Latin
First Stream Latin: New Music From Manuel Medrano, La Doña, Juanes & More
Mon Laferte, Seis (Universal Music México) Mon Laferte wrote her sixth album, aptly titled Seis, while hunkered down in the pueblo mágico Tepoztlán, nearly two hours south of Mexico City. The Chilean singer-songwriter started writing it a month after the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed. “I was like everyone else, just filled with uncertainty,” she told Billboard. “So I clung onto my music and my guitar because I thought, if the world ends, I at least want people to know how I was feeling.” It’s the first album in which she sings regional Mexican (banda, corridos tumbados, mariachi) music in homage to the country she’s live in for the past 14 years. In it, she doesn’t hold back while singing about toxic relationships, past and future loves, and the lo...
Ozuna Joins Gaming Company XSET in ‘Match Made in Heaven’
“This is something that we’ve been looking to do for a while,” says Edgar Andino, Ozuna’s manager. “We’ve been looking at what gaming has been doing for artists, the masses and the unique engagement within the gaming community. We understand that this is the future. We realized this could be an interesting opportunity for not only gaming but also fashion and music.” In the upcoming months, Ozuna’s now-iconic teddy bear logo will be incorporated on the professional jerseys worn during XSET’s competitive games. “That’ll be a first for a team to have a musical logo presence,” says Selkoe. Future initiatives include an NFT dropping mid-May, and gaming will play a major role at Ozuna’s Cancun Fest scheduled for Nov. 4-8. &#...
J Balvin & Khalid Team Up for Soulful Reggaeton Duet ‘Otra Noche Sin Ti’: Watch
In a time where bilingual collaborations have become a booming trend, J Balvin and Khalid have teamed up for “Otra Noche Sin Ti,” out now. Marking their first-ever collaboration, the track, which laces a romantic reggaeton beat with a pop-soul melody, tells the story of a man who can’t fathom the fact that the love of his life is gone. “They say I lost you and I can’t tolerate another night without you/ Another night without you hurts a lot,” Balvin chants in Spanish. 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 Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet r...
Banda Los Recoditos Claims 18th Regional Mexican Airplay Top 10 With ‘Ponle Que Sí’
Banda Los Recoditos adds another top 10 to its collection on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Ponle Que Sí.” As “Ponle Que Sí” lifts 13-10 (list dated April 10), the band scores its fourth straight top 10 and adds its 18th total Regional Mexican Airplay top 10 over the history of the chart, which began in 1985, a merit it now shares with Banda Carnaval. Los Tigres del Norte continues at the top with a massive 44 career top 10s. “Ponle” ascends with an 11% gain in audience impressions, to 3 million, earned in the week ending April 4, according to MRC Data, which also yields to a 37-34 jump on the all-Latin format Latin Airplay chart. 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 ...
Mon Laferte’s ‘La Mujer’ Takes On a Whole New Meaning in New Gloria Trevi-Assisted Version
“It’s a song I wrote years ago and had stopped singing because I didn’t like the lyrics anymore. It was toxic,” says Laferte. “But since the pandemic paused many things, I had the time to revisit the song and rewrite certain parts for the new album.” After reaching out to Trevi, the Mexican star kept it honest. “First, I thought, great because I love her work. Mon is transparent and brave,” the “Pelo Suelto” singer tells Billboard. “But I am also an artist that has to be honest and transparent with the music that I sing so I needed to hear the song first in order to say yes. When I heard the lyrics, I thought ‘Wow.’ I thought, ‘I am that woman.’ I identified.” Laferte also talked abou...
First-Ever Radio Globo Quem Awards Will Honor & Celebrate Brazilian Music
“In the midst of everything we are experiencing, I am very happy to promote an award show that celebrates artists and music, our escape and everyday comfort, without prejudice to genres and styles,” Quem’s editor in chief, Danilo Saraiva, said in a statement. “For this, we are preparing a beautiful, safe, fun and digital event for people to enjoy at home.” Jonas Vilandez, manager of music business, Radio Globo added: “Celebrating music never hurts. Recognizing the artists who help make our programming, and even at the hands of our listeners, is a huge pleasure. We hope this will be the first edition of many.” Presented by Smirnoff and Tanqueray, the awards show will not only feature live and in-studio presentations, but also a red carpet with the nominated artists. Radio Globo ...
Karol G Feeling ‘Joy & Motivation’ Over Her First Top Latin Albums Chart-Topper ‘KG0516′
KG0516 was released March 26 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE. The 16-track set is a follow-up to two runner-up efforts: Unstoppable, Karol G’s album debut (Nov. 2017; 4,000 equivalent album units in its first week) and Ocean (May 2019; 12,000 units). “As the name of the album is a flight number and everything in it revolves around that trip, my challenge was to find a direction for each song,” Karol G says. “Each one should take you to a different destination, be it love, heartbreak, or celebration, including the sounds, the mix, the fusion of the genres. In reality it was full of challenges, but I had the time and disposition, since we were in quarantine, to work on it calmly, to work with love and be able to find that perfect balance between each song.” Second Female Solo Act To Debut At ...
Kelly Clarkson Reveals the One Song She’s ‘Afraid to Cover’
Fonsi echoed what we were all thinking, responding, “Oh, come on, you have to cover it now!” “I have practiced so hard, because I love singing in Spanish as well, or just in different languages,” Clarkson said. “And it’s, like, the biggest song of all time. You’re kind of like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna leave that alone,'” she laughed. She’s right about “Despacito” being a massive song: The song’s bilingual remix, featuring Justin Bieber, spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the then-record (Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day”) for longest stay at the top. Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has since spent 19 weeks at the...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (April 3)
Previous guests have included T-Pain, Julia Michaels, Tank and the Bangas, Adrianne Lenker, Michael Franti, and others. Read more about Juanes’ virtual visit here. Alejandro Fernández’s special award Alejandro Fernández is set to receive the Icon Award during the sixth edition of the Latin American Music Awards, Telemundo has announced. The Icon Award is given to an artist who interprets our life in their songs, forms an important part of Latin America’s history, and is considered a musical hero whose name exceeds all generations, according to statement by Telemundo. The Jalisco-born star will also perform at this year’s Latin AMAs, which will take place April 15 and will be broadcast live from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Fernández joins the previous...
Sony Music Acquires Top Brazilian Indie Label Som Livre For $255 Million
Founded in 1969 by music producer João Araújo, Som Livre initially focused on releasing soundtracks for Globo’s soap operas and continued to specialize in compilations. A decade ago, the label shifted its strategy to developing and managing artists and became the largest producer of music in Brazil, where local music represents almost 70% of total consumption. Today, the label is home to more than 80 artists, including massive sertanejo act Jorge & Mateus, forró star Wesley Safadão and Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Maria Gadú. Som Livre artists had five out of the top 10 songs in Brazil in 2020, according to the IFPI 2021 Global Music Report. They included Henrique and Juliano’s “Liberdade Provisória,” the No. 1 streaming track in Brazil in 2020. With the acquisition, Sony b...
New Live Music Platform ¡LatinUp! Offers ‘Cutting-Edge’ & ‘Innovative’ Content For Latinos: Exclusive
¡LatinUp! is a free streaming channel created by Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), Amazon Music LAT!N, and Twitch. Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), Amazon Music LAT!N, and Twitch have teamed up for the launch of the new content platform ¡LatinUp!, Billboard can exclusively announce today (April 1). The free streaming channel, which is marketed as a “premier live music destination to elevate Latin music, culture, and voices,” will offer music fans bilingual content including interviews and live performances of genres such as urban, pop, regional Mexican, and more, via Twitch. “What sets ¡LatinUp! apart is the cutting-edge and innovative real-time engagement opportunities on the Twitch platform between artists and fans globally,” Erik Bankston, head of branded entertainment, CMN, tells Bill...
A New ‘Location’ for Karol G, Anuel AA & J Balvin: No. 1 on Latin Pop Airplay Chart
As “Location” leads, Karol G joins a select group of female acts who have secured at least five Latin Pop Airplay No. 1s or more; Shakira has 19 No. 1s and Gloria Estefan and Paulina Rubio also have five each. Here is a recap of Karol G’s winning titles: Song Title, Artist (if other than Karol), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1 “Créeme,” with Maluma, one, March 2, 2019“China,” with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna & J Balvin, two, Oct. 12, 2019“Tusa,” with Nicki Minaj, 15, Feb. 15, 2020“Ay, Dios Mío!” one, Oct. 10, 2020“Location,” with Anuel AA & J Balvin, April 3 On the all-Latin-genre Latin Airplay chart, “Location” gets closer to the lead with a 6-2 push. On the airplay-, digital- and stream-blended Hot Latin Songs chart, the track remains at No. 10 for a third week af...
