State Champ Radio Latin Artist on the Rise
As Peso Pluma‘s main songwriter, Roberto Laija penned some of the Mexican star’s early hits, including “El Belicon,” “Siempre Pendientes,” “PRC” and “AMG,” all of which helped catapult the artist to the top of the global charts.
Now, after writing multiple corridos-turned-anthems, and becoming a bonafide hitmaker, Laija — who is also Peso’s cousin — is forging his own path as a singer. While he’ll continue to write songs for Peso, he’s laser-focused on honing his performing skills and developing his career as an artist. Today, he’s no longer just Peso’s cousin or “the guy who writes songs for Peso,” as he says people would identify him, he’s Tito Double P.
“I never thought I’d be a songwriter, much less an artist, but music was something that was always on my mind,” says Tito Double P over a Zoom interview. “As a kid, I was good with rhymes — and when I got to high school, I learned to play the guitar, because you either chose to do sports, learn chess or take guitar classes. I chose guitar, then chess — but never sports,” he adds with a laugh.
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Born and raised in Culiacán, Sinaloa, the first song he ever wrote came in the way of a corrido, as a favor to a friend, although he didn’t thinking anything of it. “I took the info he gave me to write the lyrics, created a guitar tune and it wasn’t a bad song. I got excited and I wrote another corrido. But these were always just for me, I never showed them to anyone or had anyone record them for me, until Hassan (Peso’s real name) came along.”
By then it was 2021 and Peso was looking to start his career. He had seen Tito singing in videos he uploaded to social media, so he hit his cousin up. “I told him to come over to Culiacán,” Tito remembers. “I had some corridos written, he asked me to sing one and I was so shy, but I sang ‘El Belicon’ for him. He liked it and said, ‘Let me sing it.’ We recorded it that same day, and it was the first song that I had given to someone to record — it was a boom.”
The song entered Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in April 2022, becoming Peso’s big first hit. Initially, Tito thought it was just beginner’s luck. But by the second hit “Siempre Pendientes” and then the third “El Gavilán,” he started to really believe it; he was a songwriter. “This is what I’m meant to do,” he says he realized.
While collecting hit after hit, Peso and other artists encouraged Tito to sing. He was hesitant, but taking that “let’s see what happens” mentality that went into writing songs, he’s applying it to this new era in his career. He was set to make his debut as a músican mexicana artist on Peso’s Génesis with “Gavilán II” and “La People,” but an audio of a dembow-inspired song he had written and recorded leaked and went viral on TikTok. He released it as a single in June 2023, in collaboration with Luis R Conriquez and Joel De La P. Since, he’s released a handful of songs, including team-ups with other acts like Gabito Ballesteros and Jasiel Nuñez.
Tito Double P scored his very first entry on the Hot 100 earlier this month, thanks to “La People II,” with Peso Pluma and Joel De La P, which debuted at No. 69 on the all-genre tally. “I was afraid to sing at first, and it wasn’t like I was looking to be a singer — but it happened, and it happened well, and now I enjoy it,” Tito says today. “It’s been a process, but after singing on a stage, I want to keep going.”
With his commanding hoarse vocals, a distinctive sound (powered by a trombone and an accordion) and a record deal with Double P Records (launched by Peso last summer), Tito Double P is already on his way to making a name for himself in a crowded field of a new generation of regional Mexican hitmakers. He’s currently working on his debut album, which he says will be a mostly regional Mexican album and will include duets. “Everything has come in a very natural way for me,” Tito says. “At the label we work as a family, we support each other’s ideas, and that makes you feel really confident, like you can’t miss.”
Below, learn more about April’s Latin Artist on the Rise:
Name: Roberto Laija
Age: 26
Recommended Song: “’La People,’ because that’s when everything changed. Before I was Peso’s cousin, the guy who writes songs for Peso. ‘La People’ was everywhere and that’s when I became Tito Double P.”
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Major Accomplishment: “I feel part of Peso Pluma, and that’s the biggest accomplishment, in a nutshell. It’s something that we are all very proud of. And well now also kicking off my career as Tito Double P.”
What’s Next: “This year I started working on my upcoming album. I’m more focused, the production quality will be another level, it’ll be a totally different Tito Double P.”
Venesti was only 11 years old when he realized he loved music — after writing love letters to his school crush and discovering Don Omar for the first time.
“I thought to myself, ‘Why not sing about the things I write about?’” he tells Billboard. “I had already become a poet trying to win over this girl. That was when I got the curiosity to turn those poems into melody and want to make songs. That’s how I discovered that this was my passion and that I vibe with music.”
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At 14, the artist born Faiber Stiven Caicedo Castro (his artistic name is a play on words of his middle name) made the brave decision to move from his native Guapi, Cauca (located in the Pacific of Colombia) to Cali — a.k.a. the world capital of salsa — to learn music. There, he became the vocalist of a salsa orchestra and even tested the waters as a bachata singer, before finding his own sound in 2018, at the age of 22.
“I began to look not for what people like as such, but for what I like and that can identify me as an artist,” he explains. “I started to explore the music of my roots, African and Pacific, and found a nice middle point that’s a fresh Caribbean sound with Colombian fusions and African flow.”
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Venesti recalls working on about 20 songs at home before deciding to knock on doors. Once he felt confident enough in his project — and backed by the support of his mother and older brother — he traveled to Medellīn, where the music industry has a strong presence. Along the way, he came across producers and artists who gave him his first opportunities, but also music executives who turned out to be scammers. He admits that although he invested more than $15,000 and had many debts, he refused to give up on his dream.
And it was then, in a leap of faith in 2022, that his feel-good Afro-Colombian tunes got to the ears of music business mogul Pablo Casal. In 2023, he signed his first record label deal with AP Global Music.
“He’s one of the people who has helped my music reach another level. He has a very nice way of teaching,” Venesti says of Casal. “I’ve perfected my art, partially, thanks to him. Because he has put a lot of effort into it, and we’ve had a very cool connection from the beginning.”
The Colombian newcomer has since charted with four songs across the Billboard charts, including “Umaye,” his first No. 1 ever on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart, and most recently with “No Es Normal” (in collaboration with Nacho and Maffio), which topped the Latin Pop Airplay for seven weeks.
“That has been my greatest achievement…to find a team that is a family,” he notes. “I am very lucky. I feel that with them, I’m going to go very far and achieve all the goals I set myself.”
Below, learn more about February’s Latin Artist on the Rise:
Name: Faiber Stiven Caicedo Castro
Age: 28
Recommended Song: “No Es Normal” (Venesti, Nacho & Maffio)
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Major Accomplishment: Up to now, Venesti says that his three career highlights are being nominated at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro for best urban song (the award went to Feid and Young Miko’s “Classy 101”), having multiple Billboard chart entries and finding a solid work team who is honest and believes in his vision.
What’s Next: “[I’m going to] continue working on the album,” he assures. “I feel that it’s very fresh and has everything for people to identify with, wonderful songs and stories. Continue sharing all my music on stage — and you can expect a lot of music from Venesti, because I’m working for that every day.”
“These are real life situations,” Xavi tells Billboard Español, reflecting on the inspiration behind his gut-wrenching and fiery chart-topper “La Victima.” “I feel like we all go through obstacles or things like that in life. Sometimes you have to make songs out of that.”
In the booming landscape of música mexicana, Xavi, a 19-year-old Phoenix native, has rapidly emerged as a force to be reckoned with. His 2024 breakout, with the viral hits “La Diabla” and “La Víctima,” marks not just a high point in his career, but also a redefinition of genre boundaries.
Yet his story is one of triumph over adversity, marked by a life-altering accident and a bicultural upbringing that has influenced his musical craft.
His musical journey began in the church pews, watching his grandfather sing with a passion that ignited his own love for music. “Since we were little, we used to go to church with my grandparents,” he says. “Just seeing my grandpa playing with so much passion — and the truth is that when he sang, he sang with feeling, he sang with love and he did it for God. I remember that day I fell in love with music.”
This early exposure, coupled with influences from Mexican crooner bands like Camila and Sin Bandera and global pop icons like Justin Bieber, shaped his diverse musical palette. Despite a challenging childhood marked by his parents’ separation and living between Phoenix and Sonora, Mexico, Xavi found solace and expression in music.
A pivotal moment in Xavi’s life came with a near-fatal car accident at the age of 16. This harrowing experience, which resulted in a cracked skull and changed facial structure, could have been a setback. Instead, it became a source of inspiration.
“God gave me a second chance to go on and try harder,” he shares. “I saw it initially as a negative, but it ultimately changed my mindset. Now, I’m grateful for every moment I have.”
Videos of Xavi, bandaged and playing guitar while recovering, went viral on TikTok, deepening his connection with fans and marking the beginning of his rise as a tumbados románticos pioneer, inspired by Natanael Cano’s groundbreaking corridos tumbados which Xavi discovered on SoundCloud a few years ago. With his riveting blend of rebellious guitar-driven corridos infused with romantic lyrics, Xavi is not just riding the wave of Latin music; he is crafting his own niche.
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The teen signed with Interscope Records in 2021 and began releasing a string of singles that showcase his unique subgenre that blends corridos tumbados with a poignant emotional depth.
His 2023 summer EP, My Mom’s Playlist — a tribute to his mother which features renditions of Latin pop and rock en español classics she loved — reflects his deep-rooted family values, and the support he receives from the. Meanwhile, his chart-topping singles testify to his no-holds-barred lyrical prowess and bewitching vocals, leading to his Billboard chart breakthrough.
At the end of December, Xavi debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with not one but two entries: “La Diabla” and “La Víctima,” which have since reached peaks of No. 22 and No. 55, respectively. His global appeal is further evidenced by his presence on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, with “La Diabla” reaching the top five on both.
Backed by management that aligns with his vision, Xavi’s future in the industry looks bright. As he gears up for an upcoming tour and continues to release new music, his philosophy remains grounded: “I live each day as if it’s my last, as tomorrow is never promised,” he asserts.
An extended version of this interview was published Jan. 29.
Name: Joshua Xavier Gutiérrez
Age: 19
Recommended Song: “Right now I like them all. But the one you really have to listen to is “La Diabla” because we made it with a lot of love for you.”
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Major Accomplishment: “Since we were kids, my brother [Fabio Capri] and I used to make music. There came a time when we stopped and thank God music reconnected us.”
What’s Next? “We’re going to be releasing surprises on our platform soon. There will be a lot of new stuff coming out for you to listen to.”
At 8 years old, Joaquina wrote her first song. She can’t remember the name, only that it was in English and that she felt so embarrassed at the thought that her parents could see it, that she tore the page out of the notebook, crumpled it and threw it away. “I would love to go back in time and not have done that,” she admits today. This month, at 19, she won the coveted Latin Grammy Award for best new artist. She was also nominated for best singer-songwriter album for her debut EP, Los Mejores Años.
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Joaquina was part of the first class of graduates from producer Julio Reyes Copello’s Art House Academy before signing a record deal with Universal Music Latin. A well-rounded artist who writes her own music, she sings primarily about teenage angst in indie pop/rock songs like “Rabia,” “Niñas de Instagram,” “Los Mejores Años” and her most recent single, “Quise Quererte.” She has already opened for well-known stars such as Alejandro Sanz and Fonseca, and Juanes included a song written by her (“La Versión En Mi Cabeza”) on his latest album, Un Día Normal.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela and raised from the age of 6 in Miami, Joaquina Blavia Canabal (her full name) grew up between music, theater and ballet lessons. There were no instrumentalists or singers in her family, but they were all lovers of the arts in general. “I also always loved reading and reciting poetry,” she tells Billboard Español. “I was always very studious — I always loved school, really. I was always very nerdy.”
A nerd with a rock soul, inspired by singer-songwriters like Avril Lavigne, she began posting Instagram videos of herself singing covers of others at 11. At 13, she began writing her own music while playing in bands with school friends. “I did it very much for fun, but I knew I wanted to do this [professionally] one day. I always knew,” she says.
At the age of 15 she looked for a producer to help her record her first songs, and in El Doral she found the small studio of Eduardo Stambury. “He was very nice to me. I didn’t know anything about recording, I didn’t know anything about the music industry,” Joaquina recalls. In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, she released “Primer Amor,” a song with which she admits she does not relate to today, but which served as a starting point.
The pandemic was a defining moment for Joaquina’s budding career. In times of quarantine, while she was studying high school remotely from home (or even from the recording studio), she dedicated most of her time to writing songs and continued posting on social media, where others began to notice her work. “That’s how I got my first opportunity to go to a session in Miami to write for another artist, [a 12-year-old girl in Venezuela who I don’t know if she ended up recording the song], but I got many more opportunities from there,” she explains. She was only 16 at the time.
When the time to apply to college arrived, she thought she would study music at an institution like Berklee, UM or USC. But then a friend told her about Julio Reyes Copello, and the new program that the renowned Colombian producer was creating in Miami at the time. “It was like, ‘Obviously,’” she says. “My mom, like a mother hen, wrote to Julio — we sent him some demos and some music links — and Julio replied, saying ‘Hey, how nice, I loved it, come to the studio.’”
Joaquina got the last available spot at Reyes Copello’s academy, and took its two programs simultaneously (for sound production and engineering, and as a music artist), while finishing her last year of high school online. At the end of a very intense year, she signed with Universal and made her debut.
Learn more about our November Latin Artist on the Rise below.
Name: Joaquina
Age: 19
Recommended Song: “Los Mejores Años” — “It’s a song I wrote when I was 17, when I was about to graduate from high school. Although I am very extroverted and I love to socialize, I am also very private and it’s difficult for me to talk about my fears, my thoughts, and ‘Los Mejores Años’ was a big relief song for me. It helped me a lot to understand many things I was feeling in a time of normal transition in everyone’s life. It’s a bit that concept of feeling the fear of growing up for the first time in your life. The title has a double meaning: Everyone tells you to enjoy your teenage years, that they are the best years in life, but the truth is I didn’t have such a good time at school 100% of the time — I had many doubts and I would wonder, ‘But why are these the best years of my life?’ This is what the song is about.”
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Major Accomplishment: “The Latin Grammy. It was one of those moments when time stops and you are in front of so much, and you feel like your head is pounding and everything is like in slow motion. Out of nowhere I started seeing everything in slow motion. I felt like I entered an alternate reality (laughs). The truth is that I didn’t expect it. Seriously, honestly, I didn’t expect it.”
Joaquina poses with the award for Best New Artist in the media center for The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre on Nov. 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain.
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What’s Next: “Right now I’m working on my album, an upcoming project that will be released around mid-next year. There will be new music in about two months.”
Since debuting with her single “Por Siempre” in 2018, Kenia OS has been making a name for herself in the music industry, via Billboard-charting hits like “Mi Salida Contigo” with Ha*Ash and “Malas Decisiones.”
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The Mexican singer-songwriter, who became known as a content creator on her YouTube channel (where she has 12 million subscribers) and later on TikTok (where 18.9 million users follow her), says that the desire to dedicate herself to music did not arrive at a specific moment, but it was developed over time.
“It was something that I liked to do, like recording videos, being in front of the cameras… and little by little I feel that it became my job and something more tangible,” she tells Billboard Español. “And things started to happen faster and I think it was like a roller coaster that I went on and it has never ended.”
Although she defines herself as a person who is clear about what works for her and what she likes, at first she had a hard time finding her musical style. The battle in her mind between taking the path of the most popular genres of the moment and her own tastes was soon resolved when she released the pop single “Malas Decisiones,” which has 170 million streams on Spotify. “When ‘Malas Decisiones’ was released and exploded on social media … I realized that people liked pop, and the pop that I was doing. It’s when I realized it was the path I wanted to take,” she says.
Kenia OS considers herself a disciplined and responsible artist with her work. Her years as an influencer have also been key to gaining confidence and familiarity in front of the public. “I do a lot of things with love, with a lot of passion for my fans, and I think that is reflected [in my music],” she says. “And I help people heal through my art — or well, that’s what they tell me.”
On Aug. 2, the artist renewed her contract with Sony Music Mexico and 5020 Records, with whom she worked with for her two 2022 albums, Cambios de Luna and K23, and on this year’s short film Universo K23 — in which she presents the journeys of her alter ego, K23. In addition, she has collaborated with artists like Thalia, with whom she recently released a new version of “Para No Verte Más”.
“Mi Salida Contigo” peaked at No. 16 on Billboard‘s Latin Pop Airplay in March, while “Malas Decisiones” entered the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. (No. 94) and the Billboard Global 200 (No. 176) that same month. The singer is currently on the road with her K23 Tour, which includes stops in various cities in Mexico and Central America. This year, she also won three Premios Juventud awards: The New Female Generation, Best Fandom and I Want More.
Kenia OS is clear about how she sees herself in a few years: “In the future, I think I see myself as a 360 artist doing different projects. As much as acting, music, my brands, I also see myself with a solid career, with a solid name,” she says. “In my personal life, I don’t know. I’ll go with the flow.”
Below, learn more about August’s Latin Artist on the Rise.
Name: Kenia Guadalupe Flores Osuna
Age: 24 years
Recommended Song: “Lovelove U.” “After ‘Malas Decisiones’ which is totally pop, I realized — because I was a little not reluctant but confused, since reggaetón, urban, all of these are so popular right now, and I never felt 100% comfortable doing them,” she explains. “When ‘Malas Decisiones’ emerged and exploded on social media, I realized that people liked the pop and the pop that I was doing. I realized that it was the path I wanted to take, and ‘Lovelove U’ started from that, from continuing to do pop and staying true to myself.”
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Major Accomplishment: “My biggest achievement right now I think has been… Eh, I have several. [Laughs.] But I think it’s the K23 Tour. Also, the K23 short film that was awarded [at the Cannes World Film Festival and at the Berlin Indie Film Festival], and the Premios Juventud that I won this year”.
What’s Next: “With my music, new releases are coming. I don’t know if collaborations, to be honest, but my releases, yes.”
Peso Pluma is 10 minutes early to his Zoom interview with Billboard.
It’s not super common for an artist to appear on the screen right on time, much less earlier than expected — but the Mexican corridos performer is eager to start the interview and talk about “all the crazy” stuff that’s been happening in his short but rapidly ascending career. “Everything is happening so fast,” the 23-year-old artist says. “I’m as excited about everything as I am scared. I’m just enjoying the moment. I think I’m doing all right.”
It’s safe to say that Peso Pluma is doing just fine. In the past year alone, Peso signed with indie label Prajin Records, his first record deal, and has so far placed nine songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including three top 10s: corridos anthem “AMG” with Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros, his slowed-down sierreño track “Por Las Noches” and “PRC” with Cano. He scored his first global chart hit, with the Luis R Conriquez-assisted “Siempre Pendientes,” it reached No. 155 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 174 on the Global 200.
“It took me a while to assimilate what was happening,” says Peso, who has 216 million on-demand official streams in the U.S., according to Luminate. “To see my name on the charts, to see my name next to really important artists, I always dreamed with this. I know it’s all happening so fast, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop working hard. On the contrary, I feel obligated to continue delivering hits.”
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Peso Pluma (who prefers not to share his real name) doesn’t come from an artistic family and learned to navigate this complex world on his own. Inspired by artists such as the late sierreño icon Ariel Camacho, Peso learned to play the guitar at age 15 by watching videos on YouTube. Then he started writing.
“Ever since I was a kid, I would write down my emotions because it was like therapy for me,” he explains. “I used to have a diary and my friends would make fun of me — because that’s considered ‘girly’ — but it worked for me. That’s where I’d write how I was feeling, then I realized some stuff would rhyme. I kept practicing and became better with time.”
Showcasing his blunt style of writing corridos about the highs and lows of life and his ability to also be vulnerable in a song, has caught the attention of Argentine rapper and singer Nicki Nicole and Colombian hitmaker Ovy on the Drums, who’ve recently teamed up with Peso for collaborations.
“Those that know me know that I love reggaetón, it’s what I listen to the most,” he says. “I was positive I’d do a reggaetón song with Ovy, but then they told me that he wanted to do regional Mexican. I was shocked, because he’s a renowned producer who wants to do Mexican music. I added my style, he added his and I love the song.”
Promising to deliver more star-studded collaborations, Peso also has his eyes set on global domination. “I feel like Mexican Music has come close to really going international, but it hasn’t fully happened yet. The United States isn’t everything. I want to go to Brazil, Spain, Argentina. I’m up for the challenge. The regional Mexican artist is emerging — we’re growing within the industry, you can’t deny that anymore.”
Below, meet this month’s Latin Artist on the Rise:
Age: 23
Recommended Song: “If you want to know all about Peso Pluma, listen to ‘AMG.’ You’ll then want to listen everything else.”
Major Accomplishment: “What a good question. I hadn’t thought about this. I think everything. To see my name on the charts. These past few days have been crazy because I keep thinking about all that’s happened. I’m really excited to show everyone what I can do but all in its time.”
What’s Next: “We have more collaborations coming. There’s one that I’m super excited about. You guys are going to love it, and I’m sure it’ll hit No. 1.”
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