New Music Latin: Listen to Releases From Yahritza y Su Esencia & Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma & Blessd and More
Written by djfrosty on April 7, 2023
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Yahritza y Su Esencia & Grupo Frontera, “Frágil” (Lumbre Music/Columbia Records)
In a first collaborative effort, Yahritza y Su Esencia and Grupo Frontera release “Frágil,” a captivating norteño track charged with unanswered questions, soul, and emotion. “Sorry, I don’t know the reason and I put my heart where I shouldn’t have/ I didn’t see the sign,” Yahritza starts off, backed by weeping guitars. “It was I who got their hopes up and though it didn’t work out, I gave you my life,” responds Payo in the first 28 seconds.
The track then transitions into a hard-hitting norteño and cumbia fusion — a sound that’s become signature to Frontera but new for the siblings’ group that’s known for their sad sierreño style. Notably are the heartfelt lyrics about having a fragile heart and not knowing how to handle a breakup. “Why don’t I have a heart like that?/ Like the one they gave you because the one I have is fragile, that’s why you easily broke it,” chants the 16-year-old singer-songwriter. “Frágil” comes with a simple yet special music video featuring both acts. — JESSICA ROIZ
Cazzu & Young Miko, “Brinca” (Rimas Entertainment)
Cazzu’s “Brinca” immerses onlookers into the abstract world of Nena Trampa, her Latin drill-driven odyssey. Brimming with equal parts danger and seduction, the Argentine femme fatal teams with Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko, and the incendiary pair presume to unleash their inner beast. They trade verses, play with gender roles, and boast of their malignant side with plenty of intrigue: “Furious, fugitive, bad girl, possessive/ I dedicated “Diva” to her so she can live it alone/ A gangster nena, she’s always screwing with thugs/ She knows it doesn’t suit her and now she likes singers,” spits Cazzu against the ravenous trap beat of Argentine beatmaker Nico Cotton. Meanwhile, Young Miko never lets her guard down as she displays her sly and flirtatious banter, making “Brinca” a highly provocative song for a night out of debauchery. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Peso Pluma & Blessd, “Las Morras” (Prajina Records/Worms Music/Warner Music Colombia)
For his first venture into the regional Mexican world, Blessd has teamed up with rising corridos star Peso Pluma. The unprecedented collab, “Las Morras,” which loosely translates to “the girls,” is a raw and blunt acoustic-led corrido, essentially about being on top of the world. Adapting his vocals to a deeper-than-usual tone, Blessd matches Peso Pluma’s swaggy attitude not only in the lyrics but in the over-the-top music video — where, clearly, both live a lavish lifestyle.
The new song is a testament to Peso Pluma’s efforts to continue globalizing the genre. Blessd is the second urban artist from Colombia who joins him on a corrido. Ovy on the Drums was the first colombiano to collab with the Mexican artist. “I feel like Mexican Music has come close to really going international, but it hasn’t fully happened yet,” Peso Pluma previously told Billboard. “The regional Mexican artist is emerging — we’re growing within the industry, you can’t deny that anymore.” — GRISELDA FLORES
Pablo Milanés & Juanes, “Día de Luz” (Universal Music Spain)
“Día de Luz” is the first single from the posthumous album by renowned singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés, who passed away in November 2022, a few months after celebrating his 80th birthday and launching this project. The album, which will be released on May 26 under the Universal Music Spain label, is called “Amor y Salsa – 80 Aniversario” and will have collaborations with various Latin artists as a tribute to the legacy of the Cuban troubadour.
For this first song, Milanés joins the unmistakable voice of Juanes to create a pleasant traditional Cuban Son that speaks of a lover’s desire to safeguard the harmony of their relationship in the face of the uncertainty of what may be in the outside world. Juanes’ airy voice creates a refreshing contrast to the Milanés maestro’s age-old tone, as they are harmoniously interrupted by a trumpet that carries its melody as a third voice throughout the song. “May the night envelop you, and may you sleep peacefully. I will watch over your dreams while waiting, perhaps, for another cruel and uncertain day” they express in unison. — LUISA CALLE
JENCARLOS & Yotuel feat. Arturo Sandoval, “Sueño” (Alkatraks Music Group)
JENCARLOS and Yotuel join Arturo Sandoval to sing for the freedom of their homeland of Cuba. “I know that we’re about to meet again/ And build what we have dreamed of/ Wait for me in the same place/ Wait for me that there is little left to hug each other,” go part of the lyrics in Spanish, which also includes the line “Patria y Vida” from Yotuel’s Latin Grammy-winning song of the same name. The moving track comes with a music video that combines images of the artists and others clad in white embracing on the beach. “Dream, that’s my dream/ A dream that is our dream/ A dream of freedom,” the song ends. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Below, stream Billboard’s New Music Latin playlist, also featuring other recent releases in Latin.