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New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Sofía Reyes, MILAMORES (Warner Music Latina)
From Mal de Amores (bad heartbreaks) to Milamores (a thousand loves), Sofia Reyes embraces her growth and life lessons on her third studio album. Home to 14 tracks, the set kicks off with the 20-second “Florecer,” where, over the sound of birds chirping in a garden, Reyes says: “Joy where are you? Come help me wake up. Heal me with your song, heal me with your joy.”
The first official song is “La Batidora,” in collaboration with El Gran Silencio, where they lace Mexican cumbia sonidera with the Monterrey band’s fiery rap verses. “I put the bad vibes in a blender, pure happiness is trending now,” Reyes chants. On “Delirio,” a dreamy indie-pop track backed by synth melodies, Reyes takes listeners to a galaxy far away to remind us that we are bright as a star. Along those lines, MILAMORES is a feel-good album packed with inspirational lyrics about self-love and enjoying the simplicity of life.
Musically, the album delivers all sorts of rhythms meshed with Reyes’ pop essence: “Cobarde” is a romantic bachata featuring Beéle; “Altitud” is a futuristic reggaeton track with Ingratax; the title track is a heartfelt mariachi-meets-hip-hop song with Gera MX; “Gaia” is a chill reggae song featuring Delian; and “Noche de Sirenas” is a hard-hitting perreo, in collab with Mariah Angeliq. Other collaborators on the set include Danna Paola and Caloncho. MILAMORES follows Reyes’ albums Louder (2017) and Mal de Amores (2022). — JESSICA ROIZ
Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40, Radio Güira (Rimas Entertainment)
Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40 light up the party this week with Radio Güira, an EP of six songs presented, as its title indicates, in radio station style. “You are listening to Radio Güira, 4.40 FM,” Guerra narrates over a techno-beat at the beginning of “Mambo 23,” the first single and opener. “This EP has a different concept. Our purpose was to do something innovative,” Guerra explained in a press release. “We imagine a radio station playing 4.40 music in different parts of the world. We include calls, recipes, and IDs and the genres of mambo, bachata, and merengue. This was our dream for many months, and today we make it known!”
With six songs written and produced by the Dominican maestro, it is impossible not to move and smile to the rhythm of mambo, bachata (“DJ Bachata”), merengue (“La Noviecita” and “Como Me Enamora”), pambiche blues (“Te Invito a un Blues”) and even pop reggaeton (“Cositas de Amor”), all with elegant touches of genres such as jazz and rock, and the sweet, poetic lyrics for which the artist is known. It is, in short, a work that overflows with joy, humor and love. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, “SANDUNGA” (Sugar Cream Music)
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“Dale, dale, Don dale.” Don Omar is back with an irresistible reggaeton, which is a reunion of sorts: After over a decade, “SANDUNGA” brings together Don Omar with Wisin y Yandel and OG production duo Luny Tunes. Taking Don Omar back to his old-school reggaeton roots, reminiscent of the early 2000s, the song successfully blends the adrenaline-fueled formula that is rooted in reggaeton, resulting in an explosive sound that preserves the essence of música urbana. As for the meaning of the word, “sandunga” can mean many things, including describing someone’s spark or charisma. The historic reunion is part of the upcoming Don Omar Presenta: Back to Reggaeton EP. The song drops along with an epic four-minute music video, visually reflecting the track’s underworld vibe, which was shot in Miami and directed by Carlos Perez from Elastic People. — INGRID FAJARDO
Arthur Hanlon, Legados Pop (Sony Music Latin)
An American pianist with a Latin heart, Arthur Hanlon presents the second volume of his Legados album series, which began with Legados Bachata and, on this occasion, pays an emotional tribute to pop classics from the 2000s. Composed of six songs, Legados Pop includes a notable collaboration with emerging Mexican-American artist Mariangela (of the popular trio Camila) on the single “Todo Cambió.” The beautiful collaboration transports you to a golden era, both in the blues-tinged musical arrangements and in the accompanying video, that evokes those classic romantic scenes from the movies of yesteryear.
The EP also includes five instrumental pieces, where the piano’s versatility is the protagonist. Among them, “Noviembre Sin Ti” from Reik is cleverly fused with a piece of the melody from “Christmas Canon” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It also includes gems such as “Un Siglo Sin Ti” from Chayanne, “Mientes Tan Bien” from Sin Bandera, a bossa nova version of “Corazón Partío” by Alejandro Sanz with backing vocals in Portuguese, and “Vente Pa’ Ca” by Ricky Martin. Legados Pop includes classic songs that have conquered the hearts of a generation, with soft choruses to accompany you on that nostalgic journey. Hanlon will be on tour in early 2024 with Un Viaje Mágico De Piano: Arthur Hanlon and Friends. Presented by Loud and Live in collaboration with SBS, the tour will visit cities such as Miami, New York and Los Angeles. — LUISA CALLE
Silvestre Dangond, ‘Ta Malo (Sony Music Latin)
After dabbling with pop and tropical music, Silvestre Dangond returns firmly to his vallenato roots with an album that has contemporary edges, but is still traditional vallenato in its musical arrangements (and more importantly in its spirit). ‘Ta Malo includes tracks by 13 composers, a true nod to the notion that vallenato is a troubadour genre where the singer tells stories of the people. Among the writers is Dangond himself, who lends his personal life and love story to “La Vallenata.” Indeed, many tracks in ‘Ta Malo are romantic, but ultimately this is an album to party to, as highlighted by focus track “Bacano,” a feel-good romp. While Dangond’s music is impeccably executed, this is a celebration of vallenato as music to cry, drink and dance to. — LEILA COBO
Esteman, “PORNOSTALGIA” (Universal Music Group México)
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The play-on-words title of Esteman’s new song is intriguing enough to want to listen to it, yet the Colombian singer-songwriter manages to stay away from the raunchiness and place all bets on his usual romantic style, as he sings about the chemistry and passion between two people that keeps them coming back for more. “PORNOSTALGIA” is a delicate yet captivating bachata, which allows Esteman to step out of his electro-pop comfort zone his fans are now accustomed to hearing. “This song talks about a forbidden love that breaks with traditions and what is established, where desire, eroticism and nostalgia are present all the time,” he said about the track in a statement. — GRISELDA FLORES
Espectro Caudillo, La Liturgia del Tigre Blanco (Nacional Records)
In a climate where prominent Latin artists such as Peso Pluma and Fuerza Regida have been forced to cancel their Tijuana performances in response to menacing narco-banner threats, and where the grim specter of violence continues to cast a shadow over the nation, La Liturgia del Tigre Blanco emerges as a work of ever-increasing significance. This concept album by Tijuana/San Diego-bred producer Espectro Caudillo speaks to the pressing issues facing not only the music industry but also the freedom of journalists in Mexico. Fusing traditional northern Mexican sounds like brass-blaring banda and cumbia with dark electronica, Caudillo (real name: Reuben Torres) encapsulates the essence of the border city’s hybrid electronic styles, like Nortec and Ruidosón — the latter of which he helped pioneer as one-third of Los Macuanos in the early 2010s.
La Liturgia takes its creative spark from Daniel Salinas Basave’s 2013 book of the same name, which delves into the captivating narrative of Jorge Hank Rhon, a former Tijuana mayor with an enduring influence on the region. The 16 songs pay homage to a wide spectrum of events, spanning from the hedonism surrounding Rhon’s immersion into Tijuana’s social scene in the mid-1980s (“La Siniestra Extravagancia”) to the drug cartel conflicts and the murder of a journalist Hector “El Gato” Felix in 1988 (“04’20″88”) that still lingers as a haunting presence in Tijuana even now.
Then there’s “El Temible Grupo Jaguar”, with a music video that depicts a lone aspiring hitman in his apartment that undergoes a transformation from an ordinary man into an Aztec warrior jaguar. In an era where Latin artists grapple with threats and violence, Cadullo’s La Liturgia stands as a profound musical testament, blending traditional Mexican sounds with electronica to encapsulate the rich, often complex tapestry of Tijuana’s history. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Listen to the New Music Latin playlist below:
In a few days, Laura Pausini will be honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s 2023 Person of the Year — becoming the first artist born outside of Latin America or Spain to receive the accolade, one of the biggest handed out each year as part of the Latin Grammy Awards celebrations. And although the news took her by surprise, she proudly says that she feels Latina.
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“For 30 years I always say that I am the most Mexican, most Argentinian, most Spanish Italian… because I have grown up spending many days of my life with you,” says the Italian pop legend, who has recorded in Spanish since the beginning of her career. “Maybe not my blood, but my soul, my ideas, my ideals, I have made them grow with yours, and I feel Latin.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, on the eve of the 24th edition of the Latin Grammys — which for the first time leave the United States to take place in Seville, Spain — Pausini will be celebrated at a gala in which other stars will perform versions of her well-known repertoire. It’s something she has done for other Persons of the Year, from Juan Gabriel in 2009 to Marc Anthony in 2016 to Marco Antonio Solís last year. That means she knows the drill, and won’t know in advance who will sing for her that night, or which songs they will sing.
What she does know is that she will be accompanied by her entire family to cap off a year of great personal and professional achievements, including her March wedding to Paolo Carta after 18 years together; the recent release of Almas Paralelas, her first studio album in five years; her upcoming world tour, which starts in December; and of course, her award as Person of the Year.
“It is the true celebration of a life, of the lives of us Pausinis. I don’t see it only as my career,” says the star. “My family is obviously the one that knows the most about my love for Spanish, for Latin America, and my parents are very excited, my daughter, my husband, my sister will come.”
Born in Faenza, Italy, Pausini started her music career at age 19, rising to fame in 1993 after winning the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival. Her records have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, she has done nine world tours, and landed three songs in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart: “Las Cosas Que Vives,” “Víveme” and “Como Si No Nos Hubiéramos Amado” — all of them Spanish versions of songs she originally recorded in Italian.
A Latin Grammy and Grammy winner, Pausini also shares a Golden Globe Award with Diane Warren for best original song, for “Io sì (Seen)” from the movie The Life Ahead, which was also nominated to an Oscar. Beyond music, she has been honored with the Starlite Humanitarian Award, the Global Gift Humanitarian Award, and was named Person of the Year by the Diversity Media Awards for her support of the LGBTQ+ community, among other honors.
“Laura Pausini is one of the most talented and beloved artists of her generation whose commitment to advocacy and equal rights is exemplary,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy, when the award was announced in May. “Throughout her more than three-decade career her extraordinary voice continually breaks down barriers across languages and genres, creating a special bond with audiences around the world.”
You have had a year full of emotions. How do you feel now, just a few days before being honored as Person of the Year?
I feel blessed, I must say, because after 30 years [career] what is happening in my life is not obvious. I realize all that and I feel very grateful. I hope I deserve all that, and that’s why I work so much, especially for the people who are still there, who continue to believe in me, perhaps more than myself, and give me the strength to continue.
What did you think when they told you that you were the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year, being an Italian artist?
They told me that the president [Manuel Abud] wanted to talk to me. Since I had finished co-hosting Latin Grammys a few months earlier with Anitta, Thalia and Luis Fonsi, I thought that something was not good and that he wanted to tell me something about it. So we started this Zoom and he told me: “Laura, on behalf of the Academy, I want to tell you that you are the Person of the Year.”
I mean, very unexpected! Especially because of what you’ve said, I’m Italian, so I didn’t think that was possible for me. I asked him if I could video-call my father, since he was the one who instilled in me the love for music… Each of us was in another city, the three crying with joy. I really started sobbing like crazy, it was very emotional.
I didn’t expect it at all and I am very grateful that I am the first [honoree] who was not born in a Latin American country [or in Spain]. But, for 30 years I always say that I am the most Mexican Italian, the most Argentine, the most Spanish, the most everything, because I have grown up spending many days of my life with you. Maybe not my blood, but my soul, my ideas, my ideals, I have made them grow with yours, and I feel Latin.
Last year, you sang at the Marco Antonio Solís tribute as Person of the Year, and you have also done so at other galas in the past. How do you feel now that you will be the one honored and others will sing your songs for you?
(laughs) That makes me smile. Besides, I’m starting to imagine who will sing, whether it will be my friends I know or new singers. I have no idea because you can’t know, and I know how it works because, as you said, last year I sung for Marco Antonio, but I also sung for Marc Anthony and also for the great Juan Gabriel, so I already had the experience of being on stage as a guest while the Person of the Year did not know. So, this time it’s my turn and I receive it with great pride.
What do you expect from that night?
Well, my whole family will come, and it is the true celebration of a life, of the life of us Pausinis — I don’t see it only as my career. My family is obviously the one that knows the most about my love for Spanish, for Latin America, and my parents are very excited, my daughter, my husband, my sister will come. I don’t know if I can fully make people understand what it means for a person who has always been considered a “foreigner” to feel part of you. For us as a family it is to feel truly loved, as if we were born there. It’s something really very deep that touches a life within a person, more than a career.
You just released your first album in five years, Almas Paralelas. Why did it take so long?
Never before had so much time passed between the previous album and the new one, and I have to say that a lot of things have happened in my life in recent years, some incredible as you also already know, like the Golden Globe, an Oscar nomination, starring in a docu-film about my life… But there have also been moments of great insecurity, fear, doubt, especially thinking about the future as a woman, obviously as a mother, and logically as a singer.
I questioned how I could deserve, for example, the new awards that I won, because with every award that you win comes a new responsibility, and I was afraid of not being able to have new responsibilities. I wondered if I was really capable of accepting a daily challenge with what is happening today, every day, between the wars, imagine in Italy during COVID, but more importantly, with myself. So the truth is that I was blocked for a time. I needed help, and thanks to the people who are by my side, close to me, I regained some of my strength and then I began to challenge myself again, and worked, in a very long search, on new songs. I also worked hard to get to the point where I had the nerve to put my voice and face before everyone’s judgment.
Now I am very happy with what I am singing on my new album, Almas Paralelas. It is a truly conceptual album that covers 16 stories of real people that are different from each other. It is an album that celebrates diversity and the right to individuality, which in my opinion should be respected more as citizens of the same streets, but with different souls, different dreams, different desires. So on this album it’s like we live in a world with shared places, but not necessarily the same ideas. And in this world represented [on the album cover] by the street and its zebra crossing, I’d like there to always be respect and love between the individuals who inhabit it, and I would like for the listener to fall in love with the human beings who live like souls on a parallel path.
What have you learned about yourself in these 30 years of career?
I have learned that my stubbornness has saved me many times. My determination to be very honest with myself, and then with the audience, has allowed me to have no regrets — although it may have happened that some songs work better than others… Sometimes I’ve been suggested to change my style, or adapt more to what worked on the radio. At this point, I am happy to have been determined to listen to my skin in the selections of the songs, obviously trying to have new artists by my side, new producers who will help me maintain my melodic style, but with more contemporary, current sounds. I didn’t want to change.
In reality, I have not changed; I have grown in age and mentality, but I am not a different person. My ideals are the same, so I want my music to continue to be a reflection of my mind.
Emilia is bringing back the early 2000s with the release of her sophomore studio album .mp3, released Friday (Nov. 3) under Sony Music Latin.
If the title is any indication, the Argentine pop artist traveled more than 20 years back to seek inspiration for her conceptual 13-track set. Each song, including the previously-released “Jagger,” “No_Se_Ve,” and “GTA,” are styled with the “.mp3” at the end because that’s how music files were saved in portable music-playing devices, such as an iPod.
“I imagine what I would have been like as an artist in those times,” Emilia, who was born in 1996, tells Billboard. “Being able to take your favorite music everywhere was something incredible to me. I wanted to revive that nostalgia in my new album, so that people would remember those moments that never come back.”
Far beyond its sick (as we’d say in the 2000s) concept, .mp3 celebrates women. For the album, the pop singer reeled in artists such as TINI, Nathy Peluso, and Ludmilla, because she wants to send an empowering message to her fans.
“In Argentina, we have created support among ourselves,” she says about working with her fellow Argentine artists. “We push each other, and we celebrate each other. I wanted my audience to see that reflected in the collaborations on this album.”
Musically, she navigates away from her signature pop-reggaetón sound, as heard in her debut set Tú Crees En Mí?, and experiments with hip-hop and various electronic rhythms, such as house, showcasing the beats that were popular back in the days.
“My evolution as an artist has been an exciting journey,” she notes. “And as I’ve said before, doing things from the heart is really what’s authentic for me.”
In the hype of her new album, the Argentine darling shares some of her obsessions of the 2000s and today. Check those out and listen to her .mp3 below.
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Luck Ra’s “La Morocha” featuring BM holds strong at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated Nov. 4) for a sixth week in charge. The extended domination becomes the second longest in 2023, alongside Myke Towers’ “Lala,” which ruled for an equal six weeks. Both songs stand behind another pair of winners, […]
Calibre 50 extends its record for the most No. 1s on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Vengo de Verla” crowns the tally dated Nov. 4. The single advances from No. 5 in its 10th week with 7.8 million audience impressions, up 19%, earned during the tracking week ending Oct. 26, according to Luminate. It […]
Peso Pluma, Keane, Maná and Fuerza Regida are set to headline the next edition of the Tecate Pa’l Norte festival, which announced on Wednesday (Nov. 1) the extensive list of international stars that will take the stage the weekend of March 29-31.
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As it does every year, the Fundidora Park in Monterrey, Nuevo León, in northern Mexico, will host one of the most highly anticipated musical events, where attendees can enjoy genres such as rock, pop, hip-hop and regional Mexican music.
The first day will feature artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Peso Pluma, Keane, Aleman, Bad Religion, Belanova, Aterciopelados, Bomba Estéreo, Chencho Corleone, Deorro, Los Estrambóticos, Aitana and a large number of emerging groups.
The second day will highlight Blink-182, Louis Tomlinson, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Anitta, Danna Paola, Danny Ocean, Gabito Ballesteros, Latin Mafia, Sum 41, Yng Lvcas, Humbe, Young the Giant, R3hab, Justin Morales and many more.
Apodaca Group
The last day of the festival will feature Maná, Imagine Dragons, Placebo, Fuerza Regida, Los Enanitos Verdes, Enjambre, Kenia Os, Santa Fe Klan, Álvaro Díaz, Jay de la Cueva, Oscar Maydón, Kinky, The Warning and The Blessed Madonna, in addition to a variety of up-and-coming artists.
Before the lineup was announced, on Oct. 27, a so-called “early bird sale” of tickets was held for bank account holders, which sold out in minutes, according to organizers. The pre-sale for the general public is available at ticketmaster.com.mx from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5, and the remaining tickets will be released on Nov. 7. (More information here).
Created in 2012 by the entertainment company Apodaca Group, based in Monterrey, Tecate Pa’l Norte was created with the local public in mind, which had to travel to Mexico City to attend these types of musical events. Music, art, gastronomy and northern traditions come together in Tecate Pa’l Norte, considered one of the most important festivals in the country along with Vive Latino and Corona Capital, held in Mexico City by Ocesa.
See the full lineup below:
J Balvin adds a record-extending 36th No. 1 to his Billboard Latin Airplay account as his latest single “Dientes,” with Usher and DJ Khaled, climbs 9-1 on the Nov. 4-dated ranking. Usher and Khaled add their second leader.
“Dientes” becomes the Greatest Gainer of the week with 11 million audience impressions, up 51%, earned in the U.S. during the Oct. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate.
With “Dientes,” J Balvin tastes his first No. 1 on the overall Latin Airplay chart in 2023. His last effort, “Nivel de Perreo” with Ryan Castro, reached a No. 26 high last September. Prior, “Forever My Love” and “Sigue,” both collaborations with Ed Sheeran, took Balvin to the summit for one week each in April 2022.
Balvin first broke the No. 1 barrier with “AM” with Farruko in 2014, for one week in charge, and became a staple at the format with six more No. 1s from his next 10 chart visits. In total, Balvin has collected 36 champs, further distancing from the competition.
Here’s the rundown of artists with the most No. 1s on Latin Airplay since the chart began in 1994:
36, J Balvin
33, Ozuna
32, Enrique Iglesias
28, Daddy Yankee
23, Maluma
22, Bad Bunny
22, Wisin
“Dientes” brings Usher to the lead after more than two decades, after his featured role in Romeo Santos’ ”Promise” ruled for 10 weeks between 2011-12. Between his two chart-topping singles, he landed a No. 35 high through his featured turn in David Guetta’s “Without You” in 2012.
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DJ Khaled, meanwhile, scores his second No. 1 after Jennifer Lopez’s “Dinero” — where he is featured along with Cardi B — led for one week in 2018.
Back to the champ, in addition to securing all artists a new No. 1, “Dientes” gives UMLE its fourth ruler in 2023, after the label dominated with Karol G and Shakira’s TQG” (two weeks between May and July), Alejandro Fernandez’s “No Es Que Me Quiera Ir” and Feid and Sean Paul’s “Nina Bonita” (both for one week in Aug.)
Fuerza Regida burst in at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada on the Nov. 4-dated list and claims its highest debut among eight career entries.
Previously, the quintet’s eighth studio album Adicto had its best start, bowing at No. 4 in 2020. Further, Pa Las Baby’s matches the group’s chart peak on the list, equaling the No. 2 peak of Sigan: Hablando: II in January.
Pa Las Baby’s debuts at No. 2 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 26, according to Luminate. The expansive 30-track set boasts 14 collaborations, including tracks with Maria Becerra, Marshmello, Manuel Turizo, El Fantasma and Gabito Ballesteros. The album was released Oct. 20 via StreetMob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin.
Most of the Pa Las Baby’s opening sum derives from streaming-equivalent album units; that sum equals 51.7 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs. The San Bernardino, Calif.-quintet scores the second-largest opening sum for a regional Mexican album, after Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado, which launched at No. 1 (May 13) with 63.51 million official U.S. streams. While Peso Pluma’s Génesis debuted with fewer streams from only one day of activity (July 1), it claimed the biggest week among regional Mexican albums ever, with 101.2 million streams after its first week of chart activity (dated July 8).
With Pa Las Baby’s debut, Fuerza Regida collect their fifth top 10 entry overall, tying with Junior H for the second-most for a regional Mexican act in 2023 after Eslabon Armado, who have grabbed six top 10s. Among all acts, Bad Bunny leads with eight top 10 albums.
Here’s a recap of Fuerza Regida’s collection of top 10s on Top Latin Albums:
Peak, Title, Peak DateNo. 8, Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, July 20, 2019No. 4, Adicto, April 25, 2020No. 3, Pa Que Hablen.: I., April 15, 2023No. 2, Sigan Hablando.: II, Jan. 28, 2023No. 2, Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada, Nov. 4, 2023
Pa Las Baby’s joins three other Regida albums on Top Latin Albums: Pa Que Hablen.: I. at No. 15, Sigan Hablando.: II at No. 33 and Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, Vol. 2 at No. 40.
Elsewhere, Pa Las Baby’s likewise becomes Regida’s highest-charting debut on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200. On the former, it arrives at No. 1 for the group’s fifth chart-topper there, while it starts at No. 14 on the latter.
The album was preceded by two tracks on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart: the No. 5-peaking “TQM” (June 6) and lead single “Sabor Fresa,” which reached its No. 3 high on the July 8-dated list. Meanwhile, the album yields two newcomers: “Sobras y Mujeres” and “Excesos” open at No. 40 and No. 42, respectively.
Netflix is currently airing the reggaetón-inspired series Neon, a joint creation of Shea Serrano and Max Searle that stars Tyler Dean Flores as Santi, an aspiring reggaetón artist who moves to Miami to chase his dreams.
A series about ambitions, the music industry, loyalty and overcoming fears, among other life lessons, the eight-episode comedy series follows Santi; his sister, who’s also his personal manager; and his best friend, who’s also his creative and marketing director, on their clueless journey to landing a record deal — all while they take advantage of the momentum Santi built with his viral hit “Exagerao.”
The track was produced in the real world by Latin hitmaker Tainy, who also serves as one of the executive music producers on the show, along with Lex Borrero and Ivan Rodriguez from Ntertain and Neon16.
Created for the U.S.-born Latin artist (like Santi), the Puerto Rican producer said in a statement that “the production bangs and feels like a club song, but it also connects with the character culturally. The slang, the delivery, his lover-boy persona, even the choices on his pronunciation being more like a second-generation Latino in the U.S. In subtle ways every line tells you about Santi.”
Additionally, a wave of Latin music stars, such as Daddy Yankee and Jhayco, have had acting cameos in the series. (See the full list below.)
Neon’s executive production team consists of Serrano and Searle, along with an outstanding list of collaborators, including Scooter Braun, James Shin and Scott Manson of SB Projects, Anne Clements and Daddy Yankee. Kyle Vinuya and Demi Adejuyigbe serve as co-executive producers, and Jordan Mendoza serves as consulting producer.
The first episode of Neon was previewed at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week ahead of its Oct. 19 premiere to a select group of viewers.
Brray
Image Credit: Francisco Roman/Netflix © 2023
You could understand why Chayanne was a little nervous. The Puerto Rican superstar was about to formally release the aptly-titled Bailemos otra vez (Let’s Dance Again, out Oct. 27 on Sony U.S. Latin), his first studio album in nine years. In anticipation, he was going to sit for a live Q&A in Miami before an audience of press from the U.S. and Latin America.
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“It’s like coming to see a girlfriend, that’s how nervous I am!” he said with a shy smile as he took his seat onstage. “It always feels like the first time. It’s not bad nerves, but it’s about wanting to do a good job.”
At 55 years old, dressed in a sharp blue suit and starched white shirt that clung to his athletic frame, Chayanne looked youthful and handsome, still the definition of a heartthrob with his gleaming smile and self-effacing, confident charm.
“We all wanted to have your children, Chayanne,” one reporter said loudly, to collective laughter. t’s the kind of reaction Chayanne still elicits when he shows up somewhere or performs: Grandmothers, mothers, daughters and granddaughters all melt at his feet.
“I see four generations in my shows. I’m full of gratitude,” he said. Now that his album is finally out, he’s ready to give back with a region-wide tour of North and South America.
“We are planning for next year,” he said, adding quickly that a launch month wasn’t set yet. But a set list is already in the works. “For me a show is in the present; it’s not the past or the future. So it will have a lot of the new album: “Bailemos otra vez,” “Necesito un Segundo,” maybe “Bailando bachata.” I’ve been thinking about it, but I haven’t told anyone yet.”
Chayanne’s last studio album, 2014’s En todo estaré, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart at a time when pop albums dominated the chart. But the release of Bailemos has coincided with the start of a resurgence for pop (and romance).
The album is signature Chayanne in its inclusion of up-tempo, Latin dance fare like the title track and the single “Bailando Bachata,” which topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, as well as romantic cut-your-veins ballads like “De tanto,” with special attention paid to beautifully-crafted lyrics and tasteful arrangements with a contemporary edge (listen to the free-form slow intro of “Bailemos”). Chayanne has also managed to dabble into other genres; aside from “Bailando bachata,” his new single is the poignant ranchera-tinged “Necesito un Segundo,” written with a stellar cast of songwriters: Edgar Barrera, Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo.
“Romantic songs will always exist and that’s what I’ve devoted my career to,” he said. “I think it’s fantastic to release it as a body of work.”
Do you believe in signs? I was told you saw something different this morning while you had breakfast before coming here…
You touched my sentimental vein. There was an eagle poised by the pool at home. They represent messages from people who maybe aren’t with you anymore, so I remembered my mother, who died 14 years ago. When I talk about her, it’s not to get melancholy, but as a reflection of all the happiness with what I’ve done all this time with my life; how blessed I am and all the beautiful things that have happened.
The focus track is “Necesito un Segundo.” Tell us about it?
It’s a medium tempo track. I’ve gone my entire life to Mexico, a country that embraced me from my first time there. And I’ve always sung ranchera, mariachi, I’ve performed mariachi in shows, even if I hadn’t recorded it in an album. But the liberty that pop gives to do fusions with other genres allowed us to flirt this time with Mexican music. It’s a tough song about a split. That line, “Tu no eres pa’ tanto y yo no soy tan poco” (You’re not that much and I’m not that little), it’s tough! It’s the kind of song I haven’t lived but I love to sing.
I feel like in this album you got more involved with the writing and the production than in the past. Is that correct?
I was involved in the entire process. I had the opportunity and the time. It’s the first time I’ve ever stopped in my life. The pandemic allowed me to do something I hand’t done before: Be at home. I joke that the dog finally got to know me! I was always or recording an album, or touring, or doing a film or a series. I had never actually stopped working.
And team Sony has always been by my side. I’m a label artist. Afo [Verde, chairan of Sony] has always been with me. Rafa [Arcaute]. I want to mention all of them. I was able to be with the producers and the arrangers and explain where I found myself, and how happy I am with everything I’ve received. You get up every morning, and as my father says, the sun comes out, no matter what happens.
You talk a lot about the pandemic. During that stay at home time, did you think about retiring?
No. But I did think carefully about the next step. It was like starting again. Baby steps. That’s where my team came in and the many conversations I had with Afo.
In two sentences, describe this album.
Organic. From the heart. It’s been done with a lot of emotion and excitement. It’s a thank you to everyone for all they’ve given me, because you can’t buy what you receive, and I’ve received so much. It’s a responsibility.
You’ve told me before that when you record songs, you’re already thinking how they’ll work on stage. Are you kicking off your tour with “Bailemos otra vez?”
We’re planning the tour for next year. We don’t know the month yet, but we’re building the stage, the concept, preparing. A show for me is the present. You’re not thinking of the past or the future, so it will have a lot of the album in it.
You recently played sets in two different shows. What had you missed about being onstage?
Being onstage and receiving all that love, is something you can’t describe. It’s like your life flashing before your eyes, because it has been my life. I’m a professional, but that person is the human being who’s dedicated his life to music, with hope. Being onstage and receiving that from people is beautiful.
As an artist and a family man, you appear to be exceptionally balanced. What do you do for your mental health? What has helped you?
We have a family chat with my siblings and my dad. And even though I always talk about my immediate family, I can also mention the pyramid [of people] we’ve created based on core values and beliefs; on being as healthy as possible, realizing no one is perfect, that you learn from your mistakes. All of that is in the conversation more than in the volume of the conversation. That’s it. Talking to each other, being thankful and being in harmony and peace. I think that’s what’s helped me live my day to day both personally and professionally.