State Champ Radio Cover Story – Espanol
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Romeo Santos arrives wearing a face mask and a hoodie. He’s not sick, just determined to avoid being recognized as he enters our New York studios, and immediately heads to his dressing room with his small entourage. Minutes later, Prince Royce walks through the door, just as quickly and discreetly, with a cap under the hood of his sweater covering half his face.
The two have been seen together in the past, but only as friends on social media. Today, the last Wednesday of October, they’re here to announce something completely different: Romeo Santos and Prince Royce, the “king” and “prince” of bachata, respectively, are finally collaborating, not on a single song, but on an entire album.
Their collaboration has been the best-kept secret in Latin music in years. Appropriately titled Better Late Than Never, the 13-song album will arrive Nov. 28 on Sony Music Latin, where only a small group of people knew of its existence.
Close friends and family were also unaware. (Coincidentally, Royce’s brother, who works as a photographer in New York, only learned of the project when he joined the team that shot the cover for this Billboard Español story and saw both artists’ names on the call sheet.) Many of the musicians who played on the album think it’s by one or the other, since both artists deliberately summoned their sidemen separately and were never seen together in the studio.
The result is pure synergy: “There’s no one taking center stage here,” Santos says. “There isn’t a song where he sings more than me or me more than him.”
I listened to the album the day before, when Santos — as he’s done in the past with Billboard — picked me up in a Cadillac Escalade V and played it for me from beginning to end, responding to my questions and reactions with the joy of someone who knows he has something special in his hands. He’s never been one to share files of his work through email before their release, and he certainly wasn’t going to risk it this time.
Better Late Than Never has the essence of Santos and Royce throughout but also offers something fresh for both artists. There are classic bachatas, more modern takes and mostly romantic lyrics, and the fusion of their recognizable voices is captivating from the first track, which shares the album’s title.
Songs such as “Dardos” and “Jezebel” stand out, the latter displaying strong R&B influences, as well as “Ay San Miguel,” a Dominican palo, and “Menor,” a surprising first collaboration for Santos with an emerging talent, Dalvin La Melodía — who also hadn’t yet been informed about Royce’s participation.
Santos and Royce wrote four of the songs together, starting with “Mi Plan,” penned during a friends trip to St. Barts in 2023, and “Better Late Than Never,” “Jezabel” and “Loquita Por Mí.” The rest were mostly written by Santos, always with Royce’s participation and honest input. But the seed of this production has been germinating since at least 2017, when they recorded the first of three failed attempts that will likely never see the light of day.
“I don’t want to sound cliché or overly religious, but God’s timing is perfect,” Santos says, explaining why now was the right time. “When we started recording the first song seven years ago, there was a little resistance from both of us. I felt convinced at the time… the vibe was there, but then we started evaluating it and [realized], ‘Mmm, this is not the song.’”
“There was a moment where I said, ‘Man, are we ever going to find that fusion, that muse, where we both feel comfortable and can say, ‘This is great?’ ” Royce adds. “And it wasn’t that I doubted it, but it required going in and really delving into it — and suddenly there was a switch.”
Santos
Malike Sidibe
The launch strategy was equally secretly planned. On Oct. 31, Halloween, Santos, unrecognizable in an Ace Ventura costume, announced on his Instagram account “new album November 28” — with a link in his bio to preorder it — along with a video of him partying in New York with an album in his hands. Days later, on Nov. 10, a massive listening party for his fans scheduled for Nov. 26 at Madison Square Garden was announced on Univision shows such as Despierta América and El Gordo y La Flaca and radio station WXNY-FM (La X 96.3) New York, where listeners could call in to win tickets. According to Santos’ publicist, at the time of the announcement, 7,000 people were online looking for tickets, all assuming that “it’s a [solo] Romeo album.”
Of course, there were no singles or previews. A music video featuring two songs — “Estocolmo” and “Dardos” — will be released simultaneously with the album. To communicate with the director, they used the code names “Batman” and “Robin.”
The collaboration between the two powerhouses is highly anticipated by bachata fans, and the fact that the project wasn’t rushed gives it new urgency and importance. Superstars of the genre from different generations, they are also very different in style — Santos with his sweet, high-pitched voice and use of traditional guitars; Royce with his light lyric tenor and a more pop/urban sound. And both have redefined the genre. Santos, 44, revived bachata when it was considered traditional regional music, giving it a sensual twist with touches of contemporary New York that captivated a new generation. Royce, 36, came later with bachata versions of Motown classics.
Santos rose to fame in the mid-1990s as leader of the group Aventura before launching a brilliant solo career in 2011 with Fórmula, Vol. 1, the longest-running bachata album by a solo artist on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart (17 weeks at No. 1); more recently, he was No. 2 on the Top Latin Artists of the 21st Century list (behind only Bad Bunny). Royce debuted in 2010 with a self-titled set that reached No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, which he has topped five times.
Both born in the Bronx to Dominican parents (except for Santos’ mother, who is Puerto Rican), they met at a family party. “Aventura was huge at the time,” Royce recalls. “I was in my room playing PlayStation. I heard the revolú [commotion], so many people outside. I went out and took a picture [with him],” adding that he was starstruck by the singer’s presence. Now, “This is a full-circle moment. What Romeo and Aventura have done has inspired me.”
“Romeo Santos and Prince Royce are two wonderful artists, two exceptional professionals — and even better human beings — who have dedicated their careers to bringing bachata to the world,” Afo Verde, chairman/CEO of Sony Music Latin Iberia, told me days after the interview. “Each of the songs on this brilliant album reflects the talent, creativity, passion and dedication of both of them. We can’t wait for all the fans to experience this magical album they’ve created together.”
Sitting down to talk for the first time about their most closely guarded secret in an exclusive interview with Billboard Español, Santos and Royce delve into the project, their friendship and the future of the genre that made them famous.
Prince Royce
Malike Sidibe
To begin, who approached whom? Who said, “Let’s do it”?
Romeo Santos: I’d like to take credit, but the truth is, the first person to mention the idea of recording not one, not two, but a whole album, was this gentleman right here. (Gestures to Royce.) And that was literally seven years ago, right?
Prince Royce: A long time ago, yes. I felt a lot of pressure from the public, really. If we make a song, what will it be? It can have pop elements, it can have very traditional elements, it can be a fusion. And I was thinking about how to fuse these two worlds, which, although it’s bachata, are two different styles of bachata. I always thought, “Man, how iconic would it be if we made an album, if we could give everyone these different kinds of flavors and colors?”
Santos: Yes, because that’s a valid point. When he says “the pressure,” it’s like a song will have an audience who will say, “I like this one,” but there will be another type of fan who will say, “Yes, but it’s too slow.” There are those who say, “Yes, but it’s too fast.” “Yes, but it doesn’t have that bitterness or it’s too depressing.” We have a production that fills all the gaps.
You recorded three previous tracks — one in 2017 for Golden, another in 2022 for Fórmula, Vol. 3 and a third later — and none of them were released. After three attempts, what motivated you to keep trying and not give up?
Santos: I think we started evaluating the three songs we had already recorded. “Where was the problem? How could the chorus of these three songs be improved? Was it the verse, the arrangement?” And at least I had the goal of making the songs feel organic, not like we took a song, sent a verse to Royce or vice versa, just to say we collaborated. I think it had to happen this way: three failed attempts to lead to this production. I don’t think I could have worked with Royce in a more ideal way. The best songs we were able to create are on this album.
Royce: I think for me it was, “We shouldn’t rush things.” Nowadays a lot of people lack patience, and I’ve always been very patient. I’m not a quitter, and he’s definitely not a quitter.
Santos: And you know what I respect? He was honest with me about those three songs. I mean, if he had been a hypocrite and told me, “They’re great,” this project wouldn’t have happened. But he was like, “I don’t know, loco, they’re OK, but do you think so?” So I kind of analyzed them. And honestly, every time I presented him with a song, I felt it was better than the last one.
How is it possible that none of this leaked in all these years?
Santos: Well, I’ll just say that in the world of privacy, I’m an expert. I feel very comfortable, even if it’s a little stressful, working on projects with the element of surprise. I’m used to it; I don’t like to prepare people.
Royce: In my case, I just don’t want to jinx it either. I know how he works, I’ve known him for many years. For me it was such an important project that I wanted the element of surprise, I wanted to surprise the audience, I wanted to focus on the project without anyone interfering and simply work.
Santos: Another factor was that we genuinely posted photos and videos together because we were hanging out. I think that when people saw those pictures and didn’t hear any music, they kind of overlooked it. And I didn’t know at the time that this was also what would work as a strategy for us. We managed to keep it a secret for several reasons. Also because technology has changed so radically these days that you can record a production, an album, whatever at home. We didn’t go to public studios; everything was recorded during vacations — we were in a villa with our friends and family, in my home studio in New York. We visited his house many times. That part was easy, honestly.
Royce (left) and Santos
Malike Sidibe
Tell me about “Batman” and “Robin.”
Santos: Ah, that was the code.
Royce: I called it the “Bora Project” with my small team.
Santos: We created this “Batman” and “Robin” thing, but for different aspects; for filming music videos, talking to the director: “Remember, Royce is Robin, I’m Batman.” Until it became second nature. Now I say to him: “What’s up, Robin?”
The fact that the record label hasn’t even heard the album speaks volumes about the creative freedom the label has given you to work together.
Santos: Look, I’m very grateful to Afo [Verde], to the whole Sony team really, but Afo is one of those people who respects the creative side of artists. And I remember sending Afo a message about two months ago, more or less, saying, “Brother, I have a project that I think is going to excite you. You’re going to love it, and I want to share this project with you. I want you to listen to it, to be one of the first.” Afo tells me, “I knew you were planning something,” because my last post was, if I’m not mistaken, on Jan. 8 of this year, and I’ve been ghosting on social media.
How easy or difficult was it working together as two big artists with such distinctive styles?
Royce: From the moment we made that first song [that actually worked], everything flowed for me. It was like there was a whole year where I felt like we were creating something incredible. I was so happy. And I really admire how he pushed me in the studio.
Santos: Thank you. I’m kind of a maniac.
Royce: I hadn’t felt like that in a long time. The fact that I thought I was doing well and [he’d tell me], “No, you can do better, bro,” and just keep at it…
Santos: And vice versa, because I’m so used to directing myself that sometimes you overlook certain things you stop doing as a performer. … The interesting thing about this project is that it has his essence, my essence, but musical proposals that neither of us has offered to the fans before.
Who was more involved in the production?
Santos: I would say I was… [But] I reiterate: He was very key because he trusted me, but also kind of challenged me. When I showed him a song, he was very honest, as he’s always been. So I went in already with that challenge.
What new elements will the audience hear?
Royce: There are new elements like “Dardos,” which has a lot of fusion. There are Afrobeat vibes, tropical vibes, different types of guitars, violins. [The song] “Better Late Than Never” starts off very pop, a cappella. And I think there are many elements, within bachata as well, in the way the guitar is played; there’s a bit of a rock flow.
Santos
Malike Sidibe
What did you think when you heard the album for the first time in its entirety?
Santos: We hugged with happiness.
Royce: I was jumping around, I was tipsy. … I was super excited. For me, it has been an honor to record this album. It has been a very beautiful experience in the studio as well.
Santos: You know what I used to tell him? “This pendejo sings beautifully!” Because I was listening to him from a different perspective. I love producing, and when you create a melody thinking of someone else, in my case, I enjoy it more than I enjoy singing it myself. And sometimes he sang a melody even better than what I envisioned.
Were you already a fan of Prince Royce’s music?
Santos: There’s a mutual respect. I’ve always told him about the songs I love from his repertoire. For me, “Incondicional” is one of those songs that, if you ask me what Romeo hasn’t done in bachata, both with Aventura and as a solo artist, when I heard that song I said, “F–k, mariachi with bachata!” That was great.
Royce, is there a song by Romeo you wish you had written?
Royce: There are many. I’ve always been a fan of “La Novelita” by Aventura. “Infieles.” “Eres Mía”… I think he’s a walking encyclopedia of bachata; he knows every bachata song and has a lot of musical knowledge. And he’s a genius with lyrics, truly.
As friends and colleagues, do you ever call each other for advice?
Santos: Of course. We’ve talked a lot long before this project. It’s a truly genuine friendship.
Prince, what’s the best advice you remember Romeo giving you?
Royce: There are many that I probably can’t say on camera. No, just kidding. (Laughs.) In terms of advice — not just musical; it could be business, it could be personal — we’ve had many conversations and he’s always been, I really mean it, very real with me… And I’ve always respected that.
Santos: I can tell you that one piece of advice he gave me once was, “Don’t take things so seriously.” I have that problem. Sometimes we forget to have fun. Especially when you have a plan, the rollout, marketing, a million things, and I feel like he has that quality. He loves what he does, just like I do, but maybe I’m too… What’s the word?
Royce: Particular, detail-oriented…
Santos: Yeah, sometimes that kind of takes away the fun.
Royce
Malike Sidibe
Let’s talk about the state of bachata. How do you see the genre right now?
Santos: How far the genre has come is impressive, especially when you see artists who aren’t bachata singers navigating this genre of heartbreak. When I listen to Rosalía, Manuel Turizo, Maluma, Shakira, Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, that’s an excellent sign that good work has been done since the beginning.
However, a superstar on the level of Romeo Santos and Prince Royce hasn’t emerged. Why do you think this has happened?
Santos: I think there are a lot of Prince Royces and Romeos in an attic, in a basement, creating the new sound. The thing is, this business isn’t easy. And when I say it’s not easy, it’s not easy for us either. There’s a very essential key that few apply, and that’s perseverance. If you analyze my career, people remember Aventura from “Obsesión,” but we’d been hard at work six years prior to that.
Royce: I think a lot of people always see the success but they never see the failures, what didn’t happen, the doors you knocked on. And I think that nowadays it’s very important to be different… and to bring something that Romeo Santos didn’t bring and that Prince Royce didn’t bring, because they’re already here.
Going back to your wonderful project, an album is usually followed by a tour. Do you plan to go on the road together? What do you envision for that show?
Santos: Obviously, yes, we are considering a tour, God willing, and a worldwide one so people can enjoy both of our repertoires. And when it happens, God willing, we don’t want it to feel like a show where he goes onstage, sings his setlist, then I sing mine. No. We want it to be an experience where, whether you’re a fan of Royce and me or just a fan of him or just of me, it’s a musical journey through both of our repertoires.
What would you say to Prince Royce fans who aren’t Romeo Santos fans, and to Romeo Santos fans who aren’t Prince Royce fans?
Royce: Well, personally, I think they’re going to become fans of all of us.
Santos: You want to know what I’d tell his fans? That they’re going to have to put up with Romeo! (Laughs.) No, but seriously, this is a treat, a gift for both sets of fans, because I think — and I don’t want to sound repetitive — that it’s a production where each song is dedicated to different styles, to his essence, to mine. But there’s something else you’ll notice about it: There’s no one taking center stage here. There isn’t a song where he sings more than me or me more than him. Maybe your favorite part of this particular song is Royce’s chorus, and maybe your favorite part is the pre-hook I did, but I hope you like it, that it evokes some kind of emotion in you in a positive way, because we made it with all the love we could put into a project.
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.”
When Lele Pons posts on Instagram, she does it with a mix of glamour, self-deprecating humor and simplicity that has charmed some 50 million fans into following her. And over the past two years, many of her buzziest posts have showcased the Venezuelan influencer’s love for her fiancé, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Guaynaa, who counts 6.2 million followers of his own. But Pons, 26, and Guaynaa, 30, are much more than just a captivating couple, and their recent engagement isn’t limited to marriage: They’ll now be also making music together.
“Beautiful, my love. Wow!” Guaynaa gushes at his newest collaborator and bride-to-be on a recent sunny morning in Miami at the restaurant-lounge El Tucán, as Pons gets made up for a photo shoot, trading her clean face, sweatshirt and sneakers for an executive skirt suit with a plunging neckline, towering stilettos and cherry red lips.
Pons kisses him with caution, trying not to stain him with her lipstick. It’s one of many gestures of affection they will show each other throughout the day — suggesting that they really are as passionate as they appear on social media posts.
The vision that she has when carrying out a project is incredible. For me, she is the best content creator in the world. — Guaynaa
From the moment they made their relationship official on Instagram on Dec. 12, 2020, to their exciting proposal before thousands of people during Steve Aoki’s set at the Tomorrowland festival in Belgium on July 31, 2022, Pons and Guaynaa kept their fans’ attention with funny photos and videos in which they didn’t shy away from showing snapshots of their lives. And they haven’t stopped since, with a combination of comedy, moments of vulnerability and messages of self-love. (Cellulite is no longer a reason for shame thanks to Pons.)
They’re not the first music artists to unite their lives and intertwine their careers, but their relationship is different from others, as she is best known for her work on social media and he as a respected singer-songwriter in the industry. Working together has its inherent risks, but it could also result in bigger careers for both. Their joint power was shown in their only song released together so far, “Se Te Nota” (2020), whose video has accumulated 422 million views. It’s Pons’ most-viewed music video and Guaynaa’s second most-viewed, after his hit “ReBoTa” (2019) with 526 million.
“This could be a project that will bring us many surprises, both on Guaynaa’s side and on Lele’s side, because she hasn’t released music in a long time and Guaynaa has been on a music hiatus for nine, 10 months, and I think there will be something cool for this generation that follows Lele and the public that anxiously awaits Guaynaa,” says Juan Diego Medina, Guaynaa’s new manager.
Now I have a really good structure to put out a lot of songs, not just one every six months. And finally, I have someone like him (Guaynaa), who is my adviser and can help me more than anyone else. — Pons
In the last months, Eleonora Pons Maronese and Jean Carlos Santiago Pérez (their real names) have been planning a wedding while spending hours in the studio creating songs and producing an album that they plan to release soon after they tie the knot on March 4, in their adoptive city of Miami, before more than 300 guests. The 10-song set, tentatively titled Capitulations and to be released under a partnership between Interscope Records and Guaynaa, will include eight duets, one solo song from Pons and another one from Guaynaa, spanning a variety of genres, from urban pop (“Abajito”) to reggaetón (“Natural”) to reggae (“A Que No”) and bachata (“Todo Sabe Más Rico”).
On Lele: Silvia Tcherassi dress, Le Silla shoes. On Guaynaa: Dickson Lim suit, Prada shoes.
Mary Beth Koeth
Nir Seroussi, executive vp at Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA), says: “This album is a celebration of Lele’s and Guaynaa’s relationship and the perfect way to share this precious moment with their fans. While the wedding will surely attract a lot of attention, the focus of our plan is to showcase the music. With this project, Lele and Guaynaa stepped out of their comfort zones and tapped into an artistic side we haven’t heard before.”
It’s their first collaborative effort since 2020’s “Se Te Nota,” that playful urban pop song about wanting someone in an obvious way that spent 18 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Global 200 (where it peaked at No. 44), 25 weeks on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (No. 19 peak) and 11 weeks on Hot Latin Songs (No. 25). It was also the seed that led them to spend more time together and, eventually, fall in love.
They made their relationship “official” that December, but their first kiss came nearly two months earlier, on Oct. 27, when the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series for the first time since 1988. “It was a very exciting and very special moment,” Pons says.
The content creator, with over 50 million followers on Instagram and 29 million more on TikTok, rose to fame on Vine — the short-form video platform where she became the most followed woman (11.5 million) before it shut down in 2017 — and went on to create comedy skits on YouTube, where she has 17.8 million followers. Her interest in music, however, dates to her childhood, when she took opera singing lessons, and in recent years she has released more than a dozen hit singles, including “Bubble Gum” with Yandel and “HIT IT” with the Black Eyed Peas and Saweetie (both from 2021).
On Lele: Aknvas dress, FEMME shoes. On Guaynaa: TAAKK top, Versace pants, Prada shoes.
Mary Beth Koeth
Guaynaa, the son of troubadours who began creating music as a child, has made a name for himself as an urban pop artist with his own style and the audacity to experiment with all kinds of genres. He rose to fame in 2019 with “ReBoTa,” a mix of reggaetón and dembow with which he debuted on the Billboard charts, and has since released collaborations with artists as varied as Lola Índigo (“Respira”), Los Ángeles Azules (“Cumbia a La Gente”) and Sebastián Yatra, with whom he recorded “Chica Ideal,” which reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart.
Now they take on their joint music project not only with great enthusiasm, but with great responsibility. Especially after a year that wasn’t all laughter and comedy. In early 2022, Guaynaa was rushed to the hospital after a car accident in Los Angeles, where a drunk driver hit the vehicle he was traveling in, causing the artist a serious cervical injury that required microsurgery and therapy. “It was a very complex recovery process. [I had to] stop all my projects,” he recalls, thankful that Pons traveled to meet him immediately and always accompanied him. Once recovered, it was his turn to take care of his fiancée, who underwent an operation for appendicitis last October.
In the process, Guaynaa also ended his deal with Universal Music and signed a management contract with Medina of La Industria (Nicky Jam, Manuel Turizo), who says the singer is in talks with a couple of record labels. Pons, signed to Interscope, also has a new manager, Polo Molina (Gerardo Ortiz, the Black Eyed Peas), but her manager for social media continues to be John Shahidi of Shots Studios, with whom she has worked for years.
“He and I are good friends,” says Molina about Medina, whom he worked with when the Black Eyed Peas and Nicky Jam teamed up for “Vida Loca” in 2020. “So, when he started working with Guaynaa and I started working with Lele, it was perfect. We just called each other like, ‘Hey, let’s do an album. Yeah! Let’s do a tour.’ Obviously, there’s a wedding going on, there’s a honeymoon going on, but I think they have all the ingredients to be superstars.”
And everything is practically ready for the big day. Before taking off to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Paris for their honeymoon, Pons will wear three dresses throughout the evening: one by Zuhair Murad to walk down the aisle, one by Julie Vino to dance at the party, “and the very, very last one, which is for when you’re already feeling unwell, by Pnina Tornai,” she says with a laugh. There will be Puerto Rican, Venezuelan and Italian food (in honor of her ancestry), and both a band and DJ to provide music till the wee hours.
They also expect to sing and have some of their guests sing as well, including relatives and close friends like Puerto Rican pop icon Chayanne (Pons’ uncle) and a stellar bridal party including Paris Hilton, Anitta, Kim Loaiza, Hanna Stocking, Isabela Grutman, Nicole Garcia and Isadora Figueroa, as well as Sebastián Yatra and Mau and Ricky Montaner.
“They all have to sing! I’ve sung at everyone’s weddings,” says Guaynaa, while Pons reminds him that someone already said she wants to do it: Spanish singer Natalia Jiménez.
During our lengthy interview, in which they spoke mostly Spanish, Pons and Guaynaa talked about their life together, their plans and their respective roles in the industry.
The wedding is only a few weeks away and the album will be released soon after. How are you handling the stress?
LELE PONS: We try to help each other with the stress, and the people around us too. (Turns to Guaynaa.) Like your dad, he calms me down a lot. Your mom calms me down a lot.
GUAYNAA: It’s a process, but we always take a couple days a week to do nothing and be at home snuggling, watching TV, talking. That makes us more appreciative and makes us step out of the house with the idea that someone is waiting for you at home to have a nice time when the lights go out, that someone is there for you.
Aknvas dress.
Mary Beth Koeth
What do you want to say with this album? Is there a particular message?
GUAYNAA: Look, there’s partying, there’s dancing.
PONS: But there are also moments about not wanting to sleep with the person you’re with, like the bachata. All couples have problems, and that’s very important. Not everything is love and kisses. There are moments that you know are difficult, and if you love the person that you’re with, you are going to have to solve it.
Who wrote the songs, and how was the working process in the studio?
PONS: Guaynaa wrote the songs. I’m more into marketing and music videos. We both contribute. We sing together, we help each other. Many times, I change the melody when I don’t like it, like in the song “Abajito.”
GUAYNAA: I try to compose, direct, produce. And Eleonora is basically giving her opinion also in terms of production and lyrics, but in a more relaxed way. The process was quite varied. One song was written in Mexico, the rest in Miami. There were collaborations with songwriters that I’ve worked with. For example, “Estrella Fugaz” was written with Elena Rose. It’s a very special song for us because it essentially represents what our love story is.
Working together can be a double-edged sword. How has this experience been for you?
GUAYNAA: Lele and I beat to different rhythms. In music, I can tell you that it is quite cool, because she has a different thinking and approach and drive, she has other filters in her head when she analyzes music. My filters are more about the conceptual elaboration of the album, the musicality, the storytelling, the beginning and the end. There were many disagreements for that very reason, but at the end of the day, I think we managed to develop a project, and that makes us very happy.
What has been the most fun for each of you?
PONS: For me, it was when I had to sing in the studio and Guaynaa would come in to help me. (To Guaynaa.) It was fun because you did things to make me laugh and [help me relax]. And for you?
GUAYNAA: The most fun? (Laughs mischievously.) Oh, for you to say you liked a song, because you were like: “I don’t like it, I don’t like it, I don’t like it… This one I like!” Yes!
PONS: [But] when it comes to songs, I trust in him. Even if I don’t like it, I have a lot of trust in Guaynaa as an artist and I tell him, “OK, bebé, if you really want to release this song, let’s do it.”
Each of you has your own passionate fan base. How do you reach out to fans and build a consensus, especially now that you’re releasing a project together?
GUAYNAA: I think people want music.
PONS: Yes, they already have everything else on social media.
GUAYNAA: They ride the wave and surf with us. People want music, they’d like to hear music from us out there. I mean, there were many people last year who, for example — now that I told you how difficult it was — got upset at my fan base or Lele’s fan base: “Why aren’t they working? Why aren’t they making music? Oh, they’re more dedicated to their relationship than to their careers.” And it’s really that we had a disability — I couldn’t go out and sing with a hole here (points to his neck, referring to the injury from the car accident), and she couldn’t go out and sing with stitches in her belly. It was a very complicated scenario.
Guaynaa, if you could change something in the music industry right now, what would it be? [The singer parted ways with Universal Music and his previous management after releasing his debut album, La República, in 2021.]
GUAYNAA: I would require at least four years of [music business] studies, a master’s or bachelor’s degree for those who want to sing and enter the platforms. Because it seems quite unfair to me that because of ignorance errors an artist’s hard work is put at risk and therefore, their family’s sustenance — like a bad agreement, a bad contract. I have always said that this is like parenthood: First they give you the diploma and then you start studying. I would like for people to study first and then get their diploma.
TAAKK top, Versace pants, Prada shoes.
Mary Beth Koeth
Has your relationship with Lele or your greater social media presence influenced the way you make music today?
GUAYNAA: Definitely. There are many aspects in music, and I’ve always been a guy who goes out with reggaetón, then makes cumbia, salsa, alternative music… that’s the way I feel comfortable; that’s me and that’s my DNA. So, yes, I think it has given me another notion because I am aware of other things, I see other trends, and when I’m making music that’s leaning to that side, I already have some more knowledge.
How do you structure your businesses?
GUAYNAA: Our businesses are structured completely separately. We do give each other feedback and help each other, but she keeps her business structure on her side and I keep mine on my side.
PONS: Guaynaa is very good with finances, and he has a team that is very united, while I have experience in content creation and marketing. I help him with his social media, and he advises me on my finances, my business and, on many occasions, my personal decisions.
Lele, we know you more as an influencer than as a singer. How important is your music career to you right now, and what have you learned from Guaynaa as a musician?
PONS: My music career is very important. Now that I have a manager who is also in the music business and has had a lot of success, it’s like a new chapter that I want to try. And not only that, I love making music! But there has always been some sort of obstacle. For example, the hospital, or me having to do another project. Now I have a really good structure to put out a lot of songs, not just one every six months. And finally, I have someone like him (points affectionately to Guaynaa), who is my adviser and can help me more than anyone else.
Guaynaa, we have enjoyed seeing you showing your funny side with Lele on social media. What have you learned from her as a content creator?
GUAYNAA: I would say that I’ve learned about passion, attention, projection, planning. The vision that she has when carrying out a project is incredible. For me, she is the best content creator in the world.
PONS: Thanks, bebé. That’s because you love me.
GUAYNAA: It’s one of the things that I most admire about her, her ability to evolve. Because she started doing something, she grew and did other things, became bigger and did more. Reggaetón came knocking at her door looking for her creativity. Now she is in another facet, and her ability to reinvent herself is very admirable for me.
What has been the biggest challenge and the biggest advantage of working together?
GUAYNAA: The biggest challenge has basically been evolving in this ever-changing industry. And the greatest advantage, I would say that who we are as people: We have many friends, we enjoy the love and respect of many, and that makes it easier for us to work and get things done.
PONS: Being on the same page when he and I are very different in the way we work. For example, I like commercial songs, while he likes more artistic songs. This makes us the perfect team, because we come to an agreement and there is balance in every decision.
Lele, going back to the wedding, to what song are you going to walk down the aisle?
GUAYNAA: “Rompe, rompe…” (He sings the first lines of Daddy Yankee’s “Rompe,” which she loves, making her burst into laughter.)
PONS: “A Thousand Years” [by Christina Perri].
GUAYNAA: And for the first dance, “Bésame la boca… bésame la luna.” (He sings Ricardo Montaner’s romantic ballad “Bésame,” smiling proudly.) I chose it.
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