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Mexican music director and producer Lynn Fainchtein, known for her work as music supervisor on films such as Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Amores Perros and Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, died on Friday (March 1) at the age of 59 in Madrid, Spain, where she lived, informed the record label Casete, which she co-founded.
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A cause of death has not been disclosed; a spokesperson for Casete told Billboard Español that he had no information at this time. An outpouring of messages of condolences from musicians, cultural institutions, filmmakers, journalists, actors and personalities of the music and film industry in Mexico flooded social networks during the early hours of Friday, when news of her passing broke.
“Rest in peace Lynn Fainchtein, a beacon of light and music. May the best soundtrack always accompany you,” said Alejandra Frausto, Mexico’s Secretary of Culture, on her X account.
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“‘Que Viva Mexico’ forever with your musical supervision, dear Lynn Fainchtein. In ‘Roma,’ ‘Babel,’ with ‘Abel,’ or with ‘Precious,’ ‘Los adioses’ (or goodbyes) are always sad,” wrote the Filmoteca de la UNAM, using titles of films in which the artist worked.
Fainchtein studied psychology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), but for more than three decades, she served as an innovative broadcaster, film, radio and television producer.
In her early days, she worked as an announcer for the local Mexico City station Rock 101, where she met Mexican filmmaker Iñárritu, who was then working in advertising and voice-overs. Eventually, she became one of his closest collaborators in his award-winning film career.
With Iñárritu, she worked as music supervisor on all of his films, including the Oscar-nominated (and/or Oscar-winning) Bardo, The Revenant, Birdman, Biutiful, Babel, 21 Grams and Amores Perros.
“Alejandro always starts working on the music when he is almost finished with the script. For him, music is as important as production, art, wardrobe, makeup. He is a director who works on music a long time before and takes it as a very important part of his projects,” said Fainchtein in an interview with Billboard Español in December 2022.
In 2018, she served as music supervisor for Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, winner of the Golden Lion at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and Academy Awards for best director, best foreign language film and best cinematography.
In 2022, Cuarón invited Lynn to oversee and create the music for his first television series for Apple TV+, Augustus, which would premiere this year, starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline and Sacha Baron Cohen, according to her official website.
She was head of programming and news producer for MTV LATAM until 2000. In 2012 she co-founded the independent record label Casete with musician and producer Camilo Lara, Héctor Reyes Guevara and Paco Arraigada.
As music supervisor and producer, she participated in numerous films and shows for Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Apple, Fox and Star+, among many other studios. She also collaborated regularly with La Corriente del Golfo, the production company founded by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, where she supervised the music for Abel, Déficit, J.C. Chávez and Mr. Pig.
Among her other major projects are David France’s Oscar-nominated documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, Patricia Riggen’s The 33, Luis Estrada’s ¡Qué Viva México, La Dictadura Perfecta and El infierno, as well as Jonás Cuarón’s most recent film, Chupa, released on Netflix in 2023.
Last year, Fainchtein supervised the music for Perdidos en la Noche, by fellow award-winning Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
“La Reina del Sur” will be heard again in Europe with the arrival of Los Tigres del Norte in Spain on April 4, when the “Jefes de Jefes” return to the country after 14 years as part of a tour that will take them to Madrid, Barcelona and Pamplona. The first show will be at the capital’s Wizink Center, with capacity for more than 17,000 people. They will also perform for the first time in England, at the Eventim Apollo in London, 10 days later.
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After 55 years since their formation, the icons of norteño music maintain a solid, current career, releasing new music and touring constantly throughout the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. Their current tour, Siempre Contigo, began on February 2 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California and will keep them busy for most of 2024. It is something they do with the best attitude towards their fans.
“Love must always be present in everything you do,” says Jorge Hernández, frontman of Los Tigres. “The most important thing is to be honest with your audience.”
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With hits including “La Puerta Negra,” “Contrabando y Traición,” “Jefes de Jefes,” the Billboard Hot Latin Songs No. 1s “El Acaudalado Mojado” and “El Circo,” and many others, Los Tigres del Norte — who have seen many musical trends come and go over the years — are pioneers of traditional corridos, with the authority that time, accolades and fans have conferred on them.
In an interview with Billboard Español, Hernández spoke about the key to their longevity, his opinion on the new artists who are globalizing música mexicana, their return to Spain and upcoming projects.
Why did it take you so long to return to Spain?
In 2001 we started going to Spain every year and a half, or every other year. Then we were going to release an album and go there before the pandemic, but in the end it couldn’t be scheduled. Now that everything has been falling into place, promoters from Europe called us and the tour was finalized. It begins on April 4 in Madrid and ends on the 14th in London.
Will you have musical guests at the concerts in Spain?
We want to invite several female artists to sing with us. We’ll tell you who they are soon.
At a crucial time for regional Mexican music, it is important to perform in as many places as possible.
That’s right. The work that other colleagues have done has great validity for us and we all have to take advantage and be present so that our music takes this boom full force for which we have fought so hard for a long time.
In fact, we plan to record several videos of our upcoming singles there.
You travel thousands of miles every year to entertain your fans in different countries. How do you prepare physically and mentally to live constantly on the road?
There is always a discipline. Above all, taking care of your health, sleeping the necessary hours, taking care of your body, taking care of how you live. Always go on stage consciously to have the respect of the audience. You must do this from the beginning of your career for it to last. You must be prepared so that vices don’t win over you. All of this is part of taking care that your path is as clean as possible.
The music of Los Tigres del Norte is already part of the Mexican culture. What do you think of the new trends?
Trends will always exist because they are part of the growth of music. I give as an example a tree that has many branches: Norteño music is the base and there are musical currents that come and go over time, different styles, but in the end everything goes back to normal because the essence or base is solid. Young people look for what gives them joy, music to have fun, and there are artists for everyone.
There are young artists who prefer traditional norteño music. Any in particular that you like?
They all deserve our love and respect. I couldn’t name any single name. For me, music is all of us who make up this union. We all work with the same goal: To be relevant.
And what has been the key for Los Tigres del Norte to remain relevant?
The most important thing is persistence. Love must always be present in everything you do, you must be in love with your work. The honesty with which you do your work. One of the main things to stay relevant is to finalize your plans, not leave them halfway. But the most important thing is to be honest with your audience.
You’ve been to some South American countries, but there are many that are still waiting for you.
We have constantly gone to Colombia, to Bolivia, we were recently in Chile. Now we are going to take the tour to Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, which are the countries we were missing.
Will there be any collaborations with other artists this year?
Yes, there will be collaborations. Our label, Fonovisa Records/Universal Music, has some options for us that we will be reviewing. We will have several surprises this year.
RBD will end a long-awaited reunion that took 15 years to come to fruition on Thursday (Dec. 21), a tour that took the famous Mexican pop group through stadiums and arenas in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the United States for more than 50 dates. The Soy Rebelde Tour was a successful journey that surprised everyone, including its members, who never imagined what their music represented for millions of people.
“It’s beautiful,” band member Maite Perroni tells Billboard Español. “Now we see children who get excited and sing, who are the children of our fans. They make their parents come to the concerts because they want to be part of that history.”
The end of this cycle for Anahí, Dulce María, Christian Chávez, Maite Perroni and Christopher von Uckermann — which began in August in El Paso, Texas — will be at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, a forum for over 80,000 people that has welcomed icons such as Vicente Fernández, Madonna and U2. Previously, RBD filled the Foro Sol for six nights starting November 30, attracting a total of 390,000 fans, according to promoter Ocesa.
While the Soy Rebelde Tour, produced by Live Nation and T6H Entertainment, became the second most lucrative tour by any Latin artist in 2023 (only behind Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito,) the impact generated by the reunion of RBD and its fans is huge at a time when reggaeton and regional Mexican music dominate the streaming platforms.
Five (of six) returning members sat down together in an exclusive cover interview with Billboard Español shortly before hitting the road, and Perroni recounts what returning to the stage with her colleagues has meant for her and the group.
What assessment do you make of this long-awaited RBD reunion? What has been the most surprising thing about it all?
It has been very nice to meet again with so many people who have been part of our history for so many years now, 20 years, which is easy to say, but there’s a lot of loyalty, love, affection. It has been a great surprise to meet new generations — is no longer just one generation, it’s three generations! All of this has made me come to the conclusion that RBD is that powerful, loving, positive energy that moves the project. We have simply become the vocalists, the representatives of what this group is, but the truth is that the magnitude, the strength, the power, the energy, the love, the dedication, have been given to us by the audience. And we realize that RBD is today and always.
What has been the main achievement of this reunion?
That we managed to make history! That is something that was questioned in the past because RBD is a project that came out of a TV show (Rebelde,) a pop group, one of those that already existed in the world. They told us that pop music is easy, that pop bands disappeared easily, and many of us were classified in that place, and also for a long time we received, within the industry, from other colleagues, singers, songwriters, criticism, ridicule, parodies. And despite that we moved forward, building what RBD was. We believed in Rebelde and what we did. And the most beautiful thing is to see that 20 years later our history transcends to another place and that we can feel very proud that this went down in history within Latin music, pop music, and that is thanks to the people.
What was the biggest challenge?
RBD has been a project that has filled us with challenges, with many emotions, a lot of commitment. For me, RBD is more than a group of artists; for me we are brothers and sisters, with our defects and our qualities, with our good and our bad things. We love each other and understand each other. Regardless of that, for me, it has represented being able to balance three worlds: The first one with my baby, my family unit to join this dynamic; two months after my daughter was born we were already flying to Los Angeles to get to the tour rehearsals and to join a tour of almost five months and my husband’s support has been fundamental for me.
On the other hand, and it is something very personal but very important to me, is that in a very short period I had to be on stage, after giving birth, with many extra pounds on me, I had to be on a stage where there were many emotions, hopes and a lot of love, but with a very large magnifying glass to see how you look and what you do — you’re pregnant, you’re fat, you’re skinny, if you didn’t make it — and say, “I don’t care what they say, I don’t care what happens. I am on a stage sharing and being able to carry this.”
What difficulties did you encounter in this process?
The first thing was to commit ourselves in a much more adult way to our project, to commit ourselves to creating a company, a society, to get involved from the administrative and the legal side, and to make decisions that were decisive so that we could continue our tour, take the reins of our history, do things the right way. But I can say that today I leave with my heart full, knowing that the effort was worth it — RBD is worth it — and that together we will always be better and stronger.
What’s in RBD’s future?
The reality is that our last concert is on December 21st. We have hopes, desires. It has been beautiful! Of course the hope of being able to continue building something together remains. We’ll see what destiny and life have in store for us; we don’t know today. We are in a different process, in this closing cycle, finishing this tour in Mexico, at the Estadio Azteca, very excited and tremendously grateful.
Two years after the death of Vicente Fernández, his grandson Alex Fernández wanted to remember him in a special way: with a song that reflects all the feelings of the loss of his greatest ally. Let’s not forget that it was his “Tata,” as all his grandchildren called the ranchera legend, who convinced Alex to dedicate himself professionally to music and put his work team at his disposal — and even got Sony Music Mexico to sign the young singer.
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“Mi Abuelo Vino a Visitarme” (meaning “My Grandfather Came to Visit Me”) was written by Francisco El Gallo Elizalde and Jonathan Vizcarra, and produced by Colombian Yohan Usuga, who got to work with Vicente Fernández. “He told me ‘I didn’t want to leave you, but I don’t want to see you sad/ Remember that your father is there and you promised to take care of him’/ Suddenly I threw myself into his arms and meeting his gaze/ I confessed to him in a low tone, ‘I’m missing you so much’,” Alex sings with gut-wrenching emotion in Spanish over mariachi backing.
The song is accompanied by a music video, directed by Christian Schmid, that was filmed at the legendary Rancho Los 3 Potrillos — owned by the Fernández family outside Guadalajara, Mexico, next to the tomb of the man who remains the greatest singer of ranchera music. The sepia-colored atmosphere and the performance of the youngest member of the singing dynasty resulted in emotional scenes.
“I did it the way he deserves, with his team, and the way I think he would have liked it,” Fernández tells Billboard Español. The visual premieres today (Dec. 12) at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be viewed here:
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The 30-year-old artist has had a busy schedule this year, with solo performances as well as collaborations with his father, Mexican music star Alejandro Fernández. Alex is already working on his third studio album, still untitled, which he plans to release in mid-2024, and which he says will include several collabs, one with his father. Below, he talks with Billboard Español about that upcoming album, and about paying tribute to his legendary grandfather.
Was “Mi Abuelo Vino a Visitarme” a tailor-made track or a song sent to you for the occasion?
I wanted to pay homage to my grandfather but also to have a song dedicated for grandparents; I already wrote one for my father, but in general, nobody writes for those wonderful beings. El Gallo Elizalde sent it to me, he penned it for his father and I liked it very much, but I asked him to adapt it for my grandfather.
Filming by your grandfather’s grave must have been very special.
In the video, we recorded several places on the ranch that were very special to my grandfather, and we included many things that he liked. Every moment was emotional, every detail was taken care of to make a tribute as he deserved.
Was your grandfather’s team closely involved in this project?
Absolutely. My grandfather’s team is also my team — it’s the one I started with — so I wanted to do things the way he would have liked. I wanted to make it very traditional Mexican. I wanted it to be with few instruments, the voice, a guitar and an accordion, with a charro costume, to wear it with a lot of pride and respect.
Alex Fernández, Vicente Fernández and Alejandro Fernández perform onstage during the 20th annual Latin GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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What do you think of the musical changes that have taken place lately in regional Mexican music?
I understand that there must be changes in some things, but I do believe that what is truly traditional, the Mexican music of yesteryear, has been lost. It is good to do new things, but it is necessary to return to the roots.
What’s coming musically in 2024 for Alex Fernández?
Personally I will start the year with the arrival of my new baby [to be named Nirvana], plus a new album in which we will include mariachi, of course, a little bit of country, banda music and different sounds. I want to experiment musically and now I want to do a lot of collaborations. In fact, I am about to record one with my father and I have also talked with Natalia Jiménez. I will start releasing the singles in February. Next year we will combine shows with a lot of promotion and thus continue advancing in my career and improving myself.
Sony Music México announced on Thursday (Nov. 9) the launch of M4 Records, a label run by music executive Manuel Cuevas, who has helped propel the careers of artists such as Carlos Rivera, Yuridia, Lila Downs, Filipa Giordano, Gilberto Santa Rosa and, more recently, regional Mexican singer Luis Ángel “El Flaco”. “Manuel is an executive […]
As part of its Latin American leg, Karol G‘s Mañana Será Bonito Tour will make three stops in Mexico, starting February 8 at the capital’s emblematic Estadio Azteca, promoter Ocesa said Tuesday (Oct. 17) in a press release.
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According to the Colombian star’s official website, the other two dates scheduled in Mexico are February 16, at the Estadio Mobil Super in the northern city of Monterrey, and February 23 at the Tres de Marzo stadium in Guadalajara.
Pre-sale for HSBC cardholders for the Estadio Azteca show begins next Monday and Tuesday (Oct. 23-24), and the following day they will be available to the general public at the venue’s box office or through Ticketmaster, Ocesa said.
The show at the Estadio Azteca will be produced by Ocesa and Westwood. The collaboration between both promoters had previously occurred last December, when Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny sang at the same venue. The nicknamed “Coloso de Santa Úrsula” has room for about 83,000 people, according to its website. Among other stars that have performed there are U2, Madonna and Vicente Fernández.
The last time that “La Bichota” performed in Mexico City was in June 2022, when she gave two sold-out concerts at the Arena Ciudad de México, where she had RBD’s Anahí and Mexican rock band Café Tacvba as special guests.
Karol G‘s upcoming shows in Mexico, after her successful U.S. stadiums tour, mark the beginning of a journey through 18 Latin American cities, including in her native Colombia, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Argentina and Brazil.
Her previous arenas stint, the 2022 $trip Love Tour, became the highest-grossing US tour by a Latina woman in history. It grossed $69.9 million across 33 shows in North America, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, surpassing Jennifer Lopez’s $50 million on the 2019 It’s My Party World Tour and Shakira’s $28.2 million on the 2018 El Dorado World Tour.
Last August, Karol G was the first Latina headliner at Lollapalooza. She subsequently released her second album of the year, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season), six months after Mañana Será Bonito, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 becoming the first No. 1 by a woman singing in Spanish in the history of the chart.
Check Ocesa’s announcement on Karol G’s tour below.
Mexican singer, songwriter and producer Edén Muñoz has signed a record deal with Sony Music México in partnership with Sony Music Latin, Billboard Español can exclusively announce today (Oct. 11).
Muñoz, the former leader of the group Calibre 50, has had a fruitful solo career in recent years. His hits include “Chale”, “Consejos Gratis”, “Como Quieras Quiero” and “Mi Caída En Los Excesos,” and his collaborations with rock-pop artists such as Maná and Matisse have demonstrated his versatility to innovate in other areas, where he can also move with ease. Alejandro Fernández, Pepe Aguilar, Christian Nodal, Carlos Rivera, Banda MS, Yuridia and La Arrolladora Banda El Limón are some of the acts who have recorded his songs.
“I am more than happy,” Muñoz, previously signed to Sergio Lizárraga’s Lizos Music, said in a statement. “I am excited about this family that we have formed for a long time and that today we materialize,” “I knew the day would come when my music and my art would find a home where it would be seen with the love it deserves. Today begins one of those stories that rarely happen.”
“The signing of Edén Muñoz fills us with joy and pride,” added Roberto López, president of Sony Music México. “Edén, whom we have always admired, is one of the greatest artists and creators of Mexican music of the moment. With unparalleled enthusiasm and creativity, I am sure he will continue to leave an indelible mark.”
Alex Gallardo, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin, was also pleased to have Muñoz in the company’s ranks. “Eden is a 360 artist, not only does he shine on stage, but he is also an extraordinary musician, producer and composer,” he said. “His work shows that he is a visionary and one of the most versatile artists that Mexican music has known.”
At 33, Muñoz is one of the regional Mexican music figures with greatest presence on digital platforms, with over 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube and videos that together exceed 1.1 billion views. He also has 17.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and 4.6 million followers on TikTok. On the Billboard charts, he’s placed seven albums at No.1 on Regional Mexican Albums, in addition to 22 No. 1s on the Regional Mexican Airplay with songs of his own performed as a soloist and by artists such as Caliber 50, Banda MS, and La Arrolladora.
Currently, Muñoz is on tour with Consejos Gratis, named after his latest album, with shows in Mexican cities such as Mexicali, Oaxaca, Pachuca, Morelos, and dates in the U.S. including Reno, Camarillo, Phoenix, El Paso and Denver.
Edén Muñoz with part of the team of Sony Music México, management and A&R.
Courtesy of Sony Music Mexico
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Peso Pluma needs to move tactfully whenever he’s in his hometown. He recently had to cancel a concert in Tijuana due to death threats from cartels.
Vulture is reporting that the Mexican singer songwriter is facing some safety concerns. He was supposed to perform at Caliente Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 14), but is no longer taking the stage at the multi-use facility in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. On Wednesday (Sept. 20), his record label Double P Records took to its Instagram Stories to make the announcement. “Our goal is to protect the fans and our team. For the safety of everyone involved we will cancel our show in Tijuana” the post read. “Thank you very much to all of our fans for understanding. We love you. Sincerely: La Doble P.”
In the past, Peso Pluma has referenced or directly named Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera throughout his music. Local news site Punto Norte reports that Mexican police found three banners with messages for Peso Pluma written in Spanish. “Refrain from appearing this October 14. Because it will be your last presentation,” one of the banners read. All the messages were signed Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, or Jalisco New Generation Cartel; the direct rivals of the Sinaloa cartel.
This is not the first time a Peso Pluma concert had to be canceled in Mexico. Back in February, a show with Eden Muñoz, Roberto Tapia and El Fantasma was nixed by the promoter due to “insecurity and threats towards other events.”
Currently, Peso Pluma is on the American portion of his 2023 tour.
The concert that Peso Pluma had scheduled for Oct. 14 in Tijuana, Mexico, has been canceled, Prajin Music announced Wednesday (Sept. 20) on social media — days after the artist was threatened in a series of banners that appeared in the border city. “Our goal is to protect the fans and the team. For the safety […]
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After serving two years of a three-year prison term, the wife of notorious Mexican drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was released from prison Wednesday (Sept. 13).
According to Raw Story, Emma Coronel Aispuro was given her freedom papers after doing a baby bid for drug trafficking and money laundering, which she was convicted for back in 2021. The 34-year-old former beauty had been married to 66-year-old El Chapo since she was a teenager. It was only a matter of time before she herself got caught up in the life of organized crime that he ruled with an iron fist south of the border.
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Whether or not she was a willing participant or forced into that life is anyone’s guess, but her role ultimately landed her in prison alongside her infamous hubby.
Raw Story reports:
During her trial, prosecutors and her defense lawyers said Coronel was not involved in the core business of Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel, which shipped hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and other drugs into the United States.
“The defendant’s actual role was a minimal one,” prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi said.
“The defendant was not a leader, organizer, boss or other type of manager,” Nardozzi said. “Rather she was a cog in a very large wheel of a criminal organization.”
Coronel, who helped facilitate Guzman’s spectacular 2015 escape from a Mexican prison, regularly attended her husband’s trial in New York.
A dual US-Mexican citizen, Coronel was able to move in and out of the United States freely until she was arrested at Dulles International Airport outside Washington in February 2021.
Well, at least she can now go back to living the lavish life paid for by drug money.
El Chapo meanwhile isn’t seeing the light of day for the rest of his life as he’s been sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole for his deadly reign as the drug kingpin of Mexico. We’re just wondering if he’s given his wife his blessing to move on with her life. We’re sure there’s plenty of men willing to wife up the former beauty queen who’s sitting on millions with nothing to do on Saturday nights.
Won’t be surprised if Future shoots his shot at some point. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think think of El Chapo’s wife being a free woman? Let us know in the comments section below.
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