Billboard Latin Music Week 2023
A few hours before he was set to take the stage at Oasis this past October, an open air club in Miami, Wisin’s backstage trailer was packed with bold-faced names. There was J Balvin, side by side with fellow Colombian Ryan Castro, Dominican dembow king El Alfa, Colombian rapper Farina, producers Luny, Tunes and DJ Nelson, and a bevvy of young and established artists — all there to pay their respects to one of reggaetón’s legends.
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The thing with Wisin, though, is he’s a legend that continues to churn out hits, on an almost weekly basis. That night at Oasis, he was performing with special guests Luny Tunes and DJ Nelson as part of the official presentation of his label and collective, La Base, presented by Smirnoff as part of Billboard Latin Music Week. On November 30, he released “Señorita,” a new reggaetón single with newcomer Young Miko, who he calls “very talented and full of potential.” It follows “Sandunga,” a single with two other legends: Don Omar and Yandel. On February, he will release Mr. W, an album that he describes as “full of fusions and different collaborations. It’s an album that has been done as a team, and it’s full of the knowledge and energy of many people.”
That thirst for knowledge and for collaboration in music is at the root of Wisin’s long career, and defines La Base — his recording studio, record label and musical co-op. With offices and studios in Puerto Rico, dozens of artists — from Ozuna to Chencho and Don Omar — have gone to La Base to create and record.
Following his participation in Latin Music Week, which included his performance at Oasis, as well as a panel with production legends Luny, Tunes and DJ Nelson (and moderated by radio personality Molusco), we spoke with Wisin about the past and future of the genre, and what comes next for him and La Base.
You were the anchor of a truly historic panel with historic figures during Billboard Latin Music Week in October. Why was it important to participate?
First of all, it was an honor to sit down next to Luny, Tunes and DJ Nelson. Since The Noice [DJ Nelson’s legendary urban music collective], before we [Wisin and Yandel] were even artists, we dreamed of being like them. It’s also an honor for me to talk about our experiences and the knowledge gained for over two decades. Obviously, we’ve cried, we’ve stumbled, and we’ve learned from the blows. When we started out, there were no opportunities, no tools. So, we’re happy to still be relevant, and to have Billboard allow us the opportunity to tell our experiences to new talents and new producers, so they can also learn. I think it was a historic panel, where every speaker has given so much to urban music. I have no words to describe how important it was to be there.
And what was the significance of bringing La Base to Miami for a performance?
An achievement. Not just for me but for this group of dreamers that make up La Base. For Hyde El Químico and all the legendary producers and writers that go to La Base every day to create big things. Flying over the ocean to bring our music and our productions to Miami was incredible. I felt the unconditional support of so many colleagues that were there. And that’s what music is about. It’s about sharing, exchanging ideas and learning from each other.
Why did you invite Luny Tunes? What is their importance for the genre?
Luny Tunes is one of the key pieces of our urban movement. I dreamt of working with them when I first started, and I’ve learned so much from them. I learned to dream, to fuse musical genres and I learned that our urban music works with all different genres of music. It’s also important that people see them and understand they’re pillars of this movement. What an honor that they can be part of my enterprise right now — and what an honor, brother, that they support me.
What is La Base’s role in the future of the genre?
Continue dreaming and giving opportunities and tools to new artists. Continue [providing] a platform in Puerto Rico, from my home town, Cayey, for dreamers, writers and producers. This isn’t only for artists. Being big in music is not just for those who have the microphone and do shows. It’s for everyone who is collaborating in the process, and for different people who go to La Base every day to dream.
How important are collaborations to you?
I believe completely in them. My next album, Mr. W, is going to be full of collabs, of fusions, of different genres and styles. I think that’s where the magic is. I want to collaborate with people who are not like me and who do different things from what I do. That’s the beauty of music and of urban music. Obviously, reggaetón is still our core, and what we do best, but we’re daring to do different things. And I want to thanks the many artists and producers who worked on this album. It’s teamwork, and I believe in teamwork and in learning from others.
You just released “Sandunga” with Don Omar and Yandel. How important is it for you to work with Don Omar?
It’s always an honor to work with Don Omar. He’s the king of reggaetón and one of the most talented artists I’ve worked with, with a vocal prowess like few I’ve ever encountered. We’ve done so many hits, but this is the first time we make a video together. And, we did the reggaetón we all know how to do. We knew millions of people wanted to hear something like that; the sound of the clubs, the barrios, the root of the movement. I want to publicly thank Don for the opportunity.
What’s going to happen to Wisin and Yandel?
WIsin and Yandel is an immortal brand. Not making music with Yandel would [show] a lack of respect to millions of people. In my new album we have a song together called “Reggaetón.” Obviously, Yandel has his company, and I have mine. But we continue to make music together, knowing millions of people love what we do.
And, what’s next for La Base?
From the moment we opened our doors, La Base has been producing every day, not just for us, but for different artists. We did Ozuna’s new album, many of Wisin and Yandel singles, we just finished mixing Jowell and Randy’s new album, and of course, my album Mr. W is being recorded there. We get new talent and new songs every day. That’s what La Base is. A music and talent factory and our doors are always open to talent. We’re honored that so many people have come to the mountains of Puerto Rico to make music with us.
To celebrate the first 20 years of a fruitful career and many hits along the way, the tropipop icon Fonseca shared anecdotes about his music and played some of his songs, accompanied by his guitarist Jairo Barón, in an intimate setting Wednesday (Oct. 4) at Billboard‘s Latin Music Week 2023.
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During The Icon Q&A panel — presented by Michelob Ultra and moderated by Sigal Ratner-Arias, deputy editor of Billboard Español — the artist took a musical journey from his beginnings in music, how some of his songs emerged, the role of his children in his compositions and his Latin Grammy-nominated collaboration with Juan Luis Guerra, to details of an upcoming album with which he wants to return to the sound of his beginnings.
The Colombian singer-songwriter remembered his early days as a time of great excitement. He said that during the recording of his self-titled debut album and recorded in Caracas, Venezuela, with the Líderes record label, he spent a lot of time alone walking through the streets of the city, imagining the future and thinking about how he was going to get his music played on radio stations.
After his record label closed in the middle of the promotion process, it took him about two years to free himself from this contract. Bernardo Ossa appeared, with whom he produced “Te Mando Flores.” The song gave him his first entry on a Billboard chart and marked a turning point in his career.
“Overnight we were practically all over Latin America, in the United States, in Europe doing promotional tours, playing,” Fonseca recalled. “It was crazy.”
Now that he is an international reference of Colombian music, Fonseca wants to return to the sounds of his early days on his next album, which he plans to release early next year. “I want to make an album where the instruments are 100% recorded and that’s that phrase of going back to that sound,” he said. “That’s how I recorded that album in Venezuela the first time, and that’s how I recorded my second album, Corazón.”
Additionally, he revealed that at the end of this month, he will release a new song called “Canto a la Vida” as a tribute to Colombian music, with accordion, clarinets and percussion.
He also reflected on the song “Entre Mi Vida y la Tuya” released in 2015, which gave him his first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Tropical Airplay chart. He said that the melody came to him while he was resting in a pool in the middle of a tour through Central America. He quickly found his guitar and recorded it on his phone, where he usually saves song ideas, phrases and feelings.
Among funny anecdotes, Fonseca stated that he shares his songs with his three children — ages 4, 9 and 13 — and they are like his “A&R department: absolutely without compassion.” “They’re like, ‘No, no, no, no, no, that’s horrible.’ [laughs] … They’ve inspired me a lot of songs.”
Regarding his most recent hit “Si Tú Me Quieres” with the Dominican maestro Juan Luis Guerra, who received nominations for the Latin Grammy 2023 for song of the year, recording of the year and best tropical song, he said, “I remember writing the song, arriving at the bridge moment that says ‘like a bee in a honeycomb.’ There I said, ‘Well, this is also like a tribute to Juan Luis’ … and from that moment I began to dream that could happen. It happened two or three years later.”
He also highlighted a special anecdote in his career with the song “Ven,” which he wrote inspired by his daughter Paz and which he said is the fastest song he has ever written. “I started making some chords and literally in an hour and a half, ‘Ven’ landed as if someone was dictating it to me and it was one of the most special intimate moments of my career,” Fonseca said. “I remember singing it after I wrote it so quickly and tears came to my eyes. It was something so personal that it was like a sublime moment by myself.”
Finally, as one of the secrets to staying current in music over the years, the artist stated, “Regardless of the profession one has, one comes to serve through what one does.”
Fonseca also closed Billboard Latin Music Week 2023 with a concert for the En Vivo series at Oasis Wynwood in Miami. Watch a summary of his presentation below, and don’t miss the video of his interview on The Icon Q&A panel above.
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Billboard Latin Music Week is always a star-studded event filled with intimate conversations— but this year, fans were treated to an extra special moment: the first-ever public conversation with RBD since their comeback. Members Maite Perroni, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann were joined by their manager Guillermo Rosas for the panel “Reviving RBD Presented by AT&T.” The discussion was a beautiful testament to how far they have come since the group’s inception in 2004, moderated by Griselda Flores, senior writer, Latin at Billboard.
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RBD is currently on the Soy Rebelde Tour, with upcoming dates in stadiums and arenas across North and South America. When asked how the experience has been so far, the group expressed gratitude for their fans. “We feel it with our hearts to be on the stage again and to connect with each of every one of you,” Maite said to the audience, “This is more than music: it’s a connection between our hearts.”
The Soy Rebelde Tour reunited the Mexican Latin pop group onstage for the first time in 15 years. After venturing on their separate paths, RBD’s reunion was the rekindling of a connection that transcends music. “I think that people connect with us because each one of us is so different, but we’re a family,” said Christopher. “We know each other. We understand each other without having to speak. We are family and that is something you can feel.”
One of the most touching moments took place toward the end of the conversation when RBD was reflecting on how performing in 2023 is different from the past. Christian expressed how important it is to him to be able to express himself freely. “I can be queer on stage,” he said, “It has been wonderful to take the hand of that little 12 year-old me who wanted to use this color or this clothing that I couldn’t.” Maite acknowledged how he bravely embraced his sexuality before the public: “It’s important that he was honest. He was courageous in a very difficult moment. He became the spokesperson for a lot of people and a generation, and he taught us that. He taught everyone that we don’t want prejudice and it’s time that we don’t have fear.”
When reflecting on the impact of their current tour, Christopher emphasized the importance of connection. “We are not looking for anything,” he said, “we just want to connect. We have lived through a lot and once you move throughout your career, you have your ups and downs— and the most important thing is to connect with people and be yourself. That’s what lasts.
As the proud presenting sponsor of RBD’s Soy Rebelde national tour, AT&T continues to connect Latin music fans to the artists and music they love by extending the partnership and surrounding RBD’s exclusive panel at Latin Music Week. Because at AT&T, Connecting Changes Everything™.
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week included intimate conversations with the hottest artists in Latin music, networking sessions, and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here.
Stay tuned for more content from Billboard Latin Music Week.
Netflix previewed the first episode of its NEON series to a select group of viewers at an advance screening party on Wednesday (Oct. 4). The sneak peak that took place during Latin Music Week was the first look at the show that will begin streaming on the the platform on Oct. 19.
The eight-episode comedy series filmed in Puerto Rico tells the story of the struggles of three childhood friends – Santi, an emerging artist played by Tyler Dean Flores, his friend/manager Vanessa (Emma Ferreira) and friend/creative director Felix (Jordan Mendoza) – trying to achieve success in the reggaeton industry.
With an ambitious plan, full of dreams and a limited budget, the three friends decide to leave their city and take a trip to Miami with the conviction that Santi could become the biggest reggaeton star on the planet. They soon face the harsh realities of being an emerging artist and realize that their brilliant plan is not as easy to pull off as they imagined.
NEON‘s creative team includes prominent reggaeton producer and Grammy winner Tainy, along with Lex Borrero and Iván Rodríguez, all affiliated with Ntertain and Neon16 and known as Tainy & One Six. The talented team served as executive music producers, writing and producing original songs exclusively for the series.
In addition, the team of music supervisors also includes One Six from Neon16 and Ntertain, as well as Joe Rodríguez and Javier Nuno from Indice.
The NEON series is a joint creation of Shea Serrano and Max Searle, the latter also serving as showrunner. The executive production team consists of Serrano and Searle, along with an outstanding list of collaborators, including Scooter Braun, James Shin, and Scott Manson of SB Projects, Anne Clements, and Daddy Yankee. Kyle Vinuya and Demi Adejuyigbe serve as co-executive producers, and Jordan Mendoza serves as consulting producer.
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, which kicked of on Monday and wraps up on Friday (Oct. 6), also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.
Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
One is a Puerto Rican Latin music star. Another, a Nicaraguan fashion designer. The third, a Mexican-American barber, tattooist and visual artist. But all three have something in common: Myke Towers, Shantall Lacayo and Rob The Original are leaving their mark in their respective fields, through their own way of making art.
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The three met on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami Beach, Florida, where they participated in the “Deja Tu Huella” panel presented by Cheetos to talk about the importance of giving back. With Billboard‘s Jessica Roiz as moderator, each spoke about their inspirations, influences and motivations.
Towers, who has placed dozens of songs on the Billboard charts, including his latest hit “Lala,” has used his platform to give back to Puerto Rico during difficult times such as Hurricane Fiona in 2022, when he donated $150,000 from two concerts at the Coliseo to the survivors. “I feel that I have responsibility; Those people are the first to support me,” he said about his fans on the island. “And not only in Puerto Rico,” he added. “There are a lot of fans who make a sacrifice just to be in a hotel to greet you or come to the show and try to be in the first row. You see that and you try to do what you can for them.”
Lacayo, who has been making her way in the U.S. fashion scene, where she won Project Runway‘s season 19, not only incorporates bright colors that represent her land into her creations, but also elements such as wooden buttons hand-carved by indigenous women and other details made by artisans from Nicaragua and other Latin American countries.
“I believe that every artist who wants to excel in the creative industry has to find that DNA that makes them unique,” said the Miami-based designer. “Throughout my career, together with my team, I think the main thing we have discovered is that the DNA of our brand is our cultural roots, how we can keep alive those indigenous traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and that unfortunately are getting lost in this world of fast fashion. We all want to leave a mark; part of my work seeks to do so through the reinterpretation of the work of artisans.”
Her brand has also partnered with Extraordinary Women, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women in extreme poverty to work on their self-esteem and prepare themselves in various fields to be able to enter the work field.
For Rob The Original, who started out cutting hair, went on to be a tattoo artist and today makes portraits in shattered glass and other mediums — from sand and salt, to Cheetos! — his contribution lies in the diversity of his work. “That is going to be my mark: telling people that there are no limits to art,” said the artist, who has 1.7 million followers on Instagram alone. To that end, he has announced the Rob the Original Academy, in which he plans to prepare other multidisciplinary artists. “Basically, we are going to do a little bit of everything I do, we are also going to show how you can grow your social networks… how to make a career out of your talent.”
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.
Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
Mexican superstar Thalia attended Billboard‘s Latin Music Week to exclusively present four songs from her new EP of Mexican music. Attendees at the “Premiere Party” on Tuesday night (Oct.r 2) were the first to hear the first single “Bebé, Perdón”, released at midnight, in addition to “Te Va a Doler”, “Para Qué Celarme” and “Choro”, part of the album that will be titled A Mucha Honra.
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The album, which she said she had been working on for almost two years, will be released in early 2024 under the Sony Music Latin label. Under the production of Jimmy Humilde, it will include collaborations with Ángela Aguilar and Dania from Grupo Sin Límite, the Mexican superstar announced.
Dressed in a monochrome white outfit, blue boots, and shiny gloves, the Mexican singer shared with the deputy editor of Billboard Español Sigal Ratner-Arias, the moderator of the event, details of the creative process with Humilde, one of the promoters of the global phenomenon of the new wave of Mexican music with whom she partnered to produce it, and who also went on stage for a few minutes.
Humilde says that he made his first call with Thalia “trembling with emotion”, because of the admiration he has for her as an artist. However, he found a very calm person and the connection was immediate, he mentioned. They soon began working on the project with which Thalia wanted to delve deeper into her roots as a Mexican.
“The requintos evoke something in the soul, something in the heart, something of longing, something of oblivion, of pain, of love, something distant but close,” she said. “And then accompanied by the lyrics… I needed to sing this type of content in my songs. In this album I have discovered a more heartbroken, spiteful, painful Thalia.”
Regarding the moment that Mexican music is going through, which now enjoys a global reach, the singer noted: “We have always been in fashion. Our music has always been current, and at full strength, we have never stopped in all the musical genres that Mexican music encompasses, which is totally broad, it is beautiful. What is happening now is that the new generation, I feel, is embracing the sounds that move your insides: the requintos, the accordions, they are rediscovering (Mexican music) … I think they are making it their own.”
“That she is adapting and coming to support this genre is incredible,” added Humilde about Thalia’s new foray. “Imagine, having someone with so much name, so much power, so much history entering the new genre that we have in our Mexican music is something super cool.”
To decide who would accompany her to connect with her roots in music with more regional Mexican sounds, Thalia had a very methodical approach. “My father was a criminologist,” the star recalls. “I remember that I would sit on the table and he would tell me: ‘Always ask, always analyze… you look for something that you need to know.’ And when this movement came out, criminologist Thalia Sodi came out, and I said, where did this come from? Who was the precursor? Who was there from the beginning?… and I came to mister Humilde.”
Humilde took Edgar Rodríguez, producer and close collaborator, to meet with the artist to work on the project. Thalia’s words to Rodríguez were: “I don’t bite. I want to sound like me, like Thalia, but not. Help me so I can let go of the crutches that I use, that I love, my styles… Tell me, I’m not going to get angry. I want to learn; I want to change and learn other things. And we did it.”
“I’m happy, excited precisely because tonight, like Cinderella, the float is going to change… We’re going fully in,” said the singer about the first single of the album, “Bebé Perdón,” that is now available.
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“This song hurts me, I put it on repeat in the car while I drive… It doesn’t hurt me because of a personal relationship, because it’s not what I’m living. I am very happy, very grateful in my life, but it touches a vein of nostalgia, something that no longer exists, that is already gone, a part of nostalgia for our country, somewhere in our life history”, she said.
On the visual side, the superstar says that the video was recorded in California with 115-degree temperatures that caused the soles of her boots to melt on the pavement while she was alert for the rattlesnakes that inhabit the area. The singer performs the song in an open field, dressed in a silver sequin top with fringes, accompanied by three musicians and a truck.
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.
Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
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