Category: Entertainment

It’s officially the last New Music Friday of the summer, and artists did not play when it came to dropping fresh bangers. From A-list names and collaborations to highly anticipated albums, get your playlist ready and let’s have some musical fun. 

Maluma & Shakira – AGUA

Shakira and Maluma  reunite on “Agua,” their first major collaboration since 2018’s “Clandestino.” It marks their first merengue together, and they did not miss. The Colombian superstars turn up the heat and show off their chemistry and sexual energy in the spicy music video. Shakira looks incredible, per usual, as she flaunts her amazing body and signature dance moves. 

CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again..–Sexy Magic 

CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, and Fred again come together for “Sexy Magic,” which is featured on the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack. CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso are on fire, scoring 7 nominations at the Latin GRAMMYS, the second most after producer Edgar Barrera.

Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta – Segunda Cita

Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta will have you feeling flirty and ready for date night with “Segunda Cita.” It’s a powerhouse collaboration with all the artists seamlessly blending their sounds. It includes a sweet moment with Micro TDH celebrating their first collab with Piso 21, “Te VI’s” initiation into the billions club on Spotify.

Michelle Maciel –  espresso martini

Mexican singer-songwriter Michelle Maciel begins a new chapter with her album La Gloria, a 13-track project that explores love, personal growth, and experimentation while blending corridos, reggaetón, and boleros. The album’s focus track, “Dolencias,” featuring Ana Gloria, brings the two artists together for a fun, dance floor-ready collaboration that highlights Maciel’s ability to move between genres. 

Zulia – Birkin 

Following the release of his album Ya No Me Importa Si Nadie Me Escucha, Venezuelan rising star Zulia drops “Birkin.” The singer has one of the most unique voices in music, with bold, sensual lyrics, and a smooth sound. 

Guaynaa- SE PARECE AL PAI 

Puerto Rican singer Guaynaa gets into his salsa swag with “SE PARECE AL PAI.” The catchy track has incredible instrumentals, an infectious melody, and lyrics inspired by his own life as a father. It stars his wife, Lele Pons, and their daughter, Eloísa. 

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Somos Como Tú

GRAMMY-winning Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela release their new album OurHome. They step into new territory with “Somos Como Tú,” their first-ever song featuring lyrics and vocals. The track explores migration, displacement, and the connections that unite people across cultures, marking a new chapter for the duo as they continue to expand beyond their signature acoustic sound.

Feid, Bad Gyal – DE DIOR XL 

After postponing its release, Feid drops his new EP, EL GREEN PRINT: La Saga (Disc 2) – EL CLUB DE LAS 19 FLORES, the next chapter of his Green Print era.  It includes collaborations with Vicente García, El Americano 4KT and Pirlo, Divino and Baby Ranks, Icon, Yandel, and Spanish star Bad Gyal. 

Elvis Crespo, beele – PA´BAILAR  

The one and only Elvis Crespo adds another collaboration with the new generation, this time with Beele. The genre-blending track has merengue, urban, and pop sounds with exciting instrumentals that will have you ready to move your hips. 

MILEY – Let’s Get Married

Miley’s highly anticipated album Bass Persuades is here, and it’s beautiful. It’s the first album since dropping Cyrus and shows off the multifaceted sides of the singer. “Let’s Get Married” is a gorgeous track dedicated to her fiancé, Maxx Morando, and comes with an intimate music video starring the couple. 

It’s officially the last New Music Friday of the summer, and artists did not play when it came to dropping fresh bangers. From A-list names and collaborations to highly anticipated albums, get your playlist ready and let’s have some musical fun. 

Maluma & Shakira – AGUA

Shakira and Maluma  reunite on “Agua,” their first major collaboration since 2018’s “Clandestino.” It marks their first merengue together, and they did not miss. The Colombian superstars turn up the heat and show off their chemistry and sexual energy in the spicy music video. Shakira looks incredible, per usual, as she flaunts her amazing body and signature dance moves. 

CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again..–Sexy Magic 

CA7RIEL, Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, and Fred again come together for “Sexy Magic,” which is featured on the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack. CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso are on fire, scoring 7 nominations at the Latin GRAMMYS, the second most after producer Edgar Barrera.

Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta – Segunda Cita

Piso 21, Micro TDH & Gangsta will have you feeling flirty and ready for date night with “Segunda Cita.” It’s a powerhouse collaboration with all the artists seamlessly blending their sounds. It includes a sweet moment with Micro TDH celebrating their first collab with Piso 21, “Te VI’s” initiation into the billions club on Spotify.

Michelle Maciel –  espresso martini

Mexican singer-songwriter Michelle Maciel begins a new chapter with her album La Gloria, a 13-track project that explores love, personal growth, and experimentation while blending corridos, reggaetón, and boleros. The album’s focus track, “Dolencias,” featuring Ana Gloria, brings the two artists together for a fun, dance floor-ready collaboration that highlights Maciel’s ability to move between genres. 

Zulia – Birkin 

Following the release of his album Ya No Me Importa Si Nadie Me Escucha, Venezuelan rising star Zulia drops “Birkin.” The singer has one of the most unique voices in music, with bold, sensual lyrics, and a smooth sound. 

Guaynaa- SE PARECE AL PAI 

Puerto Rican singer Guaynaa gets into his salsa swag with “SE PARECE AL PAI.” The catchy track has incredible instrumentals, an infectious melody, and lyrics inspired by his own life as a father. It stars his wife, Lele Pons, and their daughter, Eloísa. 

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Somos Como Tú

GRAMMY-winning Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela release their new album OurHome. They step into new territory with “Somos Como Tú,” their first-ever song featuring lyrics and vocals. The track explores migration, displacement, and the connections that unite people across cultures, marking a new chapter for the duo as they continue to expand beyond their signature acoustic sound.

Feid, Bad Gyal – DE DIOR XL 

After postponing its release, Feid drops his new EP, EL GREEN PRINT: La Saga (Disc 2) – EL CLUB DE LAS 19 FLORES, the next chapter of his Green Print era.  It includes collaborations with Vicente García, El Americano 4KT and Pirlo, Divino and Baby Ranks, Icon, Yandel, and Spanish star Bad Gyal. 

Elvis Crespo, beele – PA´BAILAR  

The one and only Elvis Crespo adds another collaboration with the new generation, this time with Beele. The genre-blending track has merengue, urban, and pop sounds with exciting instrumentals that will have you ready to move your hips. 

MILEY – Let’s Get Married

Miley’s highly anticipated album Bass Persuades is here, and it’s beautiful. It’s the first album since dropping Cyrus and shows off the multifaceted sides of the singer. “Let’s Get Married” is a gorgeous track dedicated to her fiancé, Maxx Morando, and comes with an intimate music video starring the couple. 

Salma Hayek is exploring a new side of her artistry. The Mexican icon, producer, and actress will be directing her first movie, “Arena,” which will star Cara Delevingne and Academy Award nominee Yura Borisov.

Variety was the first to break the news, with Hayek sharing some plot details and revealing that the film had been independently financed. Aside from directing the film, she also co-wrote it.

“’Arena’ is a forbidden love story and an intimate journey into exploring someone else while finding the ability to experience intense pleasure in the simple things we take for granted,” Hayek said. She also revealed that the film has a connection to Mexico, with it being shot there.

“The sensorial experience of connectivity with land and nature is enhanced through the spectacular locations of Quintana Roo and Veracruz. These regions are already incredibly cinematic, but finding undiscovered beauties to shoot in this land was a true moment of pride and triumph. I am so excited to show the world these hidden jewels that have never been seen before,” she said.

The producers of the film include Hayek herself and her friend, Angelina Jolie, who’s a seasoned filmmaker.

While “Arena” marks Hayek’s feature debut, she has some experience behind the camera. She previously directed “The Maldonado Miracle,” a TV movie that earned her a Daytime Emmy. 

Hayek and Jolie’s comments on directing

In an interview published in The Cut featuring a conversation between Jolie and Hayek, the two talked about “Arena.” 

“You should talk about directing,” said Jolie. “I saw you on the set of Arena, leading and deciding and taking responsibility for it. You embraced it so fully.”

Later in the conversation, Jolie noted Hayek’s ambition. “It’s hard to direct yourself. You would take on something as challenging as that the first time you direct. And write it yourself. But that’s your way. It had to be your vision. You’re good with a challenge. You like a big mountain to climb,” she said with a laugh.

A Russian singer performing Dominican merengue in Moscow is attracting attention far beyond Russia, giving one of the Caribbean’s most recognizable musical genres an unexpected international spotlight.

Regina Roskina, a singer associated with Dominican musician Yanco Santana and his Moscow-based Orquesta EL DOMI, has emerged as a distinctive voice for merengue in Russia. Her performances of Dominican music, including repertoire associated with merengue star Miriam Cruz, have recently drawn attention.

On September 17, the Dominican program Al Medio Día con Mariotti & Compañía included the performance among its trending entertainment stories, describing the moment as a Russian singer surprising audiences by singing merengue by Miriam Cruz.

The viral moment is part of a much bigger story. Dominican merengue and bachata have been steadily finding an audience in Moscow, with Roskina and Orquesta EL DOMI helping bring the sounds of the Dominican Republic to Russian stages.

Who is Russian merengue singer Regina Roskina?

Roskina has been identified in recent reports as the first Russian woman to establish herself as a merengue performer in the country.

Her introduction to the genre was not simply a matter of learning the lyrics to a few Spanish-language songs.

According to a January 2026 report on a concert by Orquesta EL DOMI in Moscow, the Armenian-Russian singer spent four months rehearsing, studying Spanish, and training in Caribbean musical style before making her official debut with the orchestra. During that performance, she sang music associated with another Dominican merengue icon, Milly Quezada, including the Christmas classic “Volvió Juanita.”

HOLA! spoke with Yanco Santana who described Roskina as “the first female merengue singer in Russia.” Reports also suggest she had become known as the “Reina del Merengue en Rusia,” or “Queen of Merengue in Russia.” That title has continued to follow her. 

Miriam Cruz’s merengue reaches a new audience in Russia

The connection to Miriam Cruz makes Roskina’s latest attention particularly significant for Dominican music fans.

Cruz is one of the best-known female voices in Dominican merengue. Born in Santo Domingo, she became the lead singer of the influential all-female group Las Chicas del Can before launching her own musical project in 1992.

Her solo-era repertoire includes songs such as “Te Propongo,” written by Juan Luis Guerra, and “La Loba,” written by Ramón Orlando. Cruz has previously described the latter as a defining record in her career. “’La Loba’ was the song that put me on the map. Thanks to this track people knew I was alive,” Cruz said in comments published by Acento.

Decades later, her music finding an interpreter in Moscow illustrates just how far Dominican merengue continues to travel.

Dominican music is gaining ground in Moscow

Roskina’s performances are not happening in isolation. At the center of the growing Dominican music scene in Moscow is Yanco Santana, a musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Higüey, Dominican Republic, who moved to Russia in 2021. Santana founded “Un dominicano en Moscow,” y Orquesta EL DOMI in Moscow on February 10, 2023, as a project dedicated to promoting Dominican and Caribbean music.

The orchestra brings together musicians of several nationalities while performing merengue, bachata, mambo and other Caribbean styles.

Santana has made his mission clear. “I want anyone who listens to merengue or bachata anywhere in the world to be able to recognize that behind these rhythms there is a culture, a history, and a people,” he said in September. “Bringing our music to Russia is also bringing a little piece of the Dominican Republic with me.”

That mission recently reached a considerably larger Russian audience. Santana and Orquesta EL DOMI appeared on Доброе утро (Good Morning) on Russia’s Channel One, where they presented Dominican music on national television. Roskina joined the musicians for the appearance, alongside Dominican dancers Elvinson Veloz and Indira Hernández. “This moment represents much more than a television appearance,” Santana said following the performance. “It is the result of a dream: that Dominican music can travel around the world.”

Merengue in Moscow has been growing for years

Dominican music’s presence in Russia has developed through concerts, cultural events and collaborations rather than through one viral performance.

In March 2025, EL DOMI celebrated its second anniversary with a Moscow concert featuring bachata, merengue and mambo. The event even incorporated the Russian balalaika into a performance, creating a musical connection between Russian and Dominican traditions.

Another major cultural moment came when Dominican composer and musician Ramón Orlando presented symphonic merengue with musicians from Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory in March 2025. The concert was organized as part of events commemorating 80 years of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and Russia.

The performances show that Dominican music in Moscow is developing on several levels, from dance-oriented merengue and bachata concerts to symphonic arrangements and national television appearances.

Her connection with EL DOMI has also moved beyond live covers. In April 2026, Yanco Santana released “Una noche contigo” featuring Regina Roskina, giving the singer a recorded collaboration connected directly to the Moscow-based Dominican music project.

For Santana, that kind of cultural crossover appears to be central to the project. After an earlier Moscow concert, he described the orchestra’s progress as something bigger than his individual career.

Now, a Russian singer performing Miriam Cruz’s merengue is adding another chapter to that story.

From Santo Domingo to Moscow, the tambora and güira are traveling remarkably well.

There’s a lot of stuff to stream nowadays. In hopes of helping you watch more good movies and TV, we compile some of the most exciting titles streaming across all platforms in our weekly column, What To Watch.

Slow Horses (Apple TV)

The British spy series is back for another season. “Slow Horses” follows a group of MI6 spies who’ve been relegated to the bottom of the totem pole: Slough House. The new season follows the return of various team members as they’re pursued by a threat that’s taking them out one by one. 

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story (Netflix)

Ryan Murphy is back with another show. The new iteration of “Monster,” his anthology series following some of the world’s most notorious serial killers, is based on the case of Lizzy Borden, a woman who was accused of killing her father and her stepmother in the Victorian Era, back when women were incapable of committing such acts. 

The Traitors: New Blood (Peacock)

The spin-off of the beloved reality TV show is premiering on Peacock, this time following a group of civilians as they play a game of deduction hosted in a castle in Scotland. Alan Cumming returns as host. 

Best of the Best (Netflix)

Netflix’s new YA movie stars Matreiyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia as best friends who join a Bollywood fusion dance team at UCLA. The film is a tribute to friendship and the long and beloved history of Bollywood.

Mobland (Paramount+)

“Mobland” is back with another season, following Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan as members of a warring faction of mob families enmeshed in a London turf war. 

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocalypticist (Netflix)

Directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, “The AI Doc” follows the filmmakers as they try to understand the most impactful technology of our times, from the threats it poses to its promises. 

The Resident Evil franchise (Prime Video & Netflix)

Lastly, “Resident Evil” is out in theaters. If you’re not feeling like going out to the theater, you can catch the previous films based on the video game franchise, streaming on Prime Video and Netflix. They’re completely unrelated to Zach Cregger’s new film, but you’ll find deadly zombies in all.