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Latin

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Emilia is closing 2023 with a historic career achievement — selling out 10 shows at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires in only 10 hours. 
The record-breaking news occurred Monday (Dec. 4) as part of the Argentine pop star’s .mp3 tour in 2024. She has surpassed the previous record held by Luis Miguel, who sold out nine dates in one day at the venue with another date added later. Billboard can confirm that, to date, only Emilia and “El Sol de México” have achieved this feat.  

The concerts are set to take place at the venue on April 6, 7, 19, 20, 21 and 23, and May 3, 29-31 for a collective audience of more than 100,000 fans. 

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“Having sold out shows in my career is truly special,” Emilia tells Billboard exclusively. “To me it basically means my fans are connecting with my music. I am so thankful. I know I say it all the time, but it goes back to believing in yourself, because dreams do come true if you work for them.” 

The 27-year-old artist — who’s currently making the rounds with her sophomore studio album .mp3 — says she’s ready for the intense vocal and dance rehearsals because “I want every detail of the performances to be just right. It’s all about creating an unforgettable experience for my fans.” 

She also shared details on what fans can expect from her hometown concerts. 

“The stage will be decked out with eye-catching sets. I’m taking fans back to the 2000s, and there will be so many surprises,” she notes. “People can also expect a blending of some of my classic [songs] like ‘420,’ ‘La Chain’ and ‘Como Si No Importara’ with the fresh tracks from my new album.” 

Emilia has placed various entries on the Billboard charts, including Latin Pop Airplay, Billboard Global 200, and Global Excl. U.S., in addition to three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart.

In addition to her Movistar Arena run, concert dates in Rosario, Córdoba, Montevideo, Salta and Asunción were also unveiled. For more information, visit Emilia’s official website. 

By keeping it real to his roots, Edgar Barrera played a pivotal role in ushering a rustic, revitalizing sound that, for the first time in a decade, disrupted the dominant rhythms of reggaetón. At the very least, it gave the urbano scene a substantial shake, challenging the established dembow-driven paradigm from its comfortable throne.
In fact, Barrera’s formidable work in the global Latin pop and música mexicana spaces secured him the coveted top spot on Billboard’s year-end chart for Hot Latin Songs Producer. This achievement marks the first time in a decade that a producer from the regional Mexican music scene has claimed this position, with the last instance being Fernando Camacho Tirado from Mazatlán in 2013.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about — being true to the roots of who you are and showing it with the songs you’re doing,” Barrera tells Billboard Español. 

The Mexican-American producer and songwriter is a self proclaimed “border kid” (also the name of his label), born in McAllen, Texas and raised between Tamaulipas, Mexico and the Lone Star State. To date, he has accumulated an impressive roster of artists he’s worked with, from all corners of the pop map: Madonna, Adriana Grande, Becky G, Grupo Firme, Manuel Turizo and more. 

With Grupo Frontera, fellow borderland troupe, they not only solidified their distinctive musical niche but also crafted one of the standout hits of 2023: the Tejano-cumbia of “un x100to,” featuring powerhouse Bad Bunny — his second foray into the genre. The song earned Barrera (and songwriters Andrés Jael Correa Rios and Mag) a Latin Grammy for best regional song. 

As the accolades continue to accumulate, Barrera now finds himself in the running for Songwriter of the Year at the upcoming 2024 Grammy Awards. Our interview below: 

Congratulations on reaching No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs Producers chart. Did you expect this feat given the success of many of the hits you have created this year?

It’s been a good year for me in every way. It was the year where I had the opportunity to make my label [BorderKid Records]. As a songwriter and producer, I feel like I had a lot of versatility as well. I always try to include Latin sounds in my productions, whether it’s a bachata, a merengue, a cumbia or a vallenato — something different, and regional Mexican music all the time; putting a little bit of that into urbano and pop. This year I had the opportunity to do a lot of that, and to appear now as Billboard‘s No. 1 — well imagine, for me, it’s an honor.

Let’s talk about some songs, like “un x100to” with Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, which also had tremendous success in the charts. How was the creative process for that?

When we wrote it, it was in another genre. It sat for a year and a half. We showed it to a lot of artists and nobody saw it as R&B. It had the same lyrics, the same melody, the same everything, but the arrangement was R&B. I feel that the industry was very focused on a more urbano vibe, and the song didn’t fit the rhythm it had. I had just sent it to another artist who had told me he didn’t see himself singing the song, and then Grupo Frontera arrived. I said to them, “I’m going to show it to you without the arrangement … with just the guitar and vocals.” I grabbed the guitar and sang it for them. They immediately told me, “We’re going to record it.” [Frontman] Payito learned it and we recorded it that same day in the studio.

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From that moment, we knew there was something special. We were trying to experiment with Frontera singing a song that wasn’t the typical cumbia. That’s part of what I get to do as a producer. On Benito’s part, when he came in with those dark pads — which was his idea — he wanted there to be a switch up when he came in, and that the cumbia would be added little by little. At that point, Mag, Bad Bunny’s producer, and I sat down to work, and we came up with what is now “un x100to.”

Let’s talk about other genres, “El Merengue” and “La Bachata.” Tell me about how you approached a totally different style of music.

When we did “La Bachata,” I wanted to do something that sounded different. I was a little tired of everything sounding the same. During that time, there was a pattern in Latin music that began to repeat itself a lot. It was also intended for another artist and in the end it turned out that Manuel Turizo called me to work with him. He asked if I had any songs out there to show him. I told him, “I have a song, but it’s a bachata — I don’t know how much you see yourself singing a bachata.” I played it for him and he said, “Bro, I’d like to record something different too.” And Manuel bet on the song.

“El Merengue” started as a joke with Manuel. We said, “We did ‘La Bachata’, now let’s do ‘La Cumbia’ or ‘El Merengue.’” He answered, “Bro, you know what? Doing a merengue might be interesting!” We were with Marshmello in the studio, and I asked him, “How would you make a merengue in your world? How would you put EDM on merengue?” Marshmello said, “You start the production and I’ll follow you.” So I started playing the chords on the piano, throwing melodies. We put the song together on the spot. Nobody [was] doing merengue at that time.

How would you say your Mexican roots contribute to your approach to songwriting and production?

I think it’s in all the songs I’m a part of. For example, if you listen to “El Jefe” by Shakira, you hear a lot of Mexican stuff, or “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” by Karol G, you hear a more Tejano flow like Selena, which is the music of my hometown and that I listened to growing up. If you hear a song like “Según Quién” by Maluma and Carin León, you hear some pop, but with a very Mexican style. Lately I’ve been getting tweets [that say], “I knew this song was Edgar’s because of this and that.” People are starting to identify me in songs. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: being true to the roots of who you are and showing it with the songs you’re doing.

Can you explain what inspired you to found your label BorderKid Records?

I grew up on the border — I’m a border kid, as they say. I feel that many see us with disadvantages, because maybe we are too American for Mexicans and too Mexican for Americans. But I try to look for the positive side, that I have both cultures in me. And part of my stamp is that. One of the first releases I had with my label was “Que Vuelvas” by Grupo Frontera [and Carin León of 2022]. When I decided to support a local group from McAllen — which is right where I was born, and close to where I grew up, between Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas and Roma, Texas, an hour from McAllan — I wanted to start a label supporting local talent. Well imagine, I met Grupo Frontera, which also means the same thing as the label — so as they say, it was meant to be.

What advice would you give to aspiring producers and songwriters who want to make a name for themselves in the industry?

To be original, to always be real to what they do; not be ashamed to show who they really are and where they are from. For example, there was a time when Latin music was very focused on other genres, in other countries, very urbano. As a Mexican, I bring other kinds of things to the table. I have always been proud of my roots and I consider myself different from others. I feel that you have to always be proud of yourself and not try to be a person or a producer that you are not, or try to write something that isn’t your language or your way of expressing yourself in order to fit in. 

Farruko achieves his 13th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as his latest single, “Pasajero,” rises 3-1 on the Dec. 9-dated list. “Pasajero,” which translates to “Passenger,” climbs to No. 1 after a 7% boost in audience impressions, to 9.41 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 30, according to Luminate. […]

‘Tis the season to listen to Christmas songs on repeat. Like many other artists across genres, Latin acts have been releasing bilingual (Spanish and English) holiday songs — whether original or covers — to get in the spirit navideño. There are of course the go-to classics like José Feliciano‘s “Feliz Navidad,” which celebrated its 50th anniversary […]

Ryan Seacrest will have a pop superstar by his side to ring in 2024. ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced on Tuesday morning (Dec. 5) that Seacrest will be joined by new co-host Rita Ora on this year’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024, with the “Let You Love Me” singer […]

Daddy Yankee officially held his farewell concert on Sunday (Dec.3), where he not only performed his timeless reggaeton tracks, but also delivered a life-changing message to his fans. 

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The series of four back-to-back shows, dubbed “La Meta” (The Goal), kicked off Nov. 30 at The Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan and included a global livestream of Sunday’s concert with the purchase of a $20 ticket. 

Fans back home and those connected virtually not only enjoyed a live musical journey through Yankee’s 30-year career, but also observed his vulnerability and transparency when the singer opened up about embracing his faith and religious beliefs. 

“This is the most important day of my life and I want to share it because it’s not easier living a life with success than a life with purpose,” the star born Raymond Ayala said during his address from the stage. 

“For many years I’ve tried filling a void in my life that no one could fill. I tried finding a purpose, on many occasions it seemed as if I was happy but something was missing for me to feel complete. I have to confess that those days are over and someone was able to fill that void that I felt for a lot of time. I realized that for everyone I was someone but I was no one without him,” he continued. “Throughout the years I was able to travel the world, win many awards, applaud and praise but I realized something that’s in the Bible: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

The global artist, who spearheaded the reggaeton movement with his 2004 breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” proudly expressed that God lives in him and he will live for him. 

“A chapter has ended but a new one will begin,” he noted. “All the tools that I have in my power, like music, social media, platforms, a microphone, everything that God has given me is now for his kingdom. Thank you, Puerto Rico, and I hope you walk with me in this new beginning and I hope you remember something very important: Don’t follow any person. I am human. To all the people who follow me, follow Jesus Christ, he’s the way, the truth, and the life.” 

“La Meta” was part of his retirement tour La Última Vuelta that kicked off last year and landed at No. 13 on the Top 40 Tours of 2022 with a total gross of over $125 million, according to Billboard’s Year-End Boxscore charts. Yankee now joins a wave of reggaeton stars who have opened up about their faith including Farruko, Hector “El Father” Delgado, El General, and more.

Listen to his full speech in Spanish below:

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” officially reached one billion streams on Spotify on Sunday (Dec. 3). The high point marks the first-ever música mexicana track to do so, Spotify has confirmed to Billboard Español. The song — which premiered on April 1 as part of Eslabon Armado’s album Desvelado via DEL Records […]

The Billboard Latin and Billboard Español edit teams rank the ultimate Spanish-language pop songs from Y2k to now.

This week, Billboard‘s New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors, feature the latest Latin songs, albums and videos. The lineup includes fresh releases from artists like Thalia (with Estilo Sin Límite), Milo J, Edén Muñoz, Miguel Campello, Wisin with Young Miko and more.
Thalia ventures into the world of corridos tumbados in this carefree song with Estilo Sin Límite, which “encourages women to free themselves from chatty, arrogant men who seek to woo them,” writes Billboard Español deputy editor, Sigal Ratner-Arias. Powered by a tololoche, requinto and brassy instruments, the second single “Choro” from her upcoming album A Mucha Honra was produced by Edgar Rodríguez from Yellow Room and executive produced by Jimmy Humilde. Its title, in Mexican slang, refers to an over-the-top person who uses his words to make people fall in love.

With the EP En Dormir Sin Madrid under his belt, and a collaboration with well-known Argentine producer Bizarrap, Milo J shows off his musical bravado in his debut album 111. “Infused with a South American bohemian essence reminiscent of tango and bolero, the album seamlessly combines traditional tones with a contemporary flair,” mentions Billboard Español‘s writer Luisa Calle. Despite his young age of 16, the rapper performs songs with the depth of an experienced artist, deftly navigating the intricacies and turbulence of youth.

Adorned with exquisite nylon strings and trumpet riffs, and enveloped in the fervor of rumba guitar strums and his resounding flamenco vocals, Miguel Campello’s “El Sentir de los Sentimientos” navigates the ebbs and flows of personal contemplation. “[It’s] a song with rumba soul that tells the passing of the days, full of stories that make us laugh and cry because singing is feeling that you feel,” the singer-composer wrote on his IG.

In the last New Music Latin fan-related poll, Banda MS and Gloria Trevi’s “Y Que Te Soporten” won with over 90 percent of the votes. Dennis and Anitta’s “Monstrão” followed with nearly three percent. What’s your favorite new Latin music release of the week? Vote below!

Karol G‘s Mañana Será Bonito tour is heading to Latin America, and her first stop is her hometown of Medellin, Colombia, where she has prepared something special for her fans. Offering the ultimate Mañana Será Bonito experience, the two-day (Dec. 1-2) sold-out event at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot is a festival of sorts that will […]