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During Pride Month 2023, La Cruz went from an independent artist trying to make his mark to an empowering gay voice in reggaeton music. The rising Venezuelan star went viral among the online LGBTQ+ community thanks to his sexy music video “Quítate La Ropa,” which showed guys perreando, or twerking, for him in a locker room. La Cruz has since manifested that gay fantasy into a blossoming music career with co-signs from giants in the genre like Karol G, Young Miko and Danny Ocean.
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“I feel [Pride Month] is necessary to see how far we’ve come and where we can go next,” La Cruz tells Billboard over Zoom. “Honestly, I’m proud of who I am all year long. I talk openly about my sexuality all year long because for me that’s normal.”
Puerto Rican trap artist Kevin Fret pioneered representation for gay men in música urbana before his murder in January 2019. Since then, there has been a notable increase of LGBTQ people in reggaeton, with women like Young Miko and Villano Antillano leading the way. Now, La Cruz is becoming a leading gay artist in reggaeton. Growing up as Alfonso La Cruz in La Guaira, Venezuela, he listened to the music of reggaeton pioneers like Ivy Queen and Arcángel. La Cruz sings a bit of the latter’s love song “Mujer Maravillosa” while noting the lack of gay perspective in the genre back then.
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“That song is for a woman but when I was in love with my first boyfriend and I listened to it, I felt I could relate,” he says. “I would have loved to hear a song that expressed exactly how I felt. Within a genre that I’ve listened to all my life, I had never heard a song where I could say, ‘Wow! I experienced what happened in that song.’”
Due to the ongoing economic crisis in Venezuela, La Cruz decided to move to Madrid to pursue his dreams of a music career. In 2018, he became known throughout Spain for competing on the reality singing competition Operación Triunfo. After the show, La Cruz was courted by a few record labels. One was ready to sign him under the condition that he would not mention gender in his songs. La Cruz instead went the independent route and rounded up a small team who believed in his vision.
“I didn’t sign any contract that would make me unhappy or that I couldn’t relate with,” he recalls. “I’ve had obstacles in my career, and they’ve been more on the industry level musically speaking with A&Rs, labels and music streaming platforms. I’ve seen myself in uncomfortable situations, but I’ve taken all that as a sign to keep going.”
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In 2022, La Cruz started pushing the boundaries of reggaeton with his music videos for “Desnudx,” “Boulevard,” and “Te Conocí Bailando,” which showed him in love with (or lusting after) other men. Throughout his debut album Hawaira, which is named after his Venezuelan hometown, his objects of affections are clearly identified with male pronouns. The album’s songs have collectively registered 2.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams, per Luminate.
“Sometimes as gay people we limit ourselves a lot from achieving our dreams because we believe they won’t happen on the basis of being gay,” he says. “That’s something that we need to get out of our heads. I love being a reference for those kids who want to make music but don’t do it because they’re afraid. The fear only stops you. You have to go for it.”
In June 2023, La Cruz made the jump into international stardom thanks to his follow-up single “Quítate La Ropa.” In the sultry reggaeton romp, he sang about wanting to lose his clothes with a lover. In the music video, La Cruz was surrounded by hunky, shirtless men that were perreando in a gym locker room. The song went viral on TikTok during Pride Month with gay men embracing a reggaeton anthem they could twerk to in videos of their own.
“The idea for the ‘Quítate La Ropa’ video came to me in a gym,” he says with a laugh. “I knew it had to involve some twerking. It’s something that a gay boy sometimes imagines in a locker room. That was me showing the world that other things exist. That song basically changed my life.”
La Cruz’s “regayton,” which is what his fans playfully call his music, has caught the attention of artists like Omar Apollo, Young Miko, Villano Antillano and Venezuela’s top reggaeton artist Danny Ocean. The latter recently featured La Cruz in his music video for “Cero Condiciones,” which talks about “coming out of the closet” to live a free and truthful life. After DMing for several months with Colombian superstar Karol G on Instagram, she invited La Cruz to meet her at her concert in Caracas last March.
“I told her I was very nervous because I’m a big fan of hers,” he recalls. “She told me, ‘No! I’m also a big fan of yours!’ That was a beautiful moment because she’s one of my idols. Knowing that she listens to me and likes what I do, that’s incredible. She supports my message and my concept and told me, ‘Keep it up.’ I feel like I made a spiritual connection with her.”
La Cruz’s recent singles such as “Easy Boy,” his reggaeton ode to casual sex, are being distributed by Sony Music Entertainment España. He is also hard at work on his second album. With a bigger team and the support of the LGBTQ+ community, La Cruz wants to continue to break down barriers for queer artists like himself.
“To have a community of people that identify with my music and they can relate to those experiences, that’s the most beautiful thing,” he says. “With my music, I want to give visibility and normalize a lot of things on a social level that are looked down upon. It’s the people consuming my music who are making things happen [for me] and I’m having a great time with them.”
Alfredo Olivas scores his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart thanks to the Alejandro Fernández collab, “Cobijas Ajenas,” as the song climbs from No. 8 to lead the list dated June 8.
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“Cobijas Ajenas” rolls to No. 1 on the overall Latin radio tally thanks to a 49% gain in audience impressions, to 8.73 million, earned in the U.S. during the May 24-30 tracking week, according to Luminate. The hit is from Fernández’ full-length album Te Llevo En La Sangre, released May 24 via Universal Music Latino/UMLE.
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The song ejects Blessd and Feid’s “Si Sabe Ferxxo” from the lead, after the latter’s one week in charge, with a hefty 19% dip in impressions, to 6.9 million.
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“Cobijas” is a cause of celebration for singer-songwriter Olivas, as the radio ramp-up brings him to his first champ on Latin Airplay. Before the new leader, “Yo Todo Soy” gave him his best showing, with a No. 5 high in 2021. The Mexican artist later picked up the No. 7-peaking “No” in April 2022.
Fernández, meanwhile, returns to No. 1 following the one-week ruling of “No Es Que Me Quiera Ir” in August 2023. In total, he adds 11 rulers to his Latin Airplay career account, only two through collabs. As Fernández’s collection of rulers grows, here’s the updated list of his Latin Airplay chart-toppers:
Peak Date, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1
Oct. 18, 1997, “Si Tú Supieras,” six
Dec. 27, 1997, “En El Jardín,” featuring Gloria Estefan, six
March 14, 1998, “No Se Olvidar,” eight
July 18, 1998, “Yo Nací Para Amarte,” five
Aug. 21, 1999, “Loco,” one
Dec. 1, 2001, “Tantita Pena,” six
Oct. 23, 2004, “Me Dediqué a Perderte,” two
Feb. 6, 2010, “Se Me Va La Voz,” one
Jan. 4, 2020, “Caballero,” two
Aug. 5, 2023, “No Es Que Me Quiera Ir,” one
June 8, “Cobijas Ajenas,” with Alfredo Olivas
In addition to their Latin Airplay coronation, Fernández and Olivas, each add a new No. 1 to their Regional Mexican Airplay ledger as “Cobijas” lifts 2-1: nine for the former, and a fourth champ for the latter.
Lastly, thanks to its radio haul, “Cobijas Ajenas” concurrently debuts on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, which combines airplay, streaming data and digital downloads, at No. 49.
The list includes all Estefan’s No. 1 hits on the Hot Latin Songs and Billboard Hot 100 charts, and some classics from her days with Miami Sound Machine.
Gloria Estefan can do it all — from breaking molds in the music industry to doing her own laundry, literally. And she knows it.
It’s something she learned from the biggest “legends” in her life: her grandmother Consuelo and her mother Gloria Fajardo, whose life circumstances forced them to take the reins and provide for their family. “I grew up with two women who did everything,” Estefan says. “So for me there was never the question [of], ‘Well, as a woman, can I do this?’ Because the women in my life did it all.”
Since rising to stardom in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for the Miami Sound Machine — alongside her husband, visionary producer Emilio Estefan — Gloria Estefan has helped infuse Latin flavor into English-language pop music, breaking barriers with hits like “Conga” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” and singing at the same time en Español.
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On the Billboard charts, she has placed 29 songs on the Hot 100, including three No. 1 hits (“Anything For You” in 1988, “Don’t Wanna Lose You” in 1989 and “Coming Out of the Dark ” in 1991) — as well as 30 hits on Hot Latin Songs, 15 of which reached the top spot (from “No Me Vuelvo A Enamorar” in 1986 to “Hotel Nacional” in 2012). Her first full-length album in Spanish, Mi Tierra (1993), spent a whopping 58 weeks at the summit of Top Latin Albums, and won her first of three Grammy Awards.
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This weekend, the Cuban-American superstar — who only six months ago became the first ever Latina artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame — will receive the Legend award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala in Miami.
You are a music icon and a legend. What many may not know is how down to earth you are. I remember I interviewed you a few years ago over the phone and you apologized for the noise of the washing machine — you said that you were doing laundry because you were going on a trip, and I confess I was impressed. I didn’t imagine that Gloria Estefan washed her own clothes.
Sometimes I have to, you know? [Laughs.] I am blessed to have staff at home who are really family — they have been with us for more than 30 years, and they pamper and spoil me a lot — but there come times when there are some things that you have to do yourself. And of course, I know how to do everything! And Emilio is the same too. Emilio starts cleaning because he is meticulous, he sprays water everywhere with the hose. It’s hilarious to watch.
How have you managed to stay so grounded despite all the fame and success?
You know what, I went through a lot as a child. Taking care of my dad [who had multiple sclerosis], trying to help my mother, who had everything left on her shoulders — raising her two daughters, helping my grandmother. My grandmother helped us too. I believe that when you have the example of knowing what’s really [worthwhile] in life, the things that have real value, which is health primarily, love, affection, family — and if it weren’t for my family I wouldn’t know where I’d be — that helps me a lot.
Also, I already had a son when we achieved great global success, and I was still a mother; I would take him on tour with me and he would see me on stage and see that part, but when I got off I was just a mom. Having family with you like that really keeps you grounded.
Who have been the female legends in your life, as a woman and as a musician?
My grandmother Consuelo, who came to this country at 57. She didn’t speak English. She grabbed my grandfather and told him, “This is what we’re going to do” — and she created a food business, with which she managed to buy her home and help us. She was an entrepreneurial woman who unfortunately was taken out of school in Cuba when she was 9, because it was the global Depression and she had many siblings and they had to help the family work to survive. She wanted to be a lawyer, she was born in 1905 — a woman in Cuba! She was brilliant. She was spiritual, someone who gave everything and helped many people.
My mother too. I grew up with two women who did everything, so for me there was never the question, “Well, as a woman, can I do this?” because the women in my life did it all. My father was sick, my grandfather too, so women had to take charge of everything.
And on a professional level, Celia Cruz was an inspiration for me — a woman whose humbleness, professionalism, love for what she did, for her people, for her fans, her family… I had the joy of being able to be her friend and share time with her, and she was a very big example for me. She was ageless on stage! For me, that is a legend, someone who really breaks all the molds that exist. That was Celia. So that is the triangle of women who have somehow left their mark on me in a thousand ways.
You’ve stayed active in music. Only last year, you released a Christmas album with your family and recorded the main track from the movie 80 For Brady (“Gonna Be You”). Now you’re writing a Broadway musical with your daughter Emily. You could easily retire and live off the royalties of your many hits. What keeps you going?
For me, it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to make music and in some way inspire others who listen to it; That is what I enjoy the most. Right now, we’re in the workshop of a musical that we have been working on for two years. It has been an inspiration to be part of the process and even more so working with my daughter, which is a very unique opportunity, and to put new songs in the hearts of people tied to an original musical based on the real life story of The Cateura Orchestra of Recycled Instruments [in Paraguay]. They are children who live next to a landfill, and the man who did all this created a music school and they have made instruments from waste and live off that landfill.
It is inspiring to see the triumph of the spirit of young people who, under the most difficult circumstances, have managed to send music to the world. This is not work for me. The luxury I have now is that I can choose the projects to which I say yes […] because now I also have a grandson and I don’t want to be away, I don’t want to miss those years that go by so quickly. So it’s a nice balance.
You have also remained active with the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which you created in 1997 in response to your accident (of 1990, when a truck crashed into your tour bus and left you temporarily paralyzed). What would you say has been the greatest satisfaction it has given you?
Being able to be of service to others. It is a privilege to be able to help in any way. We have many organizations that we support […] I also want to be part of the paralysis cure, because I was paralyzed and I was a positive story after that accident, so I want to help in any way. We help teachers a lot, because my mother was a teacher, so that they can help their children, because sometimes public schools don’t have the funds.
And a strange thing, but something I love: the Miami Beach Police can’t buy bulletproof vests for the police dogs, because they are very expensive and are not in the budget. So many of the dogs were dying — and I was able to buy vests and donate them, so they are more protected, because I also love animals. It is a nice way to be part of the community, be of service to others and find the best way to help.
Would you say that the accident was the most difficult moment you have ever had to go through?
It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that. But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t want to go through it again, but, although I already appreciated life a lot, it gave me a way to live totally grateful every day of my life — for simply being able to stand up, go get a glass of water myself. Because my father was in a wheelchair, I knew what my family would experience if I remained in a wheelchair. Although I am very positive, and if I had stayed in the chair I would be playing basketball. [Laughs.]
It was difficult, but I had so much support, so many prayers that I felt and absorbed and that I know are part of my recovery. I worked very hard, doing six to seven hours a day of rehab — first floating in the pool, because I couldn’t walk. Until I was able to step on stage, 20 days before the one year anniversary of the accident. Every year when that date arrives, the day I broke my back, March 20, […] I celebrate my rebirth. So I’m only 34 years old right now.
How would you describe the role that music has had in your life?
Music for me has been the vehicle of my soul. To express myself. To stay strong. To vent. To have fun, celebrate. Music is the center of my life. Always has been. I’ve been singing since I’ve been able to talk, it came with me. And it’s not that I had to be famous or anything, because I had to get used to being the center of attention — it’s not part of my personality. But I can’t imagine my life without music. And having the privilege of other people listening to my lyrics, my melodies, is something I feel grateful for every day of my life.
When you look back, what moment as a Latin woman in music do you view with greatest pride?
The album Mi Tierra. Definitely. Because although I grew up in this country — I came when I was two and a half years old, and American music and everything I listened to became part of me — to be able to share my culture, an era of Cuban music that was paralyzed with the revolution and didn’t grow any more, being able to make original songs that celebrate and honor Cuban music and spread it throughout the world, for me is my greatest achievement. And if I had to leave only one album, it would be that one.
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET, and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
Mexican influencer and singer Yeri Mua has signed a contract with Sony Music Mexico for the recording of her first album. The signing, exclusively announced by Billboard Español, comes after Mua released four songs in the last year that positioned her among the most influential urban artists of the moment. Previously known for her fashion, lifestyle and makeup […]
With her eclectic fusions of Música Mexicana and Latin pop, Ana Bárbara has not only molded the Regional Mexican genre but righteously earned her title of La Reina Grupera (the queen of grupera music). In celebration of her 30-year career that has ultimately defined the grupero genre through 11 studio albums and various Billboard hits, […]
In a world where seasons change but legends remain, Ana Bárbara has positioned herself as an unforgettable icon in regional Mexican music and Latin pop.
Celebrating three decades of a spectacular career, the artist has excelled as the defining female voice of the grupero genre, with a mix of rhythms that has captivated millions. Throughout these years, the San Luis Potosí native has not only conquered hearts — with an extensive discography that includes 11 studio albums and 18 compilations — she has also molded the regional musical style.
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From the time she debuted with an eponymous album in 1994 until she became La Reina Grupera, Altagracia Ugalde Motta (her real name) has released a succession of hits that resonate with a unique energy. Two decades ago, she delivered one of her biggest and most transcendent songs, “Lo Busqué”. “It was the first to make a crossover between pop and country,” Ana Bárbara says — and, as she can proudly claim, started a trend that now influences artists like Carín León, Chiquis and more.
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Throughout her career, she has collaborated with legendary figures such as Vicente Fernández, Bronco and Paquita la del Barrio, and has been a key player in the rise of superstars like Christian Nodal and (more recently) Majo Aguilar and Adriana Ríos. Her career not only reflects her mastery of the stage, but also of the Billboard charts. Hits such as “Me Asusta Pero Me Gusta”, “La Trampa”, “Ya No Te Creo Nada” and “No Lloraré” reached the top 10 of Hot Latin Songs, and albums like Ay Amor (1996) and Yo Soy La Mujer (2014) established her as a mainstay on Regional Mexican Albums.
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Ana Bárbara will be recognized with the Music Lifetime Achievement Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024. In this intimate dialogue, The Queen of Grupera opens the doors to her world, revealing more about her achievements, challenges and the passion that continues to fuel her impressive musical legacy.
This year you are marking 30 years of musical career, and you will celebrate it soon with La Reina Grupera Tour.
Cómo han pasado los años (how the years have gone by), as the song [by Rocío Dúrcal] says — and it’s been incredible. With so many things happening in life, to have life is a miracle. It’s a blessing to be celebrating with music and a tour! It’s a triple blessing. The tour is a surge of nostalgia, of history, of feelings, of ups and downs of emotions. Because in 30 years, how many stories could have been written? How many were part of my songs? I can’t express enough thanks for the gratitude that my heart feels, without a doubt.You sing, you compose, you dance. Is there an area that you enjoy the most in what involves being the superstar Ana Barbara, whether it’s recording, composing or performing live?They all have their magic. But the songwriting part of it is very exciting. It’s like, “Oh my God, I came up with this! Where did it come from? What part of the universe? Where was my soul?” When I start producing it, I see if I want guitar here or trumpet there. The creative process is like an adrenaline rush. Also, you know that a feeling crystallized, if you can call it that. A feeling that took shape. Just talking about it gets me excited. Right now I’m finishing [a song that I’m] crazy about and listening to it makes me thing: “How did I come up with this?” I know, it’s really cool. That’s an indescribable feeling.
I was listening to your most recent track, “Así bailé”. You have a very fun way of telling stories that make you smile.
If you listened to it and say, “I laughed, I smiled, it put on a good attitude,” then I have done my job. That song was to talk about the anecdote of when you meet someone and it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can be 17, 18, 40, 50 or 60 years old, be single and feel butterflies in your stomach again. Why not? That’s what I love about that song.
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You use norteño elements like the accordion, but it also sounds a bit country. How do you approach incorporating diverse styles into your music?
That’s something organic — that word is in style. “Lo Busqué” is going to be 20 years old, and I was lucky enough to be with Carín León at StageCoach [Festival on April 27], where he mentioned to those present that for him, that song, in his reality, was the first that made a crossover between pop and country. It is a song that marked him, and it marked me too when I wrote it.
When I wrote it, I had a lot of problems with the record label — because they told me: “Your song is neither grupera, nor ranchera, nor a ballad, nor country”. And I told them, “You know why it is nothing? Because it’s everything.” They’re songs that come naturally to me. I think it’s the impact of cultures — of traveling, of listening to all kinds of music — that makes me write that way.
Thirty years ago, when you were starting your career, regional Mexican music was even more male-dominated than it is today. What was it like to stand out and make your way as a female leader in the music scene and what challenges did you have to overcome?
The first challenge? Insecurity. It’s absolutely a man’s market. I still believe that. It’s misogynistic, and I say that with the authority of years of being in this. [A record executive] said, “We have five singles [to release], and Ana’s is going to be the fifth.” The first one, almost always, or always, is very male-focused. It’s insane! They’re career challenges that deflate your spirits.
But you keep going because of “orgullo de mujer cuando está herido”(or “a woman’s pride when it’s wounded”) — my song “Loca” (2004) says. Even if they [make you] let your guard down and say, “She’s probably going to get married or have children”, or “Oh, she’s not going to have the body she once had.”
No! If you got married, you got married; if you had a child, you bless them and move on. I have been a victim of these kinds of comments that can discourage any human being, any woman. Don’t let them make you let your guard down — you keep going, you keep fighting. If it impacts you, you have to know how to channel it. I have channeled it with my songs, through dance, concerts, and it has worked very well for me.
You proved it in February during your performance at Premio Lo Nuestro, with your medley of hits, the numerous costume changes, the choreography, and then you did a split! How do you prepare for that kind of gymnastics on stage? What’s your diet and routine like?
The worst thing that can happen to an artist, in my humble opinion, is that what they need the most is discipline or the routine to get in physical condition — to get on stage, sing and dance at the same time; daily exercise. We [artists] are always flying, traveling, going up, going down, all the time, and the only thing we don’t have is a routine. However, not having a constant of waking up in the same place — within that disorder you have to have an order.
I try to do sports at least three, four times a week. I do try to do them intensely — because imagine, singing, dancing, performing and costume changing is weight on your feet, arms and legs. Besides, you can’t become a fitness [guru], because you don’t have the time. One of the limitations is to look for schedules without routine, whether it’s in the evening, another in the morning, or at the crack of dawn. Do yoga, aerobics, things that give you the physical condition for that kind of performance.
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The logical thing to do when you’re not traveling, singing, promoting, taking care of your home or your family, is to rest. Well, no! In those breaks, the stress I put on my body is one that is called positive stress. Even if I’m very tired, I try to exercise to have the condition for these kinds of challenges that are award show presentations, or touring — because for each [tour] show, you need an hour and a half or two. Imagine being on stage, up there in heels at this age. [Laughs.] Yes, it’s a big challenge, queen.
You have been a judge in competitions such as La Academia and Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento. How was that experience of being on the other side of the music industry?
You can go all over the world and you will never come across a monument like a critic. It’s funny, but the critic can suddenly be cold hearted, and will only say: “Look, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta”, right? I was a critic, but I have been a judge — I have also been in programs as a contestant, not only once, but many times. From that sympathy, I made my comments [as judge]. I always wanted the contestant to feel good and comfortable, and leave there having lived a nice experience. Despite how strong [it can be], I always wanted them to have a glimmer of hope. But I tried to be realistic.
Besides the tour, what else is next for Ana Bárbara?
I have other music projects with new artists. María José, a Mexican singer that I love, just recorded a song. It is a song I wrote, called “Mi Rey, Mi Santo” (My King, My Saint), and the truth is that she sings it very beautifully. She invited me to sing it with her. It’s coming out [soon] and we are very excited.
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET, and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
Chilean singer-songwriter Cris MJ adds a second top 10 to his Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart account, as “Si No Es Contigo” debuts at No. 3 – just two steps behind his current leader, the eight-week No. 1 “Gata Only” with FloyyMenor. The former also bows at No. 72 on the overall Billboard Hot 100, the artist’s highest debut of his so far three entries.
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Christopher Andrés Álvarez García, better known as Cris MJ, launched his Hot Latin Songs career just two years ago, through the No. 24-peaking “Una Noche En Medellín” in 2022. A remix of the song with Karol G and Ryan Castro, which charted separately, later took the Chilean to a No. 12 high in August 2023.
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“Si No Es Contigo,” Cris MJ’s latest top 10 debut hit — a rhythmic tune peppered with Middle Eastern sounds — is powered almost entirely by streaming activity, with 7.9 million official U.S. streams earned during the May 24-30 tracking week, according to Luminate.
That sum yields an equal No. 3 start on Latin Streaming Songs, for Cris MJ’s second top 10 in less than two months, following “Gata Only,” for nine weeks in charge starting with the April 13-dated list.
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Expanding on the song’s solid start, “Contigo” also earns indie label Sonar its first top 10 on Hot Latin Songs. The Orchard sub-label, in partnership with Rimas Entertainment, first logged an entry on the multimetric tally through the threeway collab, “Desde Mis Ojos” — with Chris Lebron, Jay Wheeler and Sech — for a No. 43 high in 2022.
As mentioned, Cris MJ lands in the top 10 on the airplay-, streaming-, digital sales-blended Hot Latin Songs chart for a second time after logging his first leader through “Gata Only” with FloyyMenor (chart dated April 20), the second-longest leading song in 2024, after Xavi’s “La Diabla” (14-week ruler starting the Jan. 6-dated list).
Further, the 22-year-old makes his first appearance on the Billboard Artist 100 chart, debuting at No. 91. On a global scale, Cris MJ claims a new entry on both Global charts: No. 76 debut on the Billboard Global 200 with 20.9 million streams worldwide. Meanwhile, outside the U.S. he collects 13.1 million clicks for a No. 122 start on the Global Excl. U.S. ranking.
Although it’s one of her greatest hits, La India was hesitant about recording “Ese Hombre,” the 1994 song that ultimately became a certified anthem for Latin women across generations. “I thought the lyrics were too harsh,” the Puerto Rican-born star says today. “I love men and I didn’t feel anger towards them. I thought, ‘How am I going to sing this?’”
Finding inspiration from one of her favorite artists (Rocío Jurado, who sang the song in the ’70s) and a nudge from renowned hitmaker Sergio George (who produced her breakthrough 1994 album Dicen Que Soy, home to “Ese Hombre,” and assured her the song would be a hit), La India belted the lyrics, about a man who is “a false, vain clown who is also mean and spiteful,” over her signature blend of salsa with an R&B and hip-hop sensibility. Singing with so much conviction, and with her unmatched vocal prowess, she inevitably became the voice of a generation, and a fixture in salsa music.
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The track peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, where it ruled for five weeks. In fact, she has a total of 11 leaders on that tally, most of any woman artist. Over on the Tropical Albums chart, she’s had 15 career entries – also the most for any female act – with six reaching No. 1, including Dicen Que Soy, which also featrures her timeless Marc Anthony duet “Vivir Lo Nuestro.”
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Born Linda Caballero, the 55-year-old artist comes from a musical family. Both her mother and grandmother were singers and took notice of La India’s vocal abilities early on. “My grandma nurtured me with music,” says La India, who grew up in the South Bronx area in New York listening to myriad genres, including hip-hop, salsa, pop and rock. “At five [years old], I could sing songs from beginning to end, a cappella and on key.” In her teen years, she joined freestyle and house music group TKA, and says she’s “very proud” of the dance projects she released in her early 20s.
But salsa was her destiny, she adds.
“When I transitioned into salsa, everyone around me was scared at the beginning — but I wasn’t,” she says. “It was just a matter of me feeling the difference between downbeat and upbeat clave. So, I went in with my style: bringing soul, R&&, hip-hop to salsa music.”
Considered “La Princesa de la Salsa” — a moniker bestowed upon her by the great Celia Cruz, known as “La Reina of Salsa,” who La India humbly calls her godmother — La India’s powerful vocals drew the attention of stars like Eddie Palmieri, who she met in a studio session and who produced her first salsa album in 1991, and the iconic Tito Puente, with whom she went on to record a Latin jazz album. Then she teamed up with Sergio George for Dicen Que Soy, which won tropical/salsa album of the year by a female artist at the second annual Billboard Latin Music Awards.
“It’s the most innovative album of the 90s. It changed my life,” La India says. “It was huge on radio, and from there on we never looked back.” It’s an album that she also “spiritually dedicated” to Cruz, her idol. “Throughout her years of great music and excellence, she never saw me as a rival. She welcomed me into salsa tropical and said, ‘You’re going to hold your own and you’re the princess of salsa’ – she blessed me with that. In a genre dominated by men she opened doors for me. I look upon her for my strength. I continue to celebrate her, and I know she would be proud of me today.”
Set to be honored with the Pioneer Award at Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024, La India has, across four decades, gifted women with anthems that make them feel powerful, something she doesn’t take for granted.
“I knew that through my singing, I was born to make people feel emotions,” she explains. “When I sing, I don’t just sing to sing. We’re here to do music that will last forever, and I’m proud of that.”
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET, and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
Gabito Ballesteros debuts across Billboard’s album charts as The GB launches at No. 3 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and at No. 5 on Top Latin Albums chart (dated June 8). His debut studio full-length album, released May 23 via Los CT/Instercope/ICLG, marks his first visit to any Billboard albums ranking. The GB concurrent debuts at No. 65 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, the 24-year-old’s first foray there.
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The GB opens with 14,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the tracking week ending May 30, according to Luminate. Streams contribute most of the debut week activity, which equates to 19.6 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs.
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The 22-track set is Ballesteros’ first entry on the Regional Mexican Albums and Top Latin Albums tallies, after notching previous entries across Billboard‘s songs rankings, including a No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, and two top 20 performances on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
As The GB launches at No. 3 on Regional Mexican Albums, it joins two other efforts with an equal No. 3 start in 2024 –the highest opening among the five top 10 debuts this year. Further, it gives imprint Los CT its maiden top 10 start since the regional Mexican ranking launched in 1985. Here’s the recap of those 2024 top 10 debuts:
Debut Pos., Artist, Title, Debut Date
No. 5, Oscar Maydon, Distorsión, Jan. 6
No. 3, Luis R Conriquez, Corridos Bélicos, Vol. IV, Jan. 20
No. 3, Fuerza Regida, Dolido, Pero No Arrepentido (EP), Feb. 24
No. 6, Grupo Frontera, Jugando A Que No Pasa Nada, May 25
No. 3, Gabito Ballesteros, The GB, June 8, 2024
On the song realm, “Sin Yolanda,” with Peso Pluma, leads three The GB entries on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, where it opens at No. 20, powered mostly by 3.1 million official U.S. streams. The set’s previously charted song “El Boss,” with Natanael Cano, rises 50-44 (largely from 1.9 million streams), while “Lucky Charms,” with both collaborators, Cano and Pluma, bows at No. 47 (mostly from 1.8 million streams).
The album was also preceded by the No. 19-peaking “A Puro Dolor’ on Regional Mexican Airplay, Ballesteros’ banda-driven take of Son By Four’s ubiquitous pop hit, which dominated both, Hot Latin Songs and the overall Latin Airplay list for 20 weeks in 2000. The song concurrently gifted Ballesteros his third entry on the latter, where it debuted and peaked at No. 41 (chart dated April 27).
Camilo Launches Tropical Albums Era With ‘Cuatro’
Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Latin pop singer-songwriter Camilo makes his debut on the Tropical Albums chart with Cuatro. The 12-song album is the sum of three previously released three-song projects (uno, dos, tres) along with three new songs.
The effort arrives at No. 6 on Tropical Albums with a little over 2,000 equivalent album units, mostly driven by streaming activity. That sum equates to 3.2 million official on-demand audio and video streams for the album’s songs this week, with a negligible amount of activity from track-equivalent units.
As Cuatro debuts, Camilo secures his first entry and top 10 on the list, after placing three top 10 albums on Latin Pop Albums, including the No. 1-peaking Por Primera Vez (two weeks atop in 2020).
Cuatro, released May 23 via Hecho a Mano/Sony Music Latin, was preceded by one song: “Plis,” a collab with wife Eva Luna Montaner, which took the couple to a No. 36 high on Latin Airplay (March 30) and gifted the Colombian soloist his sixth top 10 Tropical Airplay (peaked at No. 4 on March 16).