latin music week
Alexander Sánchez has strong — and emotional — opinions about his famous dad, Alejandro Sanz. Alex (as his dad calls him) was a surprise guest at his father’s Icon Q&A during Latin Music Week on Oct. 16, when he walked on stage after it became known that he was watching from the wings. Once there, […]
Yandel recruited colleagues and industry friends De La Ghetto, Dei Vi, El Coyote, and Roberto Andrade for the ELYTE: The Beginning and Future of the Genre panel at 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week on Friday (Oct. 18).
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Presented by Warner Music Latina, the reggaeton artists and executives talked about the booming success of Latin urban music. Below, check out some notable highlights.
The Beginning of Reggaetón
Yandel: “Like every artist, you have someone to follow and learn from. For me, one of the leaders was Vico C. I loved his musical style because it was commercial, he set an example, and he had lyrical content. Then I fell in love with perreo when there were duos like Baby Rasta & Gringo, Hector & Tito. I followed Daddy Yankee a lot. For me, reggaeton music was love at first sight. When I got to know that flavor and was able to write about what was happening in the streets, that’s when I fell in love even more. Reggaeton music is in its moment right now.”
Roberto: “I was working in radio in Colombia in 1997. I went to Bogotá to study and work at Tropicana Estereo, which was a salsa station, and I remember between 2002 and 2005, I was a DJ and the programmer would tell us ‘you’re going to play this hourly’ and it was “Gasolina,” “Rakata” or “Felina.” It was a reggaeton hit hourly on a salsa and tropical music schedule. Then they went to a crossover and ended up on a 100% urban music station. […] I want to thank the movement that happened in Panama and plant that great seed, but it was definitely the island, Puerto Rico, that internationalized it.”
The Present & Future
Dei V: “Artists like De La, Yandel and all those who came before me opened those doors. It’s a little easier for us with streaming, but if they hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t be here blessed the way we are. I’m not the only one. A lot of the kids who are coming out now have charged $5,000 for their first parties.”
Yandel: “I always identify with the youth. I always like to be where the youth is and what they are doing. It really catches my attention because they also respect me and I feel that they approach me with respect. For me that is a reward… that the new generation wants to record with me after so many years of working hard.”
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De La Ghetto: “I always tell everyone to ‘study the greats’. I studied Wisin & Yandel, Yankee, Hector y Tito, Don Omar, Zion y Lennox a lot. From my perspective, when Wisin & Yandel came out, they were the first to make videos with Jessy Terrero, the first to see themselves as American artists. In the late 90s, early 2000s, we saw American hip-hop artists as impossible to get to where they were. These people [Wisin y Yandel] started to invest in their careers, not waiting for record labels, not waiting for anyone. That’s where the change in the genre took place because they made the genre more expensive in the sense of seeing us as the same as American artists. You have to invest in your career, in your image, your clothes, your creams at night. It’s part of your job. Image is everything… It’s a lot of work.”
Watch the full panel below:
Thalia and Maria Becerra sat down for a candid conversation about mental health and fame during the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week.
During the 30-minute discussion the Mexican pop diva and Argentine artist—who in the summer took a break from social media to focus on her mental health—got up-close and personal about accountability, haters, and having a positive mindset.
Below, check out some of the best quotes from their conversation:
Thalia on the term “Mental Health”: “Honestly, it’s something new. I didn’t have this in my teenage years when you most need it. This didn’t exist, so you had to kind of like eat it up and move on. You had no choice.”
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Maria on Social Media Exposure: “Social media is very important in everyone’s mental health. This exposure 24/7 and feeling the need or pressure of having to show what you are doing but on top of showing what I’m doing, it has to look nice, look aesthetic. Like you know everyone will talk about it, it’s so much exposure.”
Thalia on Being Yourself: “You go viral when you are yourself. When you are honest, when you are in the moment, you are sharing, you connect with people. When you do it to try and reach a number because a person is doing good and you want that or better and you do it in a similar way, you lose your essence and you lose your way.”
Thalia on Faith: “In terms of the Bible, I am a Christian and I love the word. It’s my strength and what keeps me going in all this madness of this world that we face every day. It’s that. Don’t bring things from the past into the present. I already forgave you, I took it from you, don’t keep on punishing yourself. Nobody should point a finger at you. Live your life in peace doing honorable things, doing things that make you grow spiritually, spreading good vibes to people who cross paths with you, in your career giving out positive things.”
Maria on Discipline: “You can be talented and do a lot of things but discipline will get you there. It’s the hard work. Getting up after three days of work of doing three shows in a row with five hours of sleep… and you miss your family and you feel bad and you eat bad, but you are there giving your 100%. That extra you give, always giving in an extra is what makes the difference. It’s what creates excellence.”
Maria on Ignoring the Haters: “Try to put aside all this pressure that’s so big and understand that maybe it’s other people’s objections that they are projecting on me, and trying to not take things personally. Understanding that this person does not know me, it’s nothing and it will pass.”
Thalia on Finding a Support System: “You can work on your body. Working out, which is wonderful, getting oxygen, breathing, eating well, your nutrition, your water. Spiritually, keeping a line, having faith. You can work on all that but sometimes there’s an unbalance in your brain or hormonal, and you need someone to guide you and tell you it’s going to be ok. You need a support system.”
J Balvin‘s Superstar Q&A at the Billboard Latin Music Week took a turn when a little hand in the audience went up, eager to get the Colombian hitmaker’s attention. Curious to see who it was, J Balvin called on the audience member and staff quickly handed him a microphone so that he could ask his […]
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week officially wrapped on Friday (Oct. 18) with a star-studded concert featuring Ana Mena, Belinda, Elvis Crespo, Floyymenor, Tito Double P and Young Miko.
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The evening was hosted by Venezuelan comedian George Harris, who entertained the packed Fillmore Miami Beach with relevant music jokes, and even had a salsa karaoke sesh with the crowd.
Shortly after, Spanish artist Ana Mena kicked off the Billboard Latin Music Week 35th Anniversary Celebration with her sugary pop-dance tunes that included her viral hit “Madrid City” — and yes, a handful of people were spotted doing the ponytail trend during her performance.
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Straight from Chile, Floyymenor then took center stage to perform three of his tracks that are creating all the buzz on social media: “Peligrosa,” “Apaga El Cel,” and “Gata Only.” The latter of the three — which spent 14 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart — is a three-time finalist at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards airing Sunday (Oct. 20) on Telemundo.
Belinda, who earlier in the week formed part of the women’s panel at Latin Music Week, arrived wearing a baby blue satin dress and white knee-high boots. And while she oozed pop princess, the Mexican artist flaunted her fierce bélica era on stage, performing “Cactus,” “300 Noches” (her collab with Natanael Cano), and “La Mala.”
With just an acoustic guitar, Tito Double P (who earlier in the week sat down with Peso Pluma for a panel on the new Mexican music movement) helmed an intimate stripped-down performance that left the crowd wanting more. During his set, the corridos breakthrough star sung a couple of his hits, including “Escápate,” part of his debut album, Incómodo, which bowed at No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts, and No. 20 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
The evening continued with the highly-anticipated performance by Young Miko, who pumped up the crowd with bangers such as “offline,” “Classy 101” and “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 58.” The Puerto Rican rapper and artist formed part of a Superstar Q&A at Latin Music Week, where she discussed her rising success. “In reality, if you think about it, social media growth is so abrupt, fast, and global that it can definitely seem like an overnight thing, social media-wise. But indeed, we have been making music since 2018, 2019, and about three years ago is when Young Miko really started to gain a lot of momentum,” she said at the panel.
Closing off the 35th anniversary celebration was global merengue star Elvis Crespo, who, joined by a live band and group of dancers, had the entire venue of all ages on their feet. Crespo performed timeless tropical tunes such as “Luna Llena,” “Nuestra Cancion” and “Tu Sonrisa.”
“I want to thank Billboard because in February of 1998, the people at Sony presented me for the first time at this conference. I’m enjoying this moment to the max, 26 years later. It’s an incredible path where through my dream and my passion for music, I have managed to develop stories of many people I meet on the street,” Crespo said, also thanking Billboard’s Leila Cobo for all the support, before finalizing with the all-time party classic “Suavemente.”
Hip-hop legends N.O.R.E. (who rose to fame with duo Capone-N-Noreaga) and Fat Joe teamed up for a riveting conversation about the intersection of Latin and hip-hop during the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week.
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The chat, moderated by Jesús Triviño, senior director of industry relations and global Latin culture and content, TIDAL, centered on the similarities between reggaetón and hip-hop and their role in taking the genre to mainstream in the United States.
Below, some of the best quotes from The Intersection of Latin and Hip-Hop panel:
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N.O.R.E.: On when he first heard reggaetón. “I was in Puerto Rico and I had a party that I thought I sold out but it was Tego Calderon’s show and he didn’t show up. I heard reggaetón and was like what is that it? It sounded like ‘boom boom mami mami.’ I was like is that Spanish reggae? Everywhere in Puerto Rico they were playing it. Radios in New York weren’t playing it so I was like how do I change this? So I kept asking DJs to play it [on the radio]. I thought the was best way to help this music was to sacrifice myself.”
FAT JOE: His interaction with El General. “Vico C he wasn’t reggaetón, he was hip-hop and because of him I heard El General from Panama. I tried to charge El General once for [something] and he cursed me out. It was through him that I first heard reggaetón, then Puerto Rico had its explosion and the guys who paved the way were Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Tego, Ivy Queen, Wisin y Yandel.”
FAT JOE: On similarities between reggaetón and hip-hop. “Hip-hop is the birth of everything. If you want to learn something here is that hip-hop started everything. A lot of the things that you see in reggaetón and Latin hip-hop we’ve seen it already, from fashion to flows, right now it’s latin trap and trap comes from Atlanta, hip-hop and reggaetón they’re side by side.”
N.O.R.E.: On the impact of “Oye Mi Canto.” “Never in a million years people would get behind that. When you listen to that track, you become Latino for three minutes. Label records didn’t want to get behind that record but they did when it got 500 spins. I can say that the first reggaetón on MTV was mine. First reggaetón track on BET was mine. Daddy Yankee left ‘Oye Mi Canto’ out of a documentary he just released and I don’t know why. I sacrificed my own community for it.”
Fat Joe: On recording to reggaetón. “They used to offer me millions of dollars to do reggaetón but I was hip-hop, I couldn’t do that because it would seem like I was a wannabe. But I’ll do whatever for him (N.O.R.E.). I was like, ‘You sure you wanna do reggaetón?’ And he was like, ‘I love the way they feel, it makes me feel more of my Latino side.’ I was like alright I’m with you. And he was legendary. I always worked with reggaetón artists. I was behind this mixtape called Boricua Guerrero but some people say, ‘Oh Fat Joe didn’t embrace reggaetón’ when I put the reggaetón guys on that mixtape. We’ve been embracing reggaetón since day one.”
N.O.R.E: On his place in history when it comes to reggaetón. “When I started doing reggaetón, I had to fly out to these artists and it was a great experience. Back then R. Kelly was doing a gospel album and I thought, maybe it’s my turn to test my creativity. I claim it was my doing when reggaetón came to America.”
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week welcomed Domelipa, Mario Bautista, Marko, Sophia Talamas, and Yeri Mua for a conversation about the synergies between content creation and music.
Moderated by Mexican influencer Kunno, the five speakers shared essential tips for those social media personalities who want to transition into a music artist. Read the best quotes from each below.
Building a Fan Base
“That approach from the beginning with my followers opened the door for me. That closeness with my fan base is was what opened doors for me, especially in music. When I released my song ‘Chupon,’ people fell in love with Yeri Mua the singer. I feel that music today, no matter what, has to be linked to social media.” — YERI MUA
Finding a Balance
“Si no fuera por el apoyo de mi familia y mi equipo, no sabría donde estaría. Tienes que saber escoger prioridades. Todo es balancear a como puedas. Yo estudié música desde chiquita, pero nunca pensé que era posible ser artista, y gracias a las redes, que empecé a hacer videos y crear una audiencia leal, pude llegar ahí.” — SOPHIA TALAMAS
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Being True To Yourself
“If people follow you for the reason they followed you, you can’t just make the change suddenly. If I had only made music, it would have been much more complicated because people follow me for being Dome the TikToker, not for being a Dome singer. You have to adapt them but keep doing what they liked in the beginning.” — DOMELIPA
Dealing with Haters
“The hate issue is part of the business and you have to live with it. You have to accept it because you can’t escape it. It’s very important that you have someone in your team who can help you with your mental health. It works for music and for people in the public eye who are reading social media 24 hours a day.” — MARKO
Counting Your Blessings
“The pandemic made me reflect on what was happening in my music. I felt confused, I didn’t know what was going to happen and suddenly everything stopped. I felt anguish about work and responsibilities, but talking to my psychologist, he asked me: ‘is everyone in your family okay’? It changed the way I see life. We don’t see beautiful things, the simple fact of getting up and seeing that our loved ones are still alive. That changed the course of my life forever. I want to make music with good messages that have feeling and connection.” — MARIO BAUTISTA
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
Alejandro Sanz took center stage at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week for an Icon Q&A moderated by Billboard’s Leila Cobo.
Sanz will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will broadcast Oct. 20 on Telemundo. Below, check out some of the memorable quotes from his one-on-one conversation.
On Timeless Success of “Corazón Partio”: “There are worse things in the world [than singing the song over and over]. Imagine if they didn’t ask you for any [songs]? I respect my songs a lot. I’ve never complained about a song of mine, much less about that one. I will always be grateful.”
On His Writing Process Today: “I no longer lock myself away for 14 hours a day. It’s nice to share, I like working as a team. When I want to convey something, I look deeper inside. I want to take a bit of history and tension out of the songs. I like that breath of fresh air of working with people who take me to another place.”
On His New Song “Palmeras en el Jardín”: “It’s a story of love and of wanting to change everything in your life so that someone feels comfortable. You thought you were doing a lot by planting palm trees but in the end it wasn’t enough and it turns out that you keep all the palm trees and she is left with her loneliness. That’s what the song is about.
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On His Mental Health: “I once wrote something about my mood [on ‘X’] and when I woke up in the morning, I was overwhelmed. It did help. I always wake up in a good mood… everything works for me and I love life. What I felt that day, it wasn’t sadness, no anxiety, it was an emptiness, a hole in my chest, and that’s scary. [I got out] with the help of professionals and you have to do your part.”
On Being Passionate about Music: “You have to want to make music and then people will like it. There is a lot of confusion these days with music. It has to be multicolored, varied. Imagine a city of just one color? The beauty is the colors, the different textures. That is music and that is what I am going to do all my life.”
On His Netflix Documentary: “They think I’m going to tell everything, but no. It’s going to be very interesting. We’re very happy with the team and how we managed to find a path that we all like. You can talk about everything… there’s no fear in talking about things as they are. It’s important that everything has a lesson and is useful for something.”
On Being A Businessman & Artist: “Being a businessman, being a composer and a musician don’t go together. To be a businessman you have to be a bit of a bastard or a bit witty. I admire artists who can do it, but I can’t do it myself.”
Mexican music star Pepe Aguilar took the spotlight at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week for an Icon Q&A, in conversation with Billlboard‘s Leila Cobo.
The “Por Mujeres Como Tú” singer spoke at length about his iconic career, legacy, his family dynasty — he is the son of regional Mexican royalty Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — and why, after being signed to major labels at the beginning of his career — he decided to go and stay indie.
Pepe Aguilar will receive the Hall of Fame Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will broadcast Sunday (Oct. 20). Below, the 8 best quotes from his Icon Q&A:
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On being a workaholic: “I’m a workaholic, what can I say. But the last 20 years of my life, I had dedicated myself 100% to guide and focus on my kids’ careers. I thought I was still doing my thing but I was very focused on them. Now that they are on their own, I will return to focus on my career. I believe in discipline, I believe in work and gratitude in the work culture.
What his new single “Cuídamela Bien” is really about: “It was not dedicated to my son in law (Christian Nodal), but I think it is about a moment in my life. Of course it has to do with my daughter and her wedding. It is something totally new for me, I had never experienced that. After 20 years of being with your child, suddenly bye, it is a life experience that had not touched my life, what better than to express it through music, you already fulfilled as a father now it’s her turn to live her life.”
Ángela Aguilar & Nodal being a power couple: “I love it and I told Christian, if you get to be together, who else is there like you two in Spanish-language music. Christian never ceases to amaze me, for good, I can see the love he has for my daughter.”
His passion for music and business, and passing it on to his children Ángela and Leonardo Aguilar: “I eat, I dream of music, the spectacle and I don’t plan on doing anything else. I don’t know if I’ve been doing this the right or wrong way but I’ve always been involved in everything. In fact the cover art of ‘Cuídamela Bien,’ I did it on chat GPT. I produce my records, I design my shows, I pay for my jaripeo shows, that’s how I taught my children too and now with me, they are the same. They’ll say, ‘Dad this is my idea, whether you like it or not.’ They are doing their life according to how I educated them.”
Going and staying indie: “I once got out of a record deal through a lawsuit, I beat them, owing them 12 albums, and I got out. People would say, ‘He’s ungrateful’ but there’s more context to that case. They did not do a good job for me. Now I sign different deals but none with exclusivity, only licenses.”
His bucket list: “To take my jaripeo-style show to Europe, and not only to Spain, is a goal that seemed unattainable, and also to take it to Asia. Mexicanidad has no borders, the folklore of each country has no borders. I am going to do cumbia, tango, vallenato, flamenco, albums and visualizers, with different artists. It may be one of the most important projects but my jaripeo-style show is one of my greatest achievements, my father would have been happy and proud.”
On his family dynasty: “My father taught us that everyone had their own story. I follow Mexican music because I believe in Mexican folklore, not because my father taught me to. Having that last name was a blessing and a curse because the common denominator was Antonio Aguilar and Flor silvestre, it was always a tremendous pride to be their son. For me it was normal to grow up in the family of two famous people, normal to get to the Madison Square Garden often. I never felt it was a competition with my dad, especially when my dad was 87 years old and I was in my prime, it’s not about comparisons. With my children it’s the same. Even if they have the same last name, people don’t do favors, people will consume what they actually like, whatever your name is, they will support you.”
What’s coming up: “I have a new album coming out, and ‘Cuídamela Bien’ was the first single of this album. There’s a lot of music coming, a lot of touring with stops in South America as well.”
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
Nacho, Danny Ocean, Elena Rose, Mau y Ricky and Lele Pons shared their Venezuelan pride during the Venezuela Rising panel on Wednesday (Oct. 16) at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week.
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Moderated by Sigal Ratner-Arias, deputy editor of Billboard Español, the important and timely conversation captured a moment in time as a number of Venezuelan acts not only take over the charts but have become the voice of a generation that has been using their platform and artistry to echo a sentiment of hope for their country after perhaps one of the most consequential presidential elections that took place in July.
Below, find some of the best quotes from the panelists of Venezuela Rising:
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Nacho: On a new generation of Venezuelan hitmakers: “I am very proud to see how the country shows that it has talent who have also been carrying all this knowledge that previous generations left us, particularly in what is Venezuelan pop music, we come from that formation even if many have not heard their music, all that has been mutating and evolving what is happening today.”
Elena Rose: On Venezuelan artist’s profound lyrics: “We want you to receive this love that we want to give you. Venezuela is such is a rich country in a thousand ways, especially because we share values such as faith and happiness and it is transmitted through any artist that comes from a country like Venezuela, it makes us unique to see life like this. Our generation has been exposed to adversity, the Venezuelan person is still fighting and looking for reasons to get ahead, they have purpose, intention, we want Venezuela to shine. There is nothing that will stop us, we are stronger. The country deserves to be happy and free.”
Ricky: On artists’ responsibilities to speak up and use their platform to call out injustices: “It is important to be responsible with the instinct that one has, mine and my brother’s (Mau), was to make Hotel Caracas and, apart from making an album, what we wanted was to show people why we are fighting, what we are defending. And it may be different from the responsibility that others felt. “
Lele Pons: On her role as social media influencer: “Everyone has a voice and it is very important to use it. As an influencer, I have done many things in my career. I told my mom and dad that this is the most important thing I can do. When Danny told me he wanted to do something, I said how can I not do it if it is our country. People did not know what was going on? Who is going to tell them? The most important thing I have done in my career is to be a voice for someone who needs a voice. And this was very important for me at that time.”
Mau: On returning to Venezuela after 15 years: “That trip changed my life. Leaving as a child and having people in your family who stayed, or even friends, say you are no longer Venezuelan because you left and you don’t deserve to say that you are Venezuelan or give your opinion on certain things, it fractures you. In time you begin to realize you have those wounds, also that begins to generate a domino effect because you begin to think that you really shouldn’t give you opinion about your country. One lives with anxiety thinking that one is not Venezuelan. This trip for us, we healed, and we went because there came a time when we could not keep postponing this. After the pandemic we were left with an identity crisis and we decided, despite the fear, to return because it was more than 15 years of accumulating that fear. The trip healed many things.”
Danny Ocean: On his momentous and deeply personal EP venequia.: “I needed to get those songs out of my system that had been accumulating inspired by Venezuela, it was the right time to say what I was feeling. My life changed since I released ‘Me Rehuso’ and I have always thought that moment was so drastic. venequia. is for the 8 million Venezuelans who are on the outside and what we crave: being able to spend time there.”
2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.