Entertainment
Hermeto Pascoal, Brazilian Musician Known as ‘The Mad Genius,’ Dies at 89
Hermeto Pascoal, the eccentric and prolific Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger known affectionately as “The Sorcerer of Sounds” and “The Mad Genius,” has died. He was 89.
“With serenity and love, we announce that Hermeto Pascoal has passed on to the spiritual realm, surrounded by family and fellow musicians,” his family and team said in a statement late Saturday (Sept. 13) on Instagram.
The statement did not provide a cause of death or say where he had died.
Pascoal was an instantly recognizable figure with his mane of white hair and thick beard. He created music that defied fixed labels and blended jazz, samba, Brazilian popular music (MPB), bossa nova, chorinho and forro.
An accomplished pianist, accordionist and flautist, Pascoal also used more unconventional objects to produce sounds, including pints of beer, dolls, body parts, tea cups, and — perhaps most famously — live pigs.
On his 1977 album Slaves Mass, Pascoal squeezed a piglet to make it squeal for the opening of a track. A photo of him with the animal in his arms appeared on its back cover.
Born on June 22, 1936, in Alagoas, a state in Brazil’s poor northeast, his albino condition allowed him to escape working in the fields under the harsh sun. He taught himself to play his father’s accordion instead.
At age 14, Pascoal moved with his family to the port city of Recife, where he continued to develop his skills and performed on local radio stations.
He later headed to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. During the 1960s, he worked with drummer and percussionist Airto Moreira, who took Pascoal on tour to the U.S., where he met Miles Davis. Pascoal played on Davis’ 1971 album Live-Evil.
The meeting with Miles kickstarted an international career that continued well into Pascoal’s 80s.
“I was born music; I haven’t done anything without music,” he told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo in 2024. “What I write on a toilet bowl is as important as what I write on any paper, because music is sacred.”
As noted by the Barbican, a London venue where Pascoal was due to play in November, the artist was known as an “iconic Brazilian composer” who created more than 10,000 compositions.
Tributes for Pascoal poured in after the announcement of his death.
“Brazilian music and culture owe a great deal to Hermeto Pascoal,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil said Saturday on X. Pascoal’s “talent and tireless creativity (…) earned him international acclaim and influenced generations of musicians around the world,” he added.
Caetano Veloso said on Instagram that Pascoal is “one of the highest points in the history of music in Brazil.”
Pascoal leaves behind six children.
Entertainment
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Smash ‘Golden’ Notches 10th Week as U.K. No. 1 Single
It’s another “Golden” week for KPop Demon Hunters as the breakout song reaches a whopping 10th week at No. 1 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart dated Nov. 7.
The song, taken from the Netflix smash film, is credited to the animated group HUNTR/X and sung by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Earlier this week it was reported that Netflix is targeting 2029 as a release date for a highly anticipated sequel to the animated flick.
“Golden” has now appeared at No. 1 on the U.K. Official Singles Chart for 10 non-consecutive weeks, and is the longest-running No. 1 single for an animated act of all time. The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” ruled on the U.K. Singles Chart for eight weeks back in 1969, while “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s 2022’s Encanto achieved seven weeks.
The song is also closing in on Alex Warren’s “Ordinary”, which has spent a whopping 13 weeks at No. 1 throughout 2025.
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” is a non-mover and ends the week at No. 2. It has already notched three weeks at the summit to give her longest-running No. 1 single since 2022’s “Anti-Hero”. The LP’s other breakout song, “Opalite”, stays strong at No. 4.
Joining them in the top five is RAYE‘s “Where Is My Husband!” which holds its position at No. 3. Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” lifts one place to No. 5, and is at the same spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, a career best.
As Lily Allen’s West End Girl moves up to No. 2 on the U.K. Albums Chart, the LP’s breakout song “Pussy Palace” heads into the top 10, finishing at No. 8. Two more tracks from the record, “West End Girl” (No. 15) and “Madeline” (No. 16), also achieve new peaks.
Entertainment
Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From Charlotte de Witte, Illenium, Romy & More
This week in dance music: Bunt.’s manager Nick Groff talked about using emerging technology to turn phones back on fans during shows during Billboard’s Live Music Summit in Los Angeles on Monday, Nov. 3.
Diplo reflected on his ex Katy Perry and her new boyfriend, the former prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau. Demo Lovato’s new dance album It’s Not That Deep bumped Tame Impala’s Deadbeat out of the number one spot on Top Dance/Electronic albums and the co-writer of Deadbeat’s star single “Dracula” Sarah Aarons told us about the production process and the procrastination that brought the song to life.
“It was like, ‘Cool, this mix is due in 45 minutes,'” Aarons recalled of finishing “Dracula.” “When you know you have a deadline, your brain just goes, ‘This is the right thing.’ [Kevin Parker] called me and he went, ‘What about this melody?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah! How did we not do that melody already? It totally fits the song.’ We’d written lyrics so many times, we already had so many lyrics floating around our brains. We had so much of what we knew the song was that it kind of clicked.”
Meanwhile, Fred again.. continued his 10 shows/10 songs/10 weeks run in Dublin (and in fact released three songs this week), we celebrated the 20 year anniversary of Madonna’s disco-laced Confessions On a Dancefloor and Calvin Harris announced a 2026 Las Vegas residency at Wynn Nightlife, the property where the Scottish producer had his first ever Vegas residency back in 2011.
The Avicii Estate and Pophouse released the first of a three-part documentary series about the making of the late artist’s 2015 album Stories and Above & Beyond released their own documentary about the making of their July album Bigger Than All of Us. Plus, Grammy season kicked off with the nominations announced today, with Skrillex, PinkPantheress and Fred again.. leading the dance/electronic fields with two noms each.
Is there more? You bet there’s more. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.
Entertainment
Anuel AA & Blessd’s ‘Pórtate Bonito’ Skyrockets to No. 1 on Latin Airplay Chart
Anuel AA returns to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Pórtate Bonito,” his first team-up with Blessd. The track flies 9-1 on the Nov. 8-dated list, Anuel’s first champ in over three years.
Released August 21 on Real Hasta La Muerte, “Pórtate Bonito” was initially announced on Anuel’s Instagram account on August 6, alongside news that Blessd would join him on his RHLM 2 tour.
The collab, produced by Ovy on The Drums, surges 9-1 in its seventh week on the chart with the Greatest Gainer weekly honors, after a 32% boost in audience impressions, to 7.6 million, logged during the Oct. 24-30 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
The new win marks Anuel’s first No. 1 in over three years, since “Ley Seca,” with Jhayco, ruled for one week in February 2022. In sum, he’s placed 11 rulers, here’s a recap of those since “Ella Quiere Beber,” with Romeo Santos, in 2019:
Title, Artist, Peak, Weeks at No. 1
“Ella Quiere Beber,” with Santos, Feb. 2, 2019, one
“Secreto,” with Karol G, May 4, 2019, one
“Baila Baila Baila,” with Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin & Farruko, May 11, 2019, one
“Otro Trago,” with Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, & Ozuna, Aug. 31, 2019, one
“China,” with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna & J Balvin, Sept. 21, 2019, two
“Aventura,” with Lunay & Ozuna, Nov. 9, 2019, one
“Keii,” May 2, 2020, one
“Fútbol & Rumba,” with Enrique Iglesias, Aug. 8, 2020, one
“Location,” with Karol G & J Balvin, April 10, 2021, one
“Ley Seca,” with Jhay Cortez, Feb. 5, 2022, one
“Pórtate Bonito”” with Blessd, Nov. 8, 2025, one
Colombian star Blessd adds his third No. 1 on the overall Latin radio ranking. “Medallo,” with Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavarez, and “Si Sabe Ferxxo,” with Feid, each led for one week in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Pórtate Bonito” ascends 3-1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. Plus, it gains traction on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart, where it narrowly misses the top 10 with an 18-11 leap.
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