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Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” orders an eighth round at No.1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart. The song, which became the singer’s fourth leader on the tally in September, extends the third-longest command in 2024, and moves to within three weeks of tying the second-longest domination this year. Only two other […]
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival has its host duo for 2025. The event’s production reported Wednesday (Nov. 6) that presenter and journalist Rafael Araneda will join previously announced host Karen Doggenweiler for its 64th edition, which returns to Quinta Vergara from February 23 to 28.
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This will be the first time that Doggenweiler serves as co-host of the Chilean festival, while Araneda returns after seven years, having hosted before between 2011 and 2018.
Produced this year by Bizarro Live Entertainment, the Festival de Viña begins a “new era” on the channel Mega, after having previously been broadcast on Canal 13 and Televisión Nacional de Chile.
“Today, it is an honor, it is a privilege, it is a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return in this new era of Mega and Bizarro doing the Viña del Mar Festival,” Araneda told Billboard Español this week. “[I have] great memories, and great expectations for the future.”
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“I am tremendously lucky to participate in this edition,” said Doggenweiler. “Viña is not only a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection.”
With almost three decades of career in radio and television, Araneda has hosted journalistic spaces, primetime shows, realities and contests, in addition to his eight years at the helm of the Viña del Mar Festival. In recent years he has developed his career in Mexico City (TV Azteca) and Miami (Univision), where he currently hosts the show Enamorándonos.
Doggenweiler, with more than a quarter century on the Chilean screens, has also hosted entertainment shows in various formats, including primetime programs, morning shows, family shows, game shows, reality TV and festivals. Over the years she has had a close connection with the Festival de Viña, which she not only covered as a reporter, but for which she also served as a judge.
Launched in 1960, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is held annually at the Quinta Vergara, a 15,000-seat amphitheater located in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar, in the central coastal region of Valparaíso.
Over six days, the event features a mix of superstars, emerging singers and local artists competing for Silver, Gold and Platinum “Gaviotas” (Seagulls). These awards are decided by a jury with the help of viewers from their homes, although the so-called “monster” — the audience present at Quinta Vergara — undoubtedly has great power of influence with its ovations and occasional boos.
Below, Karen Doggenweiler and Rafael Araneda, the official hosts of Viña del Mar 2025, answer questions from Billboard.
Karen, this is your first time as a host of the most important television event in Chile. How do you feel now that this moment is approaching?
I am tremendously fortunate to participate in this edition of the festival. Viña is not only a festival, it is a global movement of music and entertainment, of human connection. We are going to have cutting-edge technology, there is a commitment to sustainability as well and a show that we hope will illuminate the entire summer [in the Southern Hemisphere]. I feel that it comes at a very, very special moment in my career.
Together with Rafael, we hope to put our own stamp on it. We know that for 65 years other channels have had it too… and well, now we are here and of course we hope that it becomes an endearing festival in this new version that we have prepared, in this change of era that we are working with so much love and dedication.
Rafael, what does it mean to you to return to Viña as host after seven years?
Indeed, I was member of the jury on two occasions at the Viña del Mar Festival, and then I had the opportunity to host it in eight consecutive editions. It was an extraordinary experience, personally and professionally, given that we work with the best technology in terms of making television, of doing what we are passionate about. We work on a 360 multimedia concept where there are different audiences, not just the people on television — there is the radio, the written press, today social media is very strong, and also digital broadcasts that can even give you a personalized festival experience. In that sense, it was always a nice challenge.
Today, it is an honor, it is a privilege, it is a gift that music gives me, that life gives me, to be able to return in this new era of Mega and Bizarro doing the Viña del Mar Festival. [I have] great memories, and great expectations for the future.
What would you say has been your favorite moment in Viña?
Karen: So many! I was able to go as a spectator when I was little with my mother, with my sister. I have also been part of the jury, and on related satellite programs, I participated as a reporter, waiting for the artists who arrived at the airport to interview them. For so many years I have witnessed it from different places. I think I was just missing being a host! So I think my favorite moment in Viña is yet to come. Although I treasure each of these other moments in a very important place in my heart, I think Viña 2025 is going to be my favorite moment in Viña del Mar.
Rafael: There are many particular moments, there are many behind-the-scenes emotions — but I stick with the prior preparation, on a personal level. And also observing from backstage, from a unique point of view, the nerves of world-class stars before going onstage — or when they are introduced — they look nervous, they look eager, you see them vocalizing, doing exercises, talking and refining details with their crew. And there you realize that we are all people, that we all want to give always the best version of ourselves, and that what happens there is unique, truly wonderful.
Karen, you mentioned attending the festival as a spectator with your mother and your sister. What does your family tell you now that you will be hosting Viña del Mar?
Karen: My family feels proud, happy, and of course supports me in this important instance. We experience the affection of each of the Chileans that we encounter every day, of our compatriots, in every step we take on the street, through the screens, through the radio. Of course our family also adds to that. And I am convinced that with Rafael it is the same. I know his family, I love them very much. And well, we are already working very closely to make it an unforgettable festival, so that we truly reflect this change of era, so that we can surprise, and so that everyone transforms each of these six nights in something that remains forever in the hearts.
Rafael, what is going to be different for you after seven years of absence?
Rafael: I think that the signature that Mega and Bizarro are going to give it. And in that sense, together with Karen — with whom I had the opportunity to work for many years on Chilean television in different formats, at different times, and we enjoyed it, we had a great time — I think that will be the hallmark. Having the possibility of meeting her again after so many years of accumulated experience is going to be very rich. Hopefully that chemistry and maturity that we have both gained over the years will come through. I have no doubt that this is how it will be.
But the signature will also be connected to energy, which is a central concept for Viña 2025. The energy generated by the music, the energy generated by the Viña del Mar experience, the energy generated by making a broadcast that each of us makes it our mission, not only the media. People today will have access to technological platforms to see the festival from wherever they want to see it, and however they want to see it. I hope they see it with their family — the lineup is going to be along those lines. It will be family-friendly crossover artists, and obviously and proudly massive. That’s Viña del Mar.
During Puerto Rico’s Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Bad Bunny cast his vote early at Saint John’s School in San Juan. Dressed in a classic salsero style sporting shades, an open-buttoned tee and burgundy pants, the superstar took a moment to address undecided voters. “Listen to your heart,” he advised after submitting his ballot, […]
Joss Favela crosses off a career milestone as he achieves his first No. 1 on any Billboard chart as “Con Todo Respetillo,” with Luis R. Conriquez, jumps 3-1 to crown the Nov. 9-dated Regional Mexican Airplay chart.
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“Con Todo Respetillo” ascends to the summit thanks to gains in audience impressions for the tracking week of Oct. 25-31. The single, released on Sony Music Latin/Azteca, generated 7.1 million impressions in the U.S., up 37% from the week prior, according to Luminate. It also takes the Greatest Gainer honors, awarded weekly to the song with the most airplay among the chart’s 40 titles.
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Although “Con Todo Respetillo” secures Favela’s breakthrough to the No. 1 spot on any Billboard chart, the Sinaloan previously registered six other top 10s on Regional Mexican Airplay, reaching as high as No. 2 through “Me Hubiera Dicho” in June 2018.
Conriquez, meanwhile, returns for his third No. 1 with “Respetillo.” The corridos-bélicos singer last achieved his two other No. 1s two years ago, as “JGL,” with La Adictiva,” and “Ya Hiciste Mal,” with Jessie Uribe, both ruled for one week in 2022.
Four other male team-ups have achieved a No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay in 2024: Christian Nodal and Peso Pluma through “La Intención” (April 6), Oscar Ortiz and Edgardo Nuñez with “First Love” (April 27), Alejandro Fernandez and Alfredo Olivas with “Cobijas Ajenas” (June 8), and Leonardo Aguilar and Pepe Aguilar through “Bandido de Amores” (July 6).
Despite their different achievements on Regional Mexican Airplay, Favela and Conriquez, both score their third top 10 on the overall Latin Airplay tally, where “Respetillo” soars 12-4 with the Greatest Gainer honors of the week.
“Con Todo Respetillo” is the only single that previewed Favela’s Mis Compas, Vol. 1 EP, released May 10 via Sony Music Latin. The album has not visited a Billboard chart yet.
“Colombia gang gang,” J Balvin sings in a teaser of the star-powered collaboration titled “+57” set to drop on Thursday (Nov. 7). Featuring Karol G, Balvin, Feid, Maluma, Ryan Castro, Blessd, Ovy on the Drums and DFZM, the new track unites Colombia’s biggest hitmakers in one song, which takes its name after the area code […]
Mexican music hitmaker Geovani Cabrera has signed an exclusive global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Billboard has learned. Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, the 15-year music veteran has penned a number of hit songs, including “JGL” recorded by Luis R. Conriquez, Christian Nodal‘s “Se Me Olvidó” and “A Través Del Vaso” by Los Sebastianes, to name […]
In Emilia Pérez, French director Jacques Audiard boldly presents the tale of cartel boss Manitas del Monte who decides to retire from business and undergo gender reassignment surgery to become the titular character. Adding to the uniqueness of the film’s plot, Audiard tells the story via musical numbers that are as genre-bending and defying as the musical drama itself.
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The two-hour film, starring Zoe Saldaña (Rita), Selena Gomez (Jessi) and breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón (Manitas del Monte/Emilia), is musically diverse, with rock, pop and rap leading musical numbers — all sung in Spanish — that are interwoven with the script as they capture the evolution and transformation of the aforementioned women, who are intrinsically involved in each others lives.
Manitas first hires fierce lawyer Rita to help facilitate her surgery, and years later, rehires her to help her reunite with wife Jessi, a rebellious woman at heart. Throughout the movie, all three have compelling musical numbers that add insight into their independent struggles as women in a chaotic country like Mexico that is riddled with narco violence, machismo and corruption.
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“The goal was that the music and the songs were linked to the story and deal with emotions,” composer Clément Ducol, who alongside singer-songwriter Camille crafted the musical’s score, tells Billboard. “That it wasn’t only music reflecting the story but the music was the story.”
The French composing duo was involved with the project even before the script was finished. What they initially received from Audiard was a 20-page treatment, and they were hooked immediately. “I like [Audiard’s] work because it’s very raw and I knew it was going to be interesting working and singing in this project,” says Camille. “I knew he would go for something very natural and break the codes of a musical. I believed in Emilia Perez from the start.”
The songs were all written in Spanish with the help of language consultants, including Karla Aviles and Ignacio Chávez. “They really helped me understand the cultural references and particularities,” Camille adds.
Below, Ducol and Camille speak to Billboard about the music behind Emilia Pérez, out now in select U.S. theaters and premiering Nov. 13 on Netflix.
What was it about the project that made you want to be part of it?
Clément Ducol: Meeting Jacques Audiard was already an event because he is one of the most well-known directors in France. When he comes to me with the idea to make a musical, it was incredible. What was exciting was that Jacques invited us to be part of it since the very beginning. We actually didn’t have a script yet — only a treatment, like 20 pages of a novel. Everything was built along with the songs.
Camille: I’ve always loved Jacques’ work because it’s very raw, and I knew he would go for something very natural and break the codes of a musical. Reading the treatment, it really immediately struck me as something Shakespearean. I believed in Emilia Perez from the start.
Because music is very much a protagonist, I’m curious to know how you all landed on that vision and what were those early conversations like with the director?
Ducol: We were reading the treatment and would point out scenes that could be turned to songs. The goal was that the music and the songs were linked to the story and deal with emotions. That it wasn’t only music reflecting the story but the music was the story. The music shifts along with characters. It’s a story of emancipation, transformation and evolution so the music embodies all of that.
Camille: Jacques comes with questions. He doesn’t come with preconceived ideas. We’ve been with him questioning the script, the songs, the story, the characters. It was like back and forth process. A song like “Por Casualidad,” it changed three times not only because the song wasn’t good enough or needed more depth or to be enriched, it changed because the script changed to reflect what was at stake at that point. It’s a turning point in London when Emilia has made her transition and Rita has become a well-known lawyer. First we thought the song would be about them looking back on these years. And then we thought it should be about Emilia presenting herself as a new person to Rita. And Jacques said, “No, Rita is scared in this scene and we need to add suspense to the song. They’re not just friends catching up. This is where their friendship starts.” There’s many layers to this song.
The musical numbers are all in Spanish. How was that process of writing the lyrics? Did you write first in French then translate to Spanish?
Camille: I wrote the lyrics for the songs. Sometimes I imagined the lyrics in French, then I would switch to Spanish very quickly because I needed to hear how it actually sounded. As a lyricist, I’m looking for something that sounds good and right. I’m looking for a song that is a delight for the singers and the cast, whether a song is sad or happy. And for that, I needed to sing the words myself. There’s no point in writing in French and translating. It has to be in the language because the lyrics talk about the country, the reality, the landscapes, the people. We must say that this film is about transition, women changing, about Mexico, politics and compassion. I want to mention Karla Aviles, who is Mexican and who was our language consultant and really helped me understand cultural references and particularities. Ignacio Chávez too. We got feedback from them and it really was accurate and fair.
The music is stylistically versatile, there’s pop, rock, rap — what was your inspiration for the music?
Ducol: The inspiration was only the story and characters, it was a very intuitive process. There weren’t pre-existing ideas of what could be used, no styles were pre-determined. Jacques likes to say that music is trans-genre too, not only Emilia. As the music shifts along with the transformation of the characters, obviously there are a lot of different genres.
There are two musical numbers I’d love to break down. First “El Mal” by Zoe Saldaña, where she raps about corruption, and then the music transitions into a heavy rock song. How did you craft this musical number?
Ducol: Sometimes there were many steps because we had a pre-production process and Camille was doing the vocals, sometimes dialogue. Then we met the actresses and that was a new step for us. Sometimes the actresses gave us the right arrangement for the music. It changed a lot. For “El Mal” with Zoe, there was already this kind of rap, rock, opera but with an arrangement more electronic. And when Zoe sang the song and performed and danced, Jacques was at the studio and said we needed something more acoustic and rough. We redid the song with a live rock band.
Camille: We were lucky to have Zoe because she has a super rhythmical and sharp voice. She’s the character as we imagined her to be. She’s rapper, rocker, goes for it and Zoe was perfect.
Emilia Pérez
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There’s also “Mi Camino” by Selena Gomez. She was very in her element as pop star performing this song.
Ducol: We had written the bedroom scene for her, like walls turning into a techno song, something very punk. We had another song even punkier than this one and very rebellious. The first one was more like she wanted to rebel and second one was “I’m rebelling.” We hadn’t met Selena yet at that point and when Jacques met Selena he told us, “unfortunately we have to write another song. Help me find the song that tells the story of her as a woman and not only as the actress.” It was interesting approach. He wanted her to be revealed.
Camille: Selena has that quality. In her documentary we saw it too. She doesn’t talk about herself that much but you can feel she’s not hiding either. She’s not her vulnerabilities and that’s very inspiring for songwriters. She makes herself vey available to the character, to the director and us. She listens a lot to what’s needed. She gave that natural quality that she has, very round, milky and velvety voice and it deepened the character. The character of Jessi at the beginning was a little hysterical, stuck in her world, like a puppet. And Selena gave her something maternal, something central and now the character stands out a lot. In “Mi Camino,” she’s out of the box, she’s in love, she gains self-esteem and I think Selena really related to that.
Some have described the musical as a narcocorrido, do you agree with that?
Camille: I think Jacques wanted music to be incorporated because he had the intuition that songs and music would make this unbelievable story believable. Like an opera or musical drama. He presented it more as an opera because it’s a tale and singing allows characters to tell the truth about themselves and the truth about the world.
Ducol: We didn’t want to make Mexican music because we are not Mexican, we needed to be very connected to the story and characters, and there was no clear inspiration on Mexican corridos or folk music. For us, the Mexican identity of the music is more with the language and with the distinctive sounds of Mexico City.
Camille: Our goal as artists isn’t to say, “This is what it is.” Everyone will have their own opinion or perspective.
Grammy-winning artists Jon Bon Jovi and DJ Khaled, as well as Grammy-nominated artist Joe Jonas, will help celebrate Latin music this month, when they perform at the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammys.
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The Latin Recording Academy announced on Monday (Nov. 4) additional performers for the Nov. 14 ceremony, including current nominees Ángela Aguilar, Álvaro Díaz, Tiago Iorc, Quevedo, Residente, Myke Towers, Trueno and The Warning, along with previous nominee Leonardo Aguilar.
Ángela Aguilar is nominated for album of the year and Álvaro Díaz earned two nominations for best reggaeton performance and best urban music album. Tiago Iorc scored a nomination for best singer-songwriter song, while Quevedo is nominated for best urban song. Residente has three nominations, including album of the year and song of the year. Myke Towers has two nods in the best urban song category. Trueno is nominated for best urban fusion/performance and best urban music album, and The Warning are nominated for best rock song.
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Previously announced performers include current nominees Anitta, Edgar Barrera, Becky G, David Bisbal, Eladio Carrión, DARUMAS, Emilia, Alejandro Fernández, Luis Fonsi, Leonel García, Grupo Frontera, Juan Luis Guerra, Carin León, Danny Ocean, Silvia Pérez Cruz, Carlos Rivera, Elena Rose, Ela Taubert and Kali Uchis, as well as the 2024 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, Carlos Vives, and previous nominees Pitbull and Reik.
For the second consecutive year, Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera leads the list of nominees with nine nods, including songwriter of the year and producer of the year. He is followed by superstars Karol G and Bad Bunny, who got eight mentions each. For a full list of nominations, click here.
The three-hour telecast will be produced by TelevisaUnivision, and will air live on Univision, UniMás, Galavisión and ViX from the Kaseya Center in Miami beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. Central), preceded by a one-hour pre-show starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
The Latin Grammy Premiere, where the majority of the categories are awarded, will be hosted by Latin Grammy nominees Maria Becerra, Juliana and Luísa Sonza, and will feature performances by Ale Acosta, Alok, Valeria Castro, Deorro, Fonseca, Leonel García, Grupo Niche, Draco Rosa, Rozalén and Vikina. It will be live streamed across the Latin Recording Academy platforms from the Miami Beach Convention Center beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
Miami and New Jersey come together as global superstar Pitbull joins forces with Bon Jovi again for a new remix of the band’s classic “It’s My Life,” Billboard Español can announce. The collaboration, titled “Now Or Never,” will be released on Nov. 14, the same day of the 2024 Latin Grammys. Explore See latest videos, […]
The Weeknd and Anitta‘s collaboration “São Paulo” has taken the top spot in this week’s new music poll, showcasing a variety of genres. In a poll published on Friday (Nov. 1) by Billboard, music fans voted the superstar collab as their favorite new release, with “São Paulo” garnering nearly 66% of the votes. This impressive […]