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Karol G made it clear that she’s not happy with her latest magazine cover for GQ Mexico.
The Colombian star expressed her disappointment over the image that she says “does not represent me.” The two-photo Instagram post shared on April 6 features a selfie without makeup and the actual magazine cover. “I don’t even know to start this message,” she began her caption.
The artist went on to say that she was thankful to the magazine for giving her this opportunity — she was part of the brand’s inaugural Global Creativity Awards — but that after telling them that she was not comfortable with the “many” edits that they made to her cover, the magazine did nothing about it, she alleged.
“Today my GQ magazine cover was made public, a cover with an image that does not represent me. My face doesn’t look like that, my body doesn’t look like that and I feel very happy and comfortable with how I look naturally,” she stated. “I understand the repercussions this can have, but beyond feeling it’s disrespectful to me, it’s disrespectful to women who wake up looking to feel comfortable with themselves despite society’s stereotypes.”
The “Provenza” singer quickly received messages from fellow women artists congratulating her for taking a stand and calling out the magazine. “I love you. You are beautiful. Thank you for doing this for all of us,” Chiquis commented on the post.
Billboard has reached out to GQ for comment.
Karol G recently released her history-making Mañana Será Bonito, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it arrived in March. It became the first No. 1 for her on that tally, and the chart’s first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a woman artist. Karol G is set to headline Chicago’s Lollapalooza in August, where she will become the first woman Latin artist to top the bill for the festival.
See Karol G’s message about her GQ cover below:
La Usurpadora is hitting theaters in a new musical adaptation presented by Pantelion Films — 25 years after the Mexican telenovela starring Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga aired.
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Directed by Santiago Limón and produced by Matt Walden and Paul Presburger, La Usurpadora: The Musical, similar to the famed 1998 novela, revolves around identical twin sisters Valeria and Victoria who were separated at birth and 28 years later meet and switch lives. The former is humble and kind, the latter is rich and cruel.
A 13-track soundtrack, executive produced by Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning producer Sebastian Krys, accompanies the original film.
“Matt Walden called me and said he was turning a telenovela into a musical and I said ‘That’s insane, count me in!’” Krys said during a press screening in Miami on Wednesday night. “It makes sense because the way he would point it is that telenovelas are already over-the-top, so the next logical step is to have everyone singing and dancing.”
Though the film is based in the modern day, its soundtrack pays tribute to some of the biggest Latin hits of the ’90s, including Celia Cruz’s “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” Gloria Estefan’s “Mi Tierra,” Selena Quintanilla’s “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” Ricky Martin’s “Vuelve,” Cristian Castro’s “No Podrás” and many more.
“We’d go back and forth in finding the right fit musically, lyrically, and then getting the rights,” Krys explains of his soundtrack debut that took more than four years to create. “I’ve worked with a lot of those artists in a lot of their records, like with Ricky Martin and Franco De Vita. I’ve worked with Gloria for 12 years, so doing this soundtrack was a little daunting because I didn’t want to screw the original songs up.”
“One of the things that I love the most while recording the songs is that he gave us total freedom of feeling the songs our own way,” adds Isabela Castillo, who portrays Valeria and Victoria in the musical. “It was a process of about four months where he gave us the liberty of playing around and experimenting with the harmony and melodies. That’s what you’re going to see here. We have song mashups, different ingredients, and new musical arrangements that these songs didn’t have back in the day. It’s really mind-blowing.”
Bringing the ’90s hits to life for La Usurpadora: The Musical was an overall joy for the cast, which also includes Alan Estrada, who portrays Carlos Daniel, the love interest of the twins.
“For me, the last 20 minutes of the movie was my favorite to perform,” he says. “I find the mash-up of ‘Vuelve’ and ‘Cosas del Amor’ very exciting and you’ll see many things unfold in that scene. It brings me happiness. At the Los Angeles screening, everyone clapped as if they were watching a play. I’ve never seen that happen in a movie, and I really liked that reaction. As an actor, we want our work to become memorable in some way.”
La Usurpadora: The Musical, whose cast also includes Susana Zabaleta, Jesús Ochoa, Alejandra Guzmán and Spanic, the OG Usurpadora actress, to name a few, premieres Friday in the U.S. and April 12 in Mexico.
The first weekend of Coachella is just around the corner. As festival-goers make their own schedules of artists or sets they’d want to catch at the event, we want to know which Latin artist you are most excited to see this year.
There’s a handful of Latin, or Spanish-language, artists who will be performing at the 2023 edition, which is slated to run on two consecutive weekends, from April 14 to 16 and then again from April 21 to 23. Bad Bunny will make history as the first Latin artist to ever headline Coachella when he closes out the main stage on Friday, April 14.
Becky G, who last year joined Karol G on her set to perform their hit song “MAMIII,” will make her grand return to the desert delivering her own set this time around. Spanish star Rosalía — who performed at Coachella in 2019 — will take the stage on Saturday. The iconic Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Puerto Rican artist Eladio Carrión are also confirmed for that day. Meanwhile, Kali Uchis will perform on Sunday.
Emerging artists Conexión Divina and DannyLux will represent the face of a new generation of Mexican music. For DannyLux it’s a homecoming, since he grew up in the Coachella Valley area. He’ll be performing on Friday. “I’m both excited and nervous,” the 19-year-old singer-songwriter tells Billboard. “I’m literally from here. It’s so sick to think that I’ll be performing at the same place where so many other huge artists are performing.”
So, which Latin artist are you most excited to see this year at Coachella? Vote in the poll below:
The first-ever Latin Women in Music, or Mujeres Latinas En La Música in Spanish, will honor Thalia, Ana Gabriel, Natti Natasha, Evaluna, Goyo and Emilia Mernes, Billboard and Telemundo announced Thursday (April 6).
The inaugural event will take place May 6 at the Watsco Center in Miami and is set to be co-hosted by reggaeton queen Ivy Queen — who received this year’s Icon Award at Billboard‘s 2023 Women in Music — and television personality Jaqueline Bracamontes. The two-hour music special, which will air May 7 on Telemundo, will celebrate Latin women artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry.
“Our Latin Women In Music gala is a bold and inspiring event. Our honorees come from vastly diverse places, generations, styles, genres and philosophies, but all have excellence, commitment and unique and uncompromising artistry and points of view,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español. “In this landmark year for Latin music, we are so proud to launch our newest tentpole, where we will celebrate outstanding, powerful, leading women yearly.”
Ana Gabriel will receive the Leyenda Viviente (Living Legend) Award. With more than two-dozen albums, the Mexican singer-songwriter has serenaded fans for nearly five decades with cross-genre chart toppers, including 20 top 10 hits and 6 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. The awards for the other honorees will be announced soon.
“We are proud to recognize this group of powerful artists who have redefined the role of Latin women across genres and around the world,” added Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content strategy for Telemundo. “Music is more than a beat for the Latino community, it is a reflection of our identity. With this event, we aim to continue offering our audience the opportunity to celebrate our culture and come together through the music that unites us all.”
The show — which according to both companies will “embody Latin culture featuring powerhouse performances, impactful historic moments, and can’t-miss surprises” — will also be on the Telemundo app and available to stream on Peacock.
The inaugural Latin Women in Music event was announced earlier this year as an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise. It aims to celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, effecting positive change to the industry as a whole.
Additional information about Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música, including the first-ever Latin Woman of the Year honoree, musical performances, presenters and more, will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets to attend Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música live at the Watsco Center can be purchased here: BillboardMujeresEnLaMusica.com.
Myke Towers captures his third straight top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as his fourth studio album, La Vida Es Una, debuts at No. 9 on the ranking dated April 8. The set arrives with just over 8,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 30, according to Luminate.
Streaming powers almost all of the album’s debut, with 11.42 million official on-demand streams of La Vida Es Una in the tracking week.
On the multimetric Top Latin Albums chart as measured in equivalent album units, each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
As La Vida bows at No. 9, Towers picks up his third straight top 10. It follows Lyke Myke (No. 3 debut and peak), which held in the top 10 for four consecutive weeks in 2021. Previously, he scored a first No. 1 in his first chart visit with the one-week champ Easy Money Baby in 2020.
The new 23-track set includes collaborations with reggaetón giants, including Arcangel, Ozuna, J Balvin and Daddy Yankee. The latter teamed up on the set’s “Ulala,” which preceded the album, peaking at No. 30 on the Feb. 11-dated ranking.
Elsewhere, “Ulala” hits No. 1 on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart. It sends Wisin y Yandel and Rosalía’s “Besos Moja2” to No. 7 after its one week in charge.
“Ulala” rises 4-1 with a 12% increase in audience impressions, to 10.1 million, earned in the U.S. during the March 24-30 tracking week. The move gifts Towers his ninth No. 1. Yankee, meanwhile, expands his career account to 28 No. 1s.
Further, La Vida concurrently opens at No. 7 on Latin Rhythm Albums and at No. 173 on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
DannyLux would run to the door every time he’d hear his dad get home from work. As a sanitation driver in the Coachella Valley area, “he would always find things and bring them home,” the 19-year-old singer-songwriter remembers. “He would find pans for my mom, or furniture that was completely new. And he would randomly find toys. He got home one day and I just see a guitar case in his hand and I’m like, ‘no way did he just find a guitar.’ He gave it to me and I immediately wanted to learn to play.”
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That was 12 years ago. Since then, DannyLux — who is part of a new generation of rising Mexican artists — has only honed his guitar-playing skills, after “begging” his mom to put him in guitar classes. Instead, she put him in the church choir and that’s where he learned to play “the basics.” The first song he ever learned to play was “Let It Be” by The Beatles. “My mom literally has a video of me singing it as a kid — I was like seven years old, and I have a huge guitar with my hand barely going over it,” the “Te Fallé” singer says.
It wasn’t until high school that he discovered Mexican music and his knack for songwriting. “I got kicked out of the school soccer team because of my grades,” he recalls. “It happened around when the pandemic started, so I would just go on TikTok and I’d hear a lot of Mexican songs and think, ‘These songs are sick, they sound so romantic.’ I decided to stick to music. I wasn’t the best at school and I wouldn’t get the best grades, so I wanted to at least do something right.”
In 2021, he hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Songwriters chart thanks to “Jugaste Y Sufrí,” his collab with Eslabon Armado. Last year, Warner Music Latina signed DannyLux in a partnership with his indie label VPS Music. He’s set to make his Coachella debut on April 14 — a homecoming for the singer-songwriter, since he grew up in that area. Now, he’s also part of the 2023 Fender Next class, an artist development program designed to elevate rising musicians that are pushing guitar forward in music, alongside other emerging artists such as Yahritza Y Su Esencia,
“It’s crazy, because the next guitar that I got, after the first one that my dad found, was an acoustic Fender guitar one for beginners,” he says. “That’s the guitar that I mainly used to learn everything. I would take it to school and just randomly play for my friends. Honestly, it’s crazy to be part of the Fender Next program — it’s a blessing.”
According to Fender, in the last two years, 38% of 16 million new guitar players identify as Latin, “emphasizing the need for Fender and the industry at large to support and ensure players from all backgrounds have a barrier-free experience in learning guitar.” (The company also found that 58% of beginners use TikTok weekly or more frequently.)
Yahritza y Su Esencia broke out last year after they went viral on TikTok. Their debut single, “Soy El Único” debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Yahritza Martinez — the trio’s lead singer — the youngest Latin performer to enter the all-genre tally at 15 years old.
The sibling trio — a best new artist nominee at the 2022 Latin Grammys — is also part of the Fender Next program. “When I play my guitar, I am able to dream out loud,” Yahritza says in a statement. “I drift into a space that is just me, my guitar and my thoughts and it is a big part of how I roll these ideas out, when writing music.”
“Playing my bass has always helped me relax and helps keep my mind busy especially in tough times,” says bass player Jairo Martinez. “It inspires me to create new music and reminds me of how blessed I am to be talented enough to play such a beautiful instrument.”
The trio’s guitarist and songwriter, Armando Martinez, adds: “My guitar just makes me feel complete when I play it, like my best friend that I carry with me almost everywhere I go, especially on this incredible new journey as artists we are on! It’s also important to me because it’s gotten me through many hard times when I didn’t have anything else in life to look forward to. Learning new things on my instrument is really magic for me.”
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
March has officially wrapped, and as we welcome April, Billboard is asking our readers to vote for their favorite Latin collaboration released the past month.
In true fashion, the fan-based poll features Latin collaborations that were either featured on our weekly New Music Latin playlist or as a new music release story. The list includes Feid and Younk Miko’s sultry reggaeton “Classy 101,” Becky G and Peso Pluma’s breakup corrido “Chanel,” Nicky Jam’s first Regional Mexican effort in “Como El Viento” alongside Luis R. Conriquez, and many more.
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Also in the poll is “BESO,” Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro’s ultra-romantic collaboration, where in its sweet, homemade music video, the couple announced they were engaged.
Additionally, you’ll find Los Ángeles Azules catchy cumbia sonidera “Tú y Tú” with Santa Fe Klan & Cazzu, Eladio Carrión and Bad Bunny’s “Coco Chanel,” as well as the latest “BZRP Music Session, Vol. 54” helmed by Bizarrap and Árcangel.
In February, Steve Aoki and CNCO won the poll with “Diferente” nabbing over 77 percent of the votes. What’s your favorite Latin collaboration of March? Vote below!
The 2022 winning collabs were Christina Aguilera and Ozuna’s “Santo” (January); Becky G and Karol G’s “MAMIII” (February); Sebastian Yatra and John Legend’s “Tacones Rojos (Remix)” (March); Bizarrap and Paulo Londra’s “BZRP Music Session” (April); Morar and Duki’s “Paris” (May); Blessd and Rels B’s “Energia” (June); Pablo Alboran and Sebastian Yatra’s “Contigo” (July); Anonimus and R3ymon’s “Santa Diabla” (August); Kany García and Christian Nodal’s “La Siguiente” (September); Juan Gabriel and Anahí’s “Déjame Vivir” (October); Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares’ “Tukoh Taka” (November); and Alejo and CNCO’s “Estrella” (December).
Mexico’s latest trap and reggaetón interpreter, Yng Lvcas, makes his first visit to a Billboard albums chart with LPM as the set debuts at No. 8 on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated April 8).
“It’s something else, thank you!” Yng Lvcas tells Billboard. “First off, without my team and all those who listen and press play, none of this would be possible. I am beyond happy. What’s next? All great things. Onward and forward. We are not crabs; we just move forward.”
LPM starts in the upper region mainly supported by streaming activity, largely powered by a recently released remix of the set’s “La Bebe,” with corridos tumbados newcomer Peso Pluma, which arrived on March 17, while its official video dropped March 23. The album was released in 2021 independently, but has surged in recent weeks following the growth of “La Bebe,” which has flourished on TikTok with over a half-million videos on the platform. (All versions of the song are combined into a singular listing on Billboard‘s chart; TikTok activity does not contribute directly to the charts.)
“Working with el flaco is another thing,” Lvcas adds. “My respect for him and his team, and hopefully, just like this collab, we get to work on more tunes with Peso. This is basically my favorite one.”
During the March 23-30 tracking week, the eight-track album generated 9,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. That sum equates to 13.77 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs — with 98% of that sum from “La Bebe,” mostly from the remix.
On the multimetric Top Latin Albums chart as measured in equivalent album units, each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
The 23-year-old singer-songwriter scores his first top 10 on any Billboard albums ranking on his first try. He made his chart debut with “La Bebe” debuting at No. 38 on Hot Latin Songs (chart dated Feb. 25) with 2 million official streams.
Lvcas’ first top 10 album arrives shortly after he joined the Warner Latina family of artists. “Aside from ‘La Bebe’ there are two other tracks that have marked me, like ‘Déjame,’ which was dedicated to a girl, and ‘Pégame’ which is slowly escalating. It’s amazing how the numbers are growing…”
Alongside the album’s entrance on Top Latin Albums, “La Bebe” makes progress on Hot Latin Songs. It pushes 11-3 on the multimetric tally with nearly 14 million official streams, up 101%, from the week prior. The sum generates a No. 14 debut on the overall Streaming Songs chart and pushes 7-2 on Latin Streaming Songs, the highest ranking for Lvcas on any Billboard list.
“The complete recording process took around 15 days,” Lvcas recalls. “On Dec. 10, a spark ignited me to release a reggaetón album because I didn’t have one in platforms. Everything happened fast; I went into the studio with the tracks I had already written. I edited everything, including the covers artwork. Everything was released at once and in the heat of the moment, how we say in Mexico.”
Sales also contribute to “La Bebe’s” rise as it sold 1,000 downloads during the same period yielding a No. 4 peak on Latin Digital Song Sales.
Over on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “La Bebe” rallies 77-34, taking the Greatest Gainer/Streaming honors of the week.
Elsewhere, LPM generates enough activity to earn a No. 142 debut on the overall Billboard 200 chart.
In February, Karol G and Shakira unleashed their first collaborative effort called “TQG” (short for “Te Quedó Grande,” which loosely translates to “I’m Too Good For You”) part of Karol’s fourth studio album Mañana Será Bonito.
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The star-studded team-up is powered by a somber, hard-hitting reggaetón beat helmed by artist-producer Ovy on the Drums and packed with fierce and unapologetic lyrics about successfully moving on from an ex. “It hurt me to see you with the new one, but I’m already doing my own thing,” chants Shakira. The long-awaited collaboration finds the two Colombianas in a sultry music video, confirming once more that there’s no messing with them (and their hearts).
“We always have a good time creating music,” Ovy (born Daniel Echavarria Oviedo) tells Billboard of the song’s creative process, which was partly done virtually. “Karol spoke highly of Shakira and told me she was incredible. And this is the result of two of the biggest artists in Colombia. It’s awesome being part of this process and this hit because it’s a collaboration for the books.”
In March, “TQG” became both Karol G and Shakira’s first No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. It also reached the top slot on Hot Latin Songs, where it has since spent five weeks leading the chart.
Below, Ovy explains how the foundation for the international hit, reacts to the song’s success and more.
A collaboration between Karol G and Shakira had long been anticipated by fans. How did those conversations begin, and what was your initial reaction once it was confirmed?
Sometime in January 2022, we were working on “MAMIII” — [Karol G’s] collaboration with Becky G — and after we finished, Karol and I stayed in the studio. That’s when the first version of “TQG” was born. Honestly, when we had the first version, I never imagined Shakira on the track. Karol was the one who, out of nowhere said, “Ovy, Shakira on ‘TQG’ will be a hit!” She was the one who envisioned it and I got really excited. At the same time, rumors of a collaboration began making the rounds. I already knew that Karol was going to reach out to [Shakira’s] team but when different media [outlets] interviewed me, I would say that I didn’t know anything.
Karol sent it to Shakira, and she added her verse. It was a beautiful team and a song that surprised me. I even got a tattoo of “TQG” because it’s my first No. 1 hit [on the Spotify Global Top 50, as well as the Billboard Global 200] as a producer.
So you never actually met Shakira in person?
I didn’t have the opportunity to meet her, but I would be in touch with her thanks to the voice notes she sent me through her manager. Nowadays, there’s no need to get together in person, though I think it’s best to all be in the studio together. Sometimes, because of distance and time, it’s not possible — and thanks to technology, we can create things virtually. Shakira and Karol didn’t meet in person until the filming of the music video, but Karol did record with me and Shakira recorded with her team.
From the first day in the studio to the day of release, how quickly did you finish the song?
The first version was ready for almost a year, but when Shakira stepped in, we changed it around. She brought her ideas, and we joined them with Karol’s ideas and began reworking the song as a team. Shakira entered the collab around December 2022, and in January, the song was mastered and ready to go because we had to submit Karol’s album, [Mañana Será Bonito].
Did this song ever have another title in mind or was it always going to be called “TQG”?
I wanted it to be called “La Nueva” (“The New One”) but Karol thought of “TQG.” Like “Tusa” and other titles, she’s really good at thinking of song names. She’s a genius, and the title is perfect.
Are there any interesting anecdotes you can share about the process of “TQG”?
We always have a good time creating music, but I know they both connected and had a good [working] relationship. Karol spoke highly of Shakira and told me she was incredible. This is the result of two of the biggest artists in Colombia. It’s awesome being part of this process and this hit because it’s a collaboration for the books.
What is your favorite line or verse from the song?
The part that says: “Es como tapar una herida con maquillaje/No se ve, pero se siente” (“It’s like covering a wound with makeup/It is not seen, but it is felt”) — I love that part!
The song has been extremely successful on the Billboard charts, including a fifth week at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs on charts dated April 8. What’s your reaction to such accolades?
The day I’m not surprised of having another hit, I’ll quit and focus on something else. I do music with so much passion and so much dedication to see these types of results. I want people to enjoy it and for the song to become a hit — I want it to reach places I’ve never imagined. The day Karol made history as the first woman to have a No. 1 with an all-Spanish-language album [on the Billboard 200], that day I cried. Every song has a different story, a different meaning and is born in a different way. They’re all my babies and I like seeing each of them succeed. I’m very happy with everything’s that happening. I’m going to continue creating music and work hard for everything that’s coming.
A version of this story originally appeared in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Anitta and Warner Music Group are parting ways, both parties announced in a joint statement the Brazilian star posted on social media on Tuesday (April 4).
“After eleven years of successful partnership, we’ve agreed to go our separate ways,” reads the post. “Anitta would like to thank the Warner Music team for all their support. And the Warner team wishes Anitta all the best in the future.”
Anitta signed with Warner Music in the U.S. in 2020 after previously linking with Warner Music Brazil in 2013. Under the U.S. contract, she produced Versions of Me, which was executive produced by Ryan Tedder. The trilingual album was recorded mostly in English with a few songs in Spanish and one in Portuguese. It included the hit song “Envolver,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart and on Spotify’s Global list, making Anitta the first Brazilian artist to achieve either feat. Meanwhile, the self-directed video for the song claimed the top spot on YouTube’s Global Top Music Videos chart. It currently has more than 500 million views on YouTube.
The news comes after Anitta took to Twitter in March to say she would have “auctioned off her organs” to be let out of her Warner contract. “If there was a fine to pay, I would have already auctioned off my organs, no matter how expensive it was to get out. But unfortunately, there isn’t,” she wrote. “When you’re young and still don’t know a lot, you need to pay close attention to the things you sign… if you don’t, you could spend a lifetime paying for the mistake.”
It wasn’t the first time Anitta has complained about her relationship with WMG. According to Anitta, Warner refused to produce a video when they saw that the song’s performance on streaming platforms was falling below expectations.
“They only invest after it pays off on the internet,” Anitta said in an Instagram livestream in May. “Unfortunately, there are things I can’t get, that’s why I don’t buy millionaire cars, because when I want to do something, I pay for it.”
Recently, it was announced that Anitta has joined the Elite cast for season seven of the hit Netflix show.