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Adrian Quesada’s Psychedelic Journey: How the Black Pumas Co-Founder Delved Into Latin America’s Romantic Past

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In music and art, the search for identity is fundamental. Perhaps that’s why Adrian Quesada has achieved such a deep connection with Latin American romantic ballads, an eccentric musical style that the prolific Grammy-nominated songwriter, musician and producer discovered during his teenage years in his hometown of Laredo, a border city between Texas and Mexico. There, he grew up in a Mexican family speaking both English and Spanish.

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Now, almost 30 years later, the co-founder of the soul, jazz and funk duo Black Pumas revisits songs from acts like Los Pasteles Verdes, Los Ángeles Negros and Joseles in his new album Boleros Psicodélicos II, released Friday (June 27). His goal: to preserve the timeless essence of this musical genre and contribute to modernizing its sound by fusing it with hip-hop and electrifying guitars to connect with a younger audience.

“My idea in creating all this was to find a way to have one foot in the roots, in the past, and another foot in the future. That was the concept: to go between two worlds,” Quesada tells Billboard Español. “So I don’t think I’m inventing anything. For me, these are songs inspired by another era.”

In this new production — a sequel to Boleros Psicodélicos from 2022 — Quesada wanted to combine psychedelia with emotion. To do so, he brought together multi-generational artists from the Latin alternative music scene, such as California indie star Cuco, Swedish-Ecuadorian duo Hermanos Gutiérrez, Colombian ensemble Monsieur Periné, and lo-fi troubadour from Chihuahua Ed Maverick. Joining them are Mireya Ramos from Flor de Toloache, Puerto Rican artist iLe, and pop singer-songwriter Angélica Garcia, all of whom participated in the first album.

But unlike Boleros Psicodélicos, which was recorded remotely during the pandemic, this second volume gave Quesada the chance to invite his collaborators to his studio in Austin and reimagine songs like “Hoy que Llueve” by Los Pasteles Verdes and “Te Vas y Yo Te Dejo” by Joseles.

“I wanted to make this album a more intimate experience, an exchange of ideas, while being in the same room full of energy with the people who participated,” the artist explains. “And another thing is that on this new album, I worked with another producer, Alex Goose, and he comes from the hip-hop world —a musical genre that didn’t invent anything but reinvented everything.”

Opening the set is “Ojos Secos,” a heartfelt vintage track performed as a duet with Cuco, blending smooth melodies with contemporary atmospheres. It’s followed by “Bravo,” a classic from Cuban artist Olga Guillot’s repertoire that iLe recommended and recorded for this project; “No Juego,” a dramatic trip-hop ballad performed by Angélica Garcia; and “Cuatro Vidas,” popularized in the 1960s by American singer Eydie Gorme and the trio Los Panchos, among others.

With Mexican artist Ed Maverick, Quesada recorded “Afuera,” an atmospheric ballad with subtle touches of hip-hop, folk, and psychedelic guitars — a seductive and hypnotizing combination.

“This collaboration was the perfect opportunity for me to delve into a territory I wanted to explore: psychedelia and contemporary music,” Maverick tells Billboard Español. “The upcoming music I have is very much in this style, so it fit like a glove.”

“Afuera” also served as a way to celebrate the Mexican roots of both musicians, at a turbulent time amidst new anti-immigration policies introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I can’t help but be Mexican,” Maverick says. “I think for a long time, many young people tried to reject that. It seemed like it wasn’t cool to be Latin American or Spanish-speaking with our roots, but now I’m very happy that there’s this current resistance, anti-colonial, and music is part of that resilience.”

Released through ATO Records, all 12 tracks in Boleros Psicodélicos II are performed in Spanish, which becomes a political and social statement at a moment when Latin music finds itself at a crucial crossroads, with increasingly strict immigration policies threatening its continued explosive growth in the U.S.

“I am the artist I am now because I come from a world of two countries, two languages,” Quesada notes. “Diversity is what they’re trying to eliminate in the United States. And if it’s a way to — being American, to make an album in Spanish is important to me, for my roots.”

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Doechii Performs a Star-Making Set at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival

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Osheaga has a knack for booking budding superstars right as they blow up. Last year, it was Chappell Roan. This year, it was Doechii.

The Grammy-winning, Florida-born rapper took the stage on the first night of the Montreal music festival on Friday (Aug. 1), and it felt like a star-making performance. The Killers headlined the mainstage, but unlike Chappell Roan, who played for 40,000 people at 3:30 in the afternoon last year, Doechii did have the honor of closing out the festival on the secondary Forest Stage.

Her set was pushed back slightly to start at 10:10 p.m., meaning she was the final performer of the night before the noise curfew at 11 p.m. And for those who wanted to catch both acts, The Killers made it easy by playing their belt-along favorite “Mr. Brightside” as their first song and packing the first hour of their two-hour, 9:10 p.m. set with hits.

Doechii’s stage set was decked out to fit her Swamp Princess persona, covered in greenery and a large, elevated swampy platform for her to stand on. The crowd was packed in, so the fans stuck at the back still had a visual feast. “I look good from the nosebleeds,” she rapped from her 2025 hit “Nosebleeds,” and this show proved it.

Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.

Charlotte Rainville @jailli

For a full hour, Doechii kept the energy up. She rapped a mile a minute, all live with almost no reliance on a backing track. She showed off her full skill set, from pure hip-hop to sung R&B/pop hooks, and comedic banter to thought-out stagecraft. She brought unbridled charisma, taking time to dance and twerk and show off some vogue moves as well. She showed off a reverence for classic hip-hop, rapping over Wu-Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” and later screaming over a distorted guitar sample — almost veering towards nu-metal. She showed she can do it all.

The audience stayed captivated, rapping along and matching her energy throughout. It was Doechii’s first time in Canada, and you could tell she was impressed by the reaction. “As an artist, you can get so much hate and negativity,” she said. “Then you go out in real life and see your real fans.”

She took some time to thank her gay fans, her female fans, and the fans who brought their boyfriends. “If your boyfriend hates female rappers, then leave him immediately,” she said.

Seeing all the phones out, she seized her moment. “Ya’ll can’t be scared to stand up for what you believe in, you can’t be scared to say what matters,” she said. “Free Palestine.”

Doechii Osheaga 2025

Doechii performs at Osheaga 2025 in Montreal.

Charlotte Rainville @jailli

Doechii broke out her biggest hit, the Billboard Hot 100 top-10 charting “Anxiety,” and thanked all her fans for streaming it. The “Somebody That I Used To Know” sampling song is a bit of an outlier in her catalogue, but it’s a viral TikTok favourite, and she’s found a way to fit it perfectly into her set. After playing the song, she thanked Gotye for approving the sample.

The true highlight of the set was “Denial Is a River.” The song, which features Doechii rapping with her internal monologue, took on a whole new call-and-response dimension with fans chanting along to every word.

It felt like she was still just getting started when, midway through the next song, the beat cut out. “F— that, they cut me off!” she yelled. She put her thumbs down, inciting the crowd to boo, then threw her hands up. “Whatever,” she said, walking off the stage.

Unfortunately, Osheaga has a hard 11 p.m. noise curfew. It’s clear the next time she’s back, she’ll have to have a longer headliner-length set.

Doechii performs tonight (Aug. 2) at Lollapalooza in Chicago, where she’s teased a special guest. If Osheaga was anything to go by, her set will likely be all over social media soon.

This article originally appeared on Billboard Canada.

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Olivia Rodrigo Rocks Out With Weezer During Her Headlining Set at Lollapalooza 2025

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Olivia Rodrigo was joined by surprise guest Weezer during her headlining set at Lollapalooza 2025.

On Friday (Aug. 1), the 22-year-old pop superstar made her debut on the second day of the Chicago music festival at Grant Park. Toward the end of her evening set, she surprised the crowd by inviting Weezer to join her on stage.

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Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out The Cure’s Robert Smith at Glastonbury 2025

Olivia Rodrigo performs on the orange stage at Roskilde Festival 2025 on July 04, 2025 in Roskilde, Denmark. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

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In a fan-captured video on TikTok, Rodrigo shared with the crowd that Weezer was the first band she ever saw live.

“You always remember your first concert. It’s a very, very special moment,” the “Drivers License” singer said. “I remember my first concert. It was a very memorable night. I watched this incredible band and I am so over the moon, because that incredible band is actually here tonight to play a few songs. Will you please say hello to Weezer?”

Weezer then joined Rodrigo for performances of their classic hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So,” both from the group’s 1994 self-titled album. She played guitar and harmonized alongside frontman Rivers Cuomo during the collaboration. Check out clips from the performances here and here on X.

This marked Weezer’s first Lollapalooza performance since they headlined alongside Widespread Panic in 2005.

This isn’t the first time Rodrigo has brought out surprise guests during her recent festival appearances. She recently invited David Byrne onstage at New York’s Governors Ball to perform Talking Heads’ 1983 hit “Burning Down the House,” and welcomed The Cure’s Robert Smith at this year’s Glastonbury Festival to perform “Friday I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven.”

During her Lolla set on Saturday, Rodrigo opened with “Obsessed” and “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,” and also performed hits including “Driver’s License,” “Traitor,” “Bad Idea, Right?” and “Love Is Embarrassing.”

The Chicago festival continues Saturday (Aug. 2) with headliners Rüfüs Du Sol and TWICE, followed by closers Sabrina Carpenter and A$AP Rocky on Sunday.

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Kelly Osbourne Honors Dad Ozzy Osbourne With NSFW Post Days After His Funeral

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Kelly Osbourne is paying tribute to her father, Ozzy Osbourne, just days after his funeral.

On Friday (Aug. 1), the 40-year-old TV personality shared an NSFW photo on her Instagram Story in memory of the rock legend, who passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.

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UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01:  Photo of Ozzy OSBOURNE and BLACK SABBATH; of Black Sabbath, posed  (Photo by Ian Dickson/Redferns)

Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76, Just Weeks After Black Sabbath’s Final Concert

Tributes are left prior Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortege is set to travel through his home city of Birmingham on July 30, 2025 in Birmingham, England.

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The outdoor image featured a beautiful display of purple flowers arranged to spell out “Ozzy F—ing Osbourne,” set beside a serene pond surrounded by a rolling hill and trees.

In a second post, Kelly shared a heartfelt clip from The Osbournes, the MTV reality series that aired from 2002 to 2005. The snippet shows Ozzy lying in bed with his wife, Sharon Osbourne, offering words of wisdom.

“Listen, all you got to worry about is getting through today,” the Black Sabbath frontman says. “That’s all you got to worry about.”

Just days earlier, Kelly attended her father’s funeral procession in his hometown of Birmingham, England, where fans flooded the streets to pay their respects. Sharon, along with Ozzy’s other children — Aimeé and Jack — laid flowers at the Black Sabbath Bridge, which had been covered with tributes from mourners.

Shortly after Ozzy’s passing, Kelly posted another emotional tribute to her Instagram Story on July 24. “I feel unhappy I am so sad,” she wrote. “I lost the best friend I ever had,” the Fashion Police alum added, along with a heartbroken emoji. Her words echoed lyrics from Black Sabbath’s ballad “Changes,” which she and her father released as a duet in 2003.

Ozzy Osbourne died at age 76, just weeks after performing his final concert. His family confirmed the news in a joint statement. “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” they wrote. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Just a month before his death, Kelly had honored her dad on Father’s Day with an Instagram post that included a slideshow of Ozzy spending time with her young son, Sidney, whom she shares with fiancé Sid Wilson.

“Happy Father’s Day daddy,” she wrote at the time. “I love you more than anyone or anything in the world! I am so proud to be your daughter and Beyond honored to watch you be the best #Papa in the world to my son!”

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