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NMIXX is set to make history in 2024 as the first K-pop group to participate in Billboard Latin Music Week. The female sextet has been confirmed as the first K-pop act to take part in the event, where the group will be featured on an exclusive panel about K-pop and Latin music on Oct. 16, Billboard announced on Tuesday (September 24).
The panel, titled K-pop Goes Latin with NMIXX, will focus on how K-pop has exploded in the Latin market and its future in Spanish.
“K-pop has cultivated a large, passionate fan base in Latin America, and now we’re seeing popular K-pop artists like NMIXX embrace this by singing in Spanish,” says Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español, in a press release. “We are thrilled to welcome NMIXX as the first-ever K-pop artist at Latin Music Week, where their dynamic energy will enrich the event and forge new connections between our musical cultures.”
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Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Billboard Latin Music Week will take place Oct. 14-18 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. Tickets are available for purchase here.
NMIXX made their explosive entrance to the K-pop scene in February 2022 and has been making waves on the global stage since. The group introduced a new genre called MIXX POP, which is a sound unique to NMIXX that blends two or more genres into one song. Their debut single album, AD MARE, sold over 220K copies in its first week, marking the highest debut album sales by a girl group in K-pop history.
They followed this with a second single album, ENTWURF, before releasing their anticipated first EP in March 2023, expérgo, which earned them their first entry on the Billboard 200 chart (No. 122). The group’s third single, A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream, sold over one million copies, and their sophomore EP Fe3O4: BREAK, released in January 2024, further solidified their growing dominance in the industry by landing them at No. 1 on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart. The EP also debuted at No. 2 on World Albums and at No. 171 on the Billboard 200.
As previously announced, the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week will featurea lineup of international stars including including: Alejandro Sanz, Álvaro Díaz, Bad Gyal, Belinda, Camila Fernández, Chiquis, DANNA, Danny Ocean, Dei V, Debi Nova, Domelipa, Eden Muñoz, Eslabon Armado, Fat Joe, Feid, Gloria Estefan, Grupo Frontera, Igor Lichnovsky, J Balvin, Jasiel Núñez, JOP, Junior H, Keityn, Kunno, La Joaqui, Lele Pons, Leo Campana, Luck Ra, Luis Alfonso, Lupita Infante, Majo Aguilar, Maria Becerra, Mario Bautista, Marko, Mau y Ricky, Mon Laferte, Nacho, N.O.R.E., Omar Courtz, Paola Jara, Peso Pluma, Pipe Bueno, Sophia Talamas, Thalia, Tito Double P, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Yandel, Yeison Jiménez, Yeri Mua, Yisin, Young Miko, and Zhamira Zambrano.
Billboard Latin Music Week will coincide with the Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air on Telemundo. Latin Music Week tickets will not include access to the awards show this year. Instead, Billboard will host a special 35th-year anniversary celebration on the evening of Oct. 18, where INSIDER badge holders will receive exclusive invitations to this star-studded event.
For more information on Billboard Latin Music Week, updates on the schedule and more exciting announcements, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
Mexican pop star and actress Belinda was fiercely walking the L’Oreal Paris Fashion Week show on Monday (Sept. 23), when she suffered a fall. But the “Cáctus” singer gracefully recovered thanks to Anitta, who helped her get up from the floor. The Brazilian star, who had stepped out on the runway just before Belinda, even […]
With P1Harmony‘s new album Sad Song released on Friday (Sept. 20), the K-pop boy band continues to rise in creative maturity and chart success. Last summer’s Harmony: All In debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 to mark the group’s first appearance on the albums chart, while their first full-length LP Killin’ It, released in February, peaked at No. 40 entry and secured their first No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart. The Christopher “Tricky” Stewart–produced “Fall in Love” earned them a certified top 40 on the Pop Songs airplay chart and, now, the sextet is taking even bigger steps—on stage as well as behind the scenes.
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For Sad Song, P1Harmony took a more hands-on approach than ever. “We’ve never been this involved with an album before,” the group’s leader Keeho explained to Billboard during an early album preview in Los Angeles. “It’s a huge stepping stone from the other albums.”
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Keeho and his band mates Jiung, Theo, Intak, Soul and Jongseob say the late-summer weather of September marked the perfect chance to finally experiment with Latin music on the title track single, while the EP also brings their first sub-unit track with “WASP,” a standout rap cut performed by Intak and Jongseob.
“Now that we’re becoming more senior, we’re starting to hear the company listening to what we have to say and trusting us a lot more,” Theo says of working closer with their agency, the influential K-pop agency and talent management firm FNC Entertainment. “I’m in a much more comfortable of a position to really talk to our in-house staff about what we want to do .”
Beyond the actual music itself, Intak stepped up to help develop the stage choreography for “Sad Song” (“I really wanted to capture, ‘How can we look more emotionally invested?’” he says). At the same time, Theo’s expanding role into a musical director of P1Harmony’s live shows specifically inspired Jiung to produce the EP’s rock concert anthem, “Last Call.”
As P1Harmony look to climb higher on the charts, diving deeper into their creative instincts is producing more confident and comfortable energy in the boy band who aren’t afraid to speak up for their interests without abandoning what has made them unique since Day 1.
Read on for more into P1Harmony’s process of producing their latest EP, Sad Song.
Billboard: Tell us about “Sad Song” and how this title track single fits within the album?
Keeho: I’m sure you already know, but P1Harmony loves to experiment with new genres and try to mix in different types of vibes. I feel like we never want to stay in one place. We’re always trying to move around, but also add P1Harmony’s color into it, right? The whole Latin inspiration was something that we really wanted to experiment with and I feel like we really brought it out with this title track [single]. It’s out in September so I feel like it’s right when it’s still warm, but starting to get cooler — I feel like with the weather’s vibe, it’ll just suit the song so well.
Especially with this album, we did a lot, a lot, of experimenting within the the songs in the album as well too. We’ve never been this hands-on with an album before. It’s a learning curve, so we’re also very scared. We have one song called “WASP,” which is Intak and Jongseob’s [as a] sub-unit, so the two of them are just rapping. Actually, it’s one of my favorite songs on the album. You’ll listen to the album and it’ll be a completely different vibe. So, it’s like really cool that they have that in there. Also, Jiung and I did separate songs for the album. He did “Last Call,” and I did “It’s Alright.” Mine is a little bit of a reggae-like guitar vibe, but he is more like a band guitar vibe.
On the albums before, we usually only had one song where we would be very involved in its production, but this time, we’ve had three. So, it’s a huge stepping stone from the other albums; we’re really excited to see what the fans are going to think. I’m a little scared, but we’re really, really excited. And this is the first time where our mini album has seven tracks. So we’re including the English version of “Sad Song” in the album as well, so that’s three out of seven tracks that we are very deeply — like whole foot in — involved.
But P1Harmony has always been involved in music, especially when it comes to songwriting. What was so different this time?
Keeho: Before, I think it was more like, “We want to have a song that’s this vibe” and we kind of just write to the tracks. But this time, we were really in the structure of it, so we talked to producers and were like, “This is a vibe we want, this is a melody we want,” and we would actually be in the song camps with like other really great amazing writers and producers. We would sit down with them, bounce off each other’s ideas and really be a part of this song-making process. Whereas [the past] was kind of like, “This is the vibe; you guys kind of just write on top of it.” And I feel like Jiung and Jongseob also have a lot to say about it because, while I wouldn’t say they were restricted, I would say that there’s definitely a limit to what they wanted to do creatively. But I feel like this time they were allowed to kind of run wild and be able to really just do what they want. This is our first time having a unit song as well, in general, too; I mean, creatively, they gave us a lot of freedom this time.
Jiung: Actually, I talked a lot about our album with Theo. Because he does a lot of things for the stages of our concerts and tours. So, I asked him, “What do we need for our concert? What do we need for the next tour?” he said, “We need a song that can hype people up — make people enjoy us on stage even more and just jump.” I then made the concept of the song [“Last Call”], then I talked with our producer and the top liner from the very beginning of the process. Knowing that we would use it for a certain occasion, it was a lot easier for me to create my song and map out what I wanted to make sonically. Theo is really the one who sets up our whole setlist for our tours and conceptualizes and creates the whole show.
Theo, have you always been interested in musical direction, or is this a role you naturally stepped into?
Theo: I’ve always been interested in musical directing and loved the idea of musical shows and concerts. It’s not something I did out of the blue, but I’ve been coming up with ideas and communicating with the company since the beginning. And now that we’re becoming more senior, we’re starting to hear the company listening to what we have to say and trusting us a lot more in what we want to do for shows, so a lot of my ideas have come to life. Now, I’m in a much more comfortable of a position to really talk to our in-house staff about what we want to do for our next tour, the current tours, and what we’re doing right now. I think we’re gradually expanding our horizons.
Keeho: Yeah, they’re really listening a lot now, and Theo is always at the forefront of that.
I love that. Sad Song is your seventh mini album. Previously, you had three Disharmony EPs, three Harmony EPs, Killin It was a full album. Is this the beginning of a new era or trilogy?
Keeho: I think our trilogies, like Harmony and Disharmony, and then what’s happening after Killin’ It are very two different things. I had talked to our people because I’m a part of a lot of the visualization and conceptualizing of the albums. With the storytelling aspect of it, I told our company that it’d be really dope to not make trilogies anymore but kind of make it, like, a standalone project each time. That way for each album, we can really bring in something new and different without having to feel like we need to tie everything together. It gives us more freedom to creatively create something new just for the album without having to be like, “Okay, but how is this going to tie into ‘Killin’ It’?”
Visually, it’s very different too. But as you know, we debuted with a movie and the whole story of the six of us being superheroes that are coming together to save the world figuratively, and also literally at the same time with our music, I wanted to keep that concept going. So, even if the songs and the concepts are different, I still wanted to bring [the idea] that we’re still superheroes. Visually, I think you’ll be able to see it in the music video and the concepts. That’s the one thing that we’re keeping consistent.
Tell me about creating the choreography and what we should look out for?
Soul: By the time of KCON in July, we had learned all the choreography for Sad Song tracks. Difficulty-wise, “Sad Song” is not that difficult compared to our other releases because I feel like in the chorus, there’s a simple point choreography that anyone can really just look at and kind of understand. Intak was very involved in how the choreography was made this time.
Intak: Yeah, when I listened to the song, I really wanted to capture, “How can we look more emotionally invested in the stage?” So, I thought about how it’s called “Sad Song,” but there’s also a lyric where it says “mad song,” and we repeat those two lyrics a lot. When creating the choreography, I wanted to be able to portray that on stage as well so that when people see they can just understand the sadness and the madness in the choreo. I talked to our performance director back in Korea and we really kind of curated this choreography to hopefully portray that emotion.
Keeho: And if I put my little two cents in, we actually get “skeleton” choreographies from, like, four different dance teams. That’s what’s really fun about K-pop. I don’t know if other people do it too or if other dancers do it, but we’ll pick out choreographers that we really think are super cool and good at what they do, and ask them to create a choreography for the song. Then, we’ll have four different choreographies for the same song. And Intak and the creative director would then sit down, look at the videos, and sort of mix and match to see which choreo suits us best and how we can make it better, right? Intak was super, super involved in that process.
I remember when P1Harmony started, you shared how it was very important for you not to lose yourselves or feel like you’ve sold out. As you go more global and experiment with different genres, how have you stayed true to yourselves?
Keeho: Honestly, I don’t think it’s that difficult anymore. I feel like it’s become really simple and easy for us because we really understand that no one can be us — and we can’t be anyone else. As long as we’re really in tune with what we think is cool, what’s hot, and what we feel is good, that automatically becomes P1Harmony.
So, no matter what you throw at us — it can be rock, pop, R&B, jazz, Latin — if it goes through us, it still comes out as P1Harmony. And I feel like that’s so simple and easy now because we’re so confident and so in tune with what we know our strengths and our weaknesses are; I feel like it’s not something we have to think about; whatever we do, there’s always that feeling of P1Harmony in there.
Since we’re almost four years into our careers now, I feel like it’s more of a subconscious thing. A couple years ago, I would be like, “Okay, how do we make this ours?” or “If this is this experimental, how do we make it without sounding like someone else?” That was always something in the back of our heads, but now it’s coming through subconsciously.
The excitement over the music of iconic Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel overflowed on Sunday (Sept. 22) in Mexico City’s Zócalo. More than 70,000 people gathered at the country’s main public square, according to figures from the capital’s government, for the screening of Mis 40 en Bellas Artes.
Although what they witnessed was a recording of his 2013 concert at Mexico’s most important cultural venue, the audience seemed to be in front of the “Divo de Juárez” himself, chanting and dancing to the songs of that special performance, with which the late artist celebrated his four decades of artistic career.
¡Más de 70 mil personas se reunieron en el Zócalo para revivir la icónica presentación de Juan Gabriel, “Mis 40 en Bellas Artes”! El Divo de Juárez llenó el corazón de la Ciudad de México con sus éxitos inmortales, mientras la multitud cantaba a coro los temas que marcaron… pic.twitter.com/rSWuqyFKO2— Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México (@CulturaCiudadMx) September 23, 2024
“Querida,” “Caray,” “Siempre En Mi Mente,” “¿Por Qué Me Haces Llorar?” and, the hit that launched him to international fame, “El Noa Noa” were played at the Zócalo, where young people arrived, many of who perhaps never went to a Juan Gabriel concert, but who keep his artistic legacy very much alive.
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According to Mexico City’s Ministry of Culture, the screening of the concert celebrates a decade since the release of this material recorded in Bellas Artes with the International Orchestra of the Arts, as well as the 20th anniversary of the concert given by Juan Gabriel in Mexico City’s Zócalo in March 2004, as part of the Noche de Primavera Festival.
In front of a giant screen, fans of all ages, people in wheelchairs and several impersonators arrived hours before at the Zócalo to look for the best spot. The fan club Las Viudas de Juan Gabriel placed a banner of the late artist and a dozen members dressed in pink t-shirts and hats were enthusiastic about the recognition of the singer.
On social media, users also expressed happiness about being part of this massive event. “I love you Juan Gabriel, we all forgot it was a video [we were watching],” wrote on X a user identified as @MelanieMishell_. “He is a genius. An artist who transcends time and generations. Juan Gabriel is immortal,” added @diosdadoooooooooooo on the same platform.
The screening of Mis 40 en Bellas Artes at the Zócalo took place after hundreds of people were locked out of the Cineteca Nacional on Sept. 13 during a screening there, forcing the organizers to cancel another screening scheduled for the following day (Sept. 14).
Organizers estimated that some 6,000 people had arrived at the Cineteca Nacional to participate in the event. Videos on social media showed a large number of attendees who remained outside the venue, dancing and singing at the top of their lungs to the songs included in the concert — published by Virgin Music — regardless of the rain that covered much of the city that afternoon.
On its second of four dates in Mexico City, Metallica surprised fans once more on Sunday (Sept. 22) by performing a cover of “La Negra Tomasa,” a reinterpretation by the band Caifanes of a song written by Cuban Guillermino Rodríguez that redefined the rock scene in Mexico during the 1980s
Two days after firing up the crowd with the Norteño classic “La Chona” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana, bassist Robert Trujillo — who is of Mexican descent — and guitarist Kirk Hammett once again delivered a powerful performance of a Latin song to a cheering audience of 65,000 people who packed the Estadio GNP Seguros, according to figures from promoter Ocesa. Trujillo took on the vocals for the Caifanes hit, originally performed by band leader Saúl Hernández and included in the Mexican band’s self-titled album of 1988.
On Sept. 20, Trujillo, accompanied by Hammett, paid tribute to his Mexican roots by performing the famous northern music song “La Chona,” a performance that was celebrated by the crowd that gathered at the stadium, where Metallica is offering four shows as part of its M72 World Tour. It’s the band’s first visit to the country after a seven-year absence.
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Metallica’s gesture was reciprocated by Los Tucanes de Tijuana with a message on their social media.
“Wow! What an honor, what great pride, and what a great gesture from the great group @metallica for having sung #LaChona live. Greetings, masters, we send you a big hug and a very special grouping to each and every one of you for making us feel even more proud of our Chona!” Los Tucanes wrote on Instagram. “We admire you very much and we loved that you sang La Chona at your show! Hopefully, we will soon have the honor and pleasure of meeting you personally!”
Metallica’s next shows at the Estadio GNP Seguros are scheduled for next Friday and Sunday (Sept. 27 and 29).
Metallica’s history with Mexico began three decades ago with the tour of its Black Album (1991), which included five dates at the Palacio de los Deportes in 1993. Since then, the band has maintained a very close relationship with the country, where it recorded the live DVD Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria (2009), which portrays three spectacular nights at the Foro Sol (today Estadio GNP Seguros) in June 2009.
Watch Metallica playing Caifanes’ “La Negra Tomasa” below.
The Save The Music Foundation is proudly partnering with Billboard to expand funding of its grants for Latin music programs. This announcement was made ahead of 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week.
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Save The Music team members will be attending Latin Music Week on October 14-18 to spread awareness about their program, along with 24 of their participating students, educators and local partners via Young Musicians Unite. Additionally, the organization is auctioning off fan experiences in conjunction with CharityBuzz for the week-long takeover to raise funding. The auction, which went live on Monday, September 23, includes prizes like industry credentials to the event, signed merchandise and M&G experiences with Grupo Frontera, Saiko, Omar Courtz and Dei V.
If that wasn’t enough, Billboard will also host a fundraiser via Instagram to help support Save The Music’s mission of creating culturally rich music programs for public schools through their Miami Music Saves project.
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“Billboard is proud to support the next generation of musicians and music lovers through its ongoing partnership with Save The Music,” Sara Katzki, Head of Billboard’s Brand Studio, said in a statement. “Our shared goal is to provide students with unforgettable experiences, and spotlight unique music career pathways both on and off the stage. Save The Music does incredible work bringing music education into schools across the country, and we’re thrilled to amplify the Miami Music Saves project at Latin Music Week.”
For over 25 years, the Save The Music Foundation has worked diligently with local community partners, school districts, funders, and artists to create sustainable music education programs that align with a community’s specific needs. The organization has worked to address the systemic inequities within public education by investing in culturally rich communities to ensure that students have access to quality music education.
While Billboard showcases Latin American artists and cultural icons, Save The Music funds programs to inspire artists of the future. Together, these institutions have been creating engaging programs for future musicians across the United States.
In fact, since partnering with Miami Dade Public Schools in 2017, Save The Music has been able to serve over 32,000 students by delivering over 8,700 instruments to public schools along with updated technology and new music programs. Because of its rich music history, Miami has been a priority for the organization in its efforts to rebuild and jumpstart new music programs for students K-12. This provides them opportunities to learn firsthand about south Florida’s musical legacy, as well as pave their own way as future artists.
With Save The Music, a K-8 school in the Miami area is teaming up with The Mexican American Council to develop a brand new mariachi program for their students. In the last few years, mariachi grants and programs have been provided to schools in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Oklahoma. As more schools receive funding for engaging and culturally relevant programming, Save The Music is expanding beyond mariachi programming to include other Latin music programs.
Nicki Nicole kicked off her Alma Tour USA — her first in the United States — and the Argentine singer-songwriter and rapper is performing all her fan-favorite songs, from “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 13” to “Dispara,” “8 AM,” “Qué Le Pasa Conmigo?” and more.
The first concert of the tour took place Sunday (Sept. 22) at Irving Plaza in New York City, a venue with a capacity of 1,200, and it was sold out. Accompanied by bassist and musical director Juan Kuj, drummer K2, and keyboardist Benja Rampoldi — and dressed in white mini shorts and crop top with triangular cutouts at the torso and blue platform boots — Nicki opened the set with her 2019 collaboration with Bizarrap, immediately setting the mood for a fun, energetic night.
Throughout an hour-and-a-half, she kept a mostly young audience eating from the palm of her hand, singing not only songs from her latest album, Alma, but also hits from her previous LP, Parte De Mí, as well as collaborations with other artists (which played on recordings while Nicki sang live) and more recent singles like “Ojos Verdes.”
She also received gifts from her fans — flags, flowers, and others — and pleased a small group of fans who asked to come on stage to take photos with her in a handwritten sign she managed to read among the audience.
“Thank you all so much for being here. I can’t believe it,” said Nicki evidently excited to be there, amid cheers from the crowd. “I truly love you. Thank you so much.”
Nicki Nicole’s seven-date U.S. tour continues on Wednesday (Sept. 25) in Houston, followed by stops in Dallas, Miami, Chicago, and San Diego, before ending on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles. After this, the Argentine star will travel to Mexico to perform at the capital’s iconic National Auditorium on Oct. 8, and on Oct. 12 at Fundidora Park in the city of Monterrey. (For tickets and details, click here)
Below, the complete setlist from the first show of Nicki Nicole’s Alma Tour USA. The song list is subject to changes in each city.
“Nicki Nicole: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 13”
Tens of thousands of Brazilians gathered at Rio de Janeiro’s mega-festival Rock in Rio on Friday (Sept. 20), with many staking out spots of artificial grass all day to hear the headliner, Katy Perry. As her music keyed up, the enormous screens around the stage showed someone else in their bottom corners — a sign language interpreter.
The red-haired woman — with a chunky chain belt and a gem between her eyebrows — snapped her fingers and swayed, then pumped her arms as the beat gathered force.
“It seems like I’m on stage with her, in front of everyone,” the interpreter, Laísa Martins, told the Associated Press afterward. And as Katy Perry belted out her first verse, Martins started signing.
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Rock in Rio is featuring sign language interpreters on its big screens for the first time in its 40-year history. It’s one of Latin America’s biggest festivals, drawing 100,000 people a day over seven days, and Sunday is its last day.
Inside a container backstage, interpreters sign in front of a green screen, with their images appearing above the stage to ensure deaf people across the thronging crowd can follow. Organizers also invite dozens of deaf people and their companions into a VIP area, right by the stage and close enough to speakers to feel the music pulsing through their bodies.
How a 2015 law helped Brazil start championing accessibility
Interpreters have started popping up at festivals and concerts across Brazil in recent years. Their sudden ubiquity stems from Brazil’s ambitious 2015 inclusion law that sought to put the country at the global forefront of accessibility and, among other things, established that people with disabilities have the right to access cultural events while guaranteeing organizers provide means of doing so.
Some interpreters have drawn the spotlight themselves with their flair and flashy dress, gaining thousands of social media followers. Demand for them is surging so much that many start working before even finishing their education, said Lenildo Souza, president of the nationwide federation of sign language interpreters’ associations.
In Brazil, 2.3 million people are partially or completely deaf, according to the national statistics institute. But fewer than two-thirds of those who are completely deaf know how to use Brazilian sign language, and far less among those with some hearing. That’s because people opt for cochlear implants, learn only lip-reading, or go deaf later in life, said Souza.
As such, subtitles could be more effective at transmitting lyrics; Colombian singer Karol G sang so quickly at times Friday night that some words were lost on Amorim, who isn’t fluent in Spanish. But Amorim said interpreters convey more than just lyrics of songs, which they study intensively ahead of the show. They dance to the rhythm and pull faces to transmit the music’s energy and emotion — be it euphoria, rage, mystery or sensuality. That pumps up the crowd, deaf and hearing people alike.
“We express the whole idea of the song with our expressions, with our body. We want to express the entire musical context and use literally our entire body,” said Amorim, whose older sister is deaf. “Our feet are cut off there [on the screen], but during samba songs, we’re dancing samba. It’s just like that.”
Putting deaf people up front
Rock in Rio is already one of the most accessible festivals for deaf people in the world, said Thiago Amaral, coordenador de pluralidade (diversity coordinator). Still, his team is working to innovate, and future editions could include vibrating platforms or a product similar to the vibrating vests they tested last year, he said. This year was also the first that Rock in Rio offered audio description earpieces for those with limited vision.
One of the deaf people at Rock in Rio on Friday was Henrique Miranda Martins, 24. His whole family is big into music, especially samba — his uncles play the four-string cavaquinho and pandeiro, a handheld frame drum — and he was always around it growing up. But Martins can hear little from his right ear and nothing from his left, so could never fully connect or participate.
Last year, he went to his first-ever concert with sign language interpreters, Coldplay, and it became his favorite band — even before its single whose official video features people signing. Then Martins went to the Lollapalooza festival in São Paulo. And last week he traveled from São Paulo to party with his parents at Rock in Rio.
He was most hyped to see Brazilian singer Iza on Friday, and waited to enter the special section by the stage. Iza started playing, just off to his left, but he faced the opposite direction, watching her on the screen with an interpreter in its corner. He danced and signed along with the interpreter, often in synchrony.
“I can follow the interpreter and I’m very happy to be able to feel the music and live this experience,” Martins said, speaking through an interpreter. “For deaf people, it’s very important. We can’t be outside this here. We need to be inside, with accessibility, together with everyone participating in everything. I’m very happy.”
Rock in Rio’s camera scanning the crowd found Martins vibing and locked in. For a few seconds, he was up on the big screen for everyone to see, smiling wide with his head thrown back and shaking both hands in the air — the sign for applause.
Metallica gave its first concert in Mexico City in seven years on Friday (Sept. 20), and the band’s bassist, Robert Trujillo, took the opportunity to pay tribute to his Mexican roots by performing a peculiar song: “La Chona,” by famous corrido group Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
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“This is a great party,” Trujillo said in Spanish to the 65,000 people who packed the GNP Seguros Stadium, according to figures from promoter Ocesa. “It is an honor to be here with all of you, with the spirit of 72 Seasons. Kirk [Hammett] and I are going to play something for all of you. We are very nervous, so if you know this song, please help us by singing it.”
Immediately, they started playing the first chords of the classic by Los Tucanes de Tijuana, included in their 1995 album, Me Robaste El Corazón, which has transcended several generations in Mexico and the U.S.
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The long hair of Metallica’s fans swung to the northern rhythm, while Trujillo and Hammett, Metallica’s guitarist, swayed to the surprise and applause of much of the audience. The bassist, who on several occasions during the night wore a traditional mariachi hat, took charge of the vocals.
The moment was quickly trending on social media, where users celebrated the rock band’s gesture to its Mexican fans. “La Chona is national heritage and Metallica knows it,” wrote user @virian_avaa on her X account. “The most surreal thing, Metallica playing La Chona,” added user @Amackdiel. Both posted videos of the moment.
Metallica is giving four performances in Mexico City as part of its M72 World Tour, in support of their 2023 album 72 Seasons. The next shows at the GNP Seguros Stadium are scheduled for Sunday (Sept. 22), and Sept. 27 and 29.
Metallica’s history with Mexico began three decades ago with the tour of their Black Album (1991), which included five dates at the Palacio de los Deportes in 1993. Since then, the band has maintained a very close relationship with the country, where they recorded their live DVD Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria (2009), which portrays three spectacular nights at the Foro Sol (today GNP Seguros Stadium) in June 2009.
Metallica’s production team filmed the entire show on Friday and, according to the Mexican newspaper Reforma, next week it will make special shots at tourist spots such as Teotihuacán, the Historic Center, Chapultepec, Coyoacán, and San Ángel.
Watch Trujillo and Hammett play “La Chona” below.
Billboard Latin Music Week is returning to Miami Beach on Oct. 14-18, with confirmed superstars including Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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Becky G’s Greenspace
The Vita Coco Company teamed up with Mexican-American star Becky G to build a new greenspace at her elementary school in Inglewood, Calif. The newly-opened space at Oak Street Elementary School, is an initiative of the company’s social impact program, the Vita Coco Project, which focuses on empowering communities, according to a press release.
“Growing up, my Inglewood community shaped who I am today,” the “Mamiii” singer said in a statement. “Partnering with Vita Coco to reimagine a space where students can learn and play means everything to me. We wanted each element to be intentional, reflecting my own experience in middle school and addressing the needs and dreams of the community.”
“As a parent, I understand the desire to want the best for our kids. And one of the most overlooked resources is a child’s right to play — outside, in fresh air, climbing trees, and getting dirt under their fingernails,” added Mike Kirban, co-founder and executive chairman of The Vita Coco Company. “This project is more than just a greenspace; it’s about ensuring that every kid and their families — regardless of socioeconomic status, identity, or background — has the right to a safe and enriching environment. Let kids be kids so they can grow their curiosity about the natural world and how it works.”
More Stars Added to Latin Music Week
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week is just around the corner, and ahead of its arrival, Billboard unveiled a new group of artists who have officially joined the already star-studded lineup. These additions include Feid, Grupo Frontera, Álvaro Díaz, Debi Nova, Jasiel Núñez, Junior H, La Joaqui, Luck Ra, Mario Bautista, Nacho, Saiko and Tito Double P. Additionally, soccer stars Leo Campana (Inter Miami CF) and Igor Lichnovsky (Club América) have also joined the weeklong event taking place Oct. 14-18 at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, tickets for Billboard Latin Music Week are available for purchase here.
A Pitbull Residence
Pitbull is set to debut his new musical residency in Las Vegas on Nov. 8 at the Fontainebleau, Billboard Español exclusively announced on Friday (Sept. 20).
The Cuban-American hit-maker will take the stage at the BleauLive Theater with his “Pitbull: Vegas After Dark the Residency” — a series of eight weekend concerts between the end of this year and the beginning of the next. The dates are Nov. 8-9, Jan. 24-25, and March 7, 8, 14 and 15. Tickets go on presale on Tuesday (Sept. 24) and to the general public the next day at 12 p.m. ET on the Fontainebleau website.
Juan Gabriel’s Special Screening in Mexico
Juan Gabriel’s Mis 40 en Bellas Artes is set to be projected at a free event organized by Mexico City’s Secretary of Culture at the Zócalo on Sunday (Sept. 22) at 7 p.m. local time. The screening will take place there after the cancellation of a second showing at the Cineteca Nacional that was originally scheduled for Sept.14. “The city government, committed to cultural access, is offering the country’s most important plaza and stage so that more people can enjoy this memorable concert in a festive and family-friendly environment to continue the patriotic celebrations,” announced the Secretary of Culture in a statement.
Mis 40 en Bellas Artes is an iconic Juan Gabriel concert performed in 2013 in celebration of his four decades in music, accompanied by the International Orchestra of the Arts and its choir. There, he sang some of this greatest hits, including “Caray,” “He Venido a Pedirte Perdón,” “Querida,” “La Diferencia,” “Me Nace del Corazón,” “¿Por Qué Me Haces Llorar?,” “Abrázame Muy Fuerte,” and “Así Fue.”
Ángela Aguilar’s Fashion Exhibit in Houston
To celebrate 10 years in music, Ángela Aguilar has launched an exhibit at the Mexican Consulate in Houston, which has arranged a special area for visitors to see a collection titled “Ángela Aguilar: 10 Years Singing and Dressing Mexico.”
According to a press statement, the exhibition is free and open to the public indefinitely, from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (local time). It includes 25 outfits, including the one she wore in the “Solamente Una Vez” music video, a song included in her Latin Grammy-nominated album, Bolero.
Also on display is the Mexican flag-inspired dress she wore while on her family’s Jaripeo Sin Fronteras Tour, as well as the princess cut dress that she donned to meet Queen Sofia of Spain.
Billboard Latin Music Week is returning to Miami Beach on Oct. 14-18, with confirmed superstars including Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit Billboardlatinmusicweek.com.