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Mexican rapper Juan Carlos Sauceda, better known as Lefty SM, was shot dead in Zapopan, Jalisco in Mexico. He was 31 years old.
His record label, Alzada Records, confirmed his death on Sunday morning (Sept. 3).
“Dear Alzada friends and family, with profound sadness we’re informing you about the death of our brother, Lefty SM, Juan Carlos Sauceda,” wrote the label in a brief post on its Instagram account. “Our love and prayers are with his wife María Isabel and their two daughters.”
According to reports, the artist was attacked near his home in the neighborhood of La Cima in Zapopan, very close to Gaudalajara.
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Carlos Félix, PR rep for Alzada Records, confirmed to Billboard Español that Lefty SM was shot twice and declared dead at a local hospital. No additional information was provided.
A formal report from the government of Jalisco is expected during the day.
Just this past Friday, Lefty MS performed at Teatro Metropólitan in Mexico City as a guest of his friend and colleague MC Davo, who was one of the first to publicly comment on his death.
“How is this possible? I can’t believe it, really, I can’t believe it man,” said Davo in tears in a video posted Sunday morning on his Instagram Stories. Later, he posted a photo of both of them together at the beach: “Just a few hours ago we were enjoying life. May God have you in his glory.”
Lefty SM started in music in 1992 in the world of rap and hip-hop in his native San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora. His career took off in 2017 when he launched his YouTube channel and began to gain a reputation in the Mexican urban scene. He collaborated with stars like Santa Fe Klan, with whom he recorded the tracks “Si me caigo”, “Con los ojos rojos” and “Por mi México,” one of his greatest hits. In fact, on Aug. 25, Lefty MS released a remix of “Por mi México” with Mexican rap stars Santa Fe Klan, Dharius, C-Kan, MC Davo and Neto Peña.
“It’s not possible carnal,” wrote Santa Fe Klan wrote on his Instagram, next to a photo of both of them. “Tell me it’s a lieeeeeeeeeee.”
From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and those little, important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
The Latin Recording Academy Announces 2023’s Leading Ladies of Entertainment
On Tuesday (Aug. 29), the Latin Recording Academy announced their 2023 Leading Ladies of Entertainment honorees. This year includes Latin Grammy winner, Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte; RondenePR founder Róndine Alcalá; Grammy-nominated engineer and vocal producer Simone Torres; and Ana Villacorta López, SVP of Marketing and Promotion at Sony Music México.
“This diverse group of outstanding and successful women have made great contributions to Latin music,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy, in a press release. “We are proud to celebrate them with this and other initiatives that seek to promote gender parity and honor the important role women play in the entertainment industry.”
The initiative was created in 2017 to recognize the “professional and socially conscious” ladies in the music field who have made “significant contributions and inspired the next generation of female leaders,” states the press release. The accompanying luncheon and private ceremony will be held in Sevilla, Spain on Monday (Nov. 13) as part of Latin Grammy Week.
The Return of RBD
Latin music’s biggest pop group breaks its 15-year silence. For Billboard Español‘s latest cover, RBD — composed of Anahí, Dulce María, Maite Perroni, Christian Chávez and Christopher von Uckermann — talks all things tour, new music and shares the story behind their highly-anticipated reunion.
“All five of us have very different personalities, and with the years, we’ve learned to embrace our differences. But in the end, it’s when we come back together that this grows and this magic explodes,” Maite said. “The key is, back then, we came together as the result of an audition; this time, it’s something we chose to do.”
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Special Awards at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards
The Icon and Lifetime Achievement Awards recipients have been unveiled. At the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Ivy Queen will be honored with the Icon Award. Meanwhile, Los Ángeles Azules will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was also announced that Ivy Queen and Los Ángeles Azules will perform during the awards ceremony, set to take place Thursday, Oct. 5.
Besides airing live on Telemundo, the show will air simultaneously on the Hispanic entertainment cable channel, Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
Bad Bunny’s Billion Spotify Streams
Bad Bunny is the latest artist to celebrate their streaming success by visiting Spotify’s newly launched Billions Club series. The Grammy-winning global superstar stopped by the series to enjoy a “Billions Brunch” with some of his closest friends and collaborators. “The feeling of having 1 billion streams for this song right now is the same emotion I felt when I got 5,000 plays for the first time,” Bad Bunny said. “For me, it’s just as big knowing that there are people who want to listen and want to enjoy what you make.”
“Tití Me Preguntó,” a track from his historic Un Verano Sin Ti album, officially reached 1 billion Spotify streams on Jan. 23. According to Spotify, Bad Bunny has 12 songs with more than 1 billion streams each on the platform — more than any other artist in Spotify history. He has accumulated 58 billion streams on the service, reigning as Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the year for the past three years.
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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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Jhayco & Peso Pluma, “Ex-Special” (Universal Music Latin)
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“Ex-Special” — the latest single by Jhayco and Peso Pluma — is meant to be written as a sweet double entendre. While the protagonist of the song, a former lover, still sizzles in the minds of the Puerto Rican and Mexican pair, what’s most captivating about the song is the craftsmanship. It’s led by an electric guitar in the circle-of-fifths, a common strumming style for vintage Mexican music, or corridos for that matter, that’s normally performed acoustically. Then there’s that EDM-leaning transition into a reggaetón thump that instantly tugs at your hip; this, coupled with atmospheric coos flowing by, adds minimal euphoric effects. Jhayco and Pluma exchange gauzy verses as they continue to position themselves as two of Latin music’s most exhilarating acts.
Formerly known as Jhay Cortez, the songwriter/producer has made a name for himself as one of the most sought-after artists of the Latin trap and reggaetón landscape — yet his willingness to experiment with Latin indie and electronic dance set him apart early on. The Puerto Rican hitmaker is also poised to go on a U.S. tour, Vida Rockstar, which kicks off September 28th. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Mora, ESTRELLA (Rimas Entertainment)
The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s new album may be his most eclectic yet, both sonically and thematically. ESTRELLA, 14-track set released on Monday (Aug. 28), finds Mora dabbling in reggaetón, perreo, trap and electronic, featuring a star-studded roster of collaborators — with OGs and newcomers alike, including Arcángel, Yandel, RaiNao, Alvaro Diaz, Dei V and Saiko.
Whether you’re in love, overcoming heartbreak or just want some good escapism music, there’s something for everyone in the album: From the intergalactic romantic opening track “MEDIA LUNA” to the slowed down reflective “DONDE SE APRENDE A QUERER? and the fast-paced, club-ready “LAGUNA” with Arcángel. Putting Mora’s versatility at the forefront, the artist assembled an A-star team of producers for the LP, such as Ovy on the Drums, Sky Rompiendo and MAG. “I would define the album as a combination of all I can musically contribute,” Mora says about ESTRELLA, which you can stream above. — GRISELDA FLORES
Camilo & Diljit Dosanjh, “Palpita” (Sony Music Latin)
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Camilo teams up with Bollywood actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh for this mid-tempo pop single with captivating urban desi elements. In the new track — which talks about how their hearts pound strongly for the person they desire — both artists take turns singing in their respective native languages, with Camilo joining Dosanjh towards the end in a verse in Punjabi.
“I already have your address/ A plane has more brakes than me/ The two of us in the room/ And my heart/ Beats and beats…,” says part of the lyrics in Spanish. “Palpita” is Camilo’s second summer song for Coke Studio after his participation in Jon Batiste’s “Be Who You Are (Real Magic)” along with other international artists. “I have always been fascinated by Indian culture and tradition,” he says in a press release. “I had the opportunity to go there and I fell in love. Years later I am very impressed by what is happening with Punjabi music and how artists like Diljit are bringing their tradition, their music and their sound out to the whole world.” In the official lyric video, Camilo is seen sharing happy moments in the studio with Dosanjh. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Marc Seguí & Pablo Alborán, “MARIPOSAS” (Warner Music Spain)
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Spanish artists Marc Seguí and Pablo Alborán join forces in “Mariposas” (“Butterflies”), a romantic pop song to fall in love with, featuring piano and violin melodies. The theme is an ode to the illusion, expectation and all the emotions experienced by someone who is beginning to fall in love. Between sweet melodies and accelerated lines, they sing playful verses like: “You are sugar for a diabetic/ Or green and white for a betic/ Your face is naturally pretty, you don’t need cosmetics”/ And in a hypothetical case I want my children to carry your genetic code.”
In the colorful, theatrical-style video — where the color pink, a grand piano and histrionic elements such as the sweater and big shoes that Seguí is wearing predominate — the song departs from the honeyed tinge that tends to prevail in romantic songs to become an honest and fun tune to express yourself about that special one. — LUISA CALLE
Gocho, Wisin & Redimi2, “Conectate conmigo” (Forgiven Music)
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Gocho “El Lápiz de Platino” recruits Wisin and Redimi2 to deliver a powerful, heart-touching song that conveys hope and blessings for those who need the message. “Conéctate conmigo,” an urban-tinged ballad, spotlights Gocho’s soft signature vocals, fused with the powerful voices of reggaetón star Wisin and Christian music rapper Redimi2. “This song is about that moment when we say, ‘Enough! I don’t want to keep running away, I don’t want to stay far from God, I want to get closer and connect with God and live in communion and friendship with Him,’” Gocho says in a press statement. The ultra-personal new track is the first single from his upcoming EP, No Soy el Mismo (Lado B), the second part to No Soy El Mismo (Lado A) released in May. — INGRID FAJARDO
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There is perhaps no hotter Latin music tour going on in the U.S. right now than RBD’s Soy Rebelde tour, which will ultimately have the Mexican pop group play 54 arena and stadium dates across the United States, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico by the end of the year.
The highly-anticipated reunion tour — RBD disbanded in 2008 and have not played together since — is the brainchild of Guillermo Rosas, the Mexican-born manager and promoter who produced RBD’s international tours nearly two decades ago. Rosas — who also manages Chiquis Rivera, Estemán and Edith Márquez, among others — has been doggedly working for nearly a decade to reunite the group made up of Anahí Puente, Dulce Maria Espinoza, Christian Chavez, Maite Perroni and Christopher von Uckermann (the sixth member, Alfonso Herrera, didn’t join the reunion tour). The task was titanic, not only because RBD’s celebrity members all have careers and families of their own, but also because the rights to the RBD name were so entangled that the group’s music wasn’t even available on streaming platforms until 2020.
It was Rosas who insisted on clearing those rights and now has signed an equal partnership with the group. At the heart of his persistence is RBD’s previous success: between Dec. 2, 2005 and Dec. 21, 2008, RBD sold 1.5 million tickets across the 150 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore. The group also landed three albums at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, and a No. 15 on the Billboard 200. Of its 10 entries on Hot Latin Songs, five were top 10s, and “Ser o Parecer” topped the chart.
Still, the reunion has exceeded expectations. “We weren’t really counting on selling out so fast,” admits Rosas, who initially had routed 28 dates, which mushroomed minutes after tickets went on sale, with 1.5 tickets sold in the first 24 hours, according to Live Nation.
It doesn’t stop there. RBD is also releasing new music — a first track, “Cerquita de ti,” came out in August — and more dates are being planned for 2024. In between RBD’s two sold-out Madison Square Garden dates (August 31 and September 1), Rosas earns the title of Billboard‘s Executive of the Week — and explains how it all went down.
I know you’ve been actively working to reunite these very different, and very busy, people for nearly a decade now. Once you finally got everyone in agreement about wanting to tour together, how did you finally lock it in?
We had been talking for at least six months about all the different situations, possibilities, conditions and circumstances that we needed to deal with. Obviously, there were a lot of family logistics because of kids and their schools. It was a lot of leg work to put together the ideal master plan that worked for everyone. Once that was done, and we had the schedule with holds, we had a dinner at Anahi’s home in Mexico City and we had the contracts in hand and ready in case everybody felt like signing right there. It’s a partnership, and no one makes more than anybody else, so it was the ideal situation. We talked about it for the last time over dinner, everyone was making their final statements. And then I said, “Well, everybody seems to be on board, let’s sign right now.” They said, “Oh my God, for real?” And I said, “Yes, let’s make it happen.” And we took the contracts out and signed. We filmed everything with our cellphones, and that’s how we announced the tour. We posted that clip on social media. It was very exciting.
On a personal level, what was going through your head after so many years of working on this?
I was in disbelief. I had in my hands the tour of the dreams of so many people. The first person I called was my husband. The second person that I called was Hans [Schafer, senior vp global touring for Live Nation]. And the third person I called was Jesus Lopez [the chairman/CEO of Universal Latin/Iberian Peninsula, with whom Rosas has a joint venture]. He had been so supportive with me over the years.
I understand the initial dates sold out in hours. Were you prepared to scale?
We had a routing ready but that routing was 28 shows, and now we’re doing 54. We weren’t planning for that. I had a few second holds, just in case, in places where the venues were smaller. But we weren’t really counting on selling out so fast and doing so many nights in one city. But when we went on sale, I had never experienced that in my life. First, because I had never been during an actual on-sale inside the Live Nation building, with 30 people connected from different places, including Ticketmaster and CAA. It’s a huge conference room with big screens and you can see everything as it happens, and how they release the on-sales in each location according to time zones. For example, we started with Madison Square Garden in New York, where I’m sitting right now. We had 12,000 tickets available and there were like 80,000 people connected online to buy, and you can see the average transaction. And every transaction had an average of four tickets. We called Madison Square Garden right away and booked the second night. Those nights went in like 40 minutes and there were so many people left out.
Why didn’t you do Yankee Stadium in New York, for example?
Because the very first time we came in 2016, Mexican pop wasn’t as big, so we decided on MSG. And sales started to go like that everywhere. In Los Angeles, for example, the BMO was gone in 15 minutes. So we added another date, and that was also gone. Within two hours, four shows were completely gone. We could have kept on adding shows but obviously the band couldn’t do more than four shows per week. That was our limit.
Where were you creatively when you went on sale?
I had a set list proposed and we also had a pre-design that doesn’t look like anything it does today. It was great and it was big, but not as big as it is now. The production grew probably three to four times.
Obviously, this will be big business. But personally, how important is it for you to have put this together?
This was not about money for anyone. Obviously, we like the business and the business needed to make sense. But that has never been strong enough to make this happen. Throughout the years, we’ve gotten multi-million dollar offers to do all kinds of things with RBD. And it just had never been considered. None of them collectively ever considered anything. For us, it’s a dream come true. We are all very spiritual and very energy-oriented souls, and we just knew we needed to gift this to the fans and to themselves. Because I think all five of them see it as a gift to their hearts. The universe giving them the possibility to do this twice.
Why did you decide to go with Live Nation versus another promoter?
Among all the different promoters across that world that I’ve worked with, I really liked their transparency, and obviously Hans has the vision for this group that he’s shared with me for years. So in that sense, working with someone like Hans who understands where we want to take this and really believed in it was important. For example, independent promoters would tell me, “Oh, let’s not risk a stadium. Alfonso isn’t in the group, let’s do another venue.” But Hans never doubted it, so I felt very comfortable.
Are you announcing new dates for 2024?
We’re hoping to. We said we’d let the tour run for a couple of weeks, and we have a potential plan for 2024, and then we’ll be discussing it in the next couple of weeks. We don’t have a solid plan, but that’s how RBD is. It’s always a surprise. But I hope we do. Especially because there are so many fans in places like Spain, Eastern Europe, Chile and Argentina. We’re only visiting four countries out of 19 we did back then, so there is a lot to cover to make the world happy.
Although all the group members are stars in their own right, none of them have really been on stage in 15 years. Were you worried?
It’s something they have in their DNA. It’s amazing. They get on a stage and they turn it on so easily. They’re natural stars and they’ve been around cameras so long that it’s so natural to them. Also, there is something about them that clicks when they’re together. They all have the magic on their own, but when they’re all on stage it’s an explosion. And people love it.
Following the criticism that Yahritza y Su Esencia received weeks ago for comments about Mexican food, for which the Mexican-American group has already apologized, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador advocated for the sibling trio on Thursday (Aug. 31), and said that he would agree that they be invited to join Grupo Frontera on Sept. 15 at the Zócalo in Mexico City.
“Yahritza and her brothers have a musical group. They were born there, in Washington, their parents are Mexican, I think from Chiapas, and they did an interview where they said they ‘don’t like Mexican food,’ [or] something like that,” the president said in his morning press conference. “It was very bad for them, but they did not do it in bad faith. It is that they were born over there, they did not want to offend.”
The parents of the trio, José Francisco and Rosa Martínez, are originally from the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico.
Earlier this month, the members of Yahritza y Su Esencia apologized in a video posted on their TikTok, after receiving severe criticism from Mexican fans for their comments.
Specifically, Yahritza jokingly said that she didn’t like hearing “the cars and police sirens and everything” when she woke up in the city, while Jairo and Mando said they didn’t love local food. The statements generated strong criticism from a sector of Internet users.
“We want you to know that what motivates us every day to write songs and music is the great pride of having Mexican blood in our veins,” said Yahritza, the band’s vocalist, in her apology. “We are proudly Mexican and we greatly appreciate the love of the public, especially in Mexico.”
Some Mexican media even published that the group’s participation in the Fesitval Arre, which will take place on Sept. 9-10 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, had been cancelled. That information has not been confirmed by the promoter Ocesa, and the name of the band is still on the official poster. A rep for the trio told Billboard Español that they are confirmed to perform on Sept. 10.
“We cannot do that, we cannot in any way (cancel their concerts),” López Obrador said during the conference. “I am sure that they will reflect and we have to grant forgiveness. In other words, we always have to forgive if someone is wrong or makes a mistake, but they are also children and there is an explanation. They were born there. Their parents are Mexican, but they already have their life over there.”
When asked if he considered it a good idea that Yahritza y su Esencia joined Grupo Frontera at the Zócalo to perform their hit collaboration “Frágil” — which landed the trio their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated Aug. 12) — the president said he would agree.
The song is even part of López Obrador’s playlist that deal with corridos tumbados, a genre that the president has criticized for containing some songs that advocate drug trafficking.
Since debuting with her single “Por Siempre” in 2018, Kenia OS has been making a name for herself in the music industry, via Billboard-charting hits like “Mi Salida Contigo” with Ha*Ash and “Malas Decisiones.”
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The Mexican singer-songwriter, who became known as a content creator on her YouTube channel (where she has 12 million subscribers) and later on TikTok (where 18.9 million users follow her), says that the desire to dedicate herself to music did not arrive at a specific moment, but it was developed over time.
“It was something that I liked to do, like recording videos, being in front of the cameras… and little by little I feel that it became my job and something more tangible,” she tells Billboard Español. “And things started to happen faster and I think it was like a roller coaster that I went on and it has never ended.”
Although she defines herself as a person who is clear about what works for her and what she likes, at first she had a hard time finding her musical style. The battle in her mind between taking the path of the most popular genres of the moment and her own tastes was soon resolved when she released the pop single “Malas Decisiones,” which has 170 million streams on Spotify. “When ‘Malas Decisiones’ was released and exploded on social media … I realized that people liked pop, and the pop that I was doing. It’s when I realized it was the path I wanted to take,” she says.
Kenia OS considers herself a disciplined and responsible artist with her work. Her years as an influencer have also been key to gaining confidence and familiarity in front of the public. “I do a lot of things with love, with a lot of passion for my fans, and I think that is reflected [in my music],” she says. “And I help people heal through my art — or well, that’s what they tell me.”
On Aug. 2, the artist renewed her contract with Sony Music Mexico and 5020 Records, with whom she worked with for her two 2022 albums, Cambios de Luna and K23, and on this year’s short film Universo K23 — in which she presents the journeys of her alter ego, K23. In addition, she has collaborated with artists like Thalia, with whom she recently released a new version of “Para No Verte Más”.
“Mi Salida Contigo” peaked at No. 16 on Billboard‘s Latin Pop Airplay in March, while “Malas Decisiones” entered the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. (No. 94) and the Billboard Global 200 (No. 176) that same month. The singer is currently on the road with her K23 Tour, which includes stops in various cities in Mexico and Central America. This year, she also won three Premios Juventud awards: The New Female Generation, Best Fandom and I Want More.
Kenia OS is clear about how she sees herself in a few years: “In the future, I think I see myself as a 360 artist doing different projects. As much as acting, music, my brands, I also see myself with a solid career, with a solid name,” she says. “In my personal life, I don’t know. I’ll go with the flow.”
Below, learn more about August’s Latin Artist on the Rise.
Name: Kenia Guadalupe Flores Osuna
Age: 24 years
Recommended Song: “Lovelove U.” “After ‘Malas Decisiones’ which is totally pop, I realized — because I was a little not reluctant but confused, since reggaetón, urban, all of these are so popular right now, and I never felt 100% comfortable doing them,” she explains. “When ‘Malas Decisiones’ emerged and exploded on social media, I realized that people liked the pop and the pop that I was doing. I realized that it was the path I wanted to take, and ‘Lovelove U’ started from that, from continuing to do pop and staying true to myself.”
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Major Accomplishment: “My biggest achievement right now I think has been… Eh, I have several. [Laughs.] But I think it’s the K23 Tour. Also, the K23 short film that was awarded [at the Cannes World Film Festival and at the Berlin Indie Film Festival], and the Premios Juventud that I won this year”.
What’s Next: “With my music, new releases are coming. I don’t know if collaborations, to be honest, but my releases, yes.”
Beéle checks off a career milestone this week as he bags his first No. 1 on a Billboard chart with “Vagabundo,” a co-billed song with Sebastian Yatra and Manuel Turizo. The song rises 7-1 to crown the Latin Airplay chart dated Sept. 2. “Vagabundo” climbs with 34% gain in audience impressions, to 9.2 million, earned in the U.S. in […]
In Netflix’s upcoming fictional series Neon, Tyler Dean Flores plays Santi, a wanna be reggaetón artist who moves from a small Florida town to Miami to get a record deal and become a star.
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It’s a rags-to-hopefully-riches story, but with a reggaetón twist. Santi heads to Miami with his two best friends, who also happen to be his “manager” and social media and marketing director, and who are as clueless as he is, but also have the guts to shamelessly power along.
The series, which debuts Oct. 19, has a star-studded roster of behind-the-scenes players, including Daddy Yankee, who is credited as executive producer, and the SB Projects team of Scooter Braun.
As for the music, Santi’s big calling card is his song “Exagerao,” which, viewers find out, he uploaded to YouTube and has become a bit of a hit, big enough to be recognized by fans in local nightclubs and even a couple of promoters and record execs.
”Exagerao” was produced in the real world by hitmaker Tainy, who is one of the executive music producers for the show, along with Lex Borrero and Ivan Rodriguez from Ntertain and Neon16.
“Exagerao,” said Tainy in a statement, is perfect for a U.S. born Latin like Santi “because it’s not just a reggaeton song, but it comes from his perspective. Yes, 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.”
While the fabled “Exagerao” video the show’s characters talk about so much is yet to come, Billboard got a sneak peek of “Exagerao” the song, which hits streaming services today (Aug. 31).
Santi’s vocals are courtesy of Neon 16 up and coming artist RMAND, who lends his voice to the character’s three songs in the series.
Check out “Exagerao” below:
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Netflix will premiere Neon during Latin Music Week, which takes place Oct. 2-6 in Miami. To register, click here.
Billboard Boxscore has been tracking touring data and ranking the top live acts around the world across various musical genres since the mid-1980s. Classic rock bands, country troubadours and pop icons have long dominated these lists, but in recent years, Latin artists have increasingly become contenders. Just last year, Billboard celebrated the year in Bad […]
Karol G and Tiësto are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over their song “Don’t Be Shy,” filed by a Cuban-American songwriter who says their track features elements that are “practically identical” to his earlier tune.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in Puerto Rico federal court, lawyers for songwriter Rene Lorente claim that Karol G and Tiësto’s 2021 dance-pop hit infringed his 2000 song “Algo Diferente” by using a melody that “sounds identical.”
“It doesn’t take an expert or musician, to carefully listen to the melody/sounds of each, to recognize that one was copied from the other,” Lorente’s lawyers wrote in their complaint. “In this case, defendants’ ‘Don’t be Shy’ is a blatant violation of plaintiff’s copyrighted ‘Algo Diferente’.”
Karol G, who is currently sitting atop Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart with her “Qlona,” teamed up with Tiësto to release “Don’t Be Shy” in August 2021. The song, which hit No. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, was the Columbian star’s first released in English.
But in his lawsuit, Lorente claims Karol G and Tiësto’s song “misappropriated his beloved copyrighted work” – a tune released in May 2000 that currently has 3,647 total streams on Spotify. A version of “Algo Diferente” on YouTube, uploaded just nine days ago by CD Baby, has been streamed 6,423 times.
According to Lorente’s lawyers, a comparison of the two songs shows that they are “substantially similar” – the requirement to prove copyright infringement.
“Expert analysis of musical arrangement fragment of the copyrighted and infringing works, show exact rhythm, note arrangement, same intervals, harmony, with the only change being limited perhaps to the pitch, within 8 musical bars, repeated throughout infringing work,” Lorente’s lawyers wrote in his lawsuit. “However, for a lay listener and a jury, this combination of musical notes sounds identical.”
The lawsuit is seeking a whopping $52 million dollars, but attorneys who file lawsuits can claim any damages total they want. Even if Lorente’s lawsuit was successful – and that is not a given – such demands are typically not good indicators for what a judge or jury might ultimately award.
Reps for Karol G and Tiësto did not return requests for comment on Thursday.
Listen to the two songs below and compare for yourself:
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