Latin
The Strategy Behind Mexico’s Rapidly Ascending Grupo Firme
Grupo Firme is not your typical banda artist. First of all, they’re not from Mazatlán or Culiacán, like most artists in that genre are. And the number of band members in the group is uncommon: Banda ensembles typically have 16 musicians and norteño bands five, but Grupo Firme has seven members, all ranging between 22-29 years of age. They are somewhere in the middle, straddling banda and norteño, and it was their fresh take on regional Mexican classics that helped put them on the map. In April 2019, they took on Calibre 50’s “El Amor No Fue Pa’ Mi,” and it was an instant hit on YouTube. To date, it has raked in nearly 200 million views on YouTube. “It was impressive,” lead singer Caz says. “But what was more impressive was that Edén Muñoz (Calibre 50’s vocalist and the track’s songwriter) ...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (February 20)
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. Juanes and NASA Join Forces This week, Juanes formed part of the “Together We Persevere” broadcast hosted by Perseverance engineer Diana Trujillo. The show, which premiered on Thursday (Feb. 18), was NASA’s first Spanish-language broadcast for a planetary landing in honor of the agency’s Mars 2020 Perseverance mission. “I’m to be able to witness one of the greatest achievements of humanity and that will also help us get closer to the red planet as a species, thus expanding our knowledge and consciousness,” the Colombian artist said in a statement. “I celebrate the contr...
First Stream Latin: New Music From Marca MP, Paloma Mami, Alex Cuba & 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. Marca MP, Despegando el Vuelo, Vol. 2 (Marca MP) After surviving a traffic accident that left him with a “shattered femur and no recollection whatsoever of the crash,” singer Pedro Vargas focused on evolving as a composer. “The recovery was lengthy, but I took advantage of the downtime to write a bunch of new tunes and in the process grow as a songwriter,” he said in an official statement. The result is Marca MP’s five-song EP dubbed Despegando el Vuelo, Vol. 2. Penned by Vargas, DEV flaunts the Regional Mexican group’s musical proposal: spirited corridos (“Acá en Guanajuato”) and romantic ballads (“Ya Acabo”) with a fr...
Premio Lo Nuestro 2021: Montaner Family & Camilo Sing Powerful Anthem ‘Amen’
Ricardo Montaner and his children, Mau, Ricky and Evaluna, plus his son-in-law Camilo took the stage to perform their anthemic song “Amen” during the 33rd annual Premio Lo Nuestro. The family joined forces and their voices to send out a message of hope and faith with their song that was released back in December, just days before Christmas. “We wrote it all together and yes, it’s the first time we all collaborate together,” Montaner previously told Billboard. “It’s one of the richest professional – not to mention personal — experiences I’ve ever lived.” 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...
Latin Remix of the Week: Carlos Rivera’s Heartfelt ‘100 Años’ With Maluma & Calibre 50
The lyrics to the song — co-written by Rivera, Maluma, Muñoz, Édgar Barrera, and Vicente Barco — express a relationship worth salvaging: “Though it’s said that nothing bad lasts 100 years, I wouldn’t want to be the first idiot to be the exception / A love like ours doesn’t come along every day, a love like ours is worth saving.” The original music video, which features Rivera and the Colombian star, currently has over 48 million views. The remix was released with a lyric video representing the colors of the Mexican flag: green, white, and red. Listen to the Latin Remix of the Week below. 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, ch...
Bad Bunny Burns for Rosalia in Romantic ‘La Noche De Anoche’ Video: Watch
“La Noche De Anoche” is the latest single from Bad Bunny’s third studio release of 2020, El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo, which dropped in November. Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — previously opened up to Billboard about how his song with Rosalia came about. “We recorded separately because of COVID and our schedules. We’d been trying to work together for a while and the right opportunity hadn’t come up,” he shared at the time. “Chris Jedi sent me a track with a rhythmic base he did with Rosalía, and I thought it was cool, but I let it sit for a while. A couple of days later, I couldn’t stop singing the song.” The video for “La Noche De Anoche” wasn’t the only Bad Bunny news on Valentine’s...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (February 13)
Ricky Martin onePulse Foundation Ricky Martin will be a spokesman for a foundation that is building a memorial and museum to honor the 49 victims who died during a massacre at a gay Florida nightclub nearly five years ago. The Puerto Rican singer will also make public service announcements promoting tolerance and also support the foundation by making social media posts, taping video messages and possibly narrating some exhibitions, foundation officials said. Starting on Valentine’s Day, the foundation is launching a fundraising campaign with a goal of getting 1 million people to donate $49. The goal of the outlovehate.com campaign is to raise $49 million, with proceeds going toward building a permanent National Pulse Memorial & Museum. Bad Bunny returns to WWE After appe...
From Danna Paola’s ‘Breakup Party’ to TikTok Dances, Here’s How to Spend Your Galentine’s Day
In honor of Galentine’s Day, Billboard compiled some music-related ideas to celebrate with your closest friends in-person or via video. Crash Danna Paola’s “Breakup Party” Last month, Danna Paola dropped her most personal album yet, K.O., released via Universal Music Mexico. With songs such as “Friend de Semana” and “Amor Ordinario,” Danna says her album represents healing. “I used it to drain everything I had in my heart,” she told Billboard. “That’s why I named it ‘K.O.’ — because it was like the last punch to the heart during this whole process.” In celebration, the Mexican pop star invites all of her fans to her “breakup party” via a state-of-the-art live stream that includes three stages, 16 dancers, and audiovisual effects, to name a few. The concert will take place at 9:...
Jorge Drexler Signs Global Deal With Warner Chappell Music Spain
Santiago Menendez-Pidal, managing director of Warner Chappell Music Spain, said about the signing: “Jorge is an absolute legend with an army of fans across Spain, Latin America and well beyond. He is also the go-to partner for some of the biggest Latin artists in the world. I’m so excited to be working with him and know that his upcoming album is going to make a huge impact.” Born in 1964, Drexler released released two albums in Uruguay in the early 1990s before getting his “big break” after Spanish songwriter Joaquin Sabina invited him to Madrid to collaborate with a wide range of artists. Most recently, Drexler’s COVID-19-inspired “Codo Con Codo” was nominated for best song at the 21st annual Latin Grammys. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you...
Selena Gomez ‘Blown Away’ As Rauw Alejandro Collab ‘Baila Conmigo’ Debuts in Hot Latin Songs Top Five
“I knew I wanted a male voice on ‘Baila Conmigo’ and I love Rauw’s voice; I think he brings the right amount of sexiness to the song,” Gomez tells Billboard. “I have to say I am blown away by the response to the first two songs. I put my heart and soul into the music and wanted it to be perfect, so I am very grateful.” “Baila” earns both 28-year-olds their third top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, which blends airplay, streaming and sales data. Prior to her latest two entries, Gomez spent 13 weeks at No. 1 in 2018-19 as featured, with Ozuna and Cardi B, on DJ Snake’s “Taki Taki.” Alejandro, meanwhile, nabs his highest Hot Latin Songs career rank, besting “La Nota” with Manuel ...
From Celia Cruz to Rafa Pabón, 10 Emblematic Afro Latin songs to Discover
Celebrating Black History Month, here are some of our favorite tracks celebrating Afro Latino heritage As we enter week two of Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some of our all-time and current favorite Afro Latin tracks, classics that were not only performed by Black Latin artists, but that also celebrate Afro Latino culture. From Celia Cruz’s “Quimbara” to Danay Suárez’s “Yo aprendí;” from Grupo Niche’s quintessential “Cali Pachanguero” to “Rafa Pabón’s” “Sin Aire,” here are 10 tracks you need to add to your playlist. Celia Cruz, “Quimbara” Live in Zaire, Africa, with Fania, 1974 So many songs by Cruz could and should be on this list. This time, we settled on her seminal “Químbara,” performed live with the Fania All Stars in Zaire in one of the most exhilarating performan...
Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., and Maluma Talk Memorable 2021 Super Bowl Moments: Watch
Notably, Sullivan and Church’s performance marked the first Super Bowl duet in over a decade. H.E.R. also shined with her rocking rendition of “America The Beautiful.” “I was super nervous but I wanted to bring my flavor to it,” the Grammy winner said. “To be alongside someone like Jazmine, for two black women to be up there, was a powerful message.” Though he was not physically present at the 2021 Super Bowl, Maluma was also spotted as part of Michelob Ultra’s Super Bowl LV commercial. “I’m in Miami. That was one of my biggest dreams to be at the Super Bowl and I understand, The Weeknd had to do his thing and the whole show was on fire but of course, I wanted to be there,” the Colombian artist said. “I wanted to perform [the] ‘Hawai’ remix, I’m not gonna lie.” He continued: “I would love ...
