Manuel Medrano Releases New Single “Verano en NY”

Summer may have come and gone, but Manuel Medrano is still embracing the season.

The 35-year-old Colombian Latin Grammy-winning singer has released the new single “Verano en NY.”

Manuel MedranoThe new single pays tribute to a summer in New York with this soulful alt-pop song powered by sincere lyrics inspired by a memorable summer spent with a great love.

The song was co-produced by Juan Ariza, Jona Camacho and Medrano, and features Medrano’s deep vocals chanting lyrics such as, “Remember that summer in New York/ When we walked hand in hand together/ Don’t forget that I’m still alive.”

The accompanying music video, directed by Salomon Simhon and filmed in New York, tells a captivating story about a boy who works at a flower shop and falls in love with one of his customers, daydreaming about various romantic scenarios and always bringing her flowers.

“Verano En NY” is the first single from his upcoming third studio album and showcases Medrano’s artistic and musical evolution, immersing us in magical realism.  

Jona Camacho Releases Otherworldly 360 Audiovisual Video for His New Single, “Memento”

It’s a whole new world for Jona Camacho

The rising Colombian singer-songwriter has released the video for his latest single “Memento,” and he’s promising to take viewers to a whole new world.

Jona Camacho

The 360 audiovisual video is Camacho’s first virtual reality effort that he edited after watching tutorials on YouTube and reading blogs to understand programs like Cinema4D KinectCrazytalk 8 and Protools in order to create the interactive clip.

“I started off with test videos until I decided that I was actually going to risk it and do one all by myself for ‘Memento’,” Camacho tells Billboard. “It’s a really cool concept because not only is it augmented reality, but I was also able to implement a 360-style sound that moves around with the video. I’m not only just providing music, it’s a whole experience that needs your full attention to be able to see what I’m talking about.”

For the virtual reality effect, you’ll need special glasses and to watch the video on your phone. Once you have them on, you enter a post-apocalyptic world with an animated image of Camacho on a television screen welcoming you to the deserted world home to pyramids and a statue of Camacho giving you Big Brother vibes.

“I was able to scan my face for the statue and the TV. It was like creating a whole different world that takes you to a future of emptiness. It’s a dark topic but that’s what I envisioned for ‘Memento,'” he says.

The track gives name to Camacho’s debut album, which was released in May. 

While Camacho was able to pull off creating a virtual reality by himself, he’s leaning on another creative mind for the rest of his virtual reality videos. 

“I learned it because I’m a nerd but I know there are people out there who specialize in creating these types of videos. I’m working with a designer in Cairo for the rest of my videos. People deserve good quality so he’s helping me out with the rest of them.”

If you don’t have the special glasses, you’ll still be able to enter Camacho’s world but won’t get the 360 audiovisual effect. A tip for watching (with or without the glasses): wear headphones and let the music transport you to the unknown.