Billboard Espanol
Go behind the scenes with Leila Cobo at Latin Music Week 2024 as she finds out if Peso Pluma cooks, rides with Grupo Frontera to see how they warm up before a show, offers advice to Thalía, takes a shot with Tito Double P’s team, and more!
Peso Pluma:
Anyway, I live here. If he tells me, “I’ll go home tomorrow,” I’ll invite you to eat soup the day that you want.
Leila Cobo:
Seriously? Are you going to prepare the soup?
Peso Pluma:
No, we have the Mexican chef.
Thalia:
This girl told us to come to the panel, and then she said, “What are you going to do?” What!
Leila Cobo:
Did they tell you the dress code?
Alejandro Sanz:
Yes, of course.
Leila Cobo:
Didn’t they tell you it was a tuxedo and…
Alejandro Sanz:
I had to come like this. You know what I wear.
Leila Cobo:
You wanted to bring me a purse? You didn’t have to.
J Balvin:
I always do that with women.
Leila Cobo:
Thank you.
Ronald Day:
Where should it say Latin Week?
Leila Cobo:
Here, Latin Power Players. Hey!
Leila Cobo:
I am looking for air.
Leila Cobo:
Isa, can you interview Ronald? Because Ronald is the President of Telemundo.
Isabela Raygoza:
Really?
Leila Cobo:
So he’s going to do our show.
Leila Cobo:
He’s the man. Telemundo in the house.
Emilio Estefan:
Oh, yea.
Leila Cobo:
A kiss in the air so we don’t lose our makeup.
Emilio Estefan:
I went off air where I was working and now…
Leila Cobo:
I love it! Really?
Emilio Estefan:
For you? Anything for you.
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Shakira has added more dates to her Mexican residency as part of her “Mujeres Ya No Lloran” World Tour and the Colombian singer shares what she loves about her Mexican fans, performing with Grupo Frontera and more! Have you attended her concert? Let us know in the comments! Natalia Cano: Shakira, well, it’s been a […]
For the first time during her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, Shakira shared the stage with special guests. On Tuesday (March 25), during her fourth night at the iconic GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City, the Colombian superstar was joined by Grupo Frontera for a live performance of “(Entre Paréntesis),” a song from her 2024 album that gives its name to the tour.
“I really wanted to give you all a surprise,” Shakira told Billboard Español in an interview following the show. “Every day, I strive to give you something more because the Mexican audience has been so loyal, so loving, and has lifted me up every time I needed it. I wanted to surprise you with something that would fill your hearts. Having them on stage today was a true privilege.”
“(Entre Paréntesis)” joins “Ciega, Sordomuda” and “El Jefe” as songs Shakira has added to her extensive repertoire as a heartfelt tribute to Mexico, where she continues her historic seven-night residency at the GNP Seguros Stadium (formerly known as Foro Sol), which will conclude on Sunday (March 30). This milestone makes her the first female artist to perform this many shows at the venue, previously filled by artists like Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Metallica. In total, the residency will gather 455,000 attendees, according to promoter OCESA.
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But Grupo Frontera wasn’t the only guest of the night: Lili Melgar, nanny to Shakira’s sons Milan and Sasha, made a surprise appearance while the singer performed “El Jefe,” her collaboration with Fuerza Regida, in which Melgar is immortalized in one of the final verses. “Lili Melgar, this song is for you, for not being paid your severance,” Shakira shouted to the thunderous roar of her Mexican pack, undeterred by the rain during their reunion with the She Wolf.
Still emotional from the warm reception from her Mexico audience, the 48-year-old star revealed that there will be more surprises for the U.S. leg of the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran trek, which kicks off May 13 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“For the first part of the tour, I wanted the show to stay as it was, for the fans to experience the songs just as I conceived them,” she told Billboard Español. “But now I’ll be incorporating some surprises and special guests that you’ll see in the United States. It will be very exciting to share the stage with friends and colleagues.”
One year after the release of Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran — the Grammy-winning album that marked her triumphant first album in seven years — Shakira reflected on what this project has meant to her. The set reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and No. 13 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Last Friday (March 21), the Colombian singer premiered the video for “Última,” her latest single from the album, filmed in the New York City subway and directed by close friend and photographer Jaume de Laiguana.
“I believe this has been a healing process for me and for many people — not just women, men too. I think together we’ve learned that you grow from setbacks, and that together we heal when we support each other,” she said. “That’s what the audience has done for me. They’ve given me strength when I felt weak, and I know I’ve done the same for them.”
On her historic current stadium tour — which began on Feb. 11 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and will still visit the Dominican Republic, Chile and Colombia before arriving in the U.S.— Shakira says that this series of shows has become something deeper and more intimate.
“These are more than just concerts. They’re very profound gatherings where healing happens,” she stated. “With each show, I feel stronger and happier.”
It’s a Thursday afternoon at a studio in Miami, and Emilia is getting glammed up for a Billboard Español cover shoot. She’s wearing a baby-pink silky robe and striped slippers, and her equally silky, chocolatey brown hair is picked up in rollers as she navigates through her playlist for the perfect song to get ready. She skips through female anthems by Beyoncé, Shakira, Britney Spears, Nathy Peluso and Doechii before selecting Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” She sings along and dances to the beat slightly, not to mess up her wavy bucles and makeup.
“Before, to give myself confidence when I went on stage, I would tell myself: ‘You are Rihanna! You are Rihanna!’ But someone on my team recently told me: ‘Now you have to say to yourself, ‘You are Emilia! You are Emilia!’ And believe it,” she gushes.
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She is Emilia. And she’s on the verge of a global musical breakthrough as she prepares a 2025 tour across Spain, plans her first U.S. concerts in the U.S., and just recently made her debut at Brazil’s Carnival this past weekend.
In 2024, the Argentine artist earned her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard U.S. Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay charts with “Perdonarte ¿Para Qué?,” her collaboration with Los Ángeles Azules; she became the first Argentine act to be nominated for best pop vocal album at the Latin Grammy Awards with her sophomore set, .mp3; she was TikTok’s most-viewed and Spotify’s most-streamed artist in Argentina (the first female artist to do so); she sold out 10 shows at Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires in 10 hours — breaking the record previously held by Luis Miguel — and became the first Argentine female artist with four sold-out shows at the city’s Estadio Vélez, to name a few milestones.
Now, Emilia is making a serious bid for international expansion in 2025 that includes her first time at Brazil’s Carnival, where on Feb. 23 she performed “Bunda” with Luísa Sonza, her first track from an upcoming EP; a spring tour across Spain with three dates at Madrid’s Movistar Arena (formerly WiZink Center); and spending more time in Miami not only to be closer to her label, Sony Music Latin, and manager Walter Kolm, but to connect with artists and producers from different territories and develop her career further — a tried-and-true strategy that others have taken before her, including Karol G and Manuel Turizo.
“In Argentina, there are producers that I continue to work with and who are friends. I have everything there; it’s everything for me,” she says. “But I made the decision to come to Miami for a while to work and try new opportunities. I’ll always be returning home anyway. I can’t let that go. But I think what happens at the industry level here in Miami is very big. You come across new artists and producers all the time. And it’s good to experiment.”
Natalia Aguilera
Leaving the comfort of a home territory that sees you as a superstar has long been a challenge for Latin American artists. But thanks to an open-minded attitude, today, Emilia has positioned herself as a versatile pop act who can easily navigate from reggaetón to romantic ballads to cumbia to Brazilian funk and, most recently, vallenato alongside Silvestre Dangond on “Vestido Rojo.”
“She understood that she had to have her base in her home country first. She had to break into her country in every sense, in consumption, transcend that consumption in ticket sales, media visibility, visibility with brands,” says Esteban Geller, GM at Sony Music U.S. Latin. “First, she conquered her country, then the neighboring countries like Chile and Uruguay, and little by little setting foot in territories like Spain, Mexico and Colombia, while simultaneously building her story in the United States. She understood perfectly what her space was in the music scene and that what she did with Los Ángeles Azules and with Silvestre brought her closer to a more commercial space, which is also fantastic. The path has been natural.”
Emilia is already dolled up in a Y2K-inspired outfit for the photo shoot: denim mini skirt, bubblegum-pink zip-up hoodie, glitter stilettos and a fur cap that easily gives off Baby Phat clothing vibes. On her bottom eyelashes is a set of shining diamonds — eye accessories that are signature to her look. Doja Cat’s “Wet Vagina,” from her female-heavy playlist, plays in the background as she flirts with the camera with pure confidence and sensuality — something she’s worked on over time, striking that balance between sexy ingenue and likeable girl next door.
“I was always very outgoing, but I feel that today, I feel more confident with myself than ever. That took time, effort and therapy,” she says.
María Emilia Mernes Rueda, 28, was born in Nogoyá, Entre Ríos, a farming town about a five-hour drive from Buenos Aires. She’s the only child to a baker father and a cook mother. Her grandfather, a plumber but also the only musical reference in her family, gifted her a guitar when she was young so she could start taking music lessons. Growing up, her love for music expanded to uploading covers on Instagram and forming part of a local cumbia group with friends. It was a passion she never believed could go beyond a hobby.
“I thought that dreaming of being an artist, of stepping on stage and being in that world, was impossible. Super far away,” she says. “I never thought I would be able to become a professional in this and be a singer. I saw it as impossible because of where I was from. The opportunities are usually in Buenos Aires, where the casting and music producers are.”
Natalia Aguilera
But her life took a radical turn when the videos of herself playing the guitar and singing covers on social media caught the attention of Uruguayan band Rombai. At the time, the cumbia-pop group gained popularity in South America and was in search of a new female vocalist. Emilia’s first time onstage with the group was in November 2016, when she performed for 12,000 fans at the Velódromo in Uruguay. Three months later, she was performing at Chile’s coveted Viña del Mar Festival and won a Gaviota Award — an experience she describes as a “great opportunity” and “a trampoline” in her career. “The real challenge,” she says, came two years later when she decided to go solo.
In 2019, Emilia signed a record deal with Sony Music Latin and a management deal with Kolm (her former manager with Rombai), becoming the first female artist to sign with Kolm, who also manages Carlos Vives, Maluma, Wisin and Xavi.
“When she told me she wanted to go solo and make the music she liked the most, I saw her with such determination that I decided to be by her side,” Kolm says. “She is very charismatic and has her own initiative.”
Excited for what the future holds, he adds: “She moved to Miami to direct her career from the USA. Emilia has all the potential to be a global artist. She always knew where she wanted to go. This is just the beginning of a career that will be huge.”
Shortly after her debut solo single, “Recalienta,” co-written with Camilo and Fariana, Emilia earned her first entry on a Billboard chart with her Darell collaboration “No Soy Yo,” which debuted and peaked at No. 38 on Latin Pop Airplay in February 2020. She also scored chart entries with “La_Original.mp3,” with Tini; “Tu Recuerdo,” with Wisin and Lyanno; and “Como Si No Importara,” with Duki.
The lattermost song — about a secretive and daring relationship on which her rapper boyfriend Duki’s chanteos lace with Emilia’s dulcet vocals — gave the artist her first entry on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart in August 2021. The downtempo sultry reggaetón song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 in 2021. Emilia then released “Esto Recién Empieza,” which reached a No. 9 high on the Argentina Hot 100 in March 2022.
Natalia Aguilera
At that point, Emilia and Duki had been dating for a year; the couple made their relationship public at the 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro, where they performed “Como Si No Importara.” The collaborations have boosted both artists. Duki is a trap star, so Emilia has helped broaden his appeal to tweens. Emilia is very much a pop star, and dating Duki has given her street cred.
“We may seem different from the outside, but we are actually very similar, and we have almost everything in common. The only thing we don’t have in common is that I like sushi and he doesn’t,” Emilia says with a laugh as she opens up about her boyfriend with face tattoos. “But in general, we share everything, and we have a very nice relationship. We give each other feedback all the time. I love listening to him talk, to get advice from him. Beyond being an incredible artist, he’s a very intelligent, very cultured person. Sometimes he comes into the studio with me and we write together. We’re very passionate about the same thing and it’s beautiful to be able to share it without egos, without selfishness. It’s very genuine, and in a very healthy way.”
Despite Emilia’s celebrity in Argentina and her increasing presence abroad, it wasn’t until last year that the catchy cumbia “Perdonarte Para Qué?” with Los Ángeles Azules gave Emilia her first No. 1 on the Latin Airplay and Regional Mexican Airplay charts. It was a full-circle moment for the once teen girl who had a cumbia band back home.
“From the first time I heard it, I said, ‘100% yes!’” she exclaims. “I remember that it didn’t take me even two days to get into the studio and record it. I was so excited that they wanted to make a song with me, that they had taken me into account, being such legendary artists of Mexican culture and the world.”
Elías Mejía Avante, founding member of the Mexican group, says: “We are happy, but above all grateful to be part of this great musical milestone for her. It will always be an honor to be able to merge the talent of Mexico and Argentina, seeking to infect as many hearts as possible with our cumbia. We feel that therein lies the magic, in bringing joy and authenticity with music from the hand of one of the greats of Latin pop music today.”
Natalia Aguilera
Meanwhile, in her native country, Emilia’s a force to be reckoned with.
She’s placed 39 entries on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart, 20 of those in the top 10 and five hitting No. 1. Her longest-leading hit to date, “Una Foto (Remix)” with Mesita, Nicki Nicole and Tiago PZK, ruled for 10 weeks in 2024 — the third-most behind Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” (16 weeks atop the chart) and Valentino Merlo and The La Planta’s “Hoy” (11 weeks). Emilia has released two studio albums: the ultra-personal Tú Crees en Mí? (2022) and her early-2000s nostalgic set, .mp3 (2023). The latter was Spotify’s second most-streamed album of 2024 in Argentina, following Luck Ra’s Que Nos Falte Todo.
That success on the charts translated to ticket sales.
In April 2024, she kicked off her .mp3 tour with a historic 10-night stint at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires between April and May, later adding four shows at Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in October.
“With artists in development, we’ve had extraordinary success with Emilia and her 10 arena [shows], where she played to over 290,000 people,” Marcelo Figoli, founder and owner of Fenix Entertainment, who produced the shows, previously told Billboard, confident that Emilia “is going to be a big deal in 2025.”
“I underestimated it. I usually set my expectations low, so I don’t disappoint myself,” Emilia admits. “We came out with the ticket sales, and I hadn’t done any shows for my album [.mp3]. We came out with the album in November and at the beginning of December the tickets were sold out. I remember that my team had said that we were going to book 10 Movistar Arena shows because that was the idea. And I was like, ‘I would love it, obviously, a residency at the Movistar Arena, but I see it as difficult.’ I felt like we were going to sell three, four at most, but suddenly it was 10 in 10 hours.”
“The live show is the other big leg of this industry,” Geller adds. “She’s an artist who not only works in one vertical of the business, but also has visibility in the fashion, brand and music sectors and has transcended into selling tickets, which is the best thing. She is already proving it with shows. The success she had in Argentina, the huge success she is having in Spain, that is happening because music is starting to transcend to other spaces, which will surely lead her to a long career. That’s the faithful conclusion that we are on the right track.”
The shows were also a test of resilience in other areas.
“I was rehearsing for the Movistar shows and my dad got cancer… Of the most important things in my life, the two came together and it was very emotional for me, but I was able to handle both,” she says. “Today I have my dad with me, and he can see everything I’m doing. I learned to know myself a little better. What my limits are. To make mistakes and not be so cruel to myself. To value the real people I have in my life… that family is the most important thing. I learned that I love to work and that I must enjoy the moment and not live so much in the future.”
Natalia Aguilera
But living in the future is inevitable for someone on Emilia’s path.
She’s preparing for her 2025 concerts in Europe and Latin America by working out five to six days a week, something she never did before, but is essential for next-level shows.
“The show requires a lot of cardio. You have to sing and dance, you need a good diaphragm, lungs with air, endurance. I hated training! I wouldn’t touch a weight for nothing!” she says, giggling. “But if I hadn’t trained, I wouldn’t be able to do it. Exercise has become something important for me and it does me good. I feel strong and confident.”
Emilia is now in her second outfit for the photo shoot and looks like a glistening goddess dressed in baggy jeans with gold glitter, a gold bustier and matching gold heels, posing for a second round of photos as a fan blows her wavy locks and her entourage hypes her up. This time, she’s serving sultry looks to Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills.” In the far corner, her mother, Gabriela Rueda, gets emotional as she sees her daughter in action, and with tears rolling down her cheeks, she softly tells me she remembers doing photo shoots for Emilia in the living room and her father holding the fan to blow her hair.
“I love to show the ‘Emilia Pop Star’ and get into character,” Emilia says with a smile. “I grew up watching pop divas who do that onstage and it’s like playing for a while for me. But I’m also the Emilia who comes from Nogoyá, who gets together to drink mate with friends, who has problems like everyone else, who cries because I’m very sensitive. I’ve always been firm. I’m very positive too. I’ve always had a very objective and optimistic character and personality. I think that’s what also helped me to be where I am today and achieve everything I’ve achieved.”
It’s a Thursday afternoon at a studio in Miami, and Emilia is getting glammed up for a Billboard Español cover shoot. She’s wearing a baby-pink silky robe and striped slippers, and her equally silky, chocolatey brown hair is picked up in rollers as she navigates through her playlist for the perfect song to get ready. […]
Argentine pop princess and Billboard cover star Emilia is ready to take over the world. She sits down with Billboard to share her journey from humble beginnings to taking over Argentina, how being part of Rombai helped her solo career, the impact of ‘.mp3,’ her relationship with Duki, “Perdonarte ¿Para Qué?” with Los Angeles Azules becoming her first No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts, her preparations for her upcoming tour in Spain and more!
Emilia:
Before going on stage, to give me security and confidence, I tell myself, “I’m Rihanna, I’m Rihanna.” And I don’t know who told me, someone from my team, said now you need to say, “I’m Emilia, I’m Emilia, believe it.”
Jessica Roiz:
Emilia, I loved when you were doing the photo shoot. You came out empowered, confident, really secure. Have you always been like that? Or did it take you a while to get to that person?
Emilia:
I feel like I’ve always been hard-headed, always bossy, but I think security was being worked on over time.
Jessica Roiz:
I also loved when you were being styled and when we were at the photo shoot that you had a playlist with a lot of female rappers, you also had a lot of Y2K, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Shakira. Talk to me about that playlist and why you like to listen to it?
Emilia:
Well, it’s music that I grew up with, a lot of them, because they inspire me, and when I listen to their music I get in a good mood, it boosts my self-esteem, it makes me happy, it makes my whole team dance, I dance. It creates a beautiful energy in the place and love comes out.
Keep watching for more!
When Cuban actor Héctor Medina read the script for Los Frikis, he immediately knew he wanted the leading role of Paco. Initially contacted as a sort of consultant for the film, Medina was familiar with the story about a group of punk rockers in early ’90s Cuba who, in search of freedom, deliberately injected themselves with HIV to live in a government-administered rural treatment retreat and create their own utopia.
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“I was born in 1989. It was the year the socialist wall fell and in 1990, what is called in modern Cuban history the Special Period, began, which is a deep energetic, economic food crisis,” explains the actor in an interview with Billboard Español. Additionally, it was forbidden to listen to rock and roll and having long hair could get you arrested, he adds. “So, the Frikis were very marginalized. It’s a story that even in Cuba is very little known.”
Written and directed by American filmmakers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, Los Frikis, an independent film inspired by true events, arrives this week in theaters in the United States after making the rounds in the festival circuit, where it has received a variety of awards.
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Medina, who left the island about eight years ago and lives in Miami with his wife and two children, not only ended up landing his dream role, but also a credit as a co-producer thanks to his contributions to the film, which was shot in the Dominican Republic (as it could not be done in Cuba).
The movie also stars Eros de la Puente as Gustavo, Paco’s younger brother; and Adria Arjona (daughter of Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona) as María, the sweet caretaker at the retreat. The cast also includes Luis Alberto García and Jorge Perugorría, among others.
Produced by Academy Award winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Los Frikis received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for language, sexual content, some graphic nudity and drug use. It premieres on Friday, Dec. 20 in New York and Los Angeles, and on Dec. 25 in markets including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.
Below, Medina details his rigorous physical and emotional transformation process to bring Paco to life, the role music plays in the film and the reception this work has had so far.
Los Frikis
Courtesy of Wayward/Range
How did this project come to you?
The project came to me through producer Rebecca Karch Tomlinson, who contacted me to ask some questions about the dialogues and some events that happen in the script. It was more or less something like a review. Of course, I read the script and I [was] totally impressed by how two Americans have written a script about Cuba, such a believable story about my country, and how they want[ed] to do it — and also want to do it with Cubans. And of course, I also fell in love with the story and my character, Paco. From there, I said: “I want to be here, and I want to be Paco.”
Did you have to audition for the role?
Well, yes. They told me, “If you want to be Paco, you have to fight like everyone else and do the casting.” I remember that I did the last scene in the movie, and as soon as they saw the scene, they called me and said, “Are you ready? You’re going to be Paco.” From there began a very tough process of character construction and transformation that was truly a most beautiful experience, because Michael and Taylor have a very particular and very strong method of working with the actors and creating this atmosphere, and get to the point that you are not trying to play the character, but you are the character. And that allows you, once you are on set, to feel confident, to be able to improvise, because they also give you that freedom. It is a very substantial work process; there are many scenes in the film that were not in the script.
You completely disappear into the role, to the point that at the beginning of the film I was looking for you, I didn’t recognize you. How was your transformation, physically and emotionally, into this character? I know you lost weight, you have the mohawk, you lose a tooth in a scene…
It was a very intense, rigorous process. From the first day I had to give up everything gluten and sugar; I only had seltzer water as a reward and one meal a day, which was a little bit of chicken and a little bit of spinach. It included heavy training, running and walking more than four or five miles a day. Then came the process of learning to play music. Mike and Taylor are so specific that they knew every detail. For example, at that time in Cuba there were no American electric guitars, there were only Japanese guitars, Russian amplifiers, Russian basses, and the drums were made with what was found, sometimes even drawers, and they had those specific types of instruments sent to us so we [could] learn how to play them. We got to a point where we even started playing our own music and putting lyrics to it and giving concerts, like in the movie.
Music plays a fundamental role in this story, with Paco as the guitarist in his rock band. Did you play before or did you have to learn for the film?
I played acoustic guitar, but I remembered like two or three chords that they taught me in my neighborhood, back in Cuba, when I was a child, so I didn’t remember very well. In other words, working with the guitar was the most difficult for me, because on top of that, I have no musical ear, I admit. What I do have is a rock and roller spirit and being bold. And also this thing [where] I don’t like to give up, I like obstacles and I like to transform and work hard. I like a challenge.
Did you know about the real Frikis story before getting involved in this project?
Yes, I knew vaguely. I was born in 1989. It was the year the socialist wall fell and in 1990, what is called in modern Cuban history the Special Period, began, which is a deep energetic, economic food crisis. There were shortages of all types of products. In addition, there were also prohibitions: listening to rock and roll music was frowned upon, and for having long hair you could be imprisoned. So, the Frikis were very marginalized. It’s a story that even in Cuba is very little known.
I had an uncle who was a rock and roll lover, and when I was a teenager he took me to a place called Pista Rita, where they played exclusively rock and roll. Going to those places with him at 13, 14 years old, I was able to see Nelson, who was like an urban legend that we had in that town, of course with the spiked mohawk, black boots, tattoos — a very transgressive image. And yet, when I got to know him well, I remember that he handed me a cigarette and he had a great sense of protection with all the boys there. In other words, he greatly encouraged that family spirit, not a gang spirit, but music and family spirit. There was nothing illicit or illegal. It was a feeling that united us with a passion for music, for rock and roll.
From what you say, he sounds a lot like Paco, doesn’t he?
Yes. Paco’s character is not specifically based on a real character, but on several, like all the characters in the film. Paco has a lot of Papo La Bala, one of the leaders and singers of the punk rock band Eskoria in Cuba, who has since died; and he has a lot of that from my personal side, having known him [Papo La Bala].
What made you say “this role has to be mine” when you read the script?
First, the transformation I had to undergo. Second, that he was a difficult character and had a lot of energy; I wanted to do something like that, different. And also, perhaps most importantly, that as a Cuban artist I wanted to say many things that Paco also says — and feels. Feeling that almost kamikaze spirit of freedom above all else, I wanted to share that. I think that was what drove me the most.
You’re not only the leading actor, you are also credited as co-producer. What was your role in that regard?
I think what I did the most was contribute. I mean, I wanted this movie to happen so badly, I wanted this dream to come true so much, that without realizing it I began to contribute to the casting, to writing the lyrics of the songs, changing them and a little bit [of] the scenes. I got involved a lot. In fact, I even designed the logo that appears at the beginning, the Lord Miller logo. I have done so many things. And I feel so grateful and so good that I have always done that. Every time I go into a project I give my all, but the truth is that it is the first time that they have recognized me not only for doing my job as an actor. I think it says a lot about the producers and directors of this film. I am very grateful to them.
Now that Los Frikis will reach a wider audience after its festival run, what do you hope people take away from it?
I really don’t expect anything. I have a very nice feeling about this film through the different screenings we have been to. It is a tremendous delight to turn around and see people’s faces. I believe that it is not an educational film or one that has a specific verbal message for people, but rather a management of a bundle of emotions, a journey of various emotions that in the end stirs your soul and leaves you thinking and perhaps doing what I call the movie after the movie. I think that is the greatest achievement of this film. More important than a verbal message, is that of an emotion, and it shows.
Héctor Medina
Carlos Eric Lopez
In North Miami’s Electric Air Studios, surrounded by a collection of Gibson guitars, a grand piano and various percussion instruments, Edgar Barrera earlier in December found himself in an unusual position: in the spotlight.
“I’m not used to this,” Barrera admits, dressed in Prada shoes and a Chanel jacket. His voice carries a hint of vulnerability as he debates whether to smile or maintain a serious demeanor for the camera. This rare moment of hesitation from a man who is usually so sure-footed in the recording studio underscores the paradox of Edgar Barrera: a towering figure in Latin music who is most often behind the scenes.
This year, the 34-year-old further cemented his formidable impact in the music industry. He ends 2024 with 23 song credits as a songwriter and 19 as a producer on the Billboard Hot 100, with tracks ranging from pop stars like Maluma, Shakira and Karol G to música mexicana mavericks like Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera and Carín León. He just secured his second consecutive nomination for the Grammy Awards’ songwriter of the year, standing out as the only Latino and only producer to achieve this distinction for two straight years. He also garnered three Latin Grammys, which included consecutive wins for songwriter of the year and producer of the year. Barrera, who topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Producers year-end chart in 2023 and finishes 2024 at No. 2, is a key player designing the sound of modern-day Latin music.
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“Edgar is someone who knows what he wants, and that, to me, is something that sets him apart from all other songwriters,” says Peso Pluma, who is with Barrera in the studio the day of this photo shoot. Barrera has collaborated with the música mexicana hit-maker on several tracks, including “14-14” and “Santal 33,” from Peso’s groundbreaking album Éxodo (2024), which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. “He is someone very dedicated with a lot of values, a very educated person who respects you musically as an artist,” adds the “Vino Tinto” hit-maker.
Peso is one of the many artists who have praised Barrera’s steadfast work ethic and humility. “He is one of the most important producers of our time and yet he is one of the most humble human beings,” Maluma says. “He is the same person as the day he started and that’s an amazing quality to have.” The Colombian superstar attributed many of his hits to his collaboration with Barrera, including “Según Quién” with Carín León, “Por Qué Será” with Grupo Frontera and most recently “Cosas Pendientes.”
Over a decade into his career, Barrera’s adeptness in straddling diverse musical genres has rendered him one of the most coveted songwriters and producers in Latin music. His portfolio boasts extensive work with household names like Shakira (“Soltera”), Christian Nodal (“No Te Contaron Mal”), Grupo Firme (“Ya Supérame”), Camilo (“Vida de Rico”), Becky G (“Chanel”) and Marc Anthony (“De Vuelta Pa’ la Vuelta”), in addition to non-Latin stars such as Ariana Grande (“Boyfriend” with Social House), Madonna (“Medellín” with Maluma), XXXTentacion and Lil Pump (“Arms Around You” with Maluma and Swae Lee) and Shawn Mendes (his “KESI” remix with Camilo). In January 2021, he made history by topping four Billboard genre charts — pop, rhythm, tropical and regional Mexican airplay — with four different tracks, an unprecedented feat for a Latin songwriter.
But how did this “border kid” raised between Roma, Texas, and Miguel Allende, Tamaulipas, Mexico, harness his unique cross-cultural experiences to rise as one of the most in-demand songwriters and producers in Latin music?
Barrera grew up in a home filled with music. His father, a member of the 1970s grupera band Mister Chivo from San Miguel Allende, instilled in him a deep passion for music; and discovering his uncle’s songwriting credits on an Elvis Crespo album further fueled Barrera’s musical ambitions.
“In my house, there was always music playing all the time. All those nights I would see my dad listening and listening to vinyl because his band recorded a lot of covers,” Barrera says. “One time, my uncle bought an Elvis Crespo record that had one of his songs in the credits, and I realized that there is a part in music where you don’t have to be the artist but part of the artist’s career.”
Mary Beth Koeth
While he was raised in Mexico, he regularly crossed back into the United States for schooling — a common occurrence in border towns. However, Barrera’s passion for Latin music often put him at odds with the school’s more rigid musical curriculum. “I remember that in school I was scolded all the time. It was forbidden to play grupera songs or any other type of music other than the classical music they taught us, or jazz,” he recalls. Yet, this didn’t deter him, and together with like-minded classmates, they indulged in the joys of playing songs like the Mexican ska-punk track “Pachuco” from Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos del 5to Patio, “Carnavalito” or the Mexican cumbia of “Juana La Cubana” by Fito Olivares y Su Grupo. During these school years, he played the saxophone. (As a preteen, he had already learned both bass and guitar.)
“All these young musicians from across the Rio Grande Valley would gather to compete and form a unified band made up of the most talented musicians from each school,” recalls Marco Roel Rangel, a fellow bandmate from McAllen, Texas, who remembers Barrera as a standout musician nearly 20 years ago. “Once a year you’d get to play in a band comprised of all the other top musicians from other schools for one weekend. The Roma [Edgar’s school] kids, who were formidable competitors, would walk into the rehearsal space playing a synchronized song they had prepared called ‘Carnavalito.’ Almost like [saying], ‘Hey, we’re from Roma and we’ve entered the building,’ ” Roel Rangel says. “It was unusual to hear this Latin tribal sound. But Roma brought that Latin flavor; going from Tchaikovsky and Pavel to ‘El Humahuaqueño’ is a vibe.”
“I remember we were the rebels at school when we played those,” Barrera says. “We felt like we were playing the forbidden, and at the end of the day it was what I liked to play.”
When it came to college, Barrera initially enrolled as an electronic engineering student and took a classical guitar class. “That’s when I started studying music more seriously.” His guitar teacher urged him to audition for the Berklee College of Music. Instead, he took a detour to the Miami music studio of Colombian songwriter-producer Andrés Castro, a revered figure in Latin music known for penning some of Carlos Vives’ greatest hits.
“I met Edgar through a friend of mine, Luigi, who worked with A.B. Quintanilla. He was 18, 19 years old and was studying electronic engineering. He wanted to do an internship because it was going to be worth it for his career. They were deciding whether he should study that or music,” Castro recalls.
Castro, almost offhand, told Barrera he was welcome to come work in his studio. Barrera took him at his word and drove from Texas to Miami. “Obviously, it was a life change to come to live here. He was committed to his career to the fullest. And the first thing I can highlight about him was his attitude of service.
“He arrived and instead of thinking, ‘Well, it’s an internship, I’m not getting paid, I’m going to stay put,’ he was looking to see who he could make a coffee for. If he had to take an artist and pick them up at the airport, he would pick them up,” Castro continues. This eagerness to serve, learn and genuinely connect with others in the industry rapidly transformed Barrera from a hopeful intern to a respected collaborator.
“I started from the bottom, being the one who went and brought everyone’s food, the one who served the coffee,” Barrera says. “But thanks to that I also learned to never look down on anyone’s work, much less the one who serves me coffee, because maybe tomorrow he could be the next producer of the year, or songwriter of the year, as it happened to me. I had the opportunity to meet many artists and industry executives.”
Mary Beth Koeth
Castro remembers the bonds that were nurtured in the studio. “When an artist like Carlos Vives came to the studio, we would do more than just make music. We discussed life, what he desired, what he was searching for, his thoughts, the moment he was living, the music he was listening to and things that had caught his attention. That’s where the creative process began. Edgar saw a lot of that in the studio.”
The Colombian producer also vividly recalls a defining moment early in Barrera’s career. During a session with the renowned Panamanian singer-songwriter Omar Alfanno, the young Barrera, who was typically expected to just observe, proposed an idea for a song that Castro and Alfanno were struggling with. Initially surprised, Alfanno cautioned him, “Young man, that’s not how things are done,” Castro remembers, highlighting the respect required during songwriting sessions. However, impressed by Barrera’s insight, Alfanno gave him a chance, marking Barrera’s official entry into the world of professional songwriting.
As Barrera’s career flourished, Latin music also underwent dynamic shifts. In the late 2010s, while música urbana’s popularity soared — with reggaetón’s commercial growth eclipsing other Latin genres — regional Mexican music began to carve out a new and thrilling identity. While the south-of-the-U.S.-Mexico border genre had remained an enduring force within Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and Mexico for decades, a regional Mexican-urbano hybrid began to ascend Billboard’s U.S. Latin charts, led by Natanael Cano, Junior H and Fuerza Regida, followed by Peso Pluma.
Parallel to this movement was the music of Christian Nodal, a Sonoran superstar who innovates within the confines of música mexicana with his unique blend known as “mariacheño,” a fusion of mariachi and norteño music. His groundbreaking approach reached a new height in 2021, when “Botella Tras Botella,” a collaboration with Mexican rapper Gera MX — co-written and co-produced by Barrera — became the first regional Mexican music track to enter the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
Nodal praises the creativity and connection present in his work with Barrera: “Working with Edgar was always a lot of fun. There was always an instant connection on the songs. He came from the urbano school, and bringing him into my world was always a challenge,” Nodal explains. “I think that’s why we were able to reach a middle ground between urbano and regional. We always had very good chemistry, and we found the lyrics and melodies that could touch the heart so that people could enjoy it and feel it. It was always genuine.”
Among Barrera’s major bets was the 2022 signing of Grupo Frontera, a popular six-piece band from Edinburg, Texas, to BorderKid Records — an imprint the songwriter had launched earlier that year. Grupo Frontera was fresh off its first major hit, “No Se Va,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
“He took a chance on us when we were just starting out,” Grupo Frontera says in a statement. “We didn’t even know what we were doing and he has been with us every step of the way. Our bond with Edgar is extra special because we are from the same town. We have similar values and traditions, and he really understands us. That’s reflected in the music we make together.” Barrera adds: “They share with me a very similar growth because we grew up on the border, we have many friends in common, they are from my town. We have the same values, and we understand each other very well when we work.”
Mary Beth Koeth
“Aside from being technically one of the best and very detail-oriented — everyone who works with me knows I am, and he is always up to the task — the amazing thing about Edgar is his ability to bring together artists, composers and producers and always make sure that things get done with the right team to achieve the best result,” says Shakira, who collaborated with Barrera on her latest hits such as “Soltera,” “El Jefe” with Fuerza Regida and “(Entre Paréntesis)” with Grupo Frontera. “Many songwriters do not combine all the elements and ensure the ideas are carried out, but he has as much of a business mind as he does an artistic one.”
“I’m a creative before I’m an executive, and I give a lot of freedom to artists,” Barrera adds, emphasizing his commitment to his relationships with them. “When it comes to business, I try to educate the songwriter,” he says. “I help them make their own publishing company, and then we make a business together — your publisher with my publisher. I try not to be their owner but partner. We [at BorderKid Records] are a tool for them, to help them make more money, and that they own their music always.”
Within this framework of mutual growth, Barrera continues to push musical boundaries. “A lot of new experiments with artists are coming; we’re experimenting with new things,” he says about upcoming music.
Barrera’s role fluctuates between mentor and musical collaborator and innovator. Recently, for example, he spent time with Shakira as she prepares for her 2025 Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran stadium tour, making new arrangements for her live band. He’s been working on new music with Peso Pluma, and, also, with Karol G. “The day after [working with Peso], I worked with Karol another three days in a row, and it’s always a breath of fresh air making corridos with Peso one day to then doing another kind of music with Karol,” Barrera says. “I like it because I don’t get to do the same thing with one artist and then the other.”
However, despite the exhilarating pace of his professional life, Barrera is embracing a new personal development: fatherhood. “I just became a dad,” he says proudly. “I’m in another stage for the first time in life looking for that balance.”
I asked Barrera if his songwriting process has changed since. “Yes, a lot,” he says. “Now I’m thinking, like when I write a lyric, ‘When my daughter hears it, she’s going to think this was her dad.’ You think twice. But I’ve always tried to give a good message in the songs.”
This fall, two months after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election plunged the country into crisis — with Nicolás Maduro claiming victory despite overwhelming evidence he’d lost — six of the country’s most influential figures convened in Miami for what some of them considered a historic conversation.
Despite the travel challenges posed by Hurricane Helene, Danny Ocean managed to arrive from Mexico, Elena Rose made it from Italy, and the rest — Nacho, Mau y Ricky and Lele Pons — met them at a studio in Coconut Grove.
All of these artists are part of a growing wave of Venezuelan musicians who are succeeding at levels perhaps not seen since the 1980s, when stars like Oscar D’Leon, “El Puma” José Luis Rodríguez or Ricardo Montaner had successful careers outside of their home country.
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This year, there are more than 20 Latin Grammy Award nominees from Venezuela — including Elena Rose, Danny Ocean and Mau y Ricky, with multiple nods each — and a greater presence of Venezuelans on the Billboard charts. But the artists who are here today have not only stood out globally with their music — or in Lele Pons’ case, as a social media content creator — but also use their voices to speak out about the political strife in their home country, a cause close to their hearts.
Until the July election, the concert business had been a rare bright spot for Venezuela’s economy: Luis Miguel and Karol G filled stadiums in Caracas with their spectacular tours in February and March, respectively, and there were others scheduled. But an artist like Nacho, who until recently lived part time in Venezuela, has not been able to sing in public in his country since 2016, presumably for criticizing the government.
In Miami, Mau y Ricky chat animatedly with Nacho, reminiscing about better times in Venezuela. Elena Rose and Lele Pons give each other a sisterly hug. A rugged Danny Ocean arrives straight from the airport and greets everyone with a wide smile.
At 41, Nacho is the oldest of the group by a decade. He paved the way for them as a Venezuelan musician — first as part of his popular duo with Chino Miranda and later with a successful solo career — and the respect they have for him is evident. “You made us understand that it is possible to make it when things are difficult,” Danny Ocean tells him about Chino y Nacho, who achieved international fame in 2010, when there were practically no singers coming out of Venezuela.
Unlike superstars from Mexico, Colombia or Puerto Rico, who started in their countries with the support of a local industry and then went international, all, with the exception of Nacho, have built their careers outside of Venezuela, having left as children or teenagers, as in the case of Mau y Ricky, Elena Rose and Lele Pons, or right before his first release, like Danny Ocean with “Me Rehúso,” the song that put him on the map in 2016, in which he already sang about pain of emigrating leaving behind a loved one.
Today, multinational record companies practically don’t have a presence in the country, and most local artists are independently produced. “There is no industry as such, really, with a solid base in Venezuela,” Elena Rose will later explain. Gone was the boom of the ’80s, when great talents like Yordano, Frank Quintero, Karina, Kiara and more flourished nationally with the support of labels like SonoRodven and Sonográfica, as well as a law that forced radio stations to play a song by a Venezuelan artist for every song by a non-native act.
At the time of this interview, two months have passed since the consequential presidential elections of July 28, when the Venezuelan electoral authority declared Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes (although it has not shown proper documentation that support the results) and the opposition denounced irregularities in the count and stated that its candidate, Edmundo González, had obtained almost 70% of the votes. The demonstrations that followed turned violent due to the repression of the Armed Forces and police, with dozens of deaths and more than 2,000 detained. An arrest warrant against González has led him to seek asylum in Spain, and opposition leader María Corina Machado has been forced to take shelter.
Today, this group has gathered to speak openly about the roles they play as musicians in the context of Venezuela’s politics and society. Just before starting, Elena Rose says, “We have not prayed today.” We all hold hands and Mau does the honors, finishing with gratitude: “Thank you for allowing us and giving us this platform to talk a little more about who we are and where we come from.”
From left: Mau Montaner, Ricky Montaner, Lele Pons, Danny Ocean, Elena Rose, Nacho and Sigal Ratner-Arias photographed on Sept. 26, 2024 at Grove Studio in Miami.
Ingrid Fajardo
Nacho, since you’ve been doing this the longest, what do you feel when you see this kind of renaissance of Venezuelan musicians?
Nacho: Pride. I feel very proud when I hear from everyone wherever I am in the world, because we Venezuelans have gone through many difficulties. But something that these difficulties have left is the fact that we all feel part of the same family. Like when we met this morning, right? We felt like we were cousins or family in some way. We use the same lexicon; we almost always have stories in common with Venezuela and we feel close.
What do you think has unleashed this new wave of talent?
Nacho: The desire, the drive, the disposition, the responsibility that characterizes us as Venezuelans. And of course, I suppose that social media has played an important role and has been sort of an escape door for us in the face of the difficulties that Venezuelan talents face to be able to export their music. Because there is a need for a lot of music industry culture in Venezuela, and I believe that talent cannot be covered with a finger. When I talk about Venezuelan talents, you realize that everyone plays an instrument, everyone writes, everyone has a lot to say through their songs.
That is something that has also caught my attention, how the lyrics of Venezuelan artists tend to be very deep. They say that art is often a response to sublimation and repression.
Elena Rose: I dare say that, in this particular group of people here, what stands out is sensitivity and humanity. I feel that if we were born again, we would choose things to happen in the same way that we have experienced them. But at the same time, I think it goes much further. I think that when we make music, we do it in such an intentional way, really, so from our soul, so wanting to leave something behind, that all the sacrifices we’ve made are worth it.
Elena Rose
Mary Beth Koeth
Danny Ocean: Yes, I think that we all write based on our angle and our perspectives of the things that we have all experienced. I think art is about that, about each person writing through their eyes and sensations. I make music because I love music, I need to write.
Everyone here has publicly expressed their frustration and feelings about what a long list of organizations and governments have pointed out as electoral fraud in Venezuela, and the repression that followed the elections. Most of the comments on your social media are positive, but some have written that artists should dedicate themselves to being artists and not get involved in politics. Do you feel that artists have a duty to speak out?
Lele Pons: If it’s not us pushing people, who is going to do it? Because many times people are afraid, and because we do it or people you admire do it — if you admire Elena or Danny or Nacho and they do it and they speak for you, it also pushes you to speak. That is our power, communication, so that everyone knows what is happening, not just us [Venezuelans].
Mau: Beyond me thinking that it can generate a change or not, for me the important thing is that people … feel that Ricky and I have their backs and that we are with them. Many times, when you are going through something, what you need, beyond a voice, [is] people to hold on to so you can say, “I’m not in this alone.”
Mau Montaner
Mary Beth Koeth
Lele, you also used your enormous social media platform for an Instagram Live with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for which Maduro later mentioned you in a speech. What did you think when all this happened?
Lele Pons: Well, I think it’s the most important thing I’ve done in my career. Because being an influencer is helping. It’s a way to be a leader. And if I can help another leader to talk to people who don’t know what is happening, because I have an audience that [is not all Venezuelans] … When I made a video [about the situation in Venezuela], I did it in Italian, I did it in English and I did it in Spanish so that everyone knows what’s happening, so that they can share, repost and use my platform, so that [María Corina Machado] would have a voice. I listen and I see what people are saying, what they tell me: “Please help me. This is going on.” And I go, “Jeez! I’m here, what can I do?” I use everything I have to help, so that people know and the world knows too.
Danny, Nacho, after the July 28 elections, you two called on the Armed Forces and police to avoid the use of violence against demonstrators. Nacho, you even said, “I promised my family, for everyone’s safety, that I would not do this again, but I can’t see what is going on in the country and stay silent.” Have you feared for your life while in Venezuela?
Nacho: The truth is, no, but not because something bad can’t happen, but because for some reason — I don’t know if it’s because I’ve had a closer encounter with God — death is something that doesn’t mortify me as much … But definitely there are people around you who may tell you, “The actions you have taken have had an impact on my stability, on my tranquility, on my integrity.” Then you start to feel guilty, because these are people that you love, that you have around. Or “Look, they took my job away because they found out I’m your cousin.” Or “They don’t want to do anything with me anymore because they know I’m your friend.” Or “They shut down my business because they saw me in a photo with you or hanging out with you.” So, more than fearing for myself, those were actually the repercussions that worried me when it came to expressing myself. But there are bigger purposes than that.
Danny Ocean
Mary Beth Koeth
Danny, you released an EP dedicated to Venezuela days before the elections, venequia., and you called on your fans who had relatives in the Armed Forces or the police to talk to them to make them see reason to avoid the use of violence. What is your message to them today?
Danny Ocean: For me, the issue of Venezuela stopped being political a long time ago. For me, it is already a humanitarian issue. We are surely in the top three countries with the most displaced people in the world … We have [almost 8] million people who have had to leave our country, leave everything, leave a life to look for a better future, and that is not right. So, why did I do venequia.? Because … eight years after having to leave Venezuela, I am still seeing the numbers [of emigrants] increasing and saying, “But nothing is happening.” And the video I made calling the families of the military, because it’s true. I mean, we need a change.
Elena Rose: And something that happens to us a lot, for example, when we arrive in another country, when a Venezuelan sees us, it is as if they see fresh water and they’re hot. It’s happened to me that someone hugs me and tells me, “I haven’t seen my dad in years, I have been separated from my children for years.” Those are the kind of things [they say that go] beyond the limit of what we can accept … What do you say to that person? Something I always do; I like to pray with them at that moment, and my message has always been to nourish faith. I really don’t want any Venezuelan to surrender without seeing their country free.
Lele Pons: Knowing that you are on the right side of history, that you go to sleep and say, “I did something good today, I am proud of my friends, of my family, of what is happening,” gives you peace. Even if you can often lose friends or followers or whatever, you don’t have to care … It’s not political. It’s for the people.
Lele Pons
Mary Beth Koeth
Elena Rose: (To Danny Ocean.) The night before [venequia.] came out, I remember that you called me, and we talked for about an hour about how you felt at the moment. And these are the things that people don’t see and don’t know…
How did you feel, Danny?
Danny Ocean: Distraught.
Elena Rose: We both did! We were like, “OK, this is going to happen, and after we cross this line, it’s going to be OK.” But at the same time, I remember telling you, “This has been in your heart for a long time and you have to say that now.” … It is a love letter to Venezuela, as is your album [Hotel Caracas] too, [Mau y Ricky], as is [our song] “Caracas en el 2000,” which at the end of the day was also what we always talked about: I want this to be a hug for Venezuelans and for Venezuela.
Mau and Ricky, speaking of Hotel Caracas, you traveled to Venezuela for the first time in many years to shoot all the videos for the album, as well as a documentary which is nominated for a Latin Grammy. You were able to reunite with Venezuela and really get to know the country.
Ricky: It was like a personal need of knowing who the f–k I am … I was 10 when I left Venezuela, and my reality of Venezuela and Caracas was different. My father [singer Ricardo Montaner] was kidnapped when I was 6, so my relationship [with Venezuela] was almost toxic. There were 20 years of fears of thinking that I was going to get there and get killed or something… So, when we started making Hotel Caracas, which is an album where we are returning to our creative beginnings as well, we realized that we needed go back to where we are from … Being able to stand up in a stadium in Argentina and say, “¡Viva Venezuela!,” and not feel that the people there would say, “Oh, how cute, they say they are from Venezuela, but they haven’t gone.” I felt imposter syndrome; I didn’t want to feel that anymore. And I got there and felt their pride in saying, “I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished out there and how you’re representing us.” That, for us, became our motivation. So, making Hotel Caracas was literally, “How can we carry this communication on another side as well?” And our way was going back to Venezuela, making a movie, employing 200 people there, investing an absurd amount of money in the country for hope and for telling people, “Hey, what we are fighting for is worth it. Look at the people of this country. Look at the talent and that we can make an entire movie in Venezuela.”
Ricky Montaner
Mary Beth Koeth
A year ago, international artists were returning to Venezuela to play massive shows, something that had not been done in many years. You have not had the chance to do that. Do you hope that will happen for you one day?
Ricky: My biggest dream is imagining us returning to Venezuela with our people singing. Obviously now it can become very uncomfortable for us … because we have clear opinions of where we stand, so stepping on a stage and not communicating a truth is very complicated. There are real threats, there are things happening that are serious.
Danny Ocean: Look, I’m going to be very frank and excuse me, I’m going to try to choose the best words. I’m not thinking about concerts … All I want is for this to end and for us to be calm and be able to walk in peace … I’m not saying that Venezuela is not suitable for concerts; I believe that people deserve joy, I believe that people deserve to be able to enjoy [concerts]. But personally, I can’t think right now about a show in Venezuela knowing the critical situation we are in. With electricity problems, with water problems, with basic needs.
Elena Rose: There are many things that are missing in Venezuela [also] regarding the music industry. The concert is like the last thing that in theory should happen. There is no industry as such, really, with a solid base in Venezuela. There are many things that are happening with artists who are there, who have other needs than ours, who have fewer opportunities to say no, to put it that way. Unfortunately, there has not been a good education for the artists to explain to them the value of their art, that it is not OK to give away what is truly priceless, that no one should be able to say to you, “Give me [your song] and take this.” I have seen cases that hurt me a lot.
Can you give an example?
Elena Rose: Yes. There are wonderful, super talented songwriters there, and they tell them, “Look, I’ll give you 500 dollars for your song and you no longer have any power over it.” And the person who is really struggling says yes.
In Colombia, music has caused a tangible change in how the country is perceived. Do you think the same thing could happen with Venezuela?
Nacho: I think it can happen, but we need to count on the resources that Colombia has. For example, consumer platforms that generate dividends for artists through streams, through views. You see a Venezuelan artist succeeding abroad, and perhaps Venezuela does not appear as the country that consumes their music the most. If you check which are the countries that consume me the most, Mexico is No. 1 and Venezuela is 17, and it’s not that there are not more Venezuelans who follow my career than Mexicans, but that there is no industry. That’s the problem. And for there to be an industry we need to change the reality of the country, start to see what is best for us in terms of the economy so that things begin to move the way they are moving in Colombia … In our country, we are survivors, really.
Nacho
Mary Beth Koeth
Ricky: To give you an idea, on Spotify Mexico, a No.1 can be 2 million streams in a day, while in Venezuela it can be 8,000. I mean…
Everything is relative…
Danny Ocean: The numbers aren’t condensed into one place. Our numbers are scattered. So, since there is no industry to be able to concentrate the numbers in one place, in the end we are not attractive … There is great work to do.
Nacho: The thing is that our main market is not our main market … Because you say, [if] a Venezuelan is achieving this level of consumption, it is because he is conquering the world around Venezuela. So, it is not a fair fight for us. And obviously — without detracting from the wonderful talents and numbers that artists from Colombia are achieving, or our colleagues who we love and adore and follow and admire — for us it is definitely a little more difficult.
Mau: And I’ll tell you something that I find very interesting. Listening to you speak, Nacho, heals many things in me … It is beautiful to know that there are other people living the same thing as you. You know? It’s very nice to know that, damn, I’m not alone and that maybe I, a little bit foolishly, should have taken refuge with my Venezuelan colleagues before. Why do I think that is happening what’s happening with Venezuelan artists in the world right now? Precisely because we are more united than ever. I think that is the difference and that is why it is happening, because I think we are realizing something what Colombia realized a while ago. And Puerto Rico, of course. They understood that to be able to carry and take out and make people on the outside talk too — “Wow, you’re from Colombia! From where J Balvin is!” You know, that wasn’t just J Balvin, that was them grabbing each other and saying, “Hey, let’s go into this together.”
Nacho: But that’s this generation. We come from generation that was quite separated, where egos won all the time and the competition was between who is going to achieve the most things without understanding. And that is why I bring up technology, because now you can see with numbers what you can achieve through unity … Now the new generations are being trained with knowledge and education about the music industry. And it is not only motivated by unity, by knowing that together we are more, but also knowing that we are enhancing what we are doing.
Music and the arts in general have the power to help us deal with hardship. How do you feel it has helped you as artists and as people?
Ricky: Music is my great love. Music is everything to me. I don’t remember a time in my life where there was a plan B.
Elena Rose: I always say that music dedicated so many songs to me, that I can only dedicate my life to music. Through music I feel like I got to know God more, because I can’t put God into words, and I can’t put into words what I feel when I listen to music.
Lele Pons: You all are so talented, and you write music. But for me, since I was little, I used music as therapy, as a way to communicate because I didn’t talk much. I don’t talk that much in my videos either, so I put on music so that it speaks for me in my videos.
Music can change lives. Music can change hearts. Do you feel that it can help change the course of history?
Elena Rose: Wherever there is music, and someone who wants to listen to it, there is love.
Danny Ocean: Sigmund Freud said that music is to the soul what gymnastics is to the body. I very much agree with that.
In the history of the Billboard Latin Music Awards, a number of Latin icons — such as Celia Cruz (1994), Vicente Fernández (1998) and Daddy Yankee (2021) — have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The special award is given to artists who have achieved worldwide recognition for their work, transcending musical genres and […]