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The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation announced on Thursday (Dec. 14) that Sebastián Yatra will sponsor the next four-year Prodigy Scholarship that will fully fund a student’s bachelor’s degree in music at Berklee School of Music starting in the fall 2024.
“Joining the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation for their annual Prodigy Scholarship is beautiful because I’m part of something that I would’ve wished for as a young kid. One of my big dreams was to study music at Berklee and although my career took a different path which I’m super grateful for, I would’ve loved to have that kind of preparation and knowledge,” said Sebastián Yatra in a statement. “I hope that the person who gets this opportunity takes full advantage of the scholarship and enjoys it to the max. I’ll be looking out for applicants that share a lot of heart and sincerity in their art.”
The foundation’s scholarship, created nine years ago, holds a maximum value of $200,000 in financial aid for music students in need. The scholarship is traditionally awarded to “exceptionally talented music students, with financial needs, to support their educational and musical aspirations,” according to the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.
The news of the scholarship follows the singer-songwriter’s stint as a host at the 24th Annual Latin Grammys, during which he performed and expressed his passion for the Foundation on-air, encouraging global support for Latin music education. The Colombian superstar initially partnered with the Foundation in 2019 for the Latin Grammy In The Schools program in Miami.
“Our scholarships provide more than just funds for college tuition,” said Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, executive director of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation. “The ongoing support we receive from artists such as Sebastián Yatra and our generous sponsors allows us to take it a step further and create meaningful educational and mentoring opportunities for the next generation of Latin music creators.”
In addition, Gibson Gives, the charitable division of Gibson, will provide sponsorship for three Tuition Assistance Scholarships. Each scholarship could be worth up to $10,000 and is intended for students who aim to study music, with the electric or acoustic guitar as their main instrument. Applications for all 44 scholarships available in 2024 are now open and available to music students between the ages of 17 and 25.
For more details and/or to apply, visit www.latingrammyculturalfoundation.org.
In previous years, the Prodigy Scholarship has been co-sponsored by Latin stars including Nicky Jam (2023), Sofia Carson (2022), Juanes (2021), Julio Iglesias (2020), Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2019), Carlos Vives (2018), Miguel Bosé (2017), Juan Luis Guerra (2016), and Enrique Iglesias (2015).
A total of 10 songs have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in 2023 so far. All but one — Bad Bunny‘s “Titi Me Preguntó,” from Un Verano Sin Ti — were released in 2023, and reflect a year dominated by música mexicana. Four out of the 10 are regional Mexican-influenced […]
Just two months after Feid’s Mor, No Le Temas a La Oscuridad debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, the Colombian returns to the top tier with Ferxxocalipsis arriving at No. 9 on the Dec. 16-dated list. The 10-track set was a surprise release announced Nov. 29 on his Instagram account, a […]
In the ’70s funk era, War’s pan-Latin percussion, swaggering guitar solos and soulful rhythms catapulted them to the zenith of musical popularity. While their impact extended beyond the airwaves, it also deeply resonated with Southern California’s POC families. The groovy rhythms of War, inspired by the fusion sound of Fania All Stars and more — became the soundtrack to the carne asada backyard parties and barbecue grill gatherings for many residents of the region and beyond.
Now, half a century later, the California jam band stands just as fabulous, celebrating their golden anniversary of their iconic album The World is a Ghetto, a record that claimed the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts in 1973.
One of the band’s charting singles, “The Cisco Kid,” climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100. The song unfurls as an homage to an unlikely Mexican antihero turned freedom fighter, inspired by a television hit series from the 1950s. “The thing is, there were not a lot of ethnic heroes on television back then,” War founding member/musician Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan tells Billboard Español. “He was the biggest non-Anglo hero,” echoes producer Jerry Goldstein, emphasizing the groundbreaking nature of this representation.
As the group reflects on their five-decade journey, they delve into the creation of other iconic tracks like “Spill the Wine” (1970), with Eric Burdon, and “Low Rider” (1975). The latter — which reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 — pays homage to Southern California car clubs in the barrio, becoming synonymous with cholo culture. “Living in East L.A., Compton, Watts and Harbor City, Chicanos and blacks shared one thing: lowriders,” adds Jordan.
“Low Rider,” in fact, made numerous appearances in film and TV, like the Cheech and Chong 1978 classic Up In Smoke, about the misadventures of two stoner Mexican-American friends, Colors (1988), about gang violence in East L.A., Friday (1995) with Ice Cube, and even the intro song to the George Lopez TV show, which ran for most of the 2000s.
In celebration of their 50th anniversary since topping the Billboard charts, Goldstein and Jordan take us back to their original recording sessions in this brief oral history.
Eric Burdon Declares War
Jerry Goldstein: We started as Eric Burdon and War, and Lonnie [Jordan] was in a band called Nightshift. Eric came into my office, [saying] he was giving up on the music business because his last group The Animals broke up, and he was going back to Newcastle, [England]. I said to him, “There’s this band [War] that I’ve been listening to and trying to work with, but I don’t know what to do with them.” The way they talk to each other in the studio, it’s kind of their own language. It was more street rather than musician to musician. Every [War member] was different from the other one. They had a Latin version of [the Rolling Stones’] “Paint It, Black” that was amazing. I scratched my head and went, “I’ll book it! I’ll just book a week at a time and they can just rehearse.”
Chris Huston, recording engineer, and Jerry Goldstein, producer.
Courtesy of Far Out Productions
Lonnie Jordan: Every individual in the band brought a different style to the table. We’re talking blues, Latin, ska, funk, jazz, gospel, classical. It was all one big salad bowl. That’s one of the reasons why Jerry didn’t know what to do with us. We didn’t even understand what we were doing, we just did it from our hearts, ears, eyes, mind, and soul. I have so much love for salsa. Back in the day, you had Fania All Stars’ Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Brown, [Jerry, Pete “El Conde”] Rodriguez, Hector Lavoe, the list goes on. And I said, “Wait a minute, let’s fuse this [style] into the studio and lay down the tracks.” I wanted to do something different, instead of just a piano to simulate what everyone else does when they play salsa.
Goldstein: I told Eric to come on down to hear this band and said [to him], “Let me know what you think, because I think this might work for you.” Eric showed up, I showed up, and [Danish harmonica player] Lee Oskar showed up — because Lee was living in Eric’s house, or sleeping on the couch. The group did their thing with Deacon Jones, and at the end of the set, Lee Oskar got up and started to jam with them. The next day I called Eric and I said, “What do you think of the band?” He said, “We’re rehearsing today at 3:00.” The first gig was in San Bernardino, the Devonshire Downs Pop Festival, with 100,000 people, including Jimi Hendrix [on the lineup] and every major star in the world. We followed Creedence Clearwater [Revival]. That was the beginning of Eric Burdon and War.
“Spill the Wine”
WAR en el estudio
Courtesy of Far Out Productions
Jordan: We weren’t studio musicians. We were a street organic jam band. We didn’t even know what a studio was. We went into this beautiful room with all these buttons and felt like I was in Star Trek and a spaceship. Once we were in the studio a lot [more], then that’s when we started doing a lot of our writing along with our jam-out [sessions]. We’ve made the studio our home… And that’s why the wine got spilt, because that was [also] our kitchen, for food and liquor. Let me clarify that kitchen part.
Goldstein: I finally built a remote truck to record them every night. They were the original jam band. It was a different set every night. They had a few blues, “Paint It Black,” “Tobacco Road,” etc. About six months to a year later [after forming the full band], we went into the studio to make [the 1970 debut] Eric Burdon Declares War album. Lonnie had a glass of wine, and he put it on the console where the playback system was. He knocked it over and didn’t tell anybody. About 20 minutes later, the studio’s crackling and popping and shuts down. “What the hell’s going on?!” Then we found out that Lonnie inadvertently knocked the glass of wine into the playback system. The studio was done. So they put us in another studio, and we just wrote, “Spill the Wine.” That’s why “Spill the Wine” has such a live vibe to it.
“The Cisco Kid”
WAR with Mexican-American actor Duncan Renaldo, famously known as The Cisco Kid.
Courtesy of Far Out Productions
Jordan: Duncan Renaldo played in the [1950s] series called The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo played Poncho. He was Cisco Kid’s sidekick. The thing is, there were not a lot of ethnic heroes on television back then. We’re talking about television that was still black and white, not color. [The protagonist] the Cisco Kid, first of all, was dressed to kill, and he had a horse that was dressed to kill. For me, that was like a lowrider car, you know? He’s like a bandit, he takes care of his people, and he’s doing it safely and for the love of the people. He’s a superhero in the community.
Goldstein: He was the biggest non-Anglo hero. That’s why the lyric goes, “The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine.” The nice part about it is when we finished it was that we actually got to meet [Renaldo] and spent an afternoon with him in Santa Barbara where he lived. He was an old man at the time, but he was so nice. It was such a nice afternoon. That turned us on to the whole Latin audience in places like El Paso — when we played there, we got more pesos than dollars at the box office. No kidding. People would come over the border for the show and then go home.
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“Low Rider”
Jordan: Living in East L.A., Compton, Watts, and Harbor City, Chicanos and blacks shared one thing: lowriders. After coming out of the era of the in-crowd with nice metal flake cars and hot rodders, the lowriders [arrived]. The Imperials and the Dukes [were] rival car clubs, not gangs, but car clubs. They never really socialized with one another. So when we did that song, it brought the Imperials and the Dukes together as one. We gave them the first cassette before it came out on the radio. From that point and on, that song went all the way from the West Coast to Chicago and New York, and all the way to Japan and Germany — around the world! Actually, lowriders are around the world now.
Goldstein: There’s a lowrider club in Japan. When we were on tour, we used to have the screen behind us, and when we played “Low Rider,” we showed the lowriders. The cars bouncing up and down and hopping and exposing the whole culture to the world — including the rest of the United States that didn’t even know what we were talking about.
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The World is a Ghetto
Jordan: As a musician, I want people to continually understand from our point of view. When we first pretty much conceived this [music] was that through our eyes we see the whole world as one. In other words, you can live in Beverly Hills and have a flat tire and be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as well as having a roach in your house or in your backyard, like anyone in the hood could have. We all live under the same sky, the same smog, the same problems. The world is a ghetto…and we’re all looking for love and a place to call home.
WAR circa 1973
Courtesy of Far Out Productions
Argentine singer-songwriter Maria Becerra has signed with Wasserman Music for representation worldwide (except in Mexico, Chile and Argentina), the talent agency announced on Thursday (Dec. 14). She will be represented by agents Juan Toro and Ryan Soroka. The deal caps off a significant 2023 for Becerra who in May signed a label deal with Warner […]
Warner Music Latin America and management and promotion company OCESA Seitrack are launching a booking and brand partnership agency for artists, together with broadcaster Sergio “Checho” Rodríguez. All Warner Music artists will have access to the services offered.
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The joint venture, called “Touring the World,” will be helmed by Rodriguez — operating from offices in Colombia, Mexico, Spain and the United States — and will offer artists support in different areas related to touring, brand partnerships, booking and other artist services. It will be supported by Warner Music’s expertise and infrastructure as well as OCESA Seitrack’s massive commercial structure in multiple countries. Touring the World will also have support from its existing artist services company, Get In, which is owned by Warner Music Spain.
The new joint venture, says Warner Music Latin America president Alejandro Duque, “signifies a pivotal moment, as we combine our experience to deliver professional services and global opportunities for artists.”
“This is a joint venture and the vision is for it to be independent,” adds Duque. “We want to avoid conflicts of interest, and for that to work, it has to be an independent agency.”
Not all Warner artists, for example, will be part of Touring the World nor will they be compelled to sign with the agency. By the same token, OCESA Seitrack, which is a massive concert promoter and management company with clients like Alejandro Sanz and Ha*Ash, will continue to operate its other businesses, separate from Touring the World.
Touring the World wants to “expand the concept of booking and provide a solution for artists so they can have both a touring strategy together with branding and sponsorship efforts,” says Alex Mizrahi, CEO and founder of OCESA Seitrack. The company will focus on artists “that are heating up and who we think have global potential.”
The list of artists currently signed to Touring the World include Piso 21, Manuel Medrano, Elena Rose, Yng Lucas, Blessd, Molotov, Lagos and Ximena Sariñana. Of note is that Touring The World is not looking to become a management company or a concert promotion company if one is already in place.
“We don’t want to take away business or management from anyone. We’ll work with existing managers if they’re interested […] But, it’s very important for us to have the best interests of the artists in mind,” says Mizrahi. “Over the past 20 years at OCESA Seitrack, we’ve meticulously built the touring commercial structure we possess today. This alliance between friends and renowned professionals promises immense benefits for the artists and managers we collaborate with.”
The notion of Touring the World was sparked over a friendly breakfast with Duque, Mizrahi and Rodríguez, a concert promoter who was also a director at GTS, UMG’s artist management and services company for Latin and Spanish artists. Under the GTS model, however, artists are managed or co-managed by GTS, while Touring the World will not be acting as management.
“Touring the World is created by and for artists and their fans,” says Rodríguez, who will oversee teams in Colombia and Mexico and work closely with Spain’s Get In. “This alliance fills me with excitement, standing alongside the finest partners one could ask for.”
Beyond their respective expertise, the partners also bring to the table in-culture and in-country expertise throughout Latin America and Spain.
Iñigo Argomaniz, founder and CEO of Get In, states: “The union of these forces for the creation of ‘Touring the World’ is exciting and will enable a wide range of opportunities to develop the careers of Spanish artists in America.”
Rauw Alejandro and his longtime manager, Eric Duars, have officially parted ways, sources tell Billboard. For the past several months, lawyers for the Puerto Rican superstar and the Puerto Rican impresario have engaged in conversations to wind down a relationship that began in 2017 when Alejandro (born Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz) was 23 years old and Duars signed him as an emerging talent
Aside from being managed by Duars, an experienced promoter, Alejandro was also signed to his independent label, Duars Entertainment, with his music released via a licensing agreement with Sony Music Latin. Duars also promoted many of Alejandro’s tour dates via the tour promotion arm of his company, Duars Live.
In a crowded world of new reggaetón acts who came up in the mid and late 2010s, Alejandro stood out as an artist who also performed dazzling choreography and who was willing to experiment with genres like dance. That mix has continued to yield hits; to date, Alejandro has placed 47 songs on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, including two top 10s, as well as seven hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
On the touring front, 2023 was the year Alejandro consolidated as a major touring act. His Saturno tour, produced by Duars Live in partnership with Outback Presents, sold 551,000 tickets across 36 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore, grossing $50.1 million. It landed as the sixth highest-grossing tour on Billboard’s year-end Latin tally and at No. 46 overall, breaking 15,000 tickets in Miami, New York and San Jose, Calif., among many others. It also sold 58,000 tickets in Mexico City’s Foro Sol.
Duars will no longer promote Alejandro’s tours.
Several sources say there are active conversations regarding new management for Alejandro with an established Latin manager, but nothing has yet been announced or confirmed to Billboard.
Duars will continue to manage a roster that includes Baby Rasta & Gringo, Cauty, Sie7e, Eix and Sanchz.
Neither Alejandro’s attorneys nor Duars’ attorneys replied to requests for comment.
Don Omar and Daddy Yankee have put an end to their years-long feud and rivalry, and have made peace.
In separate posts on social media, the two reggaeton titans expressed appreciation for one another and acknowledged the significant role each has played in globalizing the genre. Don Omar was the first to share a lengthy post on Instagram on Tuesday (Dec. 12), just days after Yankee gave his farewell show in Puerto Rico after announcing his retirement and that he was dedicating his life to Christianity.
“Today we close the book that kept the best chapters of our controversial rivalry,” the “Dale Don Dale” singer wrote. “Thank you for your words and for listening to mine that came from the heart as well. I wish you the best for you and your family. Thank you for your competitiveness and admirable discipline but even more thank you for what you did for our music.”
He continued: “Thank you for collaborating and for competing because I did it with a titan. I keep the good memories, the laughs, the dreams together and the desire for a last round with such a great adversary. We will meet again soon because I owe you a hug and thank you in person. In the meantime, long live King Daddy.”
Most recently, Don Omar announced his return to the stage with an ambitious U.S. tour. Back to Reggaetón, produced by CMN, is set to kick off in March. Shortly after Don Omar shared the post to his more than nine million followers, Yankee also offered heartfelt words toward the artist, with whom he had on-and-off feuds throughout his decades-long career.
“William, thank you for giving us both the opportunity to speak to each other from the bottom of our hearts,” Yankee began. “Don Omar, you have also done great things for this genre and within the rivalry as you rightly say that divided us, today I feel calm to know that that is behind us, and we are an example that we may have differences but there will always be room for forgiveness. You have also been a great adversary and I will never cease to recognize all that you have also done for our movement.”
Yankee ended by saying he felt “calm and at peace” knowing that they were leaving behind the controversies that often pitted the two against each other. “I hope that our last round will be against the enemy of souls, battling together in the army of the Lord! I wait for you on this side! God bless you, your family and all your faithful followers.”
In 2016, the two sat down — for the first time ever — for a Mano a Mano panel at the Latin Music Week conference. While there was little interaction between the two, Don and Yankee were polite to each other and took turns answering questions from Billboard‘s Leila Cobo.
Despite the rivalry and all, the pair still collaborated with each other throughout the years. In 2003 they released “Gata Gangster” and “La Noche Está Buena” with Hector “El Father.” Two years later, they unleashed “Yo Soy de Aquí” and, in 2020, the “Hasta Abajo Remix.” In 2016, duo also went on a co-headlining tour together.
For this year’s update of our ongoing Greatest Pop Star by Year project, Billboard is counting down our staff picks for the top 10 pop stars of 2023 all this week. At No. 6, we remember the year in Karol G — who reached new heights as a recording and touring artist and confirmed herself as one of the biggest stars on the planet.
Karol G’s progress towards global domination was on display at her two-day “Mañana Será Bonito” Festival, held in December at Estadio Atanasio Girardot in her native Medellín, Colombia — where she performed for a sold-out crowd of more than 40,000 fans each day. Far beyond just giving the ultimate fan experience to those in attendance — including a carnival, live music and special guests such as Romeo Santos, Feid, Young Miko and DJ Tiesto — the festival was the admirable result of a music career that began in 2006 and has now achieved global recognition in 2023.
Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars of 2023:Introduction & Honorable Mentions | Rookie of the Year: Peso Pluma | Comeback of the Year: Miley Cyrus | No. 10: Drake | No. 9: Doja Cat | No. 8: Bad Bunny | No. 7: Olivia Rodrigo
“My home is the place where the dream began, the desire, the motivation, where we took the first step […] Who said that no one is a prophet in their own land when Colombia has given me everything?” she expressed on Instagram prior to her Dec. 1st and 2nd shows. “It brings tears to my eyes to know that my year ends at home, in the city where I was born, and which believed in me before any other place.”
As the MSB Festival indicated, 2023 has been nothing but life-changing and historic for Karol. Fresh off her 2022 successes — such as the Becky G-assisted “MAMIII” and “Provenza,” both which hit No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and her $trip Love U.S. arena tour, which grossed $72.2 million and sold 424,000 tickets — the Colombian hitmaker was ready to conquer the new year, setting even bigger goals.
Courtesy Photo
Lea Colombo
Her first release of 2023 was “X Si Volvemos,” a sultry reggaeón collaboration with Romeo Santos , which arrived on Feb. 2 and marked the third preview of her fourth studio album (following her 2022 one-offs “Cairo” and “Gatubela” with Maldy). On Feb. 24, she officially unleashed the entire set, entitled Mañana Será Bonito (Tomorrow will be Beautiful), with 14 other tracks that showcased her musical evolution and versatility. The artist born Carolina Giraldo Navarro did not shy away from experimenting with bossa nova (“Carolina”), banda (“Gucci Los Paños”), dembow (“Ojos Ferrari”) and even punk rock (“Tus Gafitas”), but it was the set’s lyrical content that resonated most with fans — one that showcased a happier, healthier, and healed Karol for 2023.
The album’s reception was so massive that it made history as the first Spanish-language album by a female artist to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Moreover, the set’s focus single “TQG” with Shakira—a dramatic urban pop song where the two artists successfully blossomed after their respective public celebrity breakups — debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, while also crowning six other Billboard listings and becoming Karol’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
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In celebration of her historic production, the 32-year-old singer took over Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium for three back-to-back concerts in March. It was then — due to fans chanting all her new material just days after its release — that the idea of embarking on her first-ever stadium tour was born.
But before hitting the road again in the summer, Karol made important career moves. In April, she made her Saturday Night Live debut, where she performed songs from her new album and was part of a sketch alongside Cuban-born actress (and that episode’s host) Ana de Armas. In June, she signed an ambitious deal with Interscope Records that included her owning all her masters and releasing music under her own imprint, Bichota Records. And in July, she dropped “Watiti” with Panamanian artist Aldo Ranks, a playful reggaetón single with EDM influences that marked the second single from the Barbie motion picture soundtrack. Not only did forming part of the biggest movie of the summer further prove her tremendous star power but it was also the only Spanish-language track on the star-studded set, which also included songs by Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, Bilie Eilish and more huge names.
And because one album was not enough for her prolific 2023, Karol surprised fans with Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) — a brand new set with nine tracks, including her norteño hit “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” and the Peso Pluma-assisted “QLONA” — that not only earned her another top five entry on the Billboard 200, but officially kicked off her U.S. stadium tour.
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The 15-date stint, which included a pair of sold-out shows at the New York-area MetLife Stadium in September, gathered fans of all ages, dressed in pink wigs and their best summer fits as they chanted along to all of Karol’s biggest hits. The trek grossed $138.4 million and sold 759K tickets across 15 shows in the U.S. between Aug. 11 and Sept. 28, landing Karol at No. 1 on the Billboard Year-End Latin Tours chart and later winning her top Latin touring artist, in addition to top Latin female artist, at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards in November.
Then, after being one of the very few Latin acts to dominate a massive stadium tour, Karol was ready to sweep awards season. In September, she made her MTV Video Music Awards debut, where she not only performed a sultry medley of “Oki Doki” and “Ta OK,” but also nabbed the best collaboration award for “TQG.” In October, she won five Billboard Latin Music Awards, in addition to the Spirit of Hope Award for her philanthropic work supporting women through her Con Cora Foundation. And in November, she nabbed three Latin Grammys, including the coveted album of the year trophy for Mañana Será Bonito. She also became the first woman to take home the urban album of the year award.
“How cool is it for a woman to win this?” she said during her acceptance speech. “This album changed my life, and it’s incredible that it’s changed the life of so many people.”
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Meanwhile, amid touring life and collecting well-deserved accolades, Karol’s light shined on social media. Often times she’d send voice messages on her Telegram group, she’d do an Instagram Live to show what a day off looks like for her back home, and on TikTok, she’d share adorable videos of her baby niece or jump on viral trends. It all further demonstrated why, beyond connecting and falling in love with her persona and charm, fans practically consider her family.
Next year, the Colombiana is ready to take her Mañana Será Bonito Tour to Latin America, where she will visit countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina, and her acting lessons will also come into play when she makes her Netflix debut on the drama series Griselda, starring Sofia Vergara, in January. Though Karol has ascended to global superstardom in 2023, it’s safe to say that Bichota Season should stretch well into 2024.
The holiday season is in full effect — and not to startle anyone, but Christmas Eve and Day are less than two weeks away. If you have yet to buy your family and friends a gift, Billboard has come to the rescue, with the ultimate Christmas gift guide for the Latin music lover in your life. […]