State Champ Radio

by DJ Frosty

Current track

Title

Artist

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

8:00 pm 12:00 am

Current show
blank

State Champ Radio Mix

8:00 pm 12:00 am


Latin

Page: 222

Karol G dropped a new single called “S91,” inspired by the popular Psalm 91 Bible verse, and in its impactful music video out Thursday (July 13) she made an important announcement.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In the emotional and ultra-personal release, produced by Ovy on the Drums, the Colombian artist sings about overcoming adversity over an EDM-meets-trap fusion.

The music video, directed by Pedro Artola and produced by WeOwnTheCity, is just as powerful as the lyrics, demonstrating Karol running away from a group of people backed by a pack of wolves trying to bring her down, but she’s protected by a lone panther. Karol also used the opportunity to announce that Mañana Sera Bonito (Bichota Season) is coming soon.

[embedded content]

A week ago, the “Bichota” singer hinted that she was up to new projects when she posted a photo all smiles and with a line from Psalm 91: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

A couple of days later, and a month ahead of her Mañana Sera Bonito stadium tour kicking off, she surprised fans with a new music video teaser assuring them that she has an announcement “so important that it deserved its own song and music video” and that she planned to release it on July 13 because 13 is her favorite spiritual number. “Remember I always save the best for last. This video is dedicated to my people, the ones from the start,” she noted. 

On the eve of the “S91” release, Karol posted a TikTok video of her mother reacting to the production in tears. “This video is special for many reasons,” she shared in the caption. 

“One, there is no more beautiful feeling for me than knowing that my family is proud of me and that my music can cause them reactions like that,” she continued. “Two, my mom took us to school and taught us to pray Psalm 91 after leaving home every day in the morning because she said they were sacred words of protection, and three, I am grateful to God and to life for giving me a family that supports me, that has believed in me from the very beginning and that is still with me today, celebrating together so many beautiful things that happen to us.”

Beyond its personal connection to the artist, “S91” is charged with a message of celebration, pride, love, triumph and “many beautiful feelings,” according to Karol’s TikTok caption.

When the producers of VGLY first came up with the idea in 2018 for a series that would capture the ever-evolving landscape of Mexican music, they may have been ahead of their time.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Produced by Candle Media’s Exile Content Studio and directed by Sebastián Sariñana, the 13-episode series made its debut over the summer on HBO Max, with renowned Mexican artist Camilo Lara (Mexican Institute of Sound) as its music producer.

Season one follows a crew of young visionaries (from rappers to producers and creative directors) on their quest to stand out in a crowded field of emerging urbano artists in Mexico City’s neighborhood “La Guerrero.” The journey to the top is anything but smooth sailing. Along the way, the aspiring rapper- singer VGLY (Benny Emmanuel) and his friends learn how to navigate the industry the hard way. He even starts beef with nemesis Lil Vato, played by corridos tumbados pioneer Natanael Cano, which only leads to back-and-forth diss tracks.

[embedded content]

The series — renewed this month for a season two — is soundtracked by original music overseen by Lara and songs licensed by Exile Music (which also marketed and distributed the soundtrack), which perfectly capture the zeitgeist of música mexciana today. Featuring trap, cumbia, reggaetón and corridos tumbados, “this series came at the right moment,” says Lara, who’s produced music for award-winning films such as Coco and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “We all knew there were huge things happening in Mexico with new producers and artists — trap was bubbling and so were corridos tumbados — so this series is polaroid of what’s been happening and that’s really beautiful.”

For the series’ original music soundtrack, Lara worked with a handful of emerging producers and artists in Mexico to create a wide-ranging album powered by hip-hop, trap and corridos featuring Cano, VGLY and other emerging acts from the series including Triana and Trippy B. “The idea for the music was to have these songs that were produced by young producers that are actually working in the hip-hop world and are part of the landscape,” explains Lara. “Mexico City also serves as a canvas because if you think about it, everything is a key player in that city so we wanted to deconstruct the sounds to create our own universe.”

VGLY‘s universe is a reflection of not only the versatile new generation of Mexican artists but the spotlight that the country has today with Mexican music reaching global masses. “I would say it’s about time,” Lara says categorically. “It’s something I would fight in the early days. Back then I was trying to convince the world that cumbia was cool, then it happened. The same with regional Mexican music. This new generation of artists, they live in both worlds: the digital and the traditional. They understood that music is popular art so you have to reshape it, remodel it, change it. That’s the beauty of it. I couldn’t be more proud of what is happening.”

Peso Pluma’s haircut sort of just happened.
Before the 24-year-old global star rocked the mullet with a sideburn fade, his previous ‘do was inspired by Justin Bieber. “Think back to when he released ‘Baby,’” the Mexican singer-songwriter tells Billboard during his cover story interview, offering a visual.

But on a trip to Medellín, Colombia, his haircut would take a drastic change. “This barber said he was going to give me a haircut that is very popular in Medellín — he said, ‘Trust me, you’re going to love it.’ I hated it at first,” Peso recalls. “I was like, ‘What did you do?’ My hair is a superpower, so I’m very particular about who cuts my hair. Then I recorded a music video, and when I saw it, I was like, ‘Wait, actually, se ve bien perro [it looks really good].’”

Now, it’s the haircut many teens in the U.S. and Mexico want to get. “The other day, a barber from Mexico City called me and said, ‘Thank you for giving us so much work.’ Apparently, 24 people had requested ‘the Peso Pluma haircut’ in one day,” Peso says.

Born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, Peso Pluma – Billboard’s latest cover star – is at the forefront of Mexican music, leading the genre’s seismic growth in the United States and beyond with his signature corridos tumbados. To date, he has more than 700 million on-demand official streams in the United States, according to Luminate, and 18 entries on the Billboard Hot 100. His new album, Génesis, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 1) — the highest rank ever for a música mexicana album on the chart.

“My life has changed a lot,” says Peso, who is currently on his first-ever U.S. tour, which is produced by Live Nation. Amid global stardom, the young artist has also launched his own label, Double P Records, to support young acts. “More than anything, I want them to know that if I could do it, so can they. I’m on this journey with them; we’re paddling together.”

Read Peso Pluma’s cover story here.

Myke Towers has signed a management deal with Brandon Silverstein’s S10 Entertainment, Billboard has learned. The signing — which is in partnership with Orlando “Jova” Cepeda (One World Music) and Jose “Tito” Reyes (Casablanca Records) — comes on the heels of Myke’s viral hit song “LALA,” which topped Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart and entered at […]

Peso Pluma arrives slightly early to his own birthday party. He’s dressed in Dior from head to toe, but still looks casual in a long-sleeve button-down overshirt stamped with the designer’s oblique logo, dark jeans and black sneakers with white shoelaces. The famously punctual birthday boy, who’s turning 24 today (June 15), tours the venue — a gorgeous hidden garden just south of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico, that’s overflowing with trees and sparkly chandeliers — to ensure his vision for the party has been executed. Amid the greenery is a makeshift club with a stage, a dancefloor surrounded by tables and couches, and a huge light-up bar that’s impossible to miss. Pretty much what one would expect a 20-something’s birthday party vibe to be like.

But his childhood dreams have also come to life here. Branching off the club area, there’s a sweets room with all sorts of Mexican candy and, separately, another room for all things savory, with countless bags of chips — from Takis to Ruffles to Tostitos — and an array of toppings like melted cheddar cheese, chile piquín, lime and corn. Piñatas, including one of Peso himself and another of Spider-Man (a childhood favorite), hang from the ceilings, and Peso flashes a pearly white, almost mischievous ear-to-ear smile when he sees them. “It’s exactly how I envisioned it,” he says with satisfaction.

He could say the same of his now globe-spanning career. The artist born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija is at the forefront of Mexican music, leading the genre’s seismic growth in the United States and beyond with his signature corridos tumbados — a variety of the corrido (storytelling ballad) that often flaunts a chill yet lavish, weed-centric lifestyle. Raw, nasally and raspy, Peso’s distinctive vocals punctuate a sound powered by a requinto acoustic guitar, tololoche (a stringed bass instrument), charcheta (an alto horn) and trombone. And he remains a creative chameleon: Outside of corridos, he has recorded heartbreak and ultra-romantic songs, too.

Neither his voice nor sound are those of a typical pop star, but right now, Peso is one of the biggest artists in the world. To date, he has over 700 million on-demand official streams in the United States, according to Luminate, and 18 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 — including the blockbuster hit “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, which made history as the first regional Mexican song to enter the top five on the all-genre chart. In June, he became the first artist to ever lead both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. lists simultaneously with different songs: the sierreño anthem “Ella Baila Sola” and his Bizarrap-produced track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55.” His new album, Génesis, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 1) — the highest rank ever for a música mexicana album on the chart.

“My life has changed a lot,” says Peso, who recalls that his first shows in Mexico just last year were attended by 500 people. (These days, he’s performing in arenas for upwards of 10,000.) Since his first hit, “El Belicón” with Raúl Vega, entered Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in April 2022, he has landed 12 top 10 songs on the list, all in 2023 ­— the most for any regional Mexican act this year. Now, just days before releasing Génesis, he’s back in Mexico after spending the first half of 2023 on the road. In April, amid a brief run of U.S. dates, he performed at Coachella as a guest for Becky G’s set and then flew to New York to play “Ella Baila Sola” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He has also visited Colombia, Chile and the Dominican Republic, where he recorded collaborations with Blessd, Nicki Nicole and El Alfa, respectively.

“Now my life is my work, and I live for this,” he says. Peso doesn’t come from a family of musicians and is notoriously private about his family life but shares that his “familia trabajadora (hardworking family)” instilled that go-getter mentality in him at a young age. “I’m very happy to do what I love doing the most and to be able to share a message of perseverance with up-and-coming artists. Sometimes, as Mexicans, we put a lot of barriers on ourselves and we lack the confidence. Today, I see that people are proud of our movement. Back then, they’d think that Mexicans couldn’t have a No. 1 song singing corridos and that regional Mexican music was only regional, not global. Today, all those barriers have been broken.”

Lust T-shirt, Bottega Veneta vest, Palm Angels jeans, A Bathing Ape sneakers, Off-White eyewear.

Mary Beth Koeth

Born on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Peso Pluma — who at one point dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player — was fully immersed in corridos as a kid, listening to artists such as late sierreño star Ariel Camacho and Los Alegres del Barranco. “It’s what my uncles and family in Sinaloa [Mexico] would listen to,” he says. He spent time as a teen in New York and attended high school in San Antonio (he is bilingual, though he spoke in Spanish for this interview), and his exposure to different pockets of the continent influenced his diverse musical palette.

“Peso Pluma is really a combination of everything I like, of all the cities I’ve lived in, cultures I’ve come to know. It has all helped me,” he says. “When I went to the United States, I was listening to Kanye [West], Drake, Kendrick Lamar — it’s actually because of their songs that I learned to speak English. I’d come home from school and study their lyrics to try to understand the references they were making.” During a visit to New Orleans, he fell in love with jazz and the trombone, now a key instrument in his sound. He began writing his own lyrics in a diary-style notebook around the age of 15. Inspired by Camacho, who became a generational hero after his untimely death at age 22 in a 2015 car accident, Peso also learned to play guitar by watching YouTube videos. “There’s corridos in which you’ll hear me rap,” he says. “My music is inspired by many cultures, and that’s what I love about it.”

It was that versatility that struck George Prajin most when he met Peso in 2019 through one of his former artists, regional Mexican singer Jessie Morales, who performs as El Original de la Sierra. Although impressed with Peso’s previously released recordings, he didn’t sign him then, which was a “mistake,” says Prajin. So instead, Peso signed with Jessie’s brother, Herminio Morales — but, two years later, “Herminio called me saying he wasn’t doing well with his health and asked me to basically take on the project,” the Los Angeles-based Prajin explains. “I got a second opportunity.”

[embedded content]

For many years, Prajin had been looking for an artist who could successfully fuse hip-hop and corridos. As the son of Antonio Z. Prajin, owner of music retailer and distributor Prajin One-Stop, “I saw that a lot of the kids in the ’90s would buy corridos but also buy hip-hop. Back then, it was The Notorious B.I.G. or 2Pac and Chalino Sánchez. I always thought that I could invent some fusion that would be the biggest thing on the planet. When I met Peso, I thought, ‘Maybe this is the way that we’re going to get this done.’ ”

While Peso loved an array of genres, he was very clear about how he didn’t want to sound. “I remember he told me, ‘If I’m going to record reggaetón, then it has to be an all-reggaetón song. If I’m going to do a rap song, it has to be a rap song. Same with regional,’ ” says Prajin. “At first, I was like, ‘Wow, are you sure?’ But now I understand why: because he can own each one of those genres. He’s that versatile, and he’s that good. He knows what he’s doing and knows exactly what he wants. That’s when I said, ‘Take the lead, Peso.’ ”

Peso Pluma didn’t reach the summit of Mexican music on his own — and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Of his 20 songs to appear on the Hot 100 this year, 18 are collaborations, with young artists like Natanael Cano, who in the late 2010s pioneered the corridos tumbados (trap corridos) subgenre; sierreño powerhouse Junior H; and corridos singer Luis R Conriquez.

“It’s beautiful to see that if I invite Luis R or Nata to sing with me at a show or on my album, they’re there. We all may be prideful and have an ego, but we’re there for each other,” Peso says confidently. He knows that collaborations have been key in the recent rise of regional Mexican music. “At the end of the day, they’re not doing this for me — they’re doing it for the culture of Mexican music. We’re coming together to help this grow because that’s what they did with reggaetón. All the artists came together to grow the genre, and later, they were able to be successful on their own.”

Supreme jacket, Balenciaga T-shirt, Burberry shorts, Nike socks and sneakers, Off-White eyewear.

Mary Beth Koeth

According to Luminate, regional Mexican music consumption in the United States jumped 42.1% year to date through May 25, outpacing gains in the Latin genre overall, as well as country, dance/electronic, rock and pop. Only K-pop — up 49.4% year to date — has performed better this year than regional Mexican. About 99% of regional Mexican consumption comes from streaming. “For the past five years, we’ve seen numbers rising for the Mexican music genre,” says Maykol Sánchez, head of artist and label partnerships for Latin America and U.S. Latin at Spotify. During the past five years, the genre grew by 604% in Mexico, compared with 212% in the United States and over 400% globally.

Even within that context of astounding growth, Peso’s numbers are stunning. From June 2022 to June 2023, his average daily listeners increased by 4,341% and his average daily streams increased by 10,792%. “Música mexicana has gone through a similar evolution that reggaetón also went through when it blew up; [the artists have] modernized the way they look, the way they write lyrics, creating a movement for their generation. It has been a long time coming, and Mexican being such a strong culture in the U.S. with the population, it just makes sense,” Sánchez says.

With nearly 40 million residents of Mexican origin, the United States is home to the world’s second-largest Mexican community, which comprises over one-half of America’s overall Latin population. “Mexican music is now pop culture,” says AJ Ramos, head of artist partnerships for Latin music and culture at YouTube. “We’re seeing it because of the power of the Mexican diaspora, the connection between the U.S. and Mexico. The culture is here and the users are here. Artists from other Latin subgenres now have to start collaborating with them to have a hit.”

Thanks to massive team-ups like “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado and his Bizarrap session, Peso has had No. 1s on YouTube’s global Top Songs chart in markets including Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Italy and Spain and is on track to be one of the 10 most viewed artists globally this year, according to the video streaming platform. “In 2018, one or two songs a week [from the genre] were entering the U.S. Top Songs chart; now the genre represents 25% of the chart,” YouTube music trends manager Kevin Meenan says.

Amiri hoodie and hat, Cartier eyewear.

Mary Beth Koeth

Regional Mexican music, an umbrella term comprising banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño, mariachi and other subgenres, has been a pillar of Latin music for decades. In the past year, the genre, which has been around for over 150 years, has exploded in popularity worldwide, reaching a broader audience after being long considered music solely for Mexican and Mexican American audiences. Back in the day, the music was heavily stigmatized, considered música de rancho (rancho music), and its listeners were often stereotyped as uneducated or poor.

That’s no longer the case, explains Pepe Garza, head of content development and A&R for media company Estrella Music Entertainment. “Young people in general aren’t as prejudiced as older generations, and they’re not judging each other about the music they’re listening to. That has been important to the genre’s growth.”

Now global forces like Bad Bunny and Colombian hit-maker Ovy on the Drums (Karol G’s longtime producer) are recording norteñas and corridos, respectively. “We had been so saturated with the same thing over and over again,” says Ovy on the Drums, who collaborated with Peso on “El Hechizo,” a corrido fused with Ovy’s signature dancehall beat. “Mexican music is huge right now, and not just with corridos — they’re also killing it with reggaetón. Enter Peso, who can do it all. Plus, he’s really good onstage. He has the whole package.”

Peso Pluma photographed on June 28, 2023 at Toe Jam Backlot in Miami.

Mary Beth Koeth

Peso’s high-energy performances are a spectacle. Singing live — usually clad in shorts and a T-shirt, his signature high socks, his favorite pair of white Air Force 1s and, at times, a Spider-Man mask — he tirelessly dances and jumps along to songs with the backing of a riveting live band. He’s a dynamo who feeds off his equally energetic, multigenerational fan base. When Becky G brought him out at Coachella, the crowd roared to greet him — an especially memorable reception, given that he was then an emerging global act.

“His tone is something that is hard to forget, and it instantly made me appreciate how unique he is as an artist,” says Becky G, who teamed up with Peso for “Chanel,” the first single off her upcoming Mexican music album. “But I also think he allows his personality to shine even more through his stage presence that’s equally as unique as he is. I went to go watch him perform at his first U.S. tour run, and his energy was so contagious — I think it plays a huge part in how much he connects with his fans.”

“Before Peso, there was Grupo Firme, who was doing big things for the genre, and before Grupo Firme, there was Banda MS,” Garza says. “It’s natural that new [regional Mexican] artists keep reaching new heights because they’re standing on the shoulders of the ones that came before them.” Peso is the latest evolution of regional Mexican stardom — fearless and revolutionary like those before him, but with a magnetic charm all his own.

It’s difficult to describe Peso Pluma’s haircut. Something like a mullet with a sideburn fade, it doesn’t exactly scream trend in the making. Yet, like all things Peso, it’s now in high demand.

“The other day, a barber from Mexico City called me and said, ‘Thank you for giving us so much work.’ Apparently, 24 people had requested ‘the Peso Pluma haircut’ in one day,” says Peso in shock. Even many on his own team haven’t heard the story of how he got that haircut in the first place. “I used to have long hair — think Justin Bieber back when he released ‘Baby,’ ” Peso recalls with a chuckle. “My hair is a superpower, so I’m very particular about who cuts my hair. On a trip to Medellín, Colombia, this barber said he was going to give me a haircut that is very popular in Medellín — he said, ‘Trust me, you’re going to love it.’ I hated it at first. I was like, ‘What did you do?’ Then I recorded a music video, and when I saw it, I was like, ‘Wait, actually, se ve bien perro [it looks really good].’ ”

So for now, he’s sticking with it — though he’s focused on influencing his followers in other ways. In April, he launched his own label, Double P Records, where he serves as CEO and head of A&R, as a subsidiary of his home label, Prajin Records. “I’m super happy to be able to help my friends because that’s how I see them. I don’t see them as my artists,” he explains. “More than anything, I want them to know that if I could do it, so can they. I’m on this journey with them; we’re paddling together. I tell them, ‘Learn from whatever is happening in my career. Take notes because I’m still growing just as you are.’ ” So far, those friends include Jasiel Nuñez, Tito Laija (Peso’s cousin and one of his co-writers) and Raúl Vega.

Starting a new label with Peso was a no-brainer, says Prajin, who also manages him. “I have that much faith in him,” Prajin adds. “When he saw that I really trusted him, he trusted me even more. We’ve never had boundaries. Everything he has ever wanted, every collab he has ever desired, we’ve made it happen. He definitely knows I have his back in terms of his career. I think, too, the way that we structured his deal — a lot of artists don’t make money until their second or third year. He’s making money in his first year. We’re partners, and I think he’s going to appreciate it even more when he sees not only that he’s making a lot of money, but he’s also keeping it.”

Mary Beth Koeth

While on his first-ever U.S. tour — which Prajin says had to be “renegotiated” with Live Nation to add dates following his rapid rise — Peso released Génesis in June. “I think of it as my debut album,” he says, adding that it features some of his “favorite” artists, including Cano, Junior H, Luis R and Nuñez. Following its release, it became Spotify’s all-time most streamed regional Mexican album in one day globally. Its strong streaming performance led to Peso placing a historic 25 simultaneous titles on the Hot Latin Songs chart (dated July 8), breaking Bad Bunny’s record of 24.

Although his first two albums were recorded more spur of the moment (and thus sound less professional), “I didn’t want to delete my previous albums because they represent my beginnings,” Peso says. “Those albums are the foundation of my castle. But I put all my effort into this new album, which includes songs to dance to, cry to, party to; there’s something for everyone. It’s a corridos album — or call them whatever you want: corridos verdes, tumbados, bélicos, because at the end of the day, it’s all Mexican music. It’s what I’m most proud of: that a Mexican song, a corrido, that isn’t pop can be No. 1 today.”

Globalizing Mexican music has been Peso’s goal since day one, and as he describes it, he’s just getting started. Performing at Coachella with Becky G was eye-opening for him, and he hopes to return to the festival next year to perform his own set. His manager says that’s already in the works, along with U.S. stadium dates in 2024, more collaborations with major Latin artists and eventually recording English-language songs with big names in the hip-hop world.

“I think people knew what corridos were because of Natanael and Bad Bunny’s collaboration [2019’s “Soy el Diablo”], but I really want artists from outside of our world to know what this music is all about,” says Peso enthusiastically. “Now that this has all exploded, everyone wants to do Mexican music. That’s how we globalize it: through key collaborations with artists who want to record our music.”

Mary Beth Koeth

His five-year plan isn’t set in stone but goes something like this: “I see myself working with artists and producers I’ve always dreamed of working with. I see myself winning a Grammy, breaking more records, but in five years, I see myself more like Hov, like Jay-Z, spending more time on the business side of it all and helping young artists achieve their dreams,” he says with determination.

For now, he’s OK with a different alter ego: Peter Parker, conveniently also a double P. “I always used to tell my friends that I was Peter Parker, and now it all makes sense,” says Peso with a smile. “Peter Parker is Hassan offstage, but Peso Pluma is Spider-Man when he goes onstage and fights against the bad guys of the world.”

At his birthday party, it was Hassan from Guadalajara who showed up — who only wanted to enjoy every second with his best buds, some of whom he hadn’t seen in months, whom he would greet with a big hug and a huge smile. Once the festivities began around 9 p.m., Peso quickly took the stage to introduce the first artist who would perform that night: not Peso Pluma, but his best friend, Jasiel Nuñez. “Let’s enjoy new talent,” he said, adding a quick reminder: “The point is that we all have fun here.”

This story will appear in the July 15, 2023, issue of Billboard.

Peso Pluma arrives slightly early to his own birthday party. He’s dressed in Dior from head to toe, but still looks casual in a long-sleeve button-down overshirt stamped with the designer’s oblique logo, dark jeans and black sneakers with white shoelaces. The famously punctual birthday boy, who’s turning 24 today (June 15), tours the venue — […]

Peso Pluma opens up about reaching No. 1 with his tracks “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado and “BZRP: Music Sessions Vol. 55” with Bizarrap, how his life has changed since his recent success, achieving his dream and more. Peso Pluma:It was a dream to me. I’m very happy to be up there, but I […]

On Wednesday (Jul. 12) evening, Juanes took SummerStage as part of the LAMC summer series to perform in front of an overzealous crowd in a free, outdoor venue that was well-beyond capacity. However, just two songs in, the concert was halted due to “excessive crowds.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Tonight, the Juanes show at SummerStage in Central Park drew a capacity crowd of 5,000 attendees inside the venue with an estimated overflow of 12,000 additional fans outside the gates,” Heather Lubov, executive director at City Parks Foundation SummerStage, said in an official statement sent to Billboard Español. “During the performance of his second song, with continued crowds at the gates and out of an abundance of caution, the show was halted and fans were asked to leave the venue.”

It was the “first time in 30 years SummerStage was required to stop a concert in progress for a non-weather related issue,” she continued. “SummerStage, LAMC and Juanes all agreed that the safety of fans and concert goers was of paramount concern and at the request of the NYPD, made the decision to cancel the show.”

The Colombian rockstar, who arrived clad in all black, opened up with his latest single “Gris” and followed up with mega hit “Mala Gente” to the thrill of thousands. As the excitement began to build, the show got abruptly canceled to everyone’s disappointment. 

“Inside and outside [the venue] we have to be calm, guys,” exclaimed Juanes after wrapping up his second song. “If we are not calm, they are going to stop the concert. Many people were left outside without being able to enter. We want to continue with the show. It’s possible, right?”, he said, turning around to a staff member near the stage.

Unfortunately, it was not. “Thanks for coming out, we’re sorry, we have to ask everyone to please vacate the venue immediately,” announced a staff member at SummerStage.  

Outside, thousands of people snaked around Rumsey Playfield with a line that seemed about a mile long.

“I’m sad because I was very eager to play,” Juanes told Billboard Español moments before its sudden cancellation. Although clearly disappointed, the Latin juggernaut still took the time to take photos with his fans and thank those for coming. 

Moments before making it inside the venue, it was clear that the intensity was high. Cops began to swarm by outside, and ambulances were on the scene. At the time of this report, Billboard Español is unaware of any injuries.

The LAMC and Summerstage headlining performance was going to be Juanes’ first live U.S. show of songs from Vida Cotidiana, his tenth studio album released in May.

Throughout his prolific and highly successful career, Juanes has earned three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and seven titles on the Billboard 200. He has has won 24 Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards.

Watch the moment Juanes finds out about the cancellation:

Manuel Turizo rewrites his career-best debut on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart as “Copa Vacía,” his collaboration with Shakira, bows at No. 4 on the chart dated July 15, his first top 10 launch, among 12 top 10s. According to Luminate, “Copa Vacía” traces its start in the upper region on Latin Pop Airplay to […]

Yng Lvcas picks up his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “La Bebe,” with Peso Pluma, ascends 2-1 to lead the list dated July 15. The collab checks into the penthouse on the overall Latin chart in its fourth week at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay.

“La Bebe” takes over Latin Airplay with 10 million audience impressions, up 1% from the week prior, earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 6, according to Luminate.

The song replaces Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “X100to” from its six-week domination, dipping 2-1 with a 14% decline in impressions, to 9.3 million.

“La Bebe” grants Lvcas his first Latin Airplay champ, who joins four other acts who have also taken over the tally in 2023 with their first leaders: Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera through “Bebe Dame” (one week, March 25), Marshmello with the Manuel Turizo-assisted “El Merengue” (one week, June 10), and his contemporary Peso Pluma, as “Ella Baila Sola,” with Eslabon Armado, placed the Mexican at the lead for one week (June 17). Thus, the latter collects his second ruler.

Further, “La Bebe” is the only collaborative charting effort by Lvcas on any Billboard chart. He captured his maiden entry on any Billboard tally when the original version of the song, sans Pluma, debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 152, reaching a No. 2 high in April, after the remix with Pluma dropped.

Since then, the successful partnership has experienced a rewarding performance across charts. Here’s the recap:

Peak Position, Chart, Peak Date

No. 2, Latin Streaming Songs, April 8No. 2, Hot Latin Songs, April 15No. 1, Latin Digital Song Sales, April 15No. 2, Global Excl. U.S, April 22No. 5, Streaming Songs, April 29No. 2, Global 22, June 10No. 1, Latin Rhythm Airplay, June 24 (four weeks atop)No. 1, Latin Airplay, July 15

Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “La Bebe” holds steady at its No. 2 high for a seventh week on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, despite a 5% decline in streaming activity: it logged 13.2 million clicks in the U.S. during the same period. Plus, it also sees a fall in sales: 12% from the previous week to 1,000 downloads.