Chesca will be celebrating culture and creativity…
Penske Media Corporation has announced that the Puerto Rican singer will perform at its inaugural two-day culture and creativity festival LA3C.
Chesca is among a list of recently added performers that includes Piso 21 and Kyle.
In addition, Grammy-nominated producer TOKiMONSTA was announced as the Sunday headliner for the Hot Import Nights Stage, which will also include performance sets by Accia, Cuco and Rosegold. Additionally, VIBE, the leading entertainment and lifestyle brand in celebrating Black culture, will host a special 30th anniversary set featuring LA native producer and DJ Linafornia.
Click here for the full two-day event lineup, featuring headliners Maluma and Megan Thee Stallion.
Food, fine artists and on-site experiences for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.
Penske Media’s first-ever culture and creativity festival will take over the Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10 and 11, 2022.
LA3C stands for Los Angeles the Capital of Culture & Creativity and aims to connect communities through the city’s music, food and art.
Additionally, LA3C will support the next generations of creative talent in Los Angeles through partnerships with nonprofit arts organizations Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) and Film Independent.
The festival and performance sets are slated to run from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT on the first day and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. PT on day two. All attendees must be over 21 years of age.
Tickets for LA3C are now available to purchase here.
The 36-year-old Colombian reggaetonero will co-headline Viva! L.A., a new, one-day festival set to take place at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium on June 25.
The new festival is being held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Viva! Pomona, an annual festival launched 10 years ago.
Produced by Goldenvoice, the Viva! L.A. Music Festival will also be headlined byDaddy Yankee, Becky G and Kali Uchis.
The multi-genre fest will also feature performances by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Lenin Ramirez, Carin Leon, Tainy, Carla Morrison, Ivy Queen, Cuco, Los Dos Carnales, The Marías, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Chicano Batman, Ed Maverick, Cazzu, La Sonora Dinamita, Lido Piemienta, Eslabon Armado, among many others.
Additionally, the festival will donate $1 of every ticket sold to the Los Angeles-based nonprofit No Us Without You LA, which is committed to feeding L.A.’s undocumented immigrant communities.
Launched in the pandemic, the volunteer-run organization now provides support to “hundreds of food insecure hospitality, day laborers, street vendors and mariachi families.”
Viva! was originally created a decade ago by Rene Contreras who wanted to bring resources to his hometown in Southern California via backyard shows and gigs at local spots. “Viva! goes beyond just a music festival, it has a strong mission of building community and representation, which has led to its cult following that started in L.A. and has since gone global,” according to a press release. “The fest celebrates those often overshadowed immigrants, youth of color, the underserved, the working class in the suburbs, various marginalized communities and artists that have long been pushed out of the larger anglo music arena.”
The Viva! Pomona shows will still continue under the Viva! umbrella.
Ticket pre-sale starts Saturday at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets go on sale to the general public later that day at 2 p.m. For ticket and festival information, visit https://vivamusicfestival.com.
Junior Mesa has found(ry-ed) his place on YouTube…
YouTube Music has revealed its Foundry New Class of 2021, with 27 independent artists representing 14 countries across a variety of genres, including the Latino American singer.
This is YouTube’s largest class to date since the program’s inception in 2015.
The global artist development program, which “helps independent artists use music and storytelling to engage fans across borders,” per a press release, provides artists with marketing, promotion, and development support, and tools to help set them up for long-term success.
In addition to Junior Mesa, seven Latin artists have been included on the list this year — including three who were recently featured on Billboard’sEmerging Latin Artists to Discover in 2021 list. They join other Latinx Foundry alumni like Natanael Cano, Eladio Carrion, Cuco and Omar Apollo.
Ambar Lucid Country: U.S.A. Genre: Alternative/Indie
Ambar Lucid is a New Jersey-born singer-songwriter of Dominican and Mexican descent. She began to pen her own songs in her mid-teens, and ultimately put her hazy, bilingual indie-pop tracks onto SoundCloud.
“To me, being independent means having creative control and power over myself and my art,” she says to YouTube. “Success means being able to do things my way while having a loyal group of supporters with me throughout my journey.” Earlier this year, Lucid signed with independent label 300 Entertainment.
Bad Milk Country: Colombia Genre: Urban/Pop
Bad Milk (born Manuelita Garcia) has developed a following with her soulful vocals and urban-infused pop tracks. Her first single of 2021, “Ego,” was helmed by Latin hitmaker Ovy on the Drums, who also gave her his stamp of approval on his track “Angelito,” featuring Bad Milk and fellow Colombian newcomer Beéle.
“I love to experiment with different sounds and portray different emotions. I don’t enjoy putting my creativity in a box,” she says. “I see music as a mission. It’s definitely what I came here to do.”
Blessd Country: Colombia Genre: Urban/Hip-Hop
Also hailing from Colombia is Blessd (real name: Stiven Mesa Londoño), whose witty freestyle and sweet, crisp vocals are landing him major collaborations. The 21-year-old rapper, who kicked off his career in 2019, has already dropped tracks alongside Maluma, The Black Eyed Peas, Ovy on the Drums, The Rude Boyz and Piso 21.
Forming part of YouTube’s Foundry class is a great opportunity for Blessd, who mentioned that “being an artist is a dream I always had and also something I needed to do for my family. As an independent artist, I feel free.”
Junior Mesa Country: U.S.A. Genre: Alternative/Indie
California-based newcomer Junior Mesa is bringing a fresh sound to indie music while staying inspired by the greats. With songs such as “Far Out,” “Losing my Grip” and “Pushing Away,” the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is immersed in a trippy psych-pop sound that’s influenced by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & The Family Stone.
“Being independent is a mentality,” he assures. “Claiming independence is saying: We are not the same! I will not conform to your standards. I will express myself in a way that satisfies my will, not yours!”
Marina Sena Country: Brazil Genre: Pop
What Brazilian newcomer Marina Sena loves about being an independent artist is creating a sound that incorporates traditional genres such as Bossanova and funk with a soulful, seductive twist. “To be an independent artist is to have determination, free will, freedom,” she notes. “After starting my solo career on the right foot and being about to release my first full album, there’s nothing better than support to bet on my sound and make it reach people all over the world.”
Tokischa
Country: Dominican Republic Genre: Urban
With her bold attitude and unapologetic lyrics, Tokischa is changing theTokischa dembow game one single (and collaboration) at a time. With songs such as “Tukuntazo,” “El Rey de la Popola” and “No Me Importa” making the rounds, the Dominican trapera has already garnered the attention of artists such as J Balvin, Anuel and Karol G. “My music has no labels,” she says. “It’s a free, new wave. I’m excited to stand out in countries that are far from my culture.”
Tuyo Country: Brazil Genre: Alternative/Indie
Brazilian trio Tuyo — made up of Machado, Lio and Lay Soares — is making waves with an organic sound that experiments with folk music, lo-fi hip-hop and synth-pop. The São Paulo-based act says that their music is “more about a feeling” than a genre. “We mix very delicate vocals with strong rhythms. It’s music for floating, for flying. We are whole, happy, and successful when we can communicate with people through music.”
Anthony Valadez (a.k.a. DJ Valadez) is hitting the Southern California airwaves to celebrate Latin music.
The Latino deejay and radio host has launched KROQ‘s first-ever Latin show Alternalido from his makeshift studio at home in Venice Beach.
The two-hour show, the first of its kind for L.A.’s alternative KROQ-FM station (owned by Entercom), kicked off with the music of artists including Chicano Batman, Cuco, Ozomatli and Bomba Estéreo, to name a few.
“Last night I had a lot of anxiety,” Valadez, who serves as host and curator of Alternalido, tells Billboard. “Latin alternative means so many things to different people. You’ve got fans that love Maná and then you have new artists like Omar Apollo and Ambar Lucid who want to break rules and do their own things.”
In an effort to better serve the bilingual Latin community in California — which has the largest Latino population in the
U.S. — Alternalidoaims to spotlight an array of Latin alternative sounds from around the world.
“Think of it like it’s Anthony Bourdain behind the turntables taking you around the world through sound,” Valadez says.
While the idea of a Latin-centric show was floated around a few years ago, now was the “perfect time” to go live, according to Jeff Federman, Entercom’s regional president. “We are so much better than we were when we entered March because we were forced to catch up on technology and learn to be even more resourceful. It’s almost a renaissance for radio.”
Mike Kaplan, senior vp/programming at Entercom, echoes Federman. “It’s exciting to know that we’re evolving and taking it to the next step. It was needed in this station. There are no boundaries in music.”
It was precisely that that drew Valadez — who will keep his weekend show on KCRW— to be part of the show as a host and curator. “In a new space and a new era, there’s more room for experimentation. Latin alternative is not new — it’s been there and it’s been neglected. And for these guys to say, ‘Let’s showcase this,’ yeah let’s break rules, that’s super important to me.”
Valadez, who has hosted weekly radio programs for the past 20 years, says he’s not only excited to offer a new home for Latin alternative artists but to be able to create a sense of community in trying times.
“People need community more than ever,” Valadez says. “This is music that is hand-picked and that’s a beautiful thing. The show is very inviting, it’s created with love for everybody and no matter where you come from, you’ll hear something you like.”
Alternalido airs Sundays from 8:00 -10:00 pm PST on KROQ.
Pandorais adding a new Latin music station, El Detour, which aims to highlight the work of Latinx recording acts who don’t necessarily belong to a genre or have the exposure of mainstream artists, like the 25-year-old Colombian American singer/songwriter.
Uchis will appear alongside acts like Girl Ultra and The Marias, all known for their distinct and vibrant music styles, from R&B to psychedelic soul.
“We wanted to create a station that highlights the genres and artists that don’t necessarily fit in a box and defy genres, music that is outside of the mainstream created by Latinos both in Latin America and the U.S.,” Marcos Juarez, Pandora’s head of Latin music, tells Billboard. “We were very intentional in the way that we chose songs. We wanted to highlight Latin music in 2019 that is outside of the mainstream.”
The Pandora Latin team, including music programmer Leticia Ramirez who came up with the El Detour station name, oversees Pandora’s Latin offerings, including El Pulso’s urban music and RMX, a station dedicated to the regional Mexican genre.
El Detour aims to show the diversity of Latin music in thoughtfully curated playlists that include everything from electro-pop to tropical fusion as the music streaming platform celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.
“It became clear to us that there were a ton of artists — and this has been true for ages — operating in the margins outside of mainstream commercial music,” Juarez said. “El Detour highlights some of these bigger artists who are huge right now such as Cuco, Kali Uchis and Bomba Estero, artists we have heard of and some are signed to major labels. But we also really wanted to highlight and celebrate a lot of those artists working to build audiences in their respective regions.”
Juarez revealed that Pandora is kicking off the El Detour marketing campaign with Cuco, Kali Uchis, Helado Negro and The Marias, adding that they represent a diverse cross section of distinct sounds.
“Something in English, something in Spanish, they are bicultural and they straddle both sides of Latin identity, American identity and they are emblematic of young Latinos of the U.S. consuming music from all over the place,” Juarez said. “We see this reflected in festival culture such as Viva Pomona[in Southern California] or Tropicalia, which is coming later in the year.”
Juarez also pointed out some of Pandora’s offerings of Latin classics, nostalgic music from around the world, such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Colombia. It’s a way of “creating relatable listening music experiences in whatever genre or mood you are in,” he adds.
“Pandora has always been adept at fostering discovery,” Juarez said. “With this project we are looking to accelerate that process of discovery and put music in front of people that otherwise may not be aware of. Latin music continues to thrive and I think we have had success in being reflective of Latino culture and being representative of the diversity of it all.”
Goldenvoice has announced the return of Tropicália Music and Taco Festival, with the Mexican rock en español band joining the lineup.
Takin place on November 9 and 10 in Southern California, the two-day festival will feature performances from Caifanes, Los Tigres Del Norte, Kali Uchis and Chicano Batman at its new location at the Pico Rivero Sports Arena grounds in Los Angeles County.
Enanitos Verdes, Hombres G, Natalia Lafourcade, Zoe, Cuco, Boy Pablo, Omar Apollo, Maldita Vencidad, Paquita La Del Barrio, Yellow Days, Wallows, The Drums, Fidlar, Bomba Estereo and more will also perform at this year’s fest.
The packed lineup also includes Beach Fossils, Oh Sees, Chulita Vinyl Club, Men I Trust, Peach Pit, SALES, Los Angeles Negros, Los Cadetes De Linares, Los Freddy’sand Los Hurricanes.
After two years in Long Beach, the Latin indie music festival will relocate and partner with L.A. Taco. The Los Angeles-based taco-focused website will curate the vendors for the first time, including Teddy’s Red Tacos, Balam Mexican Kitchen and Triple Threat, with more to be announced.
Mon Laferte is taking on the music of a legend… And it’s all for a good cause.
The 35-year-old Chilean singer-songwriter will perform at “Selena for Sanctuary,” a free concert that’s part of the summer festival Lincoln Center Out of Doors.
The concert aims to raise awareness about the dire situation of undocumented immigrant that has caused a national outcry, with the music of Selena being used to entertain and educate people about the plight of undocumented immigrants facing deportation.
“I am very excited to be part of this event,” said Laferte, a Latin Grammy winner. “I admire Selena and I grew up singing her songs. It is an honor for me to be able to sing her songs and to support this initiative with a subject like migration, which concerns us all.”
The show will also feature singers Gaby Moreno, Cuco and Nina Diaz, as well as special guest appearances by guitarist Chris Perez, Selena’s widower; Omar Apollo, and August Eve.
Created by Doris Munoz, daughter of undocumented immigrants, “Selena for Sanctuary” pays tribute to the most successful artist in Latin music while fighting for a cause. It arrives at the outdoor stage of the prestigious Lincoln Centerafter having smaller editions in South California.
“This event started as a simple idea and call to action after the current administration threatened our community’s sanctuary cities which affected my working-class undocumented parents,” Munoz said, referring to the policies of President Donald Trump.
She added: “It only feels necessary to leverage the platform we have been blessed with to help our community in need. This event is as personal as it gets, there are millions of families like my own and if this inspires at least one person to get involved we’ve done our job.”
More than two decades after her passing, Selena Quintanilla still inspires fans and musicians alike.
“We know Selena is a Tejano music icon and a legend, but beyond that, she represents the Latin American people as someone who fought for her dreams, overcoming many difficulties, always defending tooth and nail the Latino roots she carried inside,” Moreno said in an email.
Selena broke barriers for women in Latin music and opened the floodgates for a new generation of contemporary artists of Latin descent who would go on to enjoy huge popularity with mainstream American audiences.
She was fatally shot by her fan club’s president at 23. She has sold more than 65 million units worldwide, making her the best-selling female artist in Latin music history.
To Cuco, the late Tejano star launched a new era of representation for people of color in the industry.
“This event is important to me because it paves a way for people that went through the same struggle that my parents went through,” said the Mexican-American singer.
Chesca is among a list of recently added performers that includes Piso 21 and Kyle.
