For Tinashe, opening up for an artist isn’t just about getting onstage in front of a huge crowd. She wants to know that the artist, as well as their fans, will actually give her room to be herself.

So when Harry Styles came calling, she was ready to say yes.

Speaking at the Spotify x Coach event in New York City on Wednesday (Sept. 16), Tinashe talked about joining Styles’ on his upcoming Together, Together stadium tour, noting that she’s already opened for some of the music industry’s biggest names, including Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Maroon 5.

“I reached the point where I was like, ‘I’m not gonna open for anyone unless I feel like they really understand what I’m about,’” she said.

Styles, she added, fits that criteria. Tinashe praised the singer for being “very open to the artistry” and focused on making sure fans have a good time. She points to the fact that that’s something she sees as the heart of live music and performances.

“I’m excited to be able to get up there in Phoenix,” she said, before imagining the scale of the shows. “I never perform my songs in a stadium.”

Tinashe will open both of Styles’ April 2 and 3 shows at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, kicking off the North American leg of his expanded Together, Together tour. The 2027 stadium run will also bring Styles to Pasadena, Dallas, Toronto, Atlanta and Chicago, with a different special guest joining him as a supporting act in each city.

The timing also finds Tinashe as she’s entering a new era. Her fifth studio album, Popstar, is due Sept. 25, following 2024’s Quantum Baby. Her “No Broke Boys” collaboration with Disco Lines also became her second U.S. top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 39.

Watch the full video of Tinashe’s response below.

Prince Royce may be disappointed that his highly anticipated collaboration with Romeo Santos, Better Late Than Never, did not receive a nomination for the Latin Grammys on Wednesday (Sept. 16). But what seems to hurt him the most is that the best merengue/bachata album category did not include a single bachata production.

In an open letter posted to his Instagram Stories, the “Prince of Bachata” reflected on this lack of representation.

“I’ve always understood that awards are subjective and that no artist is guaranteed a nomination. But when an institution decides to include the name of a culture and a genre in a category, it also assumes the responsibility of knowing, respecting and representing them,” he wrote.

“This year, when looking at the projects nominated for best merengue/bachata album, I noticed that there isn’t a single bachata album and that approximately only 15% of the music in these albums is bachata. Let’s think about that,” he continued. “This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected. It’s about asking a very simple question: if bachata is in the name of the category, where is the representation of bachata?”

The nominees for best merengue/bachata album this year are Fariana (Música Para Bailar), Manerra (Todo Llega), Gabriel Pagán (No Era El Plan), Covi Quintana (Oye Eta Vaina) and Techy (Chula).

Better Late Than Never, released as a surprise in November 2025, debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Tropical Albums and Top Latin Albums charts, respectively, with nine of its songs debuting on the Hot Latin Songs chart — a career high for both artists. The album also marked a long-awaited collaboration between the two greats, featured on the cover of Billboard Español.

Its complete omission from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was one of the most notable snubs on Wednesday morning.

When asked about it by Billboard, Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, suggested that this matter was beyond his control. “At the end of the day, it is our membership that votes, and we manage the process,” Abud said. “If, for one reason or another, our membership has not recognized these works, I can’t tell you why. I’m neither qualified, nor is it my role.”

Santos, arguably the biggest bachata star since the 1990s when he rose to fame as the leader of Aventura, has only received four Latin Grammy nominations since launching his solo career in 2011. He has won just one: in 2023, for best merengue/bachata album with Fórmula, Vol. 3. Royce, on the other hand, has been nominated 15 times but has yet to win. Both artists boast multiple No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts.

Read Prince Royce’s full letter below:

I’ve always understood that awards are subjective and that no artist is guaranteed a nomination. But when an institution decides to include the name of a culture and a genre in a category, it also assumes the responsibility of knowing, respecting and representing them.

This year, when looking at the projects nominated for best merengue/bachata album, I noticed that there isn’t a single bachata album and that approximately only 15% of the music in these albums is bachata.

Let’s think about that.

This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected. It’s about asking a very simple question: if bachata is in the name of the category, where is the representation of bachata?

And having Dominican artists nominated doesn’t automatically mean that bachata is being represented. Being Dominican is a nationality. Bachata is a genre, a culture and a history with its own identity.

For decades, bachata has fought to be respected and to occupy the place it deserves on the global stage. If including the word “bachata” in this category is intended as a way to recognize, preserve and include the genre, then that representation has to go far beyond simply putting its name in the title.

But when not a single bachata album is included in the only “bachata” category, this stops being about whether I receive a nomination or not.

It’s about representation.

We are always told that the Latin Recording Academy awards should not be based on streaming numbers, chart positions, or popularity, but on musical excellence. On that, we agree.

But they also shouldn’t become a popularity contest within the industry itself, where relationships, campaigns or who has more friends carry more weight. Bachata deserves more than just being included on paper. It deserves representation. It deserves to be understood. And it deserves respect.

Not long after Macklemore challenged Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft to match his $1 million donation to organizations supporting the Palestinian people, the billionaire has responded by saying Ed Sheeran previously asked him to “commit” $2 million “to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.”

“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft wrote in a statement released Wednesday (Sept. 16). “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.

“In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”

Notably, Kraft did not specify if, or when, he would be committing the money, or which organization or organizationss would be the beneficiaries of the funds. For his part, Macklemore said he would donate the $1 million, representing his net earnings from Sheeran’s tour, to six organizations supporting Palestinians: Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the UNRWA USA National Committee and Anera.

A representative for Kraft’s company, The Kraft Group, did not immediately return Billboard‘s request for clarification on whether, and where, Kraft would be committing those funds.

Macklemore’s challenge followed the rapper’s removal as an opener on Sheeran’s Loop Tour in the U.S. due to statements he made in support of Palestinians at Sheeran’s tour stops at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4 and 5. His comments, which included the phrase “Free Palestine,” were accompanied by a performance of Macklemore’s 2024 track “Hind’s Hall” — which accuses the Israeli government of committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza — alongside images of the violence. Notably, the United Nations has also classified Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, though Israel and its close ally the U.S. have denied this. Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported that more than 73,000 Palestinians have died from repeated Israeli strikes as of July, while countless others have faced displacement, homelessness and hunger.

On Monday (Sept. 14), the Loop Tour’s U.S. promoter, Messina Touring Group, released a statement announcing that Macklemore had indeed been removed from the lineup. “We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” the statement read. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

When Macklemore addressed his removal from the tour later that day, he alleged that Kraft had threatened to cancel Sheeran’s upcoming shows at Gillette Stadium unless Macklemore was dropped from the bill. The rapper further claimed that Kraft had “rallied” owners of other stadiums on the trek and that Sheeran had been given an “ultimatum” that he would not be permitted to play in their venues unless Macklemore got the boot.

On Tuesday (Sept. 15), Kraft responded with a statement claiming Macklemore had “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community,” and that to allow him to perform at Gillette Stadium “would cross [a] line.”

Later on Tuesday, Sheeran released his own statement, in which he claimed that Macklemore’s removal from the tour had been the “venue’s and promoter’s decision,” and that he had spent that last week “trying to build bridges” by speaking with the stadiums along with “activists on both sides.” He added, “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”

In the wake of the controversy, all of the remaining opening acts on Sheeran’s tour, including Aaron Rowe, Finneas and Lukas Graham, dropped out of the trek and posted statements in support of Macklemore’s support of Palestinians.