Latin
First Stream Latin: New Music From Maria Becerra & Becky G, Piso 21, Dalex, More
After releasing a series of singles and collaborations with artists such as Cazzu and J Balvin, rising Argentine artist Maria Becerra has officially released her debut album titled Animal. The 11-song set drops with “Wow Wow” featuring Becky G as its focus track, a hard-knock reggaeton that has female empowerment anthem potential, and it marks the first time Becky and Becerra have teamed up for a collab. With a “who needs men” attitude, the track (and music video) find the pair living the best life and sharing a wealthy lifestyle with their BFFs. “Once I woke up and realized you were no longer by my side, I thought, ‘What good luck, this story has finally ended,’” Becerra opens the song. Near the minute-mark, Becky G joins Becerra on the track, singing, “Life is just one a...
Los Bukis’ 25-Year Reunion Tour: Here Are 7 Chart Hits in the First Show’s Setlist
The Una Historia Cantada tour crosses off another milestone for Los Bukis, as Friday’s (Aug. 27) first date sold out within minutes, as reported by Live Nation, also making the act the first Latin band to sell out the 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. A second show, also sold out, is set for Saturday (Aug. 28). Seven more shows are scheduled: Sept. 4 and 5 at Soldier Field in Chicago (sold out); Sept. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; Sept. 18 at NRG Stadium in Houston; Sept. 25 at the Alamodome in San Antonio; and Oct. 1 and 2 at RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland (sold out). Notably, most ticket buyers for the first two concerts were among 25-35 years old, according to Live Nation, a relatively youthful range given the band’s 1975 formation by Solís an...
Executive of the Week: Carbon Fiber Music President Franklin Martínez
The song was released June 24 on Sony Music Latin with little fanfare — there wasn’t even a video ready — and debuted at No. 28 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated July 17. It jumped to the top 10 four weeks later, reaching No. 6 on the chart dated Aug. 7, and finally No. 1 this week, thanks to a 20% boost in streams (reaching the top 20 of Streaming Songs and No. 1 on Latin streaming songs) and airplay support. The real driver of the song on the Latin charts was its performance on the dance charts. There, it debuted at No. 9 on the chart dated July 17 and has remained on the top 10 since, peaking at No. 1 last week. That’s because at heart, “Pepas” is an EDM track, propelled by dozens of remixes by DJs big and small that also aided its rise on the global charts — climbing...
Selena Gomez & Camilo Team Up for Pop Track ‘999’: Stream It Now
After releasing her first Spanish-language EP Revelación in March — with which she became the first woman to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart since 2017 — Selena Gomez is placing all her bets once again on a new Spanish song, “999.” This time, it’s in collaboration with Colombian singer-songwriter Camilo. Produced by Edgar Barrera and penned by Camilo, “999” — a rhythmic pop song that is a ballad at its core — marks the first collaboration between the Mexican-American artist and the Colombian singer/songwriter. The track, which drops alongside a music video directed by Sophie Muller, finds the two artists trading verses about true love over a sparse drumbeat. “I don’t want to go slow. ...
Café Tacvba Closes Ruido Fest 2021: ‘We’re Celebrating That We Are Alive & In Good Health’
If it wasn’t for the Curative truck parked right in front of the festival’s entrance administering free COVID-19 tests, the healthcare workers inoculating festival-goers who hadn’t been fully vaccinated and some attendees wearing face masks, Ruido Fest 2021 seemed like any other year offering a space for Chicago’s Latin community to enjoy music by Latinos for Latinos. “It’s important to have festivals like Ruido because we could just be ourselves and that’s okay,” explained Colombian artist Lido Pimienta during a press conference after her 45-minute set. “There’s no pressure of now I have to do a dance song or one with a reggaeton beat because otherwise it’s not going to be popular or even become this entertaining monkey for...
Fans Choose Shawn Mendes & Tainy’s ‘Summer of Love’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Mendes revealed the “Summer of Love” song title earlier this month on his sweatshirt while he played a couple of guitar chords in a Twitter video captioned “sol,” meaning “sun” in Spanish. The pop star later previewed the bouncy single in another video of him driving in a convertible with the green mountains and sunset as his stunning backdrop. His collab with Tainy — who was recently named Billboard’s top Latin producer of the 21st century — arrives a month after he hopped on the bilingual remix of “Kesi” with Camilo, which broke into the top 10 of on Billboard‘s Latin Digital Song Sales chart. Placing second on the past week’s tally with 22% of the vote was Trippie Redd’s fourth album, Trip at Knight, which fea...
Ruido Fest Returns With Headliners Caifanes & Los Amigos Invisibles: ‘Fortunately We’re Here With You’
In case you weren’t fully vaccinated, free PCR and antigen testing was available to attendees at the event. For those who showed up unvaccinated, local health clinics and organizations provided inoculation with the first dose of either Moderna or Pfizer. Attendees who received a vaccine at the fest were required to schedule their second dose elsewhere. Once ticket-buyers showed proof of vaccination or a negative test, they could enter Ruido Fest, where first act El Chisme took the stage at 3 p.m. Other artists on the opening day’s lineup included Kaina, La Armada, Silverio, French Police and The Mini Projects. Headliners Los Amigos Invisibles and Caifanes were in charge of wrapping up day one of Ruido Fest and they did so by thanking fans for being there. “Thank...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (August 21)
Following safety measurements due to the current global pandemic, organizers will require that all concert attendees show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or an official Vacu-Id provided by CESCO Digital. Tickets for his “P FKN R” concert are now on sale via ticketera.com. 1st round of performers at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards Camila Cabello, Christian Nodal, Juanes, Natti Natasha, Prince Royce, Ana Barbara, Carlos Rivera, Myke Towers, Reik and Rauw Alejandro are confirmed to perform at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to take place on Sept. 23. The chart-topping artists make up the first lineup of confirmed performers at the annual awards show that will broadcast live on Telemundo beginning at 7 p.m. ET with...
‘Selena’ Producer Allowed to Move Forward With Suit Against Selena Quintanilla’s Family
Esparza alleges that the joint venture was to hold onto rights until the expiration of the copyright of the movie while Selena’s family has insisted that a contract amendment had rights reverting back to the family. There appears to be a dispute over whether Warner Bros. had to consent to the reversion. Interestingly, there’s some indication from the court filings that when Warner Bros. learned of the Netflix series, it objected and soon achieved a settlement. In any event, L.A. Superior Court judge Maurice Leiter has now ruled that Esparza’s contract claim against the Quintanilla family has sufficient merit to overcome a motion aimed at quickly defeating plaintiff’s claim. The judge also accepts claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of fair dealing, unjust enrichment, negligent misre...
J Balvin, Sech, Becky G & Rauw Alejandro Close Weekend 1 of Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest: Recap
The third day of Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito, Mexico, capped a weekend of hitmakers, including Anuel, Ozuna and Karol G. On Sunday, J Balvin closed out weekend one, following stellar performances from Sech, Becky G, Rauw Alejandro, Paloma Mami, Jhay Cortez, Justin Quiles and Sky Rompiendo among others. Here are the highlights: J Balvin: Balvin returned to the Rosarito festival for a second time, this time as the main headliner, and fans welcomed him with a huge, echoing roar the instant he set foot onstage and opened with — wait for it — “Mi Gente.” The Colombian icon, gleaming in bleached hair and tan-colored cargo attire, played a riveting hour of hits, including “X,” “Con Altura” and “Que Calor.” Maverick male backup dancers in quirky outfits backed him up, a standout moment...
Maffio Launches ‘Alkatraks Music’ Record Label with New Artist Calacote: ‘This Is For the Culture’ (Exclusive)
It all begins with Calacote (real name: Luca Newton), a 22-year-old ambitious singer-songwriter who was born in North Carolina and is of Dominican and French descent. He describes his leap of faith as the ultimate “cinematic hustle move.” He began exploring music about two years ago but never thought he could pursue a career in it. He discovered his talent and passion for composing music in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and took his shot. He packed up his stuff, left Canada, where he was in grad school, moved first to New York, and later to Miami. After a few months of living in Miami, in December to be exact, he decided to direct message Maffio on Instagram. Twenty minutes later Maffio replied, they met up, and the rest is history. On Aug. 20, Calacote will be dropping his de...
Baja Beach Fest Day 2: Farruko, Anuel & More Perform Euphoric Sets Amid Stricter Safety Measures
Farruko, smiling from ear to ear, donning an MLB-styled BBF jersey and bedecked in diamonds that are basically shooting rainbows, is wailing out the chorus to one of the most hard-hitting songs of the summer, the anthemic EDM banger “Pepas.” Before him, a sea of festivalgoers (30,000, to be exact) are losing their minds. It’s Day 2 (Aug. 14) of Baja Beach Fest, the largest Latin music-focused festival in the Americas to resume since the coronavirus pandemic. The two-weekend fest kicked off Aug. 13 in Mexico’s Rosarito Beach, with reggaeton stars Ozuna, J Balvin and Karol G among the headliners, and with strict COVID-19 protocols in place. After some concertgoers took to social media to criticize enforcement of protocols during Day 1, organizers seemed to be stricter on Saturday, implementi...
