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In honor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off Nov. 20, Billboard has reached out to Latin artists who are big fútbol fans to ask what the sport means to them. For our second installment, we spoke to Ecuadorian pop singer Johann Vera, who is a self-declared soccer aficionado and is ready to support La Selección Ecuatoriana during the tournament. Below, read Vera’s “What Fútbol Means to Me,” as told to Billboard.
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My first memory with soccer, now that I’m thinking about it, was in Guayaquil in my house. I liked playing it in my backyard. I have to be honest, I’m not the biggest soccer fan but I understand the euphoria it causes and I’ve lived it, and I think that the feeling doesn’t compare to anything else. I remember that for Ecuador’s first World Cup in 2002, I was about six years old, and remember hearing the entire city screaming “goal” and celebrating. That emotion of seeing an entire country united is not produced by anything else. The country could be facing a bad situation but that goal changes everything.
I’ve always wanted to do a song for my country and I thought it was very important to bring that patriotic feeling. I feel that being an Ecuadorian artist living in the exterior, you realize how important and magical your country is. Ever since I began my career, I had my country and flag very present in everything I do. I worked on “Donde Nací” by myself — it’s a gift that I wanted to give to my country. This song, and the World Cup, bring positivity and joy to my country.
Once the song was done, I wanted to send it to the Ecuadorian Football Federation to see different ways I can promote it. Everyone loved the song but it was too late, and that’s when I changed the song’s chorus to: “They tell me no, I say yes, that’s how we are where I was born.” I believe that I owe this spirit of perseverance 100% to my country. I released the song only on social media, and a lot of people in my country began reacting to it and creating content with it, and I felt, at that moment, that I already won.
I’m a fan of la tri, of my team, because they represent my country. I feel that living in the exterior, your flag weighs more. I may not be the biggest soccer fan in the world but if la tri is playing, I’m there.
I’m confident that this will be the best World Cup for Ecuador. Winning the entire tournament may seem so unreachable, but why not? We have an incredible team. If Ecuador were to win the World Cup, it will signify so much. Going beyond fútbol, I think it will change the situation in our country and will mark a rebirth.
Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares have dropped their infectious and celebratory new World Cup song “Tukoh Taka.” Thriving on a jittery hook and a throbbing beat, the track — produced by Gordo, Play-N-Skillz and Massari — makes history as the first FIFA World Cup song featuring English, Spanish and Arabic lyrics.
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“I am so happy to be part of this FIFA World Cup anthem! I always dreamt of an opportunity like this,” Maluma said in a statement. “Representing Latin music on this global track alongside amazing artists that sing in English and Arabic, takes our culture to another level.”
Fares added: “‘Tukoh Taka’, the song that I was honored to participate in its composition, arrangement, and choreography, made me more passionate about it, in addition to working alongside two of my favorite international artists, Nicki Minaj and Maluma. I truly wish that ‘Tukoh Taka’ will be transmitting the Eastern culture and Arabian music to the whole world.”
On Saturday (Nov. 19), Maluma and Fares will perform the song together live for the first time at the opening of Doha’s FIFA Fan Festival.
This year, FIFA has released a handful of official songs for the 2022 World Cup. The first song was the uplifting track “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, which fuses R&B and reggae influences. The tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artists “showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration,” according to FIFA.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar’s tournament opener against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams representing different countries will participate. One team will be crowned the World Cup champion on Dec. 18.
A total of 18 musical performances took center stage at the 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17) including from heavy hitters such as Romeo Santos, Karol G, and Rosalia, to name a few.
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Thalia, Luis Fonsi, Laura Pausini, Sin Bandera, Carin Leon, Gente de Zona, Goyo, and Aymee Nuviola joined forces on stage for the evening’s grand opener, a tribute to person of the year Marco Antonio Solis.
An eclectic medley by Rauw Alejandro followed with his bangers “Lejos del Cielo,” “Mas de Una Vez,” “Desesperados,” and “Punto 40;” Christina Aguilera and Christian Nodal wowed the crowd with their power-vocals in “Cuando Me Dé la Gana;” and Karol G had the entire venue on their feet with her certified club bangers “Gatubela,” “Provenza,” and “Cairo;” to name a few.
In a soulful performance that united two generations of musicians, Carlos Vives, Camilo, Nicole Zignago and Silvana Estrada — who shared the best new artist win with Ángela Álvarez — gave the audience a new, more instrumental version of “Baloncito Viejo” that marked Vives’ and Camilo’s first-ever collaboration.
What was your favorite performance at the 23rd annual awards? Vote below!
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 in the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
While artists graced the red carpet, gave memorable speeches, and took center stage during the televised 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17) via Univision, here’s what Billboard observed behind the scenes.
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Check out the things you didn’t see on TV below:
1. A heartfelt moment. Yahritza y Su Esencia, the youngest-nominated best new artist at 15, and Angela Alvarez, the oldest best new artist nominee at 95, interchanged hugs and kisses on the red carpet. Later in the night, Alvarez and Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada tied for the coveted best new artist award.
2. Also on the carpet, Estrada expressed that one of her best moments of 2022 so far was when Rosalia DM’ed her on Instagram. “I did a poem and tagged her on my stories, and a couple of weeks later, she responded. I totally fangirled! Now I imagine us being the best of friends,” she laughed.
3. Meanwhile, we asked Nicki Nicole to describe the ultimate girl group if she were to be in one with two of her colleagues. “It would have to be Emilia Mernes because she’s a great dancer, and going to think very big here, but I would love it to be Karol G. She’s amazing!”
4. At the media center, best new artist nominee Angela Alvarez crooned the crowd with her powerhouse vocals. “I never took singing lessons. This is my natural voice,” she said to the press. Estrada, who said backstage that she dedicates the award to her mom and women everywhere, felt honored to share the best new artist award with Alvarez. “She reminds me a lot of my mother, who abandoned so many things to become a mom. And this award is a call to hope that there are no limits.”
Silvana Estrada; Angela Alvarez
Mindy Small/WireImage; Frazer Harrison/GI
5. The night’s big winner, Jorge Drexler, expressed backstage how he’s a big admirer of Bad Bunny’s work and even joked about wanting to do a reggaeton album himself. “I like it a lot,” he said of the genre. “We are a continent that has a wide musical record.”
6. Rauw Alejandro was rooting for his girlfriend Rosalia from afar while she talked to the press at the media center. The Spanish singer, who nabbed the coveted album of the year for Motomami, expressed how important it is for her to have the support of her loved ones.
7. The media backstage loudly chanted and sang to Los Bukis‘ “Tu Carcel” as we watched their special closing performance from the media center.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
Romeo Santos was as vulnerable as ever during his 2022 Latin Grammys performance where he took the stage, with bottle in hand, to perform “Bebo.”
The bachata anthem is a sorrowful and emotional heartbreak track. Santos was playing into the song, by drinking his sorrows away onstage. “I know I’m a bit drunk but a drunk person always tells the truth,” he said in the middle of his performance. Of course, pretending to be drunk was part of his performance but the bachatero proved to be a great actor and stuck to the role to the very end when he fell onstage.
The track is part of art of the “King of Bachata’s” newest album Fórmula, Vol. 3, which was released in September and is home to 21 tracks. The new set flaunts the ever-experimental Santos taps into hip-hop, trap, tango, merengue and regional Mexican without losing touch of his bachata essence.
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Bad Bunny leads this year’s list of nominees with 10 nods. Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera followed closely with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro with eight; and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler and Tainy with seven.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Thursday (Nov. 17) at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
Eight months after unleashing their first-ever collaboration, Sebastian Yatra and John Legend debuted the track live for the first time at the 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17).
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Accompanied by 10 female dancers dressed in long blazers and top hats, and with a full-on cabaret stage setting, Yatra and Legend’s bromance oozed as they sang the feel-good Spanglish bop live. Both artists not only flaunted their vocal chemistry on stage but also rocked matching bow ties.
Yatra and Legend performed the track shortly after Yatra won best vocal pop album for Dharma.
“John is miraculously talented and musically he can go anywhere. He’s someone I admire, and vocal-wise, it’s very intriguing to see how he’s going to sound in a song like this because of his vocal capacity,” Yatra previously told Billboard.
Legend wrote the English lyrics to the song, which Yatra originally co-wrote with Juan Jo, Lofty, Manuel Lara, and Pablo.
“When you have a song you love so much, you want to give it to someone who has a stroke of genius like John has, and who will keep the essence instead of just a translation,” adds Yatra.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Thursday (Nov. 17) in the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
Karol G brought her star power to the 2022 Latin Grammys. The Colombian star delivered a standout performance, which had the entire crowd on their toes for nearly the entirety of her set.
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Karol kicked off her five-minute-plus set singing the reggaeton anthem “Gatubela” surrounded by her fierce dancers who adored her equally fierce leader. She then lit-up the crowd with her Afrobeat-powered “Provenza,” which is up for both record and song of the year. With this track, she became the first woman to replace herself at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in May when it traded places with “Mamiii,” with Becky G.
Karol, who won best new artist at the Latin Grammys in 2018, ended her performance with a high-energy rendition of her latest single “Cairo” with her go-to producer Ovy on the Drums taking the stage with her for the song, released Nov. 13.
Bad Bunny leads this year’s list of nominees with 10 nods. Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera followed closely with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro with eight; and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler and Tainy with seven.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Thursday (Nov. 17) at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
Rosalía meant business at the Latin Grammys blessing fans with a medley that included “Hentai,” “La Fama” and “Despechá.” “Hentai” is up for song of the year, and “La Fama” with The Weeknd is up for record of the year.
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The Spaniard, who initially wore an oversized red coat and statement glasses, kicked off her set playing the piano and performing the powerful “Hentai.” She then took off her coat to unveil an all black latex bodysuit to perform her bachata “La Fama” in front of a malleable white canvas. Then, she got everyone on their feet — including Marco Antonio Solís, Christian Nodal and Rauw Alejandro who were all front row — with her infectious mambo “Despechá.” She even shared a special dance with her boyfriend Alejandro who, as her number one fan, cheered her on.
Rosalía is this year’s most-nominated female artist. Besides song and record of the year, she’s also up for album of the year with Motomami.
Bad Bunny leads this year’s list of nominees with 10 nods. Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera followed closely with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro with eight; and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler and Tainy with seven.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.
Angela Alvarez is 95 years old. Silvana Estrada is 25 years old.
Both do acoustic-leaning music that’s bound to the traditions of their respective home countries: Cuba for Alvarez, Mexico for Estrada. On Thursday night (Nov. 18), the two met on the stage of the 2022 Latin Grammys, tying to win for best new artist.
Estrada, who has been lauded as one of the bright new voices of Latin music, was a big favorite to win the award. As for Alvarez, the evening was an emotional conclusion in her very unlikely quest for not only a Latin Grammy, but one in the best new artist category at age 95.
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Voters’ vacillation between a long career ahead and the thrill of honoring a career found late in life was evident in the voting results.
“I didn’t prepare a speech,” said a tearful Estrada, who grew up with luthier parents and writes exquisite songs. “But as a woman, this award was already ours, especially with this woman by my side. It’s important to represent for the new generations, that they know it’s worthwhile to fight.”
Estrada, the first Latin artist signed to indie Glassnote Records, ended her speech with a thank you to her parents, “For teaching me that music is worthwhile and that one has to live life with happiness.”
Alvarez was not tearful when she gave her prepared speech. With eyes and voice clear, she methodically thanked a long list of people, including actor and director Andy García, for taking her to this moment.
She ended by specifically thanking her grandson, standing beside her.
“He was the one who helped me get here,” she said (her grandson was the person who encouraged Alvarez, at 95, to record her music). “And I want to dedicate this award to God, and to my beloved Cuba, which I will never forget. And to those who have yet to make their dreams come true, know that although life is hard, there’s always a way out and with faith and love everything can be achieved. I promise you, it’s never too late.”
The audience gave both a standing ovation.
One of the best performances of the night at Thursday’s (Nov. 17) Latin Grammys included four artists onstage: Carlos Vives, Camilo, best new artist nominee Nicole Zignago and one of the best new artist winners, Silvana Estrada.
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The four artists took the stage to sing a gorgeous version of Vives and Camilo’s “Baloncito Viejo.” In a soulful performance that united two generations of musicians, Vives, Camilo, Zignago and Estrada — who shared the best new artist win with Ángela Álvarez — gave the audience a new, more instrumental version of the song that marked Vives’ and Camilo’s first-ever collaboration.
Over the summer, the tropo-pop track peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart and is up for record of the year, song of the year and best pop song at the awards show.
Bad Bunny leads this year’s list of nominees with 10 nods. Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera followed closely with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro with eight; and Christina Aguilera, Jorge Drexler and Tainy with seven.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.