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Nathy Peluso may not have salsa music in her blood, but she shines with the force of a hurricane on her new traditional salsa EP, Malportada. The Argentine-Spanish artist — best known for her Latin urban, alternative music songs with hints of neo soul and R&B — discovered the tropical genre during her teenage years while buying vinyl records in Madrid. Since then, she says she’s been “hooked.”

“When I started going to vinyl markets, I began buying and researching,” Peluso tells Billboard Español, noting that the first album to make a strong impression on her was Rey Barretto’s Indestructible (1973). “From there, I discovered Fania [Records] and all of its stars.”

Released on Oct. 17 under Sony Music España, Malportada was primarily produced by Peluso, Manuel Lara, and Servando Primera, and has that old-school salsa music sound with contemporary elements. Through six songs, ranging from “A Caballo” and “Insensata” to “Ángel” and “Malportada” with Rawayana, the singer challenges the male-dominated narrative that has historically characterized the genre, showcasing her vocal skills. With her powerful voice and hypnotic interpretative quality, Peluso seems tailor-made for this.

“I feel like I am — it’s a genre that I really enjoy singing. It’s demanding, and I like feeling challenged by what I sing,” says the five-time Latin Grammy winner, noting that she’s also a fan of bolero and ballads. “I think I’ve spent my entire life preparing to sing this album. It wasn’t something I had to suddenly prepare for — it’s something I’ve been training and studying for my whole life, so when the time came to do it, it felt natural, not forced.”

Peluso, who also recently collaborated with Gloria Estefan on the remix of the tropical track “Chirriqui Chirri,” released in September, has been exposed to a variety of rhythms over the years — both Latin and non-Latin. Born in Luján, Argentina, she has said she grew up listening to artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, João Gilberto, and Atahualpa Yupanqui. She emigrated to Spain with her family at the age of 9, first settling in Alicante, a place she says “was full of immigrants at that time,” before moving to Barcelona.

“I was surrounded by so many Latin cultures: Peruvians, Colombians, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, and of course, Argentinians. So I think that’s where Latin music became very natural for me, because when you visit a friend’s house, that music was always playing,” she explains.

As for salsa, she says she’s “a big fan of traditional salsa, especially Puerto Rican salsa. I also love Colombian salsa. I just love salsa in general.” For Malportada, she wanted to explore the different styles of the genre she enjoys consuming, “which is like a more — how do I put it? — a more aggressive, more rap-like salsa, like Juanito Alimaña. That more barrio-style salsa.”

“Then there’s the more romantic salsa, the more melodic Frankie [Ruiz]-style, which doesn’t tell the story of a character as much but rather conveys feelings,” she continues. “And then there’s perhaps the kind of salsa that’s more about lifting people up, more social, like [the track on the EP] ‘Que Lluevan Flores.’”

Nominated again for two Latin Grammys this year — best urban performance/urban fusion for “De Maravisha” with Tokischa, and best urban song for “Xq Eres Así” with Álvaro Díaz — Peluso might appear next year for the first time in tropical music categories with Malportada.

“I hope so,” she says about the idea. “Especially because that always means the music is reaching people. I always interpret it that way, as my peers valuing it, the music world recognizing it. I’d love it, honestly, because [this EP] was made with so much respect and also with the intention of helping and contributing my little grain of sand so that salsa reaches as far as possible.”

Peluso is among the artists confirmed to perform at the 26th edition of the Latin Grammys, which will air live on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Las Vegas via TelevisaUnivision platforms.

Trending on Billboard 2025 will be a year marked by a moment that went viral on the internet: that of a musician who swept the streets in the early mornings in Mexico City and who, with a video on TikTok, managed to connect with millions through an uplifting song, “Sueña Lindo,” and his personal story. […]

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Carlos Rivera chose the Day of the Dead celebration to launch VIDA, a six-song EP filled with nostalgia, delving into mariachi, sierreño and even tumbado music. The Mexican pop star, born in Huamantla, a small town in the state of Tlaxcala, recently presented this material there, proudly showcasing his roots.

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“I want the world to know more about my country’s traditions,” Rivera tells Billboard Español. “We Mexicans celebrate the lives of those who have passed away in a very unique way, with flavors, colors, and music.”

“Mexico is mariachi, Día de Muertos,” adds the singer of “Recuérdame,” a song that was part of the Disney-Pixar animated film Coco (2017), famous for celebrating the way Mexicans deal with the subject of death. “I always thought that if I was going to do a project like this, it had to be looking at life from a different angle. This EP is inspired by loss and grief.”

Released by Sony Music Mexico on Oct. 30, VIDA opens with “Larga Vida,” a song about enjoying every moment with our loved ones. It includes a collaboration with Ana Bárbara accompanied by traditional mariachi, “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” about trying to forget someone without success. And songs like “Calavera,” a huapango about denying death, and “Alguien,” which talks about being used to replace someone.

The singer says that after his father passed away three years ago, he began composing and searching for songs as a form of catharsis to ease the pain a little and help others who have been through the same situation.

“There are a couple of songs I wrote for my dad when he died,” he says. “One of them is ‘No Es Para Menos,’ in which I talk about the pain coming all at once so that whatever needs to hurt hurts and the suffering ends. In ‘Almas,’ the guitars practically cry from the beginning; the lyrics are about the absence of a person when they leave and places like an armchair are left empty.”

With “Larga Vida,” the focus track, “rather than honoring those who died, I wanted to talk about the importance of enjoying those who are alive and whom we never want to see leave,” Rivera explains. “Originally it was with guitar, which was very beautiful, but I thought we could put more energy into the requinto. So it sounded very sierreño and even tumbado, but using mariachi instruments.”

Regarding the only collaboration on the EP — “Cuento de Nunca Acabar,” with regional Mexican star Ana Bárbara — he says: “From the very beginning, I thought of her to sing it together. Her style of practically crying the songs fit perfectly.”

After participating in the soundtrack for Coco, Rivera had sporadically experimented with regional Mexican music. He did so with mariachi on that occasion and in “100 años” with Maluma. Later, in 2023, he invited Carín León and Edén Muñoz to accompany him on “Alguien Me Espera en Madrid,” and in early 2025, he released “Tu Amor Es Mío” with Fato and Alfredo Olivas.

“I love the genre. It’s my roots, and I want to take it everywhere,” says Rivera. “Fortunately, my music is heard in many places in Latin America and Europe, so I want to take the whole concept of VIDA on my next tour.”

He revealed that he is putting together a band of musicians that will include mariachi, and that he will also perform in palenques. The two-year tour will begin in 2026, during which the artist with two decades of experience will bring his fans hits such as “Que Lo Nuestro Se Quede Nuestro,” “Te Esperaba,” and “Me Muero.” The dates will be announced in the coming weeks.