Victoria La Mala Releases Immigrant Rights-Themed Charity Single “Corazon Valiente”

Victoria La Mala is raising her voice to raise awareness for the plight of migrant families separated at the border…

The Mexican singer, an up and coming regional Mexican singer/songwriter signed to Roc Nation Latin, not only marched in support of reuniting families last month.

Victoria La Mala

She also wrote “Corazón Valiente” with Claudia Brant in the wake of the government’s decision to rescind DACA.

“You risked so much searching for a dream, how can they tear it away like that?” La Mala asks in her song, inspired in part by her own immigration experience when she moved from Mexico to the U.S. at eighteen years old.

“All of us come here looking for a better life, a dream, and it’s terrible to be treated like possible criminals,” she tells Billboard. “In my family, many who came without papers have gone on to become doctors, attorneys, even mayors of their towns. This is an issue of humanity, not politics.”

In tandem with the song’s release, La Mala has launched a Facebook fundraising campaign called “Corazon Valiente” to raise money for the RAICES Foundation, a nonprofit providing legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees.

The song, produced by Brant and Ezequiel “Cheche” Alara, has been released on Roc Nation.

Amaya to Host the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards

Rafael Amaya will help celebrate Mexico’s best musicians next month…

The 36-year-old Mexican actor, model and singer will co-host the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards with Cuban actress Aylín Mujica on October 9, live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Rafael Amaya

The Billboard Mexican Music Awards are the only awards show on a major network that celebrates Mexican music, and this year’s hosts reflect the close contact that exists between the show and its music and fans.

Amaya, one of Latino film and television’s top actors, most recently played the lead in record-setting series El Señor de los Cielos and also played the role of El Guero Dávila in La Reina del Sur. He has previously co-hosted the Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Mujica, on her end, is one of the most established actresses in Latin television and starred in the telenovelas Corazón Valiente and Aurora. She has also co-hosted the Billboard Latin Music Awards in past years.

Finalists for the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards vie for top honors in 32 categories, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year-New, Digital Download Artist of the Year, Airplay Artist of the Year, and various categories for Banda, Norteño, Ranchero/Mariachi and Duranguense/Grupero/Cumbia Music.

The list of finalists is led by Gerardo Ortiz, the late Jenni Rivera, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho, Roberto Tapia, Voz de Mando, Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizarraga, Calibre 50, 3BallMTY and Joan Sebastian.

The Billboard Mexican Music Awards will air live on Telemundo on October 9.

For a full list of finalists, click here.