Latin
’12 Hours with Mariah Angeliq’: How Spirituality Led Her Music Career
“It’s no coincidence how spiritual I am,” she expresses. “Apparently my grandfather was super spiritual too. I guess that’s why I was born such an intuitive, manifesting person. I believe in the law of attraction. I feel that as a human being you’re very powerful and you don’t need to be looking for so many answers. They’re all inside of you.” In the mini-documentary, her longtime producer Nely “El Arma Secreta,” her manager, her mom, and good friend all describe Mariah as a “hustler” who can spend days in the recording studio without any sleep. “I feel like it’s my time right now,” she notes. “It’s not about fame. It’s what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, have a purpose, you know? Don’t be famous just to be famous. You have to love this, breathe this, be this because it’s not eas...
’12 Hours With Prince Royce’: Repping the Bronx & Letting His Dominican Roots Shine
On the new episode of Billboard’s 12 Hours With… presented by Facebook Watch, Prince Royce shares his journey to the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where he performed “Lao a Lao” for the first time. From picking his outfits to the moment he steps off the stage, his Dominican and New York roots shine through. “My best moments were in the Bronx,” remembers the chart-topping artist. “There’s a lot of successful people that come out of New York, like J.Lo, Jay-Z, Marc Anthony, and being born and raised in New York is what brought me here. It’s something that makes you want to hustle because you want to get out of the hood.” Now, the bachata singer — who’s incorporated pop, R&B and even mariachi elements into his music — has his...
Calibash & El Día Nacional de la Banda Will Both Return to Las Vegas Next Year
Calibash and El Día Nacional de la Banda (National Day of Banda) are set to return to Las Vegas in 2022 with back-to-back star-packed lineups, SBS Entertainment announced Wednesday (Oct. 13). Set to take place Jan. 28, the banda-focused event will feature regional Mexican acts such as Los Dos Carnales, El Fantasma, Los 2 De La S, La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, La Adictiva Banda San José de Mesillas, Banda Los Sebastianes and La Original Banda El Limón, among others. Calibash Vegas, on Jan. 29, will include performances by Don Omar, Karol G, Maluma, Farruko, El Alfa and El Chacal. Both events will take place at T-Mobile Arena. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet...
17-Year-Old Iván Cornejo Continues Trend of Teens in Top 10 on Regional Mexican Albums Chart
Alma concurrently gives the Riverside, Calif.-born singer his first Top Latin Albums visit with a No. 11 debut. The set, released Aug. 20 via Manzana Records, earned 9.4 million on-demand streams of the album’s songs in its opening week. “The most challenging aspect of the recording process for me is probably the synchronization of instruments and vocals,” Cornejo adds. “Usually when I’m improvising and coming up with new songs, I’m in the comfort of my room just jamming with my cousin; but once we step foot in the studio, everything is more surreal and amplified mistakes can be more noticeable, and all I want to create is something perfect, that I’m proud of.” Cornejo’s recent popularity is fueled by his strong TikTok presence. He took a first shot ...
Latin Music Streaming Soars, US Market Share Hits 5.8% at Mid-Year: RIAA
Latin music now represents a 5.8% share of the overall U.S. market with revenues hitting $407 million in the first half of 2021 — 96% of which came from streaming for $393 million. The genre’s growth has been rapid over the past few years: The genre’s revenue for the first half of 2019 was $250 million, and then jumped to $298 in the first half of 2020. Paid streaming subscriptions grew 41% to $279 million, while ad-supported on-demand streaming revenue increased 30% to $77 million. Revenues from digital and custom radio services also rebounded, growing 24% to $37 million after a slight decline in 2020. “It’s incredible to see continued double-digit growth in Latin music — outpacing the already strong performance we’ve seen across other music segments and catego...
Watch Bad Bunny Make His ‘Narcos: Mexico’ Debut as Preppy Drug Dealer ‘Kitty’ Paez
Wearing gold shades and a red polo shirt, Bunny is on brand as a preppy pusher, following the first reveal of his character over the weekend in a clip in which he tries on a series of pastel Polo shirts and plaid pants to the strains of Los Shain’s cover of the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.” In those pics, the Latin Grammy winner has his hair gelled and his dance moves on point in a closet filled with endlessly colorful country club options. The streamer also posted a series of photos of Bunny’s Paez — a member of Ramon Arellano Felix’s “Narco Juniors” gang — rocking his signature red polo shirt and striped pants in a series of fashion shoot-like poses. The final season of Narcos is set in the 1990s and follows Juárez ca...
Billboard’s Latin Editors Discuss Latin Grammy Nominations: What Went Right & What Needs Work
Jessica Roiz: I would say diverse. I noticed that in the “Big Four” there’s not only a variety of genres but also of generations. We have artists such as Caetano Veloso, Juan Luis Guerra, and Ricardo Montaner who have led long, prolific careers — and we also have Rauw Alejandro, C. Tangana, and Paula Arenas, who are paving the way for the new wave of music artists. Pamela Bustios: The list is varied, but overall, predictable. It lacks presence of world sounds and the amalgam of fusions that have bloomed in the last year such as electronic with Andean rhythms, electronica with Latin American folklore, psychedelic and electro-cumbia and indigenous sounds. Leila Cobo: Diverse, and yes, multi-generational and multi-cultural. That’s important because there are m...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (October 9)
The collection will be part of the Díaz Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection at the FIU Libraries, CasaCuba — the university’s center for the celebration of Cuban culture and study of Cuban affairs — and the FIU School of Music will use the collection for educational purposes. “Celia’s most fervent wish was to ensure her legacy lives on for generations,” said Omer Pardillo Cid, executor of the Celia Cruz Estate. “Donating her original musical scores will provide future students with a unique way to study her repertoire — the way she would have done it.” Carlos Vives to star in new Disney+ series Carlos Vives has officially joined Disney+’s new series titled El Club de Los Graves, which will be shot ...
Prince Royce Talks Career-Changing ‘Stand by Me,’ Musical Influences & More in ‘Growing Up Dominican (In the Bronx)’
Initially, the 32-year-old artist was part of the Gino Y Royce duo, where he started writing his own songs to the sound of reggaeton but he quickly transitioned into a solo artist as he released his first album, which cost Royce — who was in college and working at a cell phone store — $8,000 to make. “I did not know I was making something special but it felt special.” After meeting with Sergio George, who then signed Royce to Top Stop Music (Royce is no longer signed to that label), he recorded “Corazón Sin Cara” and “it flopped,” says Royce. So they decided on recording Ben E. King‘s “Stand By Me” as a cover with additional Spanish lyrics and as a bachata. “I’m like ‘yo, I think this is wack’ not bec...
First Stream Latin: New Music From C. Tangana & Nathy Peluso, ChocQuibTown, More
First Stream Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors. Check out this week’s picks below. C. Tangana & Nathy Peluso, “Ateo” (Sony Music España) An ode to bachata, which C. Tangana first explored on “Tu Me Dejaste de Querer,” the Spanish rapper now teams up with Nathy Peluso for another bachata-fused track titled “Ateo.” The genre-smashing artists first set the tone for the single’s release with a provocative teaser showcasing their bachata skills that stirred up some controversy. At its core, the track is a love song that narrates a love so pure it makes an atheist believe. “I was an atheist but I believe now,” they sing. “All it took was for a miracle like you to come down to earth.” About the song...
Joss Favela Inks Worldwide Co-Publishing Deal With Warner Chappell Music
The 30-year-old Regional Mexican star, who has penned over 100 songs for artists such as Alejandro Fernandez, Banda MS, and Natti Natasha, made history at the 2016 Premio ASCAP as the youngest person ever to win songwriter of the year. He nabbed the title in 2017 and 2018. On the Billboard charts, Favela has entered Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay, Top Latin Albums, Regional Mexican Albums, and Regional Mexican Airplay, where he has five top 10’s. “When my love for music started I never thought that I’d get to spend my life writing songs,” he said. “I’m continuously surprised by the beautiful things that happen to me, and joining the Warner Chappell family is one of them. I’m grateful for the songs that life has given me, but I’m even more grateful for the ones ...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (October 2)
From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week. J Balvin Radio For SiriusXM, J Balvin has curated an exclusive two-week, limited edition channel featuring anecdotes from the making of his album Jose. He’s also flaunting his radio host abilities with two original shows, “Head Bang with Jose,” where he will feature some of his favorite rock tunes, and “La Hora Rumbera,” where he will feature classic tropical tunes. Part of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series, an exclusive Balvin performance will air at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 13 via satellite and on the SXM App. J Balvin Radio will b...
