Latin
Latin Artist on the Rise: Elena Rose on Going From Songwriter to Recording Artist
Elena Rose will perform August 2 as part of Lollapalooza’s four-night virtual fest. At age 11, rising Venezuelan singer-songwriter Elena Rose began writing poetry as an outlet to express her emotions. “Everything I was feeling or what I thought someone else was feeling, I would write it down,” Rose told Billboard. “While doing poetry, I started playing around with rhymes and that’s when I got into songwriting.” Now, at 25 years old, Rose has written songs for artists like Becky G, Rauw Alejandro and CNCO. But these opportunities didn’t come easily and it wasn’t until she moved to Miami in 2014 that she got her foot in the door. “Since I was a little girl I had the dream of being an artist. I always wanted to be singing bu...
From Bonaire to the World, Ir-Sais Talks ‘Dream Girl’ Success & His Latin Roots
Two years ago, Ir-Sais (real name: Irgwin Placido Sluis) released his single “Dream Girl,” singing about the girl of his dreams in his native language, Papiamento. Fast forward to now, the song is a global hit, fueled by a 2019 remix with Rauw Alejandro. Born and raised in Bonaire, an island municipality of the Netherlands, Ir-Sais is also half Dominican, telling Billboard that his favorite artist of all time is Romeo Santos and that he was raised with Latin music. “Dream Girl (Remix)” marks his first collaborative effort with a Latin artist. Fusing the best Caribbean rhythms found in Bonaire and Puerto Rico, the remix is a sultry dancehall-meets-reggaeton sung in Spanish and the Portuguese-based creole language. Currently with over one billion views on TikTok and over one million views on...
Fans Pick Little Mix’s ‘Holiday’ As This Week’s Favorite New Music
Little Mix‘s new single “Holiday” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (July 24) on Billboard, choosing the U.K. quartet’s latest pop gem as their favorite new music release from the past week. “Holiday,” which will appear on the group’s upcoming sixth studio album, brought in 63 percent of the vote, beating out new music by Taylor Swift, Logic, Maroon 5, J. Cole and others. The song offer a delectable bass line, top-notch vocals and sensual lyrics (“Touch me like a summer night, you feel like a holiday,” goes the chorus). Coming in second place on this week’s poll with 23 percent of the vote was Swift’s surprise new album, Folklore. The 16-song set, her eighth studio release, takes Sw...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (July 25)
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: Shakira “All In” The Colombian superstar is donating her custom-made gold jacket that she wore during her Super Bowl performance to and will be auctioned off at the All In Challenge auction. All proceeds will go to help battle food insecurity. The “Me Gusta” singer took to social media to announce the donation and said that the bidding is now open. The highest bidder will get to meet Shakira at a future concert where they will receive the jacket, according to the post below. Enrique Iglesias & Ricky Martin 2021 Tour Enrique Iglesias...
Brazilian Funk Powerhouse KondZilla Launches Twitch Channel With Exclusive Deal
The arrangement — which involves exclusive music, video and gaming content — follows the Twitch deal with rapper Logic earlier this week. Brazilian funk music company KondZilla, which operates one of the biggest YouTube channels in the world, has signed a partnership with Twitch to operate a channel on the streaming platform, in one of the first major deals Twitch has done with an international artist or label. Under terms of its deal, KondZilla is providing exclusive music, gaming, video and podcast content, including live remixing of video game tracks produced by DJs on Kondzilla Records, Andre Izidro, head of marketing and intelligence at KondZilla, tells Billboard. The Twitch channel will promote games, chats and feature funk music and stars from KondZilla, such as Mc Jotta...
‘Short, Precise and Catchy’: Farruko Breaks Down His Recipe For a Successful Single
Previewing his forthcoming album, Farruko has released his new single “La Tóxica” — a core reggaetón track that takes the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter back to his roots — today (July 24). “It’s the kind of reggaetón that made me,” Farruko tells Billboard. “I always experiment with different rhythms but I wanted to go back to my roots with this one.” Penned by Farru, Sharo Towers, Ghetto and K4G, “La Tóxica” starts off with a simple piano tune. Then, nearly one minute in, an explosive reggaetón beat carries the rest of the song. And, as a true testament to Farruko’s slick writing skills, it includes a catchy chorus line. “I always make sure that my songs have good content, but I also make sure I includ...
Mau y Ricky Say Their Latin Remix of John Legend’s ‘Bigger Love’ Was a ‘Pinch Me Moment’
John Legend‘s “Bigger Love” is getting bigger with a Latin remix featuring Mau y Ricky that will drop Friday (July 24). Ahead of its highly-anticipated release, Billboard spoke to Legend, Mau and Ricky about the joining of forces for this feel-good pop track that celebrates love and resilience. It also becomes the brothers’ first English-language collaboration. “I don’t know if we’re the best for the job but we for sure will be the quickest and the most efficient and the most hungry and excited for it,” Mau tells Billboard. “We’re just so grateful because to be honest, John is one of the artist that we admire the most so this is crazy and we still can’t believe it.” The making of the remix took no more than a mont...
From Billboard Charts to TikTok Dances: Behind Nio Garcia’s Viral ‘La Jeepeta’
After making the rounds with “Te Bote (Remix)” next to Casper, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna — which landed at No. 36 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2018 — Nio Garcia unleashed “La Jeepeta” in January. The chorus was born inside a jeep after the power went off at Garcia’s recording studio in Puerto Rico. In January, he dropped the first version of “La Jeepeta” — a catchy mid-tempo reggaeton — in collaboration with Brray and Juanka, released via Flow La Movie and powered by GLAD Empire. Three months later, and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Anuel AA and Myke Towers jumped on the remix, bringing “La Jeepeta” to a whole ‘nother level. Unlike the original, which did not secure a spot on the Hot Latin Songs chart, the remix arrived in...
Bad Bunny’s Road to Success Coming to YouTube’s ‘Artist Spotlight Stories’: Watch Trailer
For the past two months, Bad Bunny has been on a social media detox with his last post on Twitter and Instagram posted on May 19. “Bye, me fui,” reads the caption, which translates to “Goodbye, I left.” Despite being absent from the ‘gram, Bunny has been keeping busy amid the current health crisis, recently nabbing the cover for Playboy magazine and now, forming part of the YouTube Music “Artist Spotlight Stories” series. “Sometimes I feel I attract everything with my mind,” the Puerto Rican singer expressed in a one-minute trailer posted on his YouTube channel. “I think a lot of people, if not everyone, can do the same. But not everyone knows that.” Bad Bunny’s short documentary will share his road to success from the beginning of his career to his chart-topping YHLQMDLG album. “I try nev...
Cazzu Partners With Sprayground for Collaborative Backpack Design
Cazzu‘s iconic emo look is the inspiration behind Sprayground’s new functional backpack released today (July 20). The travel company and rising Argentine trap joined forces for this limited edition purple and green color-themed backpack co-designed by the artist herself. “As a music artist on the road, it’s imperative to have a functional backpack, but it’s hard to find a fashionable one too,” Cazzu said in a statement. “I have been a big fan of Sprayground for a long time, they make the dopest and also versatile backpacks and I’m so excited to get this out to fans!” Made with vegan leather and flaunting Cazzu’s pigtails and the infamous “shark mouth” logo, the design includes multiple carrying options and a padded lapto...
El Dany, Of Cuban Duo Yomil y El Dany, Dies at 31
Daniel Muñoz Borrego, better known as El Dany and one half of Cuban urban duo Yomil y El Dany, died Saturday morning (July 18) at a hospital in Havana, sources confirm. He was 31 years old. Billboard could not confirm the cause of death. Together with Yomil (real name Roberto Hidalgo Puentes), Muñoz found fame creating a sound he and Hidalgo dubbed “Trapton,” which the duo once described to Billboard as “our brand. It’s a mix of trap with dembow and reggaetón.” That brand allowed Yomil y El Dany to enter the charts in 2016 with their album Sobredosis, which spent one week on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart at No. 8. Most recently, the duo teamed up with Lenier, El Chacal, Srta. Dayana, El Micha and Maurofor the single “No Volveré,” which entered the...
Tom Morello, Los Van Van, Ozomatli & 60 More to Perform at Concert for Cuba
The two-day event to honor Cuban doctors will stream July 18-19. Cuban artists including Los Van Van and Alexander Abreu, plus Tom Morello, Michael McDonald and Ozomatli are among 60 acts that will join together for a free two-night concert to honor Cuba’s doctors. The Concert for Cuba is a two-night, six-hour streaming festival set for this weekend (July 18-19). It will rally to garner a Nobel Prize for the international efforts of Cuban medical professionals during the pandemic and advocate for the end of the U.S. embargo while showcasing performances by Cuban artists and international acts who will lend their support for the event’s messages. Other artists — including Orquesta Aragon, Mezcla, Síntesis, Dayramir Gonzalez, Omara Portuondo and Orquesta Failde — will perform fro...
