From K-pop to reggaeton, English language music no longer reigns supreme
Shain Shapiro
Generous investment in Seoul, Bogotá and beyond has created local artists who can rip up the world stage. Meanwhile, the UK cuts its funding, says Shain Shapiro
August 2023
Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato latest to split from manager Scooter Braun
The pop stars follow Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin’s departure in May, while representatives for Justin Bieber have denied rumours that he is also parting ways with SB Projects
May 2022
UK visa delays cause J Balvin to cancel Ed Sheeran sessions
Colombian reggaeton star is latest to be hit by backlog in immigration system, made worse by Ukraine war
April 2022
Grammy awards 2022: Olivia Rodrigo wins big and Ukraine’s Zelenskiy makes cameo
The specter of Oscars chaos loomed over the music awards – a mega-concert which included a message of hope from the Ukrainian president
February 2021
Canelo Álvarez subdues Avni Yıldırım then announces Billy Joe Saunders fight
Canelo Álvarez defeated at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, then announced a highly anticipated unification bout with Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders
December 2020
Bad Bunny is most streamed artist of 2020 on Spotify
Puerto Rican vocalist earns more than 8.3bn streams, with the Weeknd’s Blinding Lights the year’s most streamed song
August 2020
Colombian pop star J Balvin in recovery after 'getting coronavirus bad'
Balvin, one of the most streamed artists in the world, warns fans ‘this isn’t a joke – the virus is real and it’s dangerous’
April 2020
Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney to play coronavirus benefit
One World: Together at Home, streamed live on 18 April, will support UN response fund
March 2020
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
J Balvin: Colores review – with this much style, who needs substance?
The Colombian returns with an album full of clever production touches and choruses that dig into your brain, but the music doesn’t really stand out
December 2019
Best music of 2019
The 20 best songs of 2019
Our critics have voted til they can’t no more... and these are their tracks of the year. You can listen to all 593 songs that were voted for in our playlist
November 2019
The decade in music
Vibras! How J Balvin took on English-language pop – and won
Rosalía, Camila Cabello and Pedro Capó win top awards at 2019 Latin Grammys
July 2019
‘I’ve been through hell’: J Balvin on breakdowns, Escobar and Beyoncé
Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Rosalía review – leftfield flamenco forms make for perfect pop
Song of the summer 2019: our writers pick their favourite tracks
Glastonbury 2019: Sunday with the Cure, Kylie and Miley Cyrus – as it happened
June 2019
From Rihanna to The Ketchup Song: the best (and worst) songs of the summer
The heat is on: how to make the feelgood hit of the summer
May 2019
Saturday Night Live recap
Saturday Night Live finale: Baldwin-Trump sings Queen and panics Pence
The finale fitted the season: some good ideas, Kate McKinnon shining, an impassioned message let down by a previous misstep
April 2019
Coachella day two: kidult silliness and Billie Eilish's freaky vibes
J Balvin brings reggaeton to the main stage and Aphex Twin is on masterful form but it’s the kids who rule the day
