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At a fan meet in Fresno, Jay Wheeler was moved by a story of a girl who shared that his music had prevented her from ending her life. This heart-wrenching testimony and others helped inform Música Buena Para Días Malos, his seventh studio album. “The fact that my music is doing that, that’s my grand prize,” he told Billboard Español.
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With 13 tracks exploring themes from love (“14 15 de febrero”) and regret (“Admítelo”) to empowerment (“Maquillaje” ft. Noreh) and self-discovery (“Historia”), the singer’s album acts as a sonic refuge, the singer’s album acts as a sonic refuge, dancefloor-ready in some parts and offering solace and inspiration in others. He extends this therapeutic ethos to his merch, with a sci-fi twist: the aim is to parallel the auditory comfort his music provides with tangible memorabilia from hoodies to t-shirts, stickers and trucker hats.
During a conversation on Billboard TalkShopLive, the Puerto Rican star discussed how he wants to provide a “safe place” for his listeners through his music, his upcoming U.S. TRAPPii tour which kicks off on June 13 at the Madison Square Garden and more. Here are five key takeaways from our discussion with Jay Wheeler, in his own words.
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His music helped save someone’s life
When I was in Fresno, I was gonna be taking pictures with [fans]. This girl came [up] and she was crying and crying. I asked her what happened, and she said that she was gonna commit, you know, and she heard my music on the radio and stopped. Everybody [that was there] stopped to hear her story. I wanted to make that moment special for her. We hugged her and gave her merch. We took a whole bunch of pictures and I know for a fact that she went home happy.
Visually [with my merch and videos], I want you to feel the same way as you’re hearing it. The way I feel when I hear my music is like I’m going to a different world, where my spirit just left my body. This therapy is helping me just to forget the world, forget the problems, and just listen to that good music. That’s why my album is called Good Music for Bad Days [Música Buena Para Días Malos], because that’s all I was trying to focus on, making people feel like they can have a place to escape, or a safe place like music.
Bad Bunny impacted his career
I don’t want to sound like I’m fanboying but I do love Bad Bunny. I love how he merchandises his brand and how he [navigates] the music industry, because he’s very different. I think he opened the door for different people. As soon as he came out, trap [blew up]. 2016 was the era of trap, then Bad Bunny stepped away [from the genre] for a couple of months. Then he came back with something different, “Estamos Bien” and “Si Estuviésemos Juntos,” and sad songs.
I think he opened the door for me — because as soon as he started doing that, I started [rising]. I was already making romantic music, but nobody was listening to it, because trap was the main focus. But as soon as he did [more vulnerable songs], he opened up that door. People started to look at my work. He showed the world that being different is not bad.
Faith, Loyalty and working with DJ Nelson
It’s complicated being a new artist. Everyone sees you as a dollar sign, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing… The people who want to sign you don’t know you; they know the product you are offering. If they want to sign you to make more money with you, it means your product is doing good. At the same time, you have to be very careful, because not everyone has good intentions; some people are just trying to take all the money. Trying to see what type of [contract] we were going to sign was very difficult, because almost every single person wanted me and not my team.
I am a very loyal person — I did not want to let go of my team. And then I met DJ Nelson in his studio. I went with my team and I told him, “This is my team, I don’t want to leave them.” He told me, “If you had come without your team, I wouldn’t have signed you.” So I was like, okay, this is the place. Besides that, I also had asked God, “Father, I want to sign where you are.” And the first thing [DJ Nelson] told me was, “my children are Christians,” so I was like, “This is the way.”
How he overcomes fear for future ambitions
Every time I do these types of tours, the only thing that makes me a little bit nervous or stress — not even the shows — is the traveling. I’m scared of airplanes. Really. I’ve been traveling my whole life. That’s the only part that gets me a little bit stressed out. Mentally, I try to prepare myself. Every time I have to make those sacrifices, I think about my future kids. I’d be like, “You know what, I gotta do it for my future family and the future.” Eventually, I want to have a whole bunch of kids. My wife wants two, but I’m trying to convince her to have more.
He loves performing with his wife Zhamira Zambrano
If I had to choose one [song I enjoy performing live], I would probably say “Dícelo,” with my wife. The fact that people love a song that I have with my wife is beautiful. Sometimes you can do songs with the person that you love, and it probably doesn’t go that well. But every time that song is [performed], people go crazy, people go absolutely wild. Sometimes what people do a lot of songs and then eventually get a hit. It’s funny because the first time we collaborated on a song, it became a hit. People loved it.
She’s an artist too. She’s doing a whole tour on her own. We try to be together everywhere we go, as long as I can and she can. I admire her and I always support her no matter where I am.
Xavi earns his second No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Corazón de Piedra” advances from No. 3 to lead the May 25-dated ranking. “Corazón de Piedra” takes the top spot as the Greatest Gainer of the week, with 7.8 million audience impressions on U.S. reporting radio stations during the May 10-16 tracking week, according to […]
Bacilos’ latest studio album, Pequeños Romances, has topped this week’s new music Latin poll. In a poll published on Friday (May 17) — in support of the weekly New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — music fans voted for the duo’s newest production as their favorite music […]
A week after Myke Towers’ “La Capi” landed atop Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, the song continues its radio success as it crowns the overall Latin Airplay chart (dated May 25).
“La Capi,” released via One World International/Warner/Warner Latina, advances from No. 3 to No. 1 boosted by a 12% gain in audience impressions, to 10.3 million, across U.S. Latin stations in the week ending May 10-16, according to Luminate.
All May 25-dated charts will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on May 21.
The merengue-flavored tune sends Shakira and Grupo Frontera’s “(Entre Paréntesis)” to No. 2 after one week in charge, with a 5% dip in audience, to 9.1 million.
With “La Capi,” Towers banks his 12th No. 1 on Latin Airplay, dating back to “Caramelo,” with Ozuna and Karol G, in 2020. Towers also enlarges his chart-topping rate to three champs this year, after “Borracho y Loco,” with Wisin, and “La Falda” hit No. 1, for one week in charge each in Feb. He ties Feid for the most No. 1s on Latin Airplay in 2024.
Notably, out of the 18 No. 1s in 2024, Towers is the third male soloist to hit No. 1 unaccompanied by another artist. He previously led this year, on his own, with “La Falda” on the Feb. 24-dated list. Also in 2024, Xavi achieved the feat through “La Diabla” (two weeks at No. 1 in February and March), while Ozuna completed a one-week reign with “Baccarat” (March 30 chart).
Towers’ new leader joins “La Falda” and “Lala” as the third No. 1 from Towers’ album, LVEU: Vive La Tuya…No La Mía, his fourth top 10 on Top Latin Albums (No. 9 high, last December).
Elsewhere, “La Capi” holds strong at its No. 1 peak on Tropical Airplay for a second week.
Carín León’s new album will be released May 30, and it won’t be business as usual, as the Mexican star exclusively tells Billboard.
Boca Chueca Vol. 1 drops at 8 p.m. ET on May 30, and features 19 songs, including bilingual collabs with country stars Kane Brown and Leon Bridges as well as Latin icons like ranchera star Pepe Aguilar and Mexican rockers Panteón Rococo. See the full tracklist for the first time below.
But the real change, says León, starts with the album cover, a surrealist painting that shows León’s face close up, with a sinister-looking hand holding his mouth open in a crooked grimace that is a direct reference to the album’s title; “Boca Chueca” translates to “Crooked Mouth.” And that title in turn represents the album’s contents, says León.
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“What we wanted to highlight on the cover was […] all those problems you suffer as an artist who is always exposed,” León said in a voice note he sent to Bilboard. “All those fears they carry from before. All that contributes to the music and the art we all make as artists. Making this album was like a small embrace and a conciliation with many things people think are bad, but that are also part of you. The cover has that dark look which in a way has a lot to do with us and also speaks about the reinvention in this album. It has more daring words, more of a street vocabulary. Boca Chueca has a lot to do with that less genteel side of Oscar Armando,” says León, referring to his given name, Oscar Armando Díaz de León.
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The cover art of Boca Chueca was designed by Alan Ortega, a member of León’s band who plays the pedal steel guitar but is also a painter. In fact, he did the also surrealistic cover of León’s album Colmillo de Leche, where he is depicted with a lion’s head.
Boca Chueca Vol. 1 is the studio follow-up to Colmillo, which peaked at No. 8 last year on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. Since its release, León has been getting traction as one of the top regional Mexican music stars in the market, touring arenas and performing at festivals like Stagecoach.
His new tour, also called Boca Chueca, kicks off July 22 and includes stops at Madison Square Garden and, in a departure for a Mexican act, at Wizink Center in Madrid.
As for Vol. 2 of Boca Chueca (the album), no word yet on when it will be released, but the implication is it won’t be long. Here is the full tracklist of Boca Chueca, Vol. 1.
Final Tracklist:
1. ”Cuando la vida sea trago”2. “Otra vez”3. ”Casi oficial”4. ”Frené mis pies”5. ”Círculo vicioso”6. ”Que haga el paro”7. ”Bebé no cambies tú”8. “Por eso bye”9. ”Qué feo se siente el amor”10. ”No sé” con Panteón Rococó11. “The One (Pero no como yo)” con Kane Brown12. ”Lamentablemente” con Pepe Aguilar13. ”Aviso importante” con Bolela14. “It Was Always You (Siempre fuiste tú)” con Leon Bridges15. ”Banqueteras”16. “1”17. ”Aunque tú no lo sepas”18. ”Por culpa de un tercero”19. ”Despídase bien”
The second (and last) day of the Tecate Emblema festival in Mexico City was all about female power, with Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado and Annita gracing the stage. The international superstars all sang and spoke in Spanish, conquering the almost 72,000 attendees that packed the Curve 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Saturday (May […]
Brazilian superstar Anitta kicked off her Baile Funk Experience, a world tour that includes her first concert series in North America, this Saturday (May 18) in Mexico City.
The start of the trek took place during the third edition of the Tecate Emblema festival, held Friday and Saturday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the F1 venue in Mexico, where the artist was part of a stellar lineup that on its second day included Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado, Calvin Harris, Nicki Nicole, Miranda!, Aitana, Inna and Empress Of.
The show began with traditional Brazilian songs including Maria Bethânia’s “Carta de Amor,” while a group of dancers performed capoeira moves in honor of Afro-Brazilian culture. With this, they anticipated what Anitta was preparing for the audience: a total explosion of wild funk.
Produced by Live Nation, Baile Funk Experience includes stops in Latin America, the U.S. and Europe. The 20-date tour is in support of Funk Generation, the latest album from the trilingual singer, which highlights the Brazilian funk that has influenced her career.
Her next show is on May 12 in Los Angeles. She will also be visiting Miami Beach and Orlando, Florida, as well as Boston, Toronto, Chicago and New York before heading to Latin American countries including Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Stops in Europe include Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Madrid and more. For a full list of dates, click here.
Below is the complete setlist of Anitta’s Baile Funk Experience kick-off show in Mexico. (The song list is subject to changes in each city.)
“Funk Rave”
The first day of the Tecate Emblema festival in Mexico City on Friday (May 17) featured a lineup that was sonically broad and led mainly by women, bringing everything from electro-pop to hip-hop to the Curve 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. As the icing on the cake at the fest, British star Sam Smith […]
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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DannyLux & Jesús Morales‘ Heartwarming Gesture
On Valentine’s Day, DannyLux and Jesús Morales, a creator known for his positive impact, collaborated on one of Morales’ famous street vendor initiatives. They successfully raised more than $93,000 through GoFundMe for Pilar, an 80-year-old street vendor with a heart condition. On Wednesday (May 15), they presented Pilar with the check. She dreams of retiring in her native Mexico with her family, and thanks to their efforts, her dreams are now achievable.
Peso Pluma Reflects on his Billboard Cover Story During The Tonight Show
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Peso Pluma performed his latest single, “La Durango,” on The Tonight Show, alongside Pedro Tovar of Eslabon Armado and a live band. The song is part of Pluma’s upcoming fourth LP Éxodo, coming out on June 20. In addition to the performance, Pluma chatted with host Jimmy Fallon about meeting Jay-Z and shared an amusing story about his signature haircut, which was initially a hairstyling mishap in Colombia. Reflecting on his Billboard cover story and Grammy win for his album Génesis, Pluma discussed fan expectations for Éxodo and expressed gratitude for the support that has spotlighted Mexican music globally.
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J Balvin’s Air Jordan 3 “Río” Drop
The upcoming Air Jordan 3 x J Balvin Río sneaker release, set for May 22, marks the fourth collaboration between Colombian artist J Balvin and the iconic Jordan brand. Inspired by the night skies of Antioquia, Colombia, and dedicated to his son, Río, this collaboration continues to blend urban music and streetwear influences. “A sunset always reminds me that a new day full of opportunities is coming. Air Jordan 3 x J Balvin Río represents that light in the midst of the darkness of the world,” said J Balvin in a press release. “Río, my son, became a source of inspiration for this drop that I hope will fill with love millions of people around the world.”
The design features a black leather upper with an elephant print, a multicolored faded midsole, and translucent heel tabs with the J Balvin logo, combining distinctive style with Nike Air technology for comfort. The Sunset Collection will be available globally and in Colombian stores starting May 28.
Young Miko Makes TV Debut With Feid on The Tonight Show
Young Miko made her national TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 13, alongside Colombian superstar Feid. They performed “Offline” from the Puerto Rican rapper’s debut album att. in a romantic garden-themed stage setup. Both artists harmoniously shared the spotlight, with Miko dressed in white and red and Feid in his signature green jacket. Following their performance, Fallon celebrated it with high praise and acknowledged the reception from the audience. Miko is gearing up for her U.S. tour starting in Denver on July 31, as Feid continues his tour.
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Mexican group Reik returned to their pop roots with Panorama, a 13-track album that honors their past while exploring more avant-garde compositions. It’s their first LP since 2009’s Ahora, but that album was mainly comprised of past hits with only a few new tracks.
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Released on May 10 under Sony Music Mexico, Panorama includes the previously debuted singles “Baja California,” “Abril,” “Gracias por Nada,” and “El Correcto” featuring Carin León, in addition to “Roomies,” “Te Odio,” “Vámonos a Mi Casa” with LAGOS, the album’s focus track “No Molestar” and its title track.
“I would say that we haven’t made an album like this since Des/Amor [in 2016], so it was super special. We genuinely felt like we had lost the muscle memory of how to make albums and how to work on them and release them,” says Reik’s vocalist, Jesús Navarro, to Billboard Español. “The first few weeks have been super overwhelming because at least I didn’t remember how much work it takes to try to release an album, but also promote it, add the finishing touches, and at the same time plan the tour, the music videos, the release, the promo… and it’s something we’ve done a thousand times before, just not all of them together in about 10 years.”
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After spending several years experimenting with Latin urban sounds, Reik, which also includes guitarists Julio Ramírez and Bibi Marín, teamed up with the MiSHNRZ, a duo of producers made up of Ismael Cano Jr. and Matthew Rey. “We put a lot of heart and also a lot of thought into it. We didn’t want to settle,” Ramírez says. “We really wanted to make this a very unique album.”
“I think it was very automatic,” adds Marín about their reunion to create a whole new album. “I think when it’s time to do something, you just do it… The gears of the machine were always well adjusted. Right now, we are very excited that everything is going, that we are in this new stage and we are happy.”
Reik spoke with Billboard Español on Thursday (May 16) from Houston, where they gave a concert as part of their Panorama 2024 U.S. Tour. Presented by Loud and Live, the 25-date tour began on May 11 in Orlando, Florida, and ends on June 10 in Seattle. (For more details, click here).
Below, Reik breaks down five essential songs from their album Panorama.
REIK
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“No Molestar”
Julio Ramírez: Now that I think about it, that was the easiest, oddly enough. It was super cool when this song was made, because the truth is that the album was mostly formed — I think we already had about nine songs or 10 — and we always wanted to keep everything in line with pop, to reclaim our sound… but change it a little so that it doesn’t seem like it’s the same from tracks 1 to 13.
And when “No Molestar” starts, wow! It happened that I was on the computer trying out sounds from the MiSHNRZ’s producer Ish (Ismael), and suddenly I said “That’s it!” They were the chords of the chorus, I remember. “TA ta ta.” So we immediately started humming the chorus and then we were like, “You know what? Let’s make a verse!” And we went to the first chords and we all got excited. For us it was a bit of a Bruno Mars vibe in the studio. We finished the lyrics and there is a video of everyone dancing, jumping, having an incredible time.
That feeling made us go like, “Wow, we got something special.” We always get emotional in the studio, but that song made us very emotional. And I love that we dared to include a super out-of-nowhere, French-ish arrangement at the end of the song; The Beatles’ “Michelle” was the inspiration. It was a treat for us, too.
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“Panorama”
Bibi Marín: “Panorama” was, according to me, the first song that came out of this new stage, of these new experiments that we were doing. And when I say experiments, I mean that it was a very consciously decisive moment, where we started looking for the new pop sound for Reik. It was already very clear to us that we didn’t want to continue experimenting with urban… so we said, “OK, pop, but how?” Because we don’t want to sound like we’re going to release an album that could well have come out in 2004 or 2005.
So it was the first time we got together with the MiSHNRZ, who wrote almost the entire album, produced almost the entire album, in short. We got together and the first experiment that came out was “Panorama” — so for everyone, it was very refreshing and very inspiring. It was a new, fresh sound, it was somewhat challenging, but at the same time it made us feel that we were going in a very good direction. Even though it was a somewhat “rare” song for Reik, it was still a very pop sound. So much so that it even gave the album its title, and it marked a little bit the direction in which we began to move musically.
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“Ojos Papel” (feat. Leo Rizzi)
Jesús Navarro: “Ojos papel” is a super special song to me. I believe Leo is one of the most special singers that we’ve heard in the new music scene in Spanish, and we are very aware of his existence. We had already made a track together on one of his albums — but it was a little strange because we were just out of the pandemic, and it was still difficult to travel, so we made this track and released it without having ever met in person. We just met at the [2023] Latin Grammys in Seville and we gave each other a very long hug, with a lot of emotion.
Only recently, when he was in Mexico City a few months ago, we got together to write with him, and this wonderful song came out. I think Julio hit the mark at the beginning of the session when he spoke with the entire team and they sort of agreed to let Leo take the lead in the session a little, so that we could get a song that was ours, but at the same time not characteristic, not what you would expect. I think the goal was achieved.
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“Roomies”
Bibi Marín: I’m going to say “Roomies,” because apart from the fact that it’s a song that I love, I think it’s the song that pays the most tribute and reference to our origins in two senses: One, musically, in terms that it is a super light, good-vibe pop song; [and two] like literally at the end of the song, the outro is the introduction of “Qué Vida la Mía” [from 2005]. The idea not only of the song, but of the entire album and of this stage, is yes, to make the statement that we are returning to our roots — to a super-pop pop — and what better way than using a little piece of one of our first songs. I think this song covers a lot of space there.
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“Baja California”
Julio Ramírez: “Baja California” is a spectacular song to me. It became so important that we opened the album with that song, and we also open the Panorama Tour show with that song. We find the video spectacular. It was really nice to go back to where we grew up, to make the video with Ry [Shorosky], who is a really impressive director from Utah. It turned out beautiful, the vibe is incredible. And I think it was super cool to make this track — I’m going to talk about it on an author’s level — trying to make a pop that’s much cooler, much more daring.
I mean, in my eyes, the approach was how we would sound with a kind of The Weeknd or Harry Styles vibe, but with our own handwriting — and “Baja California” came out. I don’t know, I love that song, I love that we’re mentioning Baja, we’re mentioning Rosarito, but putting it in the context of a love story. I think it’s super cool. I hope people like it. It sets the mood for the whole album.
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