends last month partnered with Primary Wave Music in a deal covering the band’s catalog as well as its name, image and likeness rights. 

Intocable’s star is dedicated at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard.

Kylie Cantrall is entering a new era with the release of her upcoming EP, Valley Girl Problems.

The Disney star’s latest project is set for release on July 24. Valley Girl Problems is an eight-track EP that marks a new chapter for the Venezuelan-American artist, as she continues to transition from her acting career and her role as Red in the Descendants franchise to becoming a household name in pop music. 

The EP’s lead single “Carrie Bradshaw” was released in April, while other tracks include “Grwm,” the title track, “Closet,” “Girls Like U,” “Yuck!” and two interludes titled “The Problem” and “The Answer.”

“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Write what you know,’ and that’s exactly what I did with this EP,” Cantrall said of the project. “Valley Girl Problems truly captures everything I’ve experienced over the last year and how I’ve embraced this new chapter of my life.”

Valley Girl Problems was produced by Tricky Stewart — known for working with artists such as Rihanna and Tyla — and written alongside Tayla Parx, who co-wrote the song inspired by the iconic Sex and the City character and is a hitmaking co-writer for Ariana Grande, Panic! at the Disco and more.

The release of Valley Girl Problems will follow Cantrall’s return to Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, a sequel to The Rise of Red, debuting July 16 on Disney Channel. The Disney production marks the fifth installment in the Descendants franchise, in which she portrays the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, played by singer Rita Ora.

Earlier this year, the actress and singer signed to Republic Records, in partnership with APG and Heroine Music. Last year, Cantrall released her debut EP, B.O.Y., which included the singles “Boy for a Day,” “Goodie Bag,” “Denim” and “See U Tonight.”

The Valley Girl Problems track list:

Nene Royal has a name, and a voice, that you just might hear again.

Hailing the Phuket, Thailand, the teenager stepped onto the America’s Got Talent stage, for the latest round of Auditions, airing Tuesday night (July 7). And she immediately made everyone in the place stand up and take notice.

Royal, like so many AGT hopefuls, the performance was the first stride in a lifelong dream. Picking up the guitar at age seven, she has always dreamed of being a “superstar on tour,” she told the judges at the top. Well, she came to the dream factory.

Performing a day prior to her 16^th birthday, Royal shook off any lingering nerves, hoisted an electric guitar, cranked up her amp and tore through a cover of The Cranberries mid-‘90s protest anthem “Zombie,” a song that logged six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart.

Make no mistake. The kid can rock.

With her proud dad watching on, Royal had the room in raptures, jaws on the floor. “That was spectacular. You have a very big chance to do really good in this competition,” enthused Sofía Vergara. “I loved it.”

Howie Mandel got a much-appreciated wake up. “You are such a surprise (with your) energy and the rock ‘n’ roll. You are a rock star, young lady, you really are,” he enthused.

Mel B praised the youngster’s vocal control. And she can “kill it” on the guitar. “You’re like a match made in heaven. You’re brilliant.”

Simon Cowell, as he so often does, spoke last. “The tone of your voice,” he remarked, “it was like really authentic and even the fact it was all a bit messy actually made, for me, the audition really good.”

Each judge voted, each gave a resounding yes. And Royal continues on her dream run in this 21^th season of NBC’s AGT. Watch below.

Ed Sheeran will sign a record deal with Interscope, sources have confirmed with Billboard. The news comes after Sheeran announced in May that he had left his longtime label home, Warner Music Group (WMG).

Sheeran signed with Asylum/Atlantic U.K. A&R Ed Howard in 2011. Shortly after that, he rose to fame with the release of his 2011 debut album, +, which was certified three-times platinum by the RIAA. His sophomore set, x, was an even bigger seller thanks to the success of singles like “Thinking Out Loud,” “Don’t” and “Photograph,” all of which hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. He continued a string of chart successes with subsequent releases, scoring a total of eight top five albums on the Billboard 200, including four No. 1s. He’s also scored a total of nine top 10 singles on the Hot 100, including two No. 1s: “Shape of You” and “Perfect,” both released in 2017.

“I’ve decided to leave Asylum/Warner last month. I leave the company with SO much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together,” Sheeran said in announcing his exit from WMG. “This isn’t a ‘disgruntled artist leaves record label’ type situation. This is a boy who started as a teenager on the company with different priorities, to the father of 2 man who exists now, who feels like he needs a shift and change in the way he does things professionally.”

WMG will hold onto Sheeran’s catalog of hits and has long-term licenses for his two most recent albums, Autumn Variations and Play, both of which were jointly released on Sheeran’s own label, Gingerbread Man, and Atlantic.

Interscope did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.

On Tuesday (July 7), Primary Wave officially passed all relevant regulatory scrutiny and closed its acquisition of Kobalt, Billboard has confirmed. The deal is estimated to be worth more than $1.5 billion.

The possibility of the deal was first reported by Billboard in February. At the time, it was estimated that if Primary Wave and Kobalt were to go through with it, the combined companies would be worth $7 billion in assets. By March 23, a press release announced that Primary Wave’s acquisition was officially happening and would include Kobalt’s worldwide operations, its catalog of copyrights and digital collection society AMRA.

Under the new ownership of Primary Wave, the two companies will continue to operate as standalone firms. Kobalt will retain CEO Laurent Hubert as its leader.

Primary Wave and Kobalt are both indie music giants in their own right, but the two have different focuses. Primary Wave is focused on big-name catalog acquisitions, with a portfolio containing stakes in catalogs from Prince, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Stevie Nicks, Luther Vandross, Bob Marley, Britney Spears and Jackson Brown. Kobalt has a different approach, focusing on offering a large roster of current songwriting talent with publishing administration aid and help collecting royalties, among other services, for signees like Phoebe Bridgers, Panic! At the Disco, Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, Kali Uchis, Paul McCartney and more.

Kobalt often ranks on Billboard’s Publishers’ Quarterly list as the largest independent music publisher by market share. In 2022, it was acquired by a group of investors led by Francisco Partners (which held a controlling 90% interest) in a deal that valued the company at around $750 million. Since then, the company has continued to grow its roster and improve profits. In recent years, Kobalt launched KOSIGN, its solution for young songwriters looking for flexible deal terms, and launched a joint venture with Morgan Stanley’s Tactical Value group with $700 million to invest in music copyrights.

While Primary Wave has ownership in an enviable catalog of hit songs, it’s historically been dependent on other publishers — including but not limited to Kobalt — to handle publishing administration. Sometimes, when Primary Wave acquires a catalog, the songs will be tied up in other incomplete publishing deals. For those catalogs that are free to move publishers, Primary Wave often assigns their administration, with songwriter consent, to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), sources say.

Now, Primary Wave has administration services at the ready in-house. It now also owns Kobalt’s AMRA, the global music collection organization that collects mechanical and performance royalties directly from digital services providers, which could help Primary Wave cut down on fees paid to local societies and subpublishers.

Ben Folds is giving fans a look at what might have been.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album with the release of Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary), a newly remastered edition set to be released on Sept. 4.

The project pairs the original 1995 record with an unreleased version of the album titled Shelved First Attempt. The recently unearthed project is being previewed with the fan-favorite track “Underground (Shelved First Attempt),” available to fans on Tuesday (June 7).

“Here’s my 59-year-old self’s take on the album we made when I was 28: Overall, it’s good!” Folds writes in the anniversary edition’s liner notes. “It’s NOT the kind of record you’d hear produced these days. It’s pretty rough and tumble, mostly in a good way. And it’s emphatically unique. It’s from an era when you could still identify a band by the instrumentalists, before you’d even hear the vocalist.”

The “Shelved First Attempt” comprises tracks that remained tucked away for more than 30 years before Folds decided to resurface them from his personal archives. The recordings feature earlier versions of tracks such as “Underground,” “Julianne” and “Philosophy,” as well as “Boxing” and “Evaporated,” which appeared on the band’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Other tracks within the collection include “Emaline,” “Dick Holster” and “Eddie Walker.”

Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen’s release was the commercial breakthrough for Ben Folds Five, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Brick,” one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart, No. 11 on the Mainstream Top 40 and reached No. 19 on the mainstream Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released via Capitol/UMe on CD and vinyl, while the remaster of the original album as well as the Shelved First Attempt will both be available to stream and download.

As the project’s reissue becomes available, the group is set to reunite for their first live performances together in more than 13 years next year.

Preview the Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) CD tracklist:

DISC 1 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (REMASTERED)

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy
3. Julianne
4. Where’s Summer B.?
5. Alice Childress
6. Underground
7. Sports & Wine
8. Uncle Walter
9. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing

DISC 2 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (SHELVED FIRST ATTEMPT)

1. Underground
2. Julianne
3. Uncle Walter
4. Alice Childress
5. Evaporated
6. Dick Holster
7. Philosophy
8. Boxing
9. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker

One thing about Jim Jones? He’s good for a quote.

The Harlem rapper popped by the No Funny Sh– podcast recently and was asked about the Verzuz challenge he made toward his fellow Diplomat Cam’ron back in May. And while he acknowledged that the challenge was just him trolling a little bit, Jimmy also said that he feels like he has one of the better discographies in New York rap history.

“I got a better catalog than over 90 percent of the rappers out of New York City in history,” he said confidently. “Not to be like…there’s been a lot of rappers in New York, but I got real gold records, more than one of them, like albums and sh– like that. You dig? I got real platinum singles and sh– like that.”

He added: “Some of your favorite rappers don’t have nothing platinum. That doesn’t make me better than anybody and sh– like that, but statistically I got a hell of a catalog. I mean, from every album that I put out, I got a dope a– single, especially in New York. In New York, hands down, I know I got 20 records.”

Jim made headlines this time last year when he defended himself after a podcast clip of a college student saying the Dipset member was more relevant than Nas went viral. However, during an interview with the legendary Angie Martinez, Jones admitted that he didn’t realize how many fans the Queens rapper still has after his comments received massive pushback from the hip-hop community.

You can watch Jim’s full conversation with No Funny Sh– below.

Record label GTS and Telemundo have entered a strategic alliance around Operación Triunfo Estados Unidos, the U.S. adaptation of the long-running Spanish music competition franchise, which premieres Tuesday (July 7) at 7 p.m. ET. Under the agreement, GTS will have a preferential right to sign artists emerging from the program and will also participate in the development of a potential concert tour.

“It is a source of pride — and a responsibility — for GTS to take part in the first edition of Operación Triunfo Estados Unidos alongside Telemundo,” Narcís Rebollo, CEO and president of GTS, said in a statement. “This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the format’s creation, whose development I had the opportunity to be part of from the very beginning, both in management and on the record label side, together with its creators, José María Mainat, Toni Cruz and Joan Ramon Mainat, achieving historic results for television, the recording industry and artist management from Spain.”

He continued, “I am convinced that we will discover great new talent in this first U.S. edition, and we will devote all our effort and professionalism to making that possible once again.”

Javier Pons, chief content officer and head of Telemundo Studios, added: “We are thrilled to join forces with GTS on the first edition of Operación Triunfo in the United States. This alliance allows us not only to discover and train a new generation of Latino talent in the country, representative of diverse nationalities, but also to help drive their careers beyond the program, giving them real opportunities for artistic development and visibility in the music industry.”

The deal further strengthens GTS’ position in discovery, development and international projection of Latin talent, while giving Telemundo an industry partner to help extend the show’s impact beyond the screen.

The arrival of Operación Triunfo in the U.S. marks a new chapter for one of Spanish-language entertainment’s most influential music franchises. Since launching in Spain in 2001, the format has helped introduce artists including David Bisbal, David Bustamante, Pablo López, Amaia, Aitana, Lola Índigo, Juanjo Bona and Chiara Oliver.

Peppa Pig is in the middle of some major beef — or should we say pork? — after seemingly shading Clairo in a new Pitchfork interview, which has motivated Charli xcx and PinkPantheress to mobilize on the “Bags” singer’s behalf.

The hilarious “drama” started Tuesday (July 7), when the cartoon character participated in the music publication’s “Over/Under” video series. When asked whether she thinks Clairo is over- or underrated, Peppa threw some bombastic side-eye at the camera and said pointedly, “I don’t know her.”

Of course, fans in the comments and online immediately clocked Peppa for the shady response, inciting Charli to join in and show her support for her fellow musician. “Let’s f— her up,” Charli wrote alongside a screenshot of Peppa’s comment in a text to Clairo, who shared the message on X.

PinkPantheress got involved after seeing that Peppa had also spoken about her in the Pitchfork video, declaring the “Stateside” artist “underrated.” “Does she like animals?” Peppa had added. “Maybe she would like me, because I’m pink too. And everyone likes me.”

But while the porcine protagonist’s comments about her were positive, Pink loyally responded on X, “ain’t sh– sweet until you put respect on clairo.”

If you’re wondering to yourself why Peppa Pig would diss Clairo, you may not have seen the singer/songwriter’s own “Over/Under” episode in 2019. At the time, Clairo was asked to rate Peppa, and she said: “Can I tell you something about Peppa Pig? She’s 7’1″ … she’s the tallest pig in the world. I’mma say underrated, just because I don’t know any taller pigs.”

“If she’s 7’1″, how tall is her mom?” Clairo had continued at the time. “How tall are all the other pigs? Who’s keeping track? What are the proportions of this whole show?”

Even though Clairo said she was underrated, it’s possible that Peppa interpreted her comment about her height as a jab and remembered it seven years later when it came time to make her own appearance on the Pitchfork series.

Or maybe Peppa was telling the truth and she actually doesn’t know Clairo — although she is a fan of a lot of other singers. “Pop stars make the best music,” Peppa added in her video. “I like Rihanna, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Sabrina Carpenter, Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Cher, Dua Lipa — oh, and Shakira! One day, I’ll be the biggest pop star ever.”

Watch Peppa’s full episode of “Over/Under” below.

Yung Miami continues to achieve new milestones for her career with “Spend Dat,” which jumps 25-19 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated July 11. With its rise, the summer breakout hit becomes not only Yung Miami’s first solo top 20, but the first such hit of her career in any capacity, including her work as part of City Girls.

“Spend Dat,” released on Yung Miami/Uptown/Republic Records, is Yung Miami’s third solo Hot 100 hit. It follows “Rap Freaks,” which debuted and peaked at No. 81 in November 2021, and her collaboration with Latto and Lola Young, “Don’t Play With It,” which reached No. 69 in April 2023.

City Girls, the rap duo comprised of JT and Yung Miami, charted six songs on the Hot 100 from 2018 to 2022. “Act Up” produced the best result of the half-dozen hits, landing a No. 26 peak in June 2019. After their 2023 album RAW, the rappers elected to pause their collaborative efforts to focus on solo output. “It just wasn’t working no more,” she told Complex at the time. “So I think we both was at a point where we was just like, we should probably just do our own sh–.”

In its sixth week on the Hot 100, “Spend Dat” posts improvement in all three chart-contributing metrics – streaming, radio airplay and sales – in the United States, according to Luminate. On the streaming front, the single registered 8.1 million official streams in the week of June 26-July 2, up 1% from the previous week. Sales increased 15% week-over-week to 1,000 digital downloads in the latest frame. Radio airplay surged to 21.7 million in audience impressions for the tracking window, a 21% jump from last week’s 17.9 million count.

Reflecting other radio gains, “Spend Dat” captures the No. 1 rank on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rap Airplay charts, rising from the runner-up spot on both lists. In addition, it wins the Greatest Gainer tag on each ranking, awarded to the song with the week’s largest increase.

The single is her first Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay champ, after a No. 2 solo finish for “Don’t Play With That,” and three more silver medals as part of City Girls: “Act Up,” “Twerk,” featuring Cardi B, and “Good Love, with Usher. Similarly, “Act Up” ended its Rap Airplay run at No. 2, while “Don’t Play With That,” at No. 4, was previously Yung Miami’s best solo standing.