AKRIILA reveló la portada de Lucy miró al mundo y notó que está girando y confirmó que su próximo álbum será lanzado el 3 de septiembre. La fotografía fue tomada en Nueva York por Emilio de la Rosa, integrante de Latin Mafia, y está construida a partir de tres elementos principales: AKRIILA, un caracol y la luz. Desde el inicio, la artista tenía claro que la portada debía representar parte del concepto del disco. “Visualmente me imaginaba algo que debía tener mucha luz. Pensaba mucho en cómo podía representar la esperanza o un nuevo día”, dice. Entre sus referencias estaban Abbey Road de The Beatles, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea de PJ Harvey y Isn’t Anything de My Bloody Valentine.
La idea de trabajar con Emilio apareció cuando el disco ya estaba en sus últimas etapas. AKRIILA había visto las fotografías que él compartía y pensó que su trabajo podía funcionar para lo que estaba buscando. “Había visto el trabajo de Emi, lo que estaba subiendo, y de cierta forma empezó a hacerme sentido cuando lo pensé”, explica. Emilio ya había escuchado parte del álbum y también quería participar. “Me acuerdo que escuché una canción que me enseñó Akri y le dije: ‘Wey, la verdad, me gusta mucho. Quiero participar en el proyecto’”. Como la parte musical estaba prácticamente terminada, la fotografía se convirtió en otra forma de involucrarse. “Como ya estaban en las últimas etapas, no se podía hacer algo en particular, así que esta fue la manera en la que Akri encontró cómo incluirnos y hacer que participáramos en el proyecto de alguna forma”.
La portada continúa varias ideas que AKRIILA ya había explicado cuando presentó el título de Lucy miró al mundo y notó que está girando. El álbum parte de un momento más vacío y personal y avanza hacia una visión más esperanzadora. Por eso, la luz tenía que ser uno de los elementos principales de la imagen. Durante el proceso consideraron hacer la sesión de noche y utilizar flash, pero la idea no terminó de convencerla. “No podía ser algo como una mentira, algo falso. La luz que abarca tanto en la portada es, en verdad, como abrir las cortinas y dejar que entre la luz, que entre el sol”. Para ella también era importante que la imagen tuviera relación con el sonido del álbum. “Para mí la oscuridad es terrible, depresiva, y la luz es un signo de paz, de tranquilidad, de estar realmente de día, en la mañana. Si hubiese sido una foto de noche, sentiría que no cabe dentro del álbum, que no va con el sonido”.
Emilio también tomó esa idea como una guía para la sesión. “Me acuerdo mucho que hablaba con Akri justo de eso: de la sensación de buscar algo, de encontrarse, de estar perdido y después encontrarse”, explica. La sobreexposición de la fotografía, un recurso que utiliza con frecuencia, terminó funcionando para reforzar esa idea. “Cuando hay mucha luz también tienes que ajustarte un poco para poder ver. Tienes que adaptarte. Te puede cegar un poco y tienes que ajustarte para poder ver las cosas y dejar que esa luz te llegue”. Para él, ese proceso también tenía relación con el concepto del disco: “También habla de un proceso de adaptarse a eso y entenderlo”. La imagen quedó definida alrededor de tres puntos que ambos consideraban esenciales. “Akri es el punto central de la portada, pero creo que también son importantes el caracol y la luz, y Akri recibiendo esos dos elementos”.
El caracol ya era una figura importante para AKRIILA antes de hacer la portada. “Me estaba obsesionando mucho con los caracoles”, cuenta. “Cada vez que encuentro algo y vuelve a aparecer, lo veo como una señal, cien por ciento”. Durante un tiempo pensó que el animal asociado al proyecto sería un caballo, que apareció en el primer tráiler del álbum, pero después comenzó a cuestionar qué significaba realmente dentro del concepto. “Nunca más lo puse en ninguna otra parte porque decía: ‘¿Por qué puse el caballo? ¿Qué significa el caballo?’”. La decisión cambió una noche mientras hablaba con Emilio sobre la portada. “Emi dijo: ‘Weón, yo sí siento que es el caracol’”, recuerda AKRIILA. La idea encajaba mejor con elementos que ya existían dentro del álbum.
El caracol aparece directamente en una de las canciones del disco, “Lucy”. Incluso hubo otro tema que también hablaba de este animal, pero AKRIILA decidió quitarlo del tracklist. “Le quise llamar ‘Lucy’ porque la gente siempre pregunta: ‘¿Quién es Lucy? ¿Qué significa esto?’. Yo no quería que desde un principio se cerrara como una persona, sino que pudiera ser lo que tú quieras. Y a mí me parecía muy lindo que fuera justo un caracol”. Esa idea se relaciona también con el título del álbum, que AKRIILA había explicado anteriormente a ROLLING STONE en Español como una combinación de dos referencias a The Beatles: una frase de “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” y “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, la primera canción que aprendió a tocar en piano.
La portada mantiene abierta la pregunta sobre quién o qué es Lucy. “Siento que lo que menos importa a veces es responder la pregunta de ‘¿quién es?’, ‘¿qué está girando?’ o ‘¿por qué?’. Prefiero dejarlo abierto, que se pueda confundir”, explica AKRIILA. Para ella, el propio caracol permite esa interpretación: “Puede ser el mundo porque literalmente es un círculo; puede ser lo que tú quieras”.
El animal también terminó conectando con otras letras del álbum. AKRIILA menciona “Thank You Music”, una canción en la que aparece la idea de tomar el mundo entre las manos y no dejarlo ir. Al ver la portada, encontró esa misma idea representada en la fotografía. “Literalmente la portada es eso: tenerlo en tus manos, con la luz”, explica. “Tener algo en tus manos es mucho más lindo que si fuera un caballo, una persona o tú mismo”.
Emilio también encontró sentido en la forma y el movimiento del caracol mientras escuchaba “Lucy”. “Desde el principio, cuando estaba hablando con Akri, el caracol se me hacía una imagen súper bella para representar el disco: cómo el mundo puede ser algo tan pequeño, que está en tus manos y que se puede mover tan lento”, explica. También pensó en la forma del caparazón: “El caparazón de un caracol es una espiral y eso también tiene sentido con lo que dice Akri: la búsqueda de una luz, de una respuesta, de encontrarse en algo”.
La portada fue tomada aprovechando que AKRIILA tenía un show en Nueva York. La ciudad también ayudó a desarrollar algunas de las referencias que ya tenían. “La idea era que se viera mucho esa intención de las cebras de las calles, los cruces, la ciudad y mucha iluminación”, explica Emilio. La sobreexposición también venía de su propio trabajo como fotógrafo. “Yo casi siempre tomo muchas fotos con sobreexposición; me gusta mucho quemar las fotos. Me gustaba que Akri viera eso como una forma de encontrar algo, de recibir un poco de luz, como un descubrimiento”.
Conseguir el caracol para la sesión fue más complicado. “Ya en el avión estaba pensando: ‘Wey, sé que queremos usar un caracol, pero ¿cómo voy a conseguir uno?’”, recuerda Emilio. Después de investigar, descubrió que comprar ciertas especies en Nueva York era complicado y comenzó a buscar otras opciones en grupos de Facebook y Marketplace. “Resulta que hay una comunidad de gente que ama los caracoles y los tiene de mascotas en Nueva York. Encontré a un wey que me vendía un hábitat y unos caracoles”. En total consiguieron cinco y todos terminaron con el mismo nombre. “Todos los caracoles que Emi adoptó, que eran cinco, se llamaron Lucy”, cuenta AKRIILA. Después de la sesión los entregaron a otra persona porque no podían llevárselos con ellos.
AKRIILA también pensó el vestuario como parte de la nueva etapa. “La idea principal del proyecto era algo rock and chic”, explica. Para la sesión utilizó prendas de Ann Demeulemeester, además de un collar comprado en Nueva York y unas botas que había conseguido en México. “Ann Demeulemeester es una marca que me ha fascinado últimamente. Siento que es muy de caballero, como medio George Harrison”, cuenta. Después resume el resultado de manera más sencilla: “Me sentía como un príncipe con un caracol”.
La tipografía que aparece en la esquina superior izquierda también fue trabajada específicamente para la portada. La intención era que estuviera presente sin quitarle atención a la fotografía. “Yo quería que, si realmente le prestas atención a la foto, te dieras cuenta de que está ahí”, explica AKRIILA. “Cuesta un poco encontrarla a primera vista”. Para Emilio, incluir el título tenía sentido porque varias de las referencias visuales que AKRIILA había compartido también mostraban claramente el nombre del álbum. “Se trata de tener el título de lo que te estoy presentando, de lo que te estoy entregando; tenerlo físico, poder verlo ahí”.
AKRIILA considera que uno de los puntos más importantes fue que Emilio entendiera el disco antes de fotografiarla. “El disco es tan significativo que no podía tener una portada porque sí, una foto linda sólo porque sí”, explica. “Siento que Emi entendió muchísimo cómo sonaba el disco y cómo tenía que representarse. Fue perfecto cómo fue manejando distintas opciones de colores y formatos”. Esto también conecta con el cambio musical que la artista había adelantado previamente: después del enfoque electrónico de Epistolares, el nuevo álbum incorpora más instrumentos orgánicos y elementos de banda, incluyendo arpas, flautas e instrumentos reales combinados con distorsión y saturación.
Emilio trabajó la sesión con distintas cámaras y terminó entregando una selección amplia de fotografías. Según él, la imagen final quedó muy cerca de lo que habían imaginado desde sus primeras conversaciones. “Salió literalmente como lo pensamos en las primeras discusiones: Akri es importante, el caracol es importante y la luz es importante”. Aunque la fotografía elegida fue clara para AKRIILA cuando la vio, hubo muchas alternativas que podrían aparecer más adelante en otros formatos del álbum. “Cuando vi la portada me fascinó y tal vez no me costó tanto elegirla, pero había muchísimas que eran como primas hermanas de esa”, cuenta. “Había todo un mundo. Hasta el caracol solo; yo decía: ‘Esta weá es increíble, podría ser el caracol solo’”. Esas imágenes podrían terminar en el vinilo, el CD u otras piezas del proyecto cuando Lucy miró al mundo y notó que está girando llegue el 3 de septiembre.
The post AKRIILA revela la portada de su próximo álbum, fotografiada por Emilio de la Rosa de Latin Mafia appeared first on Rolling Stone en Español.
Premios Juventud unveiled the first lineup of performers for its 2026 edition, Billboard can exclusively announce Thursday (Aug. 13).
The first wave of confirmed names are Ana Mena, Christian Nodal, Elvis Crespo, Farruko, Greeicy, Juan Magán, Marc Anthony, Mau y Ricky, Quevedo and DJ Rous.
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Notably, Farruko, Magán and Rous will premiere their new song “Marbella Nights,” the official Premios Juventud anthem in honor of this year’s first gala taking place in Spain. Farruko will also grace the stage with Greeicy to perform their EDM banger “Yapaque,” which hit No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart in July.
Quevedo will make his PJ debut with a medley, including “Columbia,” “Al Golpito” and “La Graciosa” alongside Elvis Crespo. Marc Anthony, one of this year’s Agent of Change honorees next to Yandel, will celebrate his special night with a mix of hits, including “Aguanile,” “Valió La Pena,” “Pa’lla Voy” and “Vivir Mi Vida.”
This year’s top nominees are Carín León, leading the pack with nine nominations, as well as Beéle, Kany García and Rauw Alejandro with seven nods each. Premios Juventud will take place Sept. 3 at the Starlite Auditorium in Marbella, Spain, marking its first time in Europe, following past editions in Miami, Puerto Rico and Panama.
Under the theme “Conéctate al Vibe” (“Connect to the Vibe”), the awards show — which celebrates the artists and young changemakers making an impact in music, social media and community service — will also coincide with the inaugural PJ Fest, a weeklong event with creator activations and live concerts that will take place in Houston, Miami and Los Angeles, before culminating with the live gala in Spain.
The 2026 Premios Juventud will broadcast live on Sept. 3 via Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavisión and ViX. Tickets to attend in person can be purchased here.
Fatboy Slim’s Better Living Through Chemistry is celebrating its 30th birthday, and we’re getting the presents.
The much-loved debut from Norman Cook’s house music alter ego will be reissued digitally on Sept. 25 via BMG, with special-edition LP and CD editions following on Oct. 2.
Released in 1996, Chemistry was the launch pad for Fatboy Slim, a spearhead for a golden era for British electronic music which included The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin and Underworld in its ranks.
The collection housed the singles “Everybody Needs a 303,” “Punk to Funk” (both released in 1996) and “Going Out of My Head” (1997). Although it only peaked at No. 69 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, the collection paved the way for Cook’s future commercial successes, and high-profile festival and headline spots around the globe.
Next up, Fatboy Slim’s You’ve Come A Long Way Baby dropped in 1998 and spent four weeks at No. 1 in the United Kingdom.
“Better Living Through Chemistry was basically me figuring out what I was doing,” comments Cook in a statement. “I was making music for the dancefloor, the bedroom, the afterparty and anyone who’d listen. Looking back, it’s got all the mistakes, experiments and madness of that time in it, but that’s probably what I love about it most.”
The project was inspired by Cook’s Big Beat Boutique club nights at Brighton’s Concorde, and its floppy disc-inspired cover art was both a nod to New Order’s “Blue Monday” 12-inch sleeve, and to technology’s evolution and its connection to the hip of electronic music.
Cook is a man of many music hats. By the time he introduced Fatboy Slim to the music world, he was established through his work with The Housemartins and Beats International, along with Freak Power, Pizzaman and Mighty Dub Katz.
“It was the beginning of the Fatboy Slim adventure, and I’m amazed that, all these years later, people are still discovering it, dancing to it and asking me about it,” Cook comments. “It feels pretty bloody good to give it another lease of life.”
Pre-save Better Living Through Chemistry here.
The White House isn’t done with trolling Taylor Swift, and she’s not having any of it.
Not for the first time, the White House TikTok account affiliated with Donald Trump has posted a video, soundbedded with TayTay’s music.
The latest post went live on Wednesday, Aug. 12, featuring clips of Donald Trump going about his day, swinging imaginary golf clubs, giving two thumbs up, clapping, walking red carpets, randomly pointing.
The clip’s audio is Swift’s vault cut “I Bet You Think About Me,” and it’s accompanied with the caption, “We know you think about us,” a reference to the song’s lyrics.
By early Thursday, Aug. 13, the sound was muted from the TikTok, although the title remains tagged.
Written by Swift and Lori McKenna in 2011, “I Bet You Think About Me” was left off the original Red album before enjoying a second life as a “From the Vault” recording, featuring Chris Stapleton. The release debuted at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021.
It’s the latest in a bizarre game of musical whack-a-mole, played by the most powerful office on earth. Last week, Team Trump shared an edited clip of Donald and Melania Trump watching a fireworks show with Swift’s 2020 Folklore track “August” playing in the background. Text over the video read, “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”
The post’s caption added, “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song! #taylorswift #maga #august.”
By Friday (Aug. 7), TikTok users in the United States noticed that “August” had been removed from the post, with a message explaining, “This sound isn’t available.”
A separate White House post featured Swift’s 2025 hit “Father Figure,” which too is no longer available. And a 2025 video on the White House’s official TikTok account leaning on her song “The Fate of Ophelia” has also been scrubbed.
After those songs were removed, the Team Trump account further antagonized Swift by using a live performance version of the title track from her 2012 album, Red. The post features Red-styled cover art with a mock-up of Trump’s profile over the letters and a fake “Red (Trump’s Version)” playlist.
“Did you know Taylor Swift wrote a whole album about the color of the Republican Party,” the post’s caption reads. The sound has since been wiped.
Trump has been critical of Swift since 2018, with tensions escalating after the singer endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Trump later responded by posting, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on his Truth Social platform.
More recently, the White House mocked Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding on July 4, by posting an altered photo of their celebration venue, New York’s Madison Square Garden. On the doctored MAGA image, the MSG’s digital marquee reads: “Trump Is Your President.”
Swift has other matters on her mind. On Tuesday (Aug. 11), the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announced the pop superstar would be inducted into the contemporary songwriter/artists category as part of the Class of 2026. Her induction, at age 36, makes her the youngest ever to receive the honor. She also achieved the feat in her first year of eligibility.
At the time of writing, Swift has yet to publicly comment on any of the White House posts.
When RÜFÜS DU SOL completes its current, ongoing tour, the lads will enjoy a well-deserved rest. A good, long break.
The Australian electronic music trio is in the home straight of a record-setting world tour, in support of the 2024 album Inhale / Exhale (via Rose Avenue Records / Warner Music Australasia).
Don’t expect to see the Sydneysiders on stage at a stadium or arena near you for several years, at least until the next release cycle gets underway.
While performing at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, for one of five shows at the venue, frontman Tyrone Lindqvist confirmed RDS’ immediate, post-tour plans. “So, we told ourselves before we walked out on stage we’ve got to make the most of this and we’ve got to take it in for this next month of shows,” he remarked during the Aug. 6 performance, as first reported by Beatportal.
“So, let’s really enjoy this because we’re not going to be touring for a solid amount of time until we have new music, and we can’t wait to share that with you, whatever that sounds like.”
The Sydneysiders completed their 2025 Australia tour last November with the third of three sold-out hometown shows at Afterpay Arena (then known as Qudos Bank Arena), the country’s biggest arena, for 150,000 tickets sold across the country, lifting their overall tally to 750,000 headline tickets for the year.
RDS’ Inhale / Exhale World Tour is one for the history books, one that began with a one-off exclusive outdoor performance at Sydney’s Fleet Steps back in October 2024. Along the way, the Grammy Award-winning act became just the second Aussie act, after AC/DC, and first electronic outfit to headline Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles; and played four nights at Madison Square Garden, again the most by an electronic artist.
Lindqvist and his bandmates Jon George and James Hunt will reach the end of the road this October with performances at Austin City Limits. Before that, RDS will complete its residency at The Forum on Thursday night (Aug. 13), followed by a run of twelve shows across the United States and Canada.
Following its release, Inhale / Exhale debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, continuing a streak of podium finishes for all five RDS album releases in Australia. RDS have won four career ARIA Awards and six Grammy Award nominations, with a win in 2022 for best dance/electronic recording with “Alive.”
Just in time for fall, The Neighbourhood have hit a big milestone: The California rock band has joined YouTube’s Billion Views Club with their 2012 alternative hit “Sweater Weather.”
The Jesse Rutherford-fronted band released “Sweater Weather” as the lead single from their 2013 debut studio album, I Love You. The album peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard 200, while the track reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. A previous indie music video was released alongside the song when it dropped, but that version was unlisted after they signed with Columbia Records.
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The official music video was uploaded to YouTube in March 2013, during the era of Tumblr aesthetics, at a moment when “indie sleaze” and soft-grunge subcultures were found on the platform.
The track’s milestone lands The Neighbourhood among other record-holders including Bad Bunny — who is in the lead globally with 20 music videos with more than 1 billion views — as well as J Balvin, who is the artist with the second-most entries. PSY’s “Gangnam Style” was the first video to ever reach 1 billion views on the platform in 2012.
Following its initial release, “Sweater Weather” later became an anthem for LGBTQIA+ groups because of lyrics such as “One love, two mouths/ One love, one house.” The track experienced a resurgence in 2020 when TikTok users turned the song into code language for the queer community, and various creators used it to come out as bisexual to their followers on the platform. The popularity of “Sweater Weather” that year and its use on the platform brought a streaming resurgence that led to it debuting on the Billboard Global 200 more than eight years after its release, scaling the list for four weeks before peaking at No. 134 on the chart dated Nov. 7, 2020.
KATSEYE are just about to unleash their new album Wild on Friday, but first, the global girl group dropped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday (Aug. 12) to make their late-night performance debut — and Billboard was inside Studio 6B for their latest visit.
We were also in the building when KATSEYE visited Fallon for their first sit-down back in February, but this time, they took the stage for the television performance debut of their latest single “Animal,” the Ed Sheeran-co-written hit that debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200. “The spirit of Ed is alive in ‘Animal,’” Lara said during Wednesday’s chat.
Of course, when KATSEYE first visited the late-night show earlier this year, it was as a six-piece group; but since that first appearance, two members — Manon in February and Sophia just last week — have taken hiatuses from group activities to focus on their mental health. The remaining quartet (Lara, Daniela, Yoonchae and Megan) expressed their love for their groupmates when Fallon asked about the absent members, with Lara adding that they were grateful to their EYEKONS fanbase who “continue to support us” amid the shifting lineup.
Even before their interview and performance, KATSEYE popped up during Fallon’s monologue to fill in for various members of the Tonight Show crew: Yoonchae took Black Thought’s spot with house band The Roots; Megan was in announcer Steve Higgins’ place at his podium; Lara stepped in for cameraman Hank; and lastly Daniela took Jimmy’s place at center stage to close out the bit.
Also on Wednesday’s show: Matthew McConaughey is the night’s other guest, and he even pops out do a bluegrass cover of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” the massive 17-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash, with Fallon joining in on harmonies and struming a washboard.
Tune in to catch KATSEYE on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT tonight on NBC and streaming next day on Peacock.
Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Taste” music video was already cinematic and jaw-dropping, and apparently, its storyline even extends to its props, with one of its most memorable ones having a Sabrina-inspired name.
Jenna Ortega, who starred opposite of Carpenter in the bloody, campy 2024 video, recently revealed a behind-the-scenes detail about the chainsaw she wielded near the end of the video. According to the actress, the prop had a name that referenced Carpenter, although she couldn’t quite recall the exact name.
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“I think the chainsaw had some crazy name and reference to Sabrina as well. It was called like the Espresso 3000 or something,” Ortega told Esquire.
The name would be a fitting nod to Carpenter’s hit “Espresso,” which kicked off the pop star’s blockbuster Short n’ Sweet era in the spring of 2024. The chainsaw itself gets interesting screen time in the “Taste” video, which sees Ortega and Carpenter repeatedly trying to kill each other in increasingly elaborate fashion. Ortega said the chainsaw sequence was her favorite part to film, calling it “really camp and fun” and noting that the pair had “nice little outfits” for the scene.
Despite how elaborate the finished video looks, Ortega said there wasn’t actually much time to prepare for the shoot. She revealed that she found out she would be involved only days beforehand and said much of the action wasn’t choreographed in advance.
“Nothing about that music video was choreographed,” Ortega said. “Like we were just running around. We had no time to prep or really talk about it.”
“Taste,” released as the third single from Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, became one of the album’s biggest hits, reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100 and spending multiple weeks in the chart’s top 10. Meanwhile, the accompanying video helped establish the song’s darkly comic visual identity, with Carpenter and Ortega battling through a series of increasingly gruesome encounters.
Watch the full interview with Ortega below.
The soulful pop ballad that remains the signature hit for musician/actress Vanessa Williams could have ended up sounding completely different.
The singer recently shared that she was actually the third artist that was offered “Save the Best for Last,” the romantic ballad that would go on to become her highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit.
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Williams revealed this fact during her appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, explaining that the song had first been sent to fellow musician Bette Midler, who ultimately declined, before it was offered to powerhouse Barbra Streisand.
“They gave it to Bette Midler, who passed,” Williams said. “They gave it to Streisand, and she passed. And I was, like, third one up.”
Williams eventually selected the song for her second studio album, The Comfort Zone, released in 1991. “Save the Best for Last” was the album’s third single, quickly becoming a staple song in Williams’ music career and earning two Grammy nominations, including for record of the year. The song spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, giving Williams her first — and, to date, only — chart-topper. It also became one of the biggest hits of 1992, a year that included such smashes like Sir Mix-a-Lot‘s “Baby Got Back” and Whitney Houston‘s “I Will Always Love You,” finishing at No. 4 on the year-end Hot 100.
Williams also told Ferguson about another major pop hit she wished had come her way: Amy Grant’s “Baby Baby,” which topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1991. Williams said she would have loved to record that song, but it was never brought to her because of an apparent oversight.
Of course, Williams’ music career goes beyond “Save the Best for Last.” She scored additional Hot 100 hits with songs including “The Comfort Zone,” “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas, “The Sweetest Days” and “Love Is,” while simultaneously building a major acting career with roles in Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and films including Shaft.
Watch the full episode with Williams and Ferguson below.
Four siblings who claim they were abused by Michael Jackson have hit a roadblock in their child sex trafficking lawsuit against the King of Pop’s estate.
In a Wednesday (Aug. 12) ruling, first obtained and reported by Billboard, Judge Hernán D. Vera booted the claims brought by Edward, Dominic, Marie-Nicole and Aldo Cascio out of a public courtroom. The federal judge said that under the clear terms of a 2019 settlement between the family and the Jackson estate, all related disputes must be handled in confidential arbitration.
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“Although the allegations are horrific, the court is without discretion to do aught but enforce the language of the arbitration clause,” wrote Judge Vera.
The Cascio siblings grew up with Jackson and once referred to themselves as his “second family.” While previously staunch defenders of the star against pedophilia claims, the family members alleged in a February lawsuit that Jackson raped and molested them as children over the course of more than a decade.
The Jackson estate strongly denies these claims, which the Cascios first raised in 2019 after the release of the explosive HBO documentary Leaving Neverland. The four siblings, along with their fifth brother Frank, claimed privately at the time that this documentary “deprogrammed” them. The estate paid them a $3.5 million settlement without admitting any wrongdoing.
The Cascios now say that settlement is void and unenforceable because they were coerced into signing it. Judge Vera ruled on Wednesday that those arguments, “while serious”, clearly do not belong in a public courtroom under the terms of the settlement.
“While plaintiffs are fully within their rights to raise questions about unconscionability, those challenges must be presented later before an arbitrator,” wrote the judge.
The ruling echoes another decision reached in March by a different judge in California state court, who oversaw a related legal proceeding over Frank’s sexual assault claims. In that case, the judge ruled that Frank’s signature on the same settlement agreement required arbitration of all further disputes.
A lawyer for the Cascio siblings, Howard King, told Billboard on Wednesday, “It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that the decision on whether the Cascios were duped into signing an unconscionable agreement with an arbitration clause will be made by an arbitrator rather than a jury of peers.”
“The family had hoped the court would allow for a public trial over the decades-long molestations of the Cascio siblings by Michael Jackson and the ensuing cover-up by his advisors,” added King. “Instead, the family will seek justice from the dark confines of a private conference room.”
Reps for the Jackson estate did not immediately comment on the decision.
The estate has previously characterized the claims as a “desperate money grab,” pointing out that the Cascios “spent decades defending and affirming Michael’s innocence” before changing their tune. The siblings stated during a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, for example, that Jackson was “never” inappropriate with them, and Frank wrote in a 2011 memoir, “Michael’s love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood.”
Jackson, who died in 2009, was never convicted or held legally liable for any accusation of child sex abuse during his lifetime; he settled a civil claim in 1994 without admitting any wrongdoing, and he was acquitted at a criminal trial in 2005. But such allegations have continued to dog his legacy, most notably when Leaving Neverland amplified claims from two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, in disturbing detail.
The Jackson estate vehemently denies all claims of sexual misconduct, and it called Leaving Neverland a “one-sided hit job” in litigation that ended with the documentary being removed from HBO. Robson and Safechuck are continuing to litigate civil abuse claims against the estate.
