Bosé Adds Pablo Alborán, Ximena Sariñana & More to His MTV Unplugged Concert Guest List

Miguel Bosé is unplugging with more Latin superstars…

The Spanish musician and actor has added Pablo AlboránManá‘s Alex and Sergio and Ximena Sariñana to the list of special guests slated to take part in his MTV Unplugged concert.

Miguel Bose

The additions join previously announced Latin superstars FonsecaMarco Antonio Solís, Natalia Lafourcade and Benny Ibarra for the musical event.

Alborán took to social media to confirm his appearance alongside his fellow Spaniard.

“I have landed in Mexico City where we are ready to shoot Bosé’s MTV Unplugged. It will be a special and magical night and I think everyone will really enjoy it,” said the “Se Puede Amar” singer on Instagram.

 

The Spanish singer/songwriter’s Unplugged is set to be recorded on Thursday, May 12 in Mexico City and will be aired in the U.S and throughout Latin America in September.

Bosé joins a long list of Latin acts who have recorded an MTV Unplugged including Café TacvbaShakira and Los Tigres del Norte.

Bosé to Tape “MTV Unplugged” Set in Mexico City

Miguel Bosé is getting unplugged

The 59-year-old Panamanian-born Spanish musician and actor will be the next artist to record as part of MTV’s Unplugged series for Latin America and the U.S. Latin market.

Miguel Bosé

Bosé will tape his Unplugged set in Mexico City on May 12. The special will air throughout Latin America and the U.S. in September.

Bosé, one of Latin music’s most respected artists, has recorded more than 20 albums since his 1977 debut, Linda, and has had a string of transcontinental hits. However, he says, “I’d never recorded an acoustic album. Finally, it’s going to happen and it’s going to be an MTV Unplugged!”

The notion of taping an MTV Unplugged was first brought up in 2014, when Bosé was a guest at the taping of Pepe Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged, also done in Mexico City.

“He had a great experience and we got word from Warner that he wanted an MTV Unplugged to be his next record,” says Marc Zimet, Vice President of Music and Talent for VIMN The Americas. Zimet met with Warner and Bosés management during the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas and jump-started the conversion. A key factor was that Bosé is now managed by Seitrack, which represents several of MTV’s latest “Unplugged” artists, incuding Kinky, Zoé and Aguilar.

Although details are still under discussion, Zimet says the special will have Cuban performer and arranger Andrés Levin as its musical director.

“It’s going to be a retrospective,” says Zimet, although there will be at least two new songs as well.

What guests Bosé will bring in remains to be seen, but he’ll have many to choose from. Bosé has recorded with virtually every Latin star, and in 2007, released Papito, an album comprised of duets.

“Of course there will be a lot of guests and surprises,” said Zimet. “Miguel has a very specific, creative view and we’re fully supporting him. He has such a great eye for talent.”

Bunbury to Tour the United States This Summer

Enrique Bunbury is heading across the pond…

The 48-year-old emblematic and enduring Spanish classic rocker will tour the United States this spring in support of his recent MTV Unplugged album.

Enrique Bunbury

Bunbury will kick off the tour in Los Angeles, his current hometown, on May 19. More dates in California and Texas immediately follow.

In June, Bunbury will play two consecutive nights at both Chicago’s House of Blues and Irving Plaza in Manhattan.

El Libro de las Mutaciones, Bunbury’s MTV Unplugged album, was released in late 2015.

Draco Rosa, Carla Morrison, Zoé vocalist León Larregui and Pepe Aguilar joined him for the recording in Mexico City. It’s likely some of those artists may make appearances on Bunbury’s tour, although no guests have yet been announced.

Tickets for Bunbury’s Mutaciones tour go on sale tomorrow, February 2.

Bunbury will be touring Latin America in March and April, and will spend the summer performing in his native Spain.

These are the U.S. concert dates and venues:

May 19: Los Angeles, Hollywood Palladium
May 23: Anaheim, House of Blues
May 25: San Diego, House of Blues
May 29: San Antonio, Aztec Theater
May 31: Houston, House of Blues
June 1: Dallas, House of Blues
June 3 and 4: Chicago, House of Blues
June 6 and 7: New York, Irving Plaza

Aguilar to Headline TR3s’ Next “MTV Unplugged” Special

Pepe Aguilar is about to get unplugged

The 45-year-old Mexican American ranchera and mariachi singer-songwriter has been chosen to be part of TR3s’ (formerly known as MTV TR3s) next MTV Unplugged special.

Pepe Aguilar

Aguilar, known for his velvety voice and refined arrangements, has long alternated between pop and ranchero. But he’s best known for the latter, especially since he’s almost always wearing a charro outfit.

Aguilar also has rocker roots though, and has long talked about delving in that genre. His MTV Unplugged special could be the perfect opportunity.

“I normally fuse Mexican music with other rhythms and concepts,” Aguilar told Billboard in an exclusive interview. “Here it’s going to be the other way round. I’m going to have a traditional musical foundation—drums, bass, guitars, piano, organ—and we will incorporate mariachi to that.”

But it won’t only be mariachi. Although Aguilar and TR3s are still fine-tuning the production details, Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged special will be a fusion of sounds, produced by Emmanuel “Meme” del Real, one of the founding members of Mexican alt band Café Tacuba (and co-producer of Juanes’ latest album). This will mark the first time Aguilar is produced by someone other than himself, much less a rocker.

“Meme comes from a completely different background than mine, so joining these two experiences will be very interesting,” says Aguilar, who plans on covering several of his big hits.

Aguilar’s MTV Unplugged album is slated for release later this year.

TR3s’ last MTV Unplugged was Juanes’ 2012 MTV Unplugged, which earned album of the year honors at the 2012 Latin Grammys Awards.

Juanes Releases New Single “La Luz”

After a long absence, Juanes is finally bringing to light his latest recording…

The 41-year-old Colombian rockero has released the first single off his upcoming sixth solo studio album, which is due in 2014.

Juanes

La Luz,” an uptempo track with Colombian rhythms, was written by the Latin Grammy-winning singer and produced by Steve Lillywhite (The Killers, U2).

Juanes recorded the track in Los Angeles with Emmanuel “Meme” del Real, of Mexican rock band Café Tacuba. A video, filmed in the historic resort city of Cartagena, will be released soon.

The as-yet untitled new album will be his first studio effort since 2010’s P.A.R.C.E. and first major release since the “La Camisa Negra” singer’s MTV Unplugged session last year, which topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Albums chart.

Juanes Releasing His Memoir “Chasing the Sun” in April

He’s known for penning the lyrics to his hit singles like “La Camisa Negra,” “A Dios le Pido” and “Mala Gente”… And, now Juanes is hoping to write a memorable memoir.

The 40-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter will be releasing his first book, Chasing the Sun, on April 2, in which he opens up about some of the more intimate aspects of his life that influenced him as a musician and as a person, said publisher Celebra Books.

Juanes
“My profession is not writing books, far from it,” says Juanes in a statement. “I felt that if I did it, it was really so you would know the truth about who I am, who is behind the songs and concerts you hear. Why I make the music I do and why I think the way I think.”

Juanes, the recent winner of two Latin Grammys for his latest album MTV Unplugged, said that this work was done out of “pure friendship” and is meant to thank the people who’ve supported him through the years since his musical career began.

“In Chasing the Sun, Juanes goes beyond music and speaks for the first time about the profound experiences that have shaped him as an artist and as a person,” said Raymond Garcia, editor of the publishing house.

Juanes, who has sold more than 16 million discs worldwide, writes about his first musical influences, the creation and breaking up of his first band Ekhymosis with which he spent 12 years, as well has his first steps and eventual success as a solo artist.

The book, to be launched simultaneously in English and Spanish, will also contain unpublished personal photos of Juanes.

In this work, Juanes also talks about growing up in Medellin, the pain his father’s death caused him, how he fell in love with his wife and the birth of their three children.

Prince Royce Ties Romeo Santos for Most Premio Lo Nuestro Nods

Call it a “battle of the bachateros”

Romeo Santos and Prince Royce will battle it out for top honors at Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro during the show’s 25th anniversary on February 21, 2013.

Prince Royce

The 31-year-old Dominican/Puerto Rican singer, the former front man for Aventura, and the 23-year-old Dominican singer tied for most nods, at seven each. Santos and Prince Royce will battle it ou for Tropical Album of the Year, Tropical Male Artist of the Year, and Tropical Song of the Year.

Reggaeton superstar Don Omar, meantime, received six nods, including Artist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year for his mega duet with Natti Natasha, “Dutty Love,” and Album of the Year for his Don Omar Presents Meet The Orphans 2: New Generation.

Barcelona-raised urban artist Juan Magan is up for Best New Artist, along with four other awards. He faces stiff competition from 3Ball MTY, who cleaned up at this year’s Billboard’s Mexican Music Awards.

Mexican rock group Maná earned six nominations, and will compete against with Don Omar, Jenni Rivera, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho and Santos in the Artist of the Year category.

Sibling duo Jesse & Joy, the big winners at the Latin Grammys, are up for five awards, including Song of the Year and Video of the Year for “¡Corre!” as well as Album of the Year for ¿Con Quién Se Queda el Perro?.

Juanes was recognized for his critically acclaimed MTV Unplugged album with four nods, tied with Beto Cuevas and Victor Manuelle.

Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Paulina Rubio, Ricardo Arjona, Chino y Nacho, Gerardo Ortiz, La Original Banda El Limón, La Banda El Recodo and Wisin y Yandel each earned three nods.

View the full list of 130 nominations in 33 different categories here and cast your vote until December 23, then tune into Univision on February 21 for the awards show.

Jesse & Joy Win Big at the Latin Grammys…

There’s plenty of joy in Jesse & Joy’s world this week…

The Mexican pop/rock duo proved to be the ultimate victor at Thursday night’s Latin Grammy Awards show.

Jesse & Joy

The 29-year-old Jesse Huerta and his 26-year-old hermanita Joy Huerta picked up four awards during the show, including best record, song and contemporary pop vocal album.

“Thanks to the best fans in the world,” said Jesse, who with his sister picked up the Best New Artist award at the 2007 Latin Grammys. “It feels incredible. We’ve not been at the Latin Grammys since 2007, so this feels like a great comeback.”

Jesse & Joy, who recently released the music video for the duo’s latest single “¿Con Quién Se Queda El Perro?, also won the award for best short form music video for their single “Me Voy.”

Meanwhile, Colombian pop-rock singer Juanes, who will launch a tour next May, took home two awards for his MTV Unplugged set, including album of the year and best short form music video. When asked if he gets nervous before an awards show, he said that he definitely thinks about the entire process.

“I don’t suffer,” said Juanes. “You think maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not. These wins are much more than I imaged.”

Cuban jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval won two trophies for best Latin jazz album (“Dear Diz – Every Day I Think of You“) and best tango album (“Tango – Como Yo Te Siento“).

“I’d like to dedicate this award to my father who turned me on to the tango,” said Sandoval as he received his award. “He was a mechanic, but when he spoke about the tango he knew all of the melodies.”

Mexico’s Carla Morrison, one of the year’s most celebrated indie pop acts, took the prize for best alternative song for her emotionally-driven “Déjenme Llorar,” a song about breaking up, which has helped the singer/songwriter become a YouTube sensation. Later she also won for best alternative music album.

“This is also for all the kids who have broken hearts,” Morrison said.

Mexico’s DJ collective 3BallMTY won the best new artist trophy in an acceptance speech that left the teen act in tears.

“We’re very happy and we really wanted this,” said a tearful Albert Presenda, aka DJ Otto. “We especially want to thank our families who have put up with so much of our traveling.”

Other winners included Pepe Aguilar for best ranchero album, Milly Quezada for best contemporary tropical album for “Aqui Estoy Yo,” Fonseca‘s Ilusion+ for best tropical fusion album — beating out Prince Royce — and Tucanes de Tijuana‘s 365 Dias for best norteño album.

Hosted by actress/singer Lucero and actor Cristian de la Fuente, the first round of awards included a prize for Spanish pop singer David Bisbal, who won for best pop traditional vocal album.

Earlier in the day during the Latin Grammy pre-telecast, more than 30 awards were given in a ceremony at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, including producer of the year to Juan Luis Guerra.

For a complete list of winners, go to latingrammy.com.

Juanes to Launch North American Tour Next May

Following his highly successful MTV special, Juanes is taking his unplugged show on the road in North America…

The 40-year-old Colombian rockero will be performing  in smaller U.S. and Canadian venues next spring.

Juanes

The U.S. leg of Juanes’ Loud and Unplugged Tour will kick-off on Sunday, May 26 at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay in San Diego. The Colombian singer-songwriter will then continue on to Grand Prairie, Texas; Toronto, and Montreal, and performs at Philadelphia’s historic Trocadero Theatre on June 21. Additional dates in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York and others cities are expected to be announced soon.

The tour follows the success of Juanes MTV Unplugged special, which received five Latin Grammy Award nominations. The Unplugged special, released last May, returned the soul to a spectacular career that Juanes had acknowledged was “at a crossroads.”

“I’m trying to remember who I was,” he said during a Q&A at SXSW last March. “All those dreams and all those ideas I had when I started in music.”

The Loud and Unplugged concerts will echo the intimate yet celebratory tone of the record, on which Juanes is joined by his Latin roots rock band, as well as guests likes tropical music star Juan Luis Guerra, who produced the album, and legendary Spanish balladeer Joaquin Sabina.

Last week, Juanes and Guerra announced that they’ll donate 100% of the proceeds of their previously planned November 24 concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to The American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Juanes Concert Dates (and Venues):

May 26: San Diego (Humphrey’s Concerts By the Bay)
June 6: Grand Prairie, TX (Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie)
June 15: Toronto, (Massey Hall)
June 16: Montreal (Metropolis)
June 21: Philadelphia (Trocadero Theatre)