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Shakira is seemingly reacting to her ex-boyfriend Gerard Piqué’s newly debuted relationship on social media.
One day after the soccer star revealed his younger girlfriend Clara Chia Marti in an Instagram post, the 45-year-old Colombian superstar shared a video of herself dancing and mouthing the scathing lyrics of her new diss track “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53,” a collaboration with Argentine DJ and producer Bizarrap.
“Las mujeres ya no lloran las mujeres bailan merengue!” Shakira wrote alongside the split-screen Instagram clip on Thursday (Jan. 26). The caption translates to “Women don’t cry anymore, women dance merengue!” which is similar to her hit single’s lyrics of “Women don’t cry anymore, they cash in.”
In “BZRP Music Session #53,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, Shakira is more unapologetic and empowered than ever, spitting diss verses to Piqué and even throwing a jab at his new love interest.
“I’m not getting back with you, don’t cry for me, nor beg me/ I understood that it’s not my fault that they criticize you/ I only make music, sorry that it bothers you,” the singer chants on the dance-pop track. “Good luck with my so-called replacement/ I don’t even know what happened/ You’re acting so weird, I don’t even recognize you/ I’m worth two 22-year-olds/ You traded in a Ferrari for a Twingo/ You traded in a Rolex for a Casio.”
This isn’t the first time Shakira has taken aim at her ex. Prior to the Bizarrap session, she released the more poignant “Monotonía” alongside Ozuna, lamenting the loss of love to “monotony.”
See Shakira’s post on Instagram below.
From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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Emilio Estafan’s acting debut
Grammy-winning producer and musician Emilio Estefan has made his actoral debut in the recently-released Bezos: The Beginning, where he plays Jeff Bezos’ father, Mike Bezos. Based off the book Zero to Hero, the movie is a true-life story that chronicles Bezos’ journey to create Amazon and become one the richest men in the world.
“Very happy to be a part of this movie and represent Mike Bezos, the father of Jeff Bezos,” Estefan wrote on social media. “Mike represents the unconditional love that a father has for his son and his family, the unique love that parents feel for their children. When they introduced me to the project, I loved it! I think they called me because of my accent but the reality is that I identified immediately with Mike.”
Bezos: The Beginning is now streaming on Amazon video.
Shakira at the Grammy Museum
Calling all Shakira fans!
The “Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum Experience” exhibit is set to go live March 4 at the Recording Academy Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
“It’s an honor to have the journey of my career displayed at the GRAMMY Museum,” Shakira said in a statement. “These pieces are a testament to so many indelible moments that I cherish, and I’m so happy to be able to relive these memories with those who have and continue to support me as an artist.”
The news comes after the Colombian singer-songwriter hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Jan. 28) with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Shakira now ties with Bad Bunny for the fourth-most No. 1s overall, both with 12.
Karol G’s new album is coming … soon
Colombian star Karol G revealed Wednesday (Jan. 25) the name of her upcoming new album, which is set to drop soon. “Finally, finally,” she wrote on social media. “Today I announce a project that I’ve dedicated so much love and time to. I just know that for me and for everyone else, Mañana Será Bonito (Tomorrow Will Be Pretty).”
Mañana Será Bonito is the name of her highly anticipated fourth studio album. It will follow her 2021 Grammy-nominated KG0516, which scored Karol her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums. The set earned the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman since Shakira‘s 2017 El Dorado.
Victor Manuelle to be honored at Premio Lo Nuestro
In recognition of Víctor Manuelle’s impact and influence in Latin music, the 35th annual Premio Lo Nuestro will honor the salsa musician with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award on Feb. 23.
“The fact that I have been able to make a living from what I am so passionate about is very meaningful to me,” the Puerto Rican superstar tells Billboard Español. “It’s very exciting to know that the award ceremony, which is a very important platform, decided to give me this recognition. It fills me with pride, and it is a sign of the effort of what I have wanted to represent in the salsa genre throughout my entire career.”
The complete list of Premio Lo Nuestro nominations was announced Monday (Jan. 23), consisting of 192 artist nominees of diverse musical backgrounds across 39 categories. The ceremony will air live on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. ET via Univision; it will simulcast on Galavisión in the U.S. and Canal 5 in Mexico.
J Balvin announces VR concert
Meta and iHeartRadio have partnered to bring to life “J Balvin Futurum: A VR Concert Experience. Created specifically for VR, the 180-degree concert experience will offer state-of-the-art visuals and performances such as a custom-built lighted stage, seven backup dancers and J Balvin strapped to a 15-foot robotic arm that moves to the beat of the music.
The Colombian artist will perform 17 of his biggest hits, including “La Canción,” I Like It” and “Mi Gente,” all of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The “J Balvin Futurum” show — which kicks off at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on Feb. 17 — is part of the iHeartRadio Concert Series in VR. Balvin joins previous performers such as John Legend, Carrie Underwood and Kim Petras.
To watch the VR concert, fans can subscribe to the event by clicking here.
J Balvin
Cate Groubert for iHeartRadio
This week, our First Stream Latin roundup — which is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums, and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors each week — is powered by new music from Christian Nodal, Rosalía and newcomer Peter Nieto, to name a few.
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The list includes the highly-awaited duet between Christian Nodal and TINI, “Por El Resto de tu Vida.” On their dazzling, first collaborative effort, the Mexican artist and Argentinean pop star collide their powerhouse vocals with a beautiful bolero guitar interplay that later transforms into a bolero-trap thump.
Rosalía also surprised fans with the release of her bilingual track “LLYLM” (the acronym for “lie like you love me”), where she sings over a guitar-led tune fused with the magnetic handclaps: “I don’t need honestly, baby, lie like you love me, lie like you love me.” Her boyfriend and Puerto Rican star, Rauw Alejandro, on the other hand, teamed up with Reggaetón’s finest, Daddy Yankee, to release “Panties y Brassieres” a.k.a. the hidden track number seven, meant to be part of Rauw’s Saturno album.
Additionally, Spanish act Marc Seguí kicked off 2023 with a new musical era, one where he steers away from his edgy urban pop sound and ventures into rock music. In his first single of 2023, “Plaza en el Cielo,” Seguí flaunts his new roquero and rebellious stage. “I wanted to talk about a darker stage in my life where I was quite lost, a stage in which the music that accompanied me the most was rock,” he explained in a press release.
Check out the other tracks on this week’s First Stream Latin and vote for your new favorite release below:
First Stream Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums, and videos recommended by Billboard Latin editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Christian Nodal & TINI, “Por El Resto De Tu Vida” (Christian Nodal/Sony Music México)
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On their first collaboration together, Christian Nodal and TINI make a dazzling duet. Leading with beautiful bolero guitar interplay, the mariacheño trailblazer and Argentine pop singer match hearts as their voices collide to make one of the sweetest of love songs of the year so far. What’s most intriguing, however, is Nodal’s continued ability to experiment within the confines of regional Mexican music, and TINI is a great singing partner to enhance that sound. Hi-hats enter nearly a minute into the song to coalesce with the güiro, a subtle but riveting transition that morphs into a bolero-trap thump. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Rosalía, “LLYLM” (Columbia Records)
“El que quiero no me quiere como quiero que me quiera,” Rosalía sings over her signature handclap beat. The opening verse of “LLYLM” is almost a tongue twister with lyrics that showcase despair after she realizes that the guy she likes doesn’t like her like she’d like him to like her. She then effortlessly transitions into English, to get her point across in case something gets lost in translation. “I don’t need honestly, baby, lie like you love me, lie like you love me,” she sings, soaring over a guitar-led tune fused with magnetic handclaps. It’s the Spaniard’s first single of the year following her 2022 Latin Grammy-winning album Motomami. — GRISELDA FLORES
Marc Seguí, “Plaza en el Cielo” (Taste the Floor Records/Warner Music Spain)
Marc Seguí kicks off 2023 with a new single and a new musical era. This time, the Spanish artist is steering away from his signature reggaetón-pop sound and venturing into rock. “Plaza en el Cielo,” along with its accompanying video, brings to life Seguí’s new roquero stage. Produced by Carlos Ares, Andrés Goiburu, and Jack Stone, the rebellious punk tune showcases Seguí’s captivating vocals, singing about the mistakes he’s made in his life (but also learning from them). “I wanted to talk about a darker stage in my life where I was quite lost, a stage in which the music that accompanied me the most was rock,” he explains in a press release. “Plaza en el Cielo” is the first single off his upcoming EP. — JESSICA ROIZ
Peter Nieto x Lenier, “Conocerte” (Diamond Music)
Up-and-comers Peter Nieto and Lenier both grew up in Cuba but now live in the U.S., a fact that helps explain the more international sound they bring to their respective brands of tropical music. Together, they’ve paired up for “Conocerte,” a romantic bachata where Nieto’s smooth, plaintive tenor contrasts beautifully with Lenier’s raspy vocals. Despite Lenier’s chanteo, it’s a more melodic bridge between tropical and urban, made all the more appealing by genuinely lovely lyrics. — LEILA COBO
KYEN? ES? x Maffio, “Sopita” (Saban Music Group)
KYEN? ES? (a Spanish play on words that means “who is it”) is a conceptual musical project by Saban Music Group that focuses on paying tribute to Latin music. For his latest single, the performer — who keeps his identity private behind large, dark sunglasses and facemasks — reeled in Dominican hitmaker Maffio for “Sopita” (little soup). The feel-good bop pays homage to the all-time fiesta classic “Sopa de Caracol,” originally released in 1991 by the Honduran group Banda Blanca. Produced by Maffio, the new version moves the traditional punta song to a mid-tempo merengue, keeping its party essence well alive. A vibrant music video features the two artists at a Latin party, where they even flaunt the next viral dance trend. — J.R.
Rauw Alejandro & Daddy Yankee, “Panties y Brasieres” (Sony Music Latin/Duars Entertainment)
In line with Rauw Alejandro’s throwback album Saturno — and space/time-traveling spirit — El Fókin Zorro and the Big Boss team up to drop “Panties y Brasieres,” a.k.a. hidden track number seven. What was once the 19-second “Loading” interlude in the album is now converted into a vintage banger, where the pair embrace old school hip-hop drums, from before the reggaetón drum pattern was solidified in the late ‘90s. In fact, the dance floor cut contains a sample from Yankee’s “Camuflash,” from DJ Playero’s 1996 set Playero 40: New Era. — I.R.
Daniel & Me Estás Matando, “Sólo Tú” (Inmadurez Records)
“Sólo Tú” finds Mexican duo Daniel, Me Estás Matando (Daniel Zepeda and Iván de la Rioja) doing what they do best — bolero glam. To the beat of soft congas and dreamy acoustic guitar riffs, the pair chants about a love so pure, and about feeling safe with that special person. “I know that if I’m holding your hand/ And if fear looks for us, we’re not here/ We left to a faraway world, where only you is there,” goes part of the chorus. The romantic track stays truthful to the sophisticated bolero genre and later transitions into a psychedelic instrumental exploration. — J.R.
Miguel Campello & Nya de la Rubia, “RUMBACUMBIA” (Chatarrero Records)
Following a string of singles leading up to his next album Noche y Día (due out Feb. 3), Miguel Campello drops two very different outings: the experimental flamenco cut “Vete” and “Rumbacumbia.” The latter, which features Sevilla actress and singer Nya de la Rubia, is an electrifying rumba song included in the “day” side for concept album, that feels as uplifting as the sun’s warmth. Flamenco guitar fretwork and silky smooth percussion take the fore, as the former El Bicho frontman’s and Nya’s voices both invigorate with their poetic verses of love and embrace. — I.R.
To mark the first anniversary of the death of Argentine-Mexican singer-songwriter Diego Verdaguer, a new version of his ’70s hit “Ven, Ven” dropped today (January 27) on digital platforms.
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It’s one of the last recordings that Verdaguer made as part of a show on the esplanade of the Cholula Regional Museum, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, in November 2021 — according to the press office of the Verdaguer-Miguel Family in Mexico.
“Ven, Ven (Que Se Va La Vida)” was released as a ballad in 1976. But for its 2021 version, the song was adapted to Mexican cumbia, with some “sonideros” touches at the beginning of the song — much in the style of street DJs in Mexico who mix the local cumbia with electronic music. In the video, Verdaguer is seen dancing happily, surrounded by a group of musicians playing in front of the Sanctuary of La Virgen de los Remedios, in Cholula, Puebla.
With this release, Verdaguer’s artistic and life partner — the also Argentine-Mexican singer Amanda Miguel — and their daughter Ana Victoria pay a heartfelt tribute to the great love and driving force of their lives.
“I miss him terribly. My heart is broken and it cannot be sewn up. Nothing can fill this void; it is very hard not to have him to hug and kiss. Time passes, but the pain does not lesses, it is only accepted irremediably,” says Amanda Miguel in a press release.
According to the press office, Amanda Miguel and Ana Victoria were holding a private ceremony on Friday at their home in Los Angeles, “praying and appreciating the nature that Diego was inspired by and loved so much.”
This will be an intimate moment only for immediate family, including the late Argentine star’s brother, Víctor Raúl, with his wife and children. “All together honoring him who united them and built unbreakable ties with them,” the statement reads.
The press office in Mexico told Billboard Español that the Verdaguer-Miguel family has declined to do interviews at this time.
“My grandson and daughter are my daily bread, the sun that caresses me and the sky that covers me. I have also felt peoples’ embrace, your letters full of beautiful words have been a balm, it is very nice to read your messages accompanying me at all times, from those that sincerely regretted the departure of my husband, to those congratulating me when I was awarded last November with the [Latin] Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Amanda Miguel.
“I know this was recognition because I have dedicated my whole life to music, but my husband also deserved it — that’s why I received it for both of us,” she adds, emphasizing what she told Billboard Español days before receiving the honor.
This week, it was also announced that mother and daughter will give a concert on March 16 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City — part of their Siempre Te Amaré Tour 2023 — to relive the hits that Verdaguer immortalized with his wife.
Diego Verdaguer was born in Buenos Aires on April 26, 1951, and made his solo debut at 17 with the single “Lejos del Amor.” He moved to Mexico in 1980, and became a Mexican citizen. He dedicated to his adoptive country his album Mexicano Hasta Las Pampas (2009), which earned him two Latin Grammy nominations. And a few years later he released Mexicano Hasta Las Pampas 2, as well as two volumes of the live album Mexicanísimos.
In 1986, Verdaguer debuted on the Billboard charts with his seventh studio album, Estoy Celoso, which spent 11 weeks on the Latin Pop Albums list, peaking at No. 7. That year, the album’s title track earned him his first entry on Hot Latin Songs, where it peaked at No. 25. He had many other appearances on the charts, including with Mexicano Hasta Las Pampas (No. 68 on Top Latin Albums in 2009) and El Mejor Show Romántico de América, a live album with Amanda Miguel (No. 30 from the same list in 2011).
Diego Verdaguer and Amanda Miguel met when they were 24 and 18, respectively. The couple had their only daughter, singer Ana Victoria, in 1983.
“Corazón de Papel,” “Que Sufras Más,” “Creo Solo en Ti” and “La Ladrona” are some of the hits Verdaguer released throughout a five-decade career. He died from complications of Covid-19 on January 27, 2022 in Los Angeles at the age of 70.
In retrospect, 2022 will be remembered as the year of Bad Bunny. And while his album Un Verano Sin Ti dominated much of the year after its May 6 release, the boost that it gave to Latin music’s share of the overall market — with the highest growth in percentage year over year of any genre, going from 5.39% in 2021 to 6.33% in 2022, an increase of 28.8% — is not simply a one album, or even one year, phenomenon.
Between 2020 and 2022, Latin music grew 55.29% in album consumption in the U.S., according to Luminate, far outstripping the overall industry’s 21.61%, as well as the growth of the four biggest genres in the U.S. over that time: R&B/hip-hop (12.17%), rock (22.28%), pop (20.64%) and country (19.22%). And Latin isn’t alone: World Music has also made tremendous strides over that time period, growing 47.67% from 2020 through 2022 on the Stateside growth of K-Pop and Afrobeats, among other ex-U.S. genres, and up 25.8% in 2022 over 2021. Both genres have seen over 20% growth in on-demand audio streams dating back to 2019, while the overall industry has grown in that sector in the mid-teens each year during that time.
Those are two of just four genres (of the 15 tracked by Luminate) that grew at a faster rate than the overall music industry in 2022, which increased consumption 9.2% year over year. (The other two were children’s music, at 30.0%, and dance/electronic, at 11.7%; new age grew essentially in line with the business). And it speaks to how significant that growth has been, and could continue to be moving forward as the business becomes increasingly more global.
With 2023 fully underway, here are four more trends to watch this year:
How Big Is a Hit?
Children’s music (1.38%) overtook holiday music (1.26%) as the ninth-biggest genre in the U.S. this year due to the runaway success of Encanto, which helped boost the genre by 30% in consumption year over year (35.5% in on-demand streams). How significant was the effect of that hit? Growth for the genre year over year was 6.7% in 2020, and actually declined -3.7% in 2021, with on-demand streaming dropping 2.8% in each of those years. The growth is almost certainly unsustainable, but it shows the value of a surprise mainstream hit. For a related analog, comedy was the only genre to actually decline year over year, due to the sector coming back down to earth after the huge gains from Bo Burnham’s Inside (The Songs) album in 2021. From 2020 to 2021, overall comedy consumption ballooned 27.3%, with total on-demand streams growing 28.4%; those numbers fell to -11.3% and -5.0% in 2022, as the effect of the album receded.
Major Genres Shrinking in Share
As a statement of fact, year over year the four biggest, most dominant genres in the U.S. all declined in terms of their share of the overall market: R&B/hip-hop (from 27.72% in 2021 to 26.82% in 2022), rock (20.01% in 2021 to 19.95% in 2022), pop (13.05% in 2021 to 12.68% in 2022) and country (8.09% in 2021 to 7.76% in 2022). But there are a few ways of looking at that.
The first is that, when a genre is as dominant as R&B/hip-hop, for example, maintaining the same percentage growth gets harder every year. And the growth is still huge: the top four genres accounted for 67.21% of the market in 2022, even if down slightly from the 68.87% they held in 2021, and just shy of 50% of the gains year over year. And rock and R&B/hip-hop saw the two biggest increases in raw consumption numbers over 2021, with the former claiming 19.37% of the growth in 2022 over the year prior and the latter 17.13% of it.
The other way to look at it is that the market is, slowly but steadily, diversifying. Latin, the fifth-biggest genre in the country, was third in percentage of growth in the market, up 16.38% year over year; less than 1 million units separated its increase from R&B/hip-hop’s in 2022. Pop was fourth (8.67% of industry growth), but world music — the seventh-biggest genre overall — claimed the fifth-highest share of the market’s growth, at 5.53% year over year. And country, which claimed 4.17% of the growth, was run a close race by Dance/Electronic, at 4.14%. Just three years ago, in 2020, Latin made up 4.95% of the overall market and World Music 1.88%. That doesn’t seem like regular fluctuation, but a true growth trend.
R&B/Hip-Hop Report
Over the last few years, there has been an accepted fact of the marketplace: In a streaming world that reflects not just what people are buying, but what people are continuing to stream and listen to, R&B/hip-hop dominates. That is still, unquestionably, the case. But lately there has been some hand-wringing about the slowing growth of the genre and what that could mean for the broader marketplace, a fair question for others to answer.
Here are some facts: R&B/hip-hop is now 26.82% of consumption. It’s been growing consistently — up around 6% per year the last few years — though not as much as the marketplace overall for several years now percentage-wise. And its share of total on-demand streams dropped from 30.11% in 2021 to 28.61% in 2022. In raw numbers it’s still growing massively, though, second only to rock in share of the industry’s total unit growth in 2022. And compared to 2017 — the year that Luminate predecessor Nielsen first declared that R&B/hip-hop had become the biggest genre in the industry — it still claims a higher share of the market. So while it displays a higher variance year to year than some other genres, the sky isn’t falling just yet.
R&B/Hip-Hop Share of Consumption By Year:2017: 24.52%2018: 25.94%2019: 28.62%2020: 29.07%2021: 27.72%2022: 26.82%
Country Streaming Sputters, Rock’s Resilience
Country’s streaming growth is slowing down. After big gains in audio on-demand streaming the past two years (22.1% in 2020 and 16.5% in 2021) as more of its audience began to embrace the format, that figure slipped below the audio streaming growth of the overall industry in 2022, 11.1% vs. 12.2%, respectively. And total on-demand Country streaming (audio plus video) grew at 9.8%, compared to 12.2% for the overall industry. (Yes, overall and audio on-demand streaming grew at the same rate.) That isn’t the end of the world — R&B/hip-hop on-demand audio streaming has grown less than the overall market percentage-wise in the past few years, though its raw numbers are still massive — but it’s worth noting that the growth is slowing year over year after outpacing the market recently, and its percentage of the growth in on-demand streaming in 2022 was just 6.01%, by far the lowest of the five biggest genres. In total consumption, country grew just 4.8%, slightly over half the rate of growth of the overall industry (9.2%), with its share of the market slipping from 8.09% in 2021 to 7.76% in 2022.
It’s notable compared to the fortunes of rock music. For all the “Rock Is Dead” talk, the format is essentially keeping pace with industry trends overall (up 9.0% in consumption, 14.3% in on-demand streams) and actually grew its share of overall on-demand streaming year over year, from 16.30% in 2021 to 16.62% in 2022, while continuing to flat-out dominate in sales (43% of the market). Again, rock was the genre that showed the most growth in 2022 over 2021: at 19.37%, it outpaced R&B/hip-hop (17.13%) and Latin (16.38%) for the biggest share of growth year over year.
In 1973, Mocedades competed at the Eurovision Song Contest with their anthem “Eres Tú.” The song didn’t win (it came second place) but it ended up becoming such a global hit that it made the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, a milestone for a Spanish group. Today, 50 years after its original release, Mocedades seeks to break generational barriers with a new version of their signature hit, featuring tenor Plácido Domingo, set to drop Friday (January 27).
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Written by Juan Carlos Calderón, “Eres Tú” was translated into 70 languages (in English it was called “Touch the Wind”), sold one million copies in the U.S. alone and had an impressive run on the Billboard charts, debuting at No. 90 on the Hot 100 the week of January 12, 1974 and spending 17 consecutive weeks on the chart, where it peaked at No. 9 on March 23.
The new version of “Eres Tú” was produced by Jacobo Calderón, the son of Juan Carlos, who has given it new life with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, the participation of Domingo and some modern touches, while still staying true to the original.
It’s all part of a big celebration for Mocedades, which last year released the album Infinito Duets (Fonovisa/Universal), where the group revisits its greatest hits along with Gloria Trevi, David Bisbal, Morat, Il Divo, Lucero, Arthur Hanlon, Pedro Fernández, David Bisbal, Ana Torroja and El Bebeto, among others.
After an Infinito Tour through Latin America and Spain, the group plans to release Infinito Duets 2, which guests including Marc Anthony. “Eres Tú” is the first single of this volume.
Billboard Español spoke exclusively with two essential members of Mocedades: Izaskun Uranga Amezaga, the only original founder member (with 55 years active with the band) and owner of the rights to the use of the name Mocedades worldwide, and José Miguel González Robles, a singer and manager who has taken on the task of modernizing the group, including with the Infinito Duets concept.
Why did you think of Plácido Domingo for the anniversary version of “Eres Tú”?
Izaskun: Because he has undoubtedly been the most international voice that Spain has ever had and the most universal voice in the Spanish language. He has sang on the most renowned world stages, and such an iconic song deserved a voice of such stature.
Were you concerned in any way that the accusations of harassment that Domingo has faced could harm the image of Mocedades?
Izaskun: We admire and love Plácido Domingo as a singer and we admire and love him as a person. Our contact with him has always been cordial, affectionate, respectful. I fully trust him and, above all, [we consider] one very important thing — the presumption of innocence. Plácido Domingo has not been tried, investigated or convicted.
Izaskun, you have been there since the foundation of Mocedades. Haven’t the long tours been exhausting for you?
Izaskun: As long as my voice and head don’t fail me, be it walking or pushing, I’ll keep singing until the end. I never plan to retire, nor has it crossed my mind.
Over the years, Mocedades has experienced a rotation of its members. Those who are no longer in Mocedades but were founders, do they have a profit share?
Izaskun: They have their share of percentage of royalties, a participation of the initial brand — but the rights to the exclusive use of the brand are in the name of Izaskun Uranga Amezaga.
José Miguel, you are a relatively new member, with a decade with Mocedades. Was it your idea to give the group a twist by recording these new versions?
José Miguel: They have called me the modernizer of Mocedades, but what I’ve tried to do in recent years is try to reach new generations with a concept of Mocedades adapted to the 21st century, not to feed on what we had. The concept has been that Jacobo Calderón, the son of the person who created the songs (Juan Carlos Calderón), adapts the songs so that 20-year-olds can find them fresh and current.
We have done everything. A record for Juan Luis Guerra, a symphonic record at the National Auditorium, two records have been made with mariachi — Por Amor A México y Por Amor A México Vol. 2 — and now the two Infinito Duets.
Has this new stage of Mocedades been intense work?
José Miguel: We have recorded many duets, so there’s a long way to go before the public knows about it. The title Infinito allows us to continue with the concept. All these years’ work is summarized in more than 600 performances around the world, more than 20 countries traveled, seven albums published, tours with people who are very important to us. With Armando Manzanero, for example, we toured for three years. And well, the stars that have been with us in more than 30 duets that we have already recorded.
Do you ever consider stopping to take a breather?
José Miguel: Not at all. Any fatigue is relegated to the background when you receive, touch, feel — but above all, are moved — by the loyalty and affection of so many Mexicans, Colombians, Peruvians, Uruguayans, Bolivians, Ecuadorians, Chileans, Argentines and Spaniards who continue to listen to our music. That is the greatest reward for hard work, for all those hours on airplanes, the waitings, or the bitter moments that you face sometimes.
As a rapper, Villano Antillano is armed with a fiery flow charged with cheeky wordplay and sassy one-liner quips, all helping her dismantle hate speech to boost the LGBTQ+ community. On the phone, Villana Santiago Pacheco’s self awareness and outlook is also invigorating, lending a critical perspective that partly explains why she’s so damn good at rapping.
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Billboard Español spoke with the first Latin Artist on the Rise of 2023 on Monday (Jan. 23). She had just received her very first nomination for Premio Lo Nuestro’s all-genre new artist female category — a well-earned feat for years of flexing her lyrical prowess. She’s recognized next to luminary upstarts like Bad Gyal, Tokischa, and Young Miko.
Villana’s nod follows her banner 2022: her first Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. chart entries, viral releases, a widely viewed performance alongside Bad Bunny, and an unflinching debut album, La Sustancia X. This year, the Puerto Rican star is poised to perform at global festivals Lollapalooza Argentina and Chile, Colombia’s Estéreo Picnic and Bombastic in Spain.
“What makes you an outstanding rapper is not about how many words you know, or whether you can rap in an academic way — it’s about how you use the language,” she explains. “It can be the language of everyday life. I use a lot of words that maybe aren’t popular like in the rest of the world, but it’s how I speak Spanish, and how it’s spoken in the Caribbean. That’s what really makes a rapper.”
She is also arguably the biggest Latin female trans artist today. Yet navigating her artistic persona while medically transitioning hasn’t been a walk in the park. “I carry it in my mind knowing that I am so much more than that label,” she says, while making mention of Latin America’s deep-rooted history with homophobia, machismo and misogyny. “I get a bit detached [from discrimination], but I don’t let it get to me … I’m a public figure, and on top of that, I’m a trans woman, and it’s inescapable that that responsibility is there. So let’s educate.”
“The trans experience is very difficult, but I think it’s incredibly magical with the access to things. It’s something that 98% of the population is never going to understand, and it’s very dangerous as well,” she continues. “It’s been a long road, there are struggles ahead, and a lot to fight. But we’re here.”
Born in the mid-‘90s in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Villana Santiago Pacheco was consumed by music in nearly every facet of living, from cooking to cleaning. “There was always something playing,” she recalls. Her dad listened to salsa pesada “and very Caribbean things.” The very first CD she bought was Shakira’s 1998 ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? “I have memories of my childhood glued to a CD player, watching hours go by listening to the same songs, and seeing how the world evolved,” she muses.
Villana came of age in an interesting time and place. The cusp of a new millennium brought the supposed doomsday of Y2K, the world wide web phenomenon, and a newly-minted, world-conquering Latin pop wave. Then there was the 2000s golden era of reggaetón — the now-globalized style with roots in New York-influenced hip-hop, Panamanian reggae en español and underground DJ mixings, igniting beyond her native Island — led by soon-to-be-legends Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Zion & Lennox, and Wisin & Yandel.
“Reggaetón starts to take over [locally] and becomes mainstream,” she remembers of the time. “It was musical saturation all over the place.” Villana looked up to Puerto Rico’s hometown heroine, her reggaetón royal highness, Ivy Queen.
As a member of Gen Z, that also positioned her at the crux of the worldwide internet boom, with YouTube music videos making the rounds, rapidly exposing foreign musical works to international audiences. “The internet took over and globalization became bigger and bigger. [Local and international] music exploded, and I had access to a lot of things. I feel like I grew up in a very special time,” she reflects.
This led her to discover the otherworldly rock en español of Buenos Aires’ Gustavo Cerati, the jazzy sophistication of Londoners Sade and Nicki Minaj’s hard-hitting rap bars. “There are artists who have accompanied me and have been fundamental to my development as a human being, and not necessarily as a musician or artist,” she says. “I consumed so much of [Cerati’s] music, and he has accompanied me at different stages of my life very strongly. I feel that I can relate very much to all of his work … I grew up listening to Sade and I think there’s an excellence in her musicianship – her elegance as a woman and everything she can make you feel; she’s never vulgar. But it’s there, super sensual, and I’m really, really fascinated by it … Nicki Minaj, she changed my life.”
In roughly 2007, the budding artist spent countless hours devouring the overly confident verbal snaps of the Harajuku Barbie around the time of Playtime Is Over (2007) and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009). “Those [releases] completely changed the course of my trajectory as a person. I felt so much power within her music; it was like a very direct encounter with my femininity. That’s when I started writing and when I said, ‘I am going to rap’.”
Villana first self-released music on YouTube and SoundCloud. She was formerly seen as a queer male rapper with a sly, brassy and welcoming reflection on womanhood. However, it took time for her to get into the recording studio due to lack of support in her hometown.
“I would have broken out in Puerto Rico, but being a woman — and to a certain extent, being a maricón — with all the social impact, the marginalization, and all the discrimination that goes with it… Making a name for yourself in one of the most misogynistic, sexist, and violent countries against feminized people and women is very strong,” she says.
“Facilitating resources was very difficult, even having access to quality recording equipment to be able to make productions — I was literally in the trenches,” continues Villana, who also co-produces all of her music. “The first person who approached me was Mixhell de León from the La Maldad collective. Basically, he gave me studio time. He said, ‘You can record here as much as you want’.”
In 2019, she released her first EP Tiranía, which followed a string of trap and rap singles. Two years later, Villano Antillano got the support of one of the biggest acts to come out of Puerto Rico: Residente, who made her the face of one of his beers. “Residente is one of the artists who has been very supportive since I started,” she says. “Residente has not only supported me, but he has also supported a lot of queer artists from Puerto Rico and implemented [their work] in his work.”
On June 8, 2022, Villano Antillano teamed up with Bizarrap for their now infamous “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 51″ teamup, where onlookers saw the fiery wordsmith reintroducing herself with cool insouciance. This collab earned Villana her first entry on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 65 on the Global 200 (Aug. 2022) and at No. 36 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart in July 2022.
Following the viral session with the Argentine hitmaker, Villana made another global appearance — this time with today’s world’s hottest superstar, Bad Bunny, as part of a widely streamed event at one of the most important venues in Latin pop: Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot.
“It was a very special moment for me. I carry it deep in my heart,” she says of the moment. “Not only was I seen in the country, but also in every house in the country, and in Latin America! Who knows how many trans girls saw me. Maybe there was a silence among the whole family, but there was that accompaniment [amongst them]. There is a very big fear, specifically from dads. Not necessarily that they don’t want you to be the way you are, they’re trying to shield you in a way from all the hurt that’s coming. Because the world [ostracizes] people like us.”
“Bad Bunny is an artist who has been merited as an artist with truth, and there is a lot of talk about how he implements and utilizes queer culture in all of his work,” she continues. “There’s even a scholarly class on him! I try not to dwell into it that much either, because at the end of the day I’m just a girl who got to get onstage with him, and that’s amazing.”
Name: Villana Santiago Pacheco
Age: 27
Recommended Song: “Kaleidoscópica”
Biggest Accomplishment: “To be the successful, feisty, beautiful woman I am today. That is my greatest accomplishment.”
What’s Next: “I am really enjoying this stage. I released my album, and I feel like I’m in my motherhood stage. I’m very excited to be on the road, to be going from festival to festival, and touring. So I’m going to be working a lot, but today I’m very excited to see how far I can take it, because now I have access to things that I didn’t have before. Now I am a household name, and I have things at my disposal and resources. So, I feel that now I can get freaky with it.”
Spain’s PROMUSICAE (Productores de Música de España), which represents 90% of the national and international activity of the Spanish recorded music industry, released its 2022 year-end report Thursday (Jan. 26), unveiling Bad Bunny as the “absolute leader” last year thanks to his record-breaking album Un Verano Sin Ti.
According to the report by PROMUSICAE, which represents more than 100 member companies, the Puerto Rican star was the No. 1-selling artist in the albums category for 23 consecutive weeks in the country.
Meanwhile, Spanish artist Rosalía crowned the list of top 100 vinyl releases of 2022 with her genre-bending Motomami, which won album of the year at the Latin Grammys. The “Despechá” singer came in second place after Bad Bunny on the overall album sales list.
Furthermore, the top 100 songs list was led by Bizarrap and Quevedo‘s global smash hit “QUEVEDO || BZRP Music Sessions #52,” also known as “Quédate,” which scored both artists their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, the song has more than 400 million views on YouTube.
The report also notes that vinyl sales increased by 6% in 2022, CD sales decreased by 13% and streaming represented 85% of music consumption in the country. Sebastián Yatra‘s “Tacones Rojos” had the most radio airplay, while the most popular international artists in the country last year were Harry Styles, Rauw Alejandro, Taylor Swift, Camilo and Feid, among others.
“Throughout very difficult years, our music continues to show its ability to accompany us in more moments of our lives than ever,” said Antonio Guisasola, PROMUSICAE’s president. “This allows our market to return to the spotlight, while incorporating new styles and new ways of creating music that penetrates inside and outside our borders.”
See all of PROMUSICAE’s 2022 year-end reports here.
Of the many dances and videos that “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” has spawned, the one that caught the Colombian star’s attention the most was created by Bella Dose.
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“Loving your creations! Found this one from @belladose and had to try it!”, Shakira wrote on a post that shows her doing the choreography — which ends with a hand gesture strategically coordinated with the Spanish language pun “sal-pique” — along with three dancers. In the week following her post, which has over 160 million views, curiosity about this Latin girl band has skyrocketed.
In case you haven’t heard of them, the female quartet has been working hard since 2017. The young composers, dancers and singers amass millions of views of their songs, and more than two million followers on TikTok. Their first EP Suelta, produced by Mike Sunshine and Xavier Herrera, has racked up almost six million streams since its release in 2021, and that seems to be just the beginning.
Brianna Leah, Jenni Hernandez, Melany Rivera and Thais Rodriguez are the four members who comprise Bella Dose. Originally from Miami, they bring an interesting cultural mix — with roots from Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Chile — something that is undoubtedly reflected in their sound, which combines reggaetón, bachata, dembow, merengue and hip-hop, among other genres and rhythms.
“We want to bring the music of our countries into ours, and that’s why we represent the culture of all of us in everything we do,” Jenni Hernandez tells Billboard Español.
The choreography that has generated so much interest in the group is not originally theirs. After the recent release of Shakira’s new hit with Bizarrap, Vicky Curiel, music entrepreneur and Bella Dose’s manager, saw Voonniie, a talented dancer from Madrid who studied musical interpretation, in a TikTok video doing her own choreography for “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”. Right away, she suggested the girls replicate it by adding their signature rotation, where they take steps in a circular format so they all have their moment in front of the camera.
As Brianna Leah says: “We’ve been doing the rotation since we started on TikTok and with trending songs. We like this style because every girl has her moment”. Their ability to learn and execute choreography in such a short time is a testament to their dedication and talent.
Bella Dose got down to business and posted the video on January 14. It took them 15 minutes to learn Voonniie’s choreography and do the transitions. The clip was pretty well received, but a few days after posting it, they realized that something big had happened: Shakira had mentioned them in a post. They were in the middle of an interview, on a radio station, and according to Melany, “someone had mentioned us in a video. I see it and I think, ‘Oh, look! Shakira is doing the rotation that we did of her song.’ And then, when I read the caption, I realized she tagged us.” They were in total awe.
The video shared by Shakira, of her doing the dance with the rotations along with three other girls, has racked up more than 150 million views on TikTok, and more than 46 million on Instagram. Thanks to this, Bella Dose has seen its followers increase by more than 36,000 in a matter of days, and the group has gained more notoriety, something they’re grateful for as independent artists.
“We are very grateful to Shakira, who gave us the opportunity of being mentioned in a post,” Thais says. “She didn’t have to do it, but she did it with her heart. We thank her so much because she is a global artist with such a positive message for young people. We’re happy with the support we have received and the opportunities that are coming our way as a result of this.”
Now the group wants to use this momentum to continue releasing new music and make themselves known in more countries. This Friday (January 27) they are releasing “Mírame,” a new techno and dembow single produced by Nítido Nintendo and Hansel de la H, both of Dominican origin. Melany says “the song is about how you’re not in a relationship anymore, and your ex thought you needed to be with him to be somebody. But we’re telling him, ‘I don’t need you, I’m alone and in even better shape than before’.”
The girls of Bella Dose are convinced that this is a song that many can relate to — even Shakira.