Yandel Signs with Warner Music Latina

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Yandel has a new deal…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, whose real name is Llandel Veguilla Malavé, has signed with Warner Music Latina, marking his first deal with a major label after releasing his latest albums (Quien Contra Mi 2 and Resistencia) via his own company, Y Entertainment.

The signing took place at the Empire State Building in New York City, where Yandel kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month festivities by leading the lighting ceremony and treating a group of attendees to an intimate concert at the Empire State Building Observatory.

“I am truly excited to join the Warner Music Latina family and look forward to bringing new music to fans worldwide, fostering this new adventure with the label, and continuing to write my musical story together,” said Yandel, who rose to fame more than 20 years ago as one half of the iconic reggaetón duo, Wisin & Yandel.

Yandel’s first release on the label was his Myke Towers collaboration “Borracho y Loco,” which came out on Thursday, September 21.

After scoring countless hits as part of Wisin & Yandel, including “Abusadora” and “Rakata,” Yandel launched a full-fledged solo career in 2013.

In addition to 2003’s Quien Contra Mí — a solo album released prior to Wisin & Yandel’s 2013 hiatus — he’s released a total of eight solo albums, including his 2013’s De Líder a Leyenda, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart. In February, he scored his first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry with “Yandel 150” in collaboration with Feid.

“Yandel’s iconic career has resonated with audiences worldwide, and his influence in the music industry is undeniable,” said Warner Music Latina Alejandro Duque. “This collaboration signifies a new chapter of innovation and creativity. We are excited to work hand in hand with Yandel to bring his music to fans across the globe.”

“Yandel is an artist who embodies both iconic status and forward-thinking vision,” added Warner Music Latina MD Roberto Andrade. “We take immense pride in joining him on this new chapter of his career, contributing to its evolution alongside his dedicated and collaborative team.”

Carin León Earns Fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay Chart with “Indispensable”

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carin León has another indispensible hit…

The 34-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter has earned his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as his latest single, “Indispensable,” climbs 5-1 to lead the August 19-dated ranking.

“Indispensable” is the only song from León’s third studio album Colmillo de Leche to enter Regional Mexican Airplay so far.

The 18-track set, a collage of genres that have influenced the Hermosillo-born singer-songwriter, took him to a top 10 on both Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts, at No. 5 high and No. 10, respectively, on charts dated June 3.

“Indispensable” takes the lead on Regional Mexican Airplay with Greatest Gainer honors, thanks to a 22% gain in audience impressions, to 7.7 million, earned in the U.S. during the August 4-10 according to Luminate.

With the leap, the song ejects Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Frágil,” with Grupo Frontera, from the top slot following a one-week reign. The track falls to No. 5.

With “Indispensable,” León earns his fourth No. 1 on the radio list and first as a soloist, unaccompanied by any other collaborator. He previously ruled with the six-week champ “Que Vuelvas,” with Grupo Frontera (between January-March), and through a guest spot on Banda MS’ “Ojos Cerrados” for three weeks in 2022. His first ruler, though, arrived with “El Tóxico,” with Grupo Firme, which dominated for two weeks in 2021.

Beyond its Regional Mexican Airplay coronation, “Indispensable” rises from No. 11 to its new No. 6 peak on the overall Latin Airplay survey, giving León his sixth top 10 there.

Belinda Signs Exclusive Record Deal with Warner Music México

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s an exclusive for Belinda.

The 33-year-old Spanish-Mexican singer and actress has inked an exclusive record deal with Warner Music México that will represent a new stage in her career 10 years after her last album release.

The official signing took place on Monday, August 7 at Warner Music Latina headquarters in Miami Beach, where Belinda was joined by Warner Music México MD Tomas Rodriguez and Warner Music Latina president Alejandro Duque.

“We are honored to welcome Belinda, one of the most important artists in Latin pop music, to our WML family,” Duque expressed in a press statement. “Her undeniable talent, versatility, and dedication to her art make her a unique and exceptional artist. We are excited to accompany her on this new stage of her career, confident that together, we will reach new horizons and make history in her return to music.”

The artist, born Belinda Peregrín Schüll, was only 10 years old when she was cast as the lead in the Mexican children’s telenovela Amigos x Siempre. In addition to her film and TV roles, Belinda has released four studio albums: Belinda (2004), Utopía (2006), Carpe Diem (2010) and Catarsis (2013) — all of which entered the top 10 of Billboard‘s Latin Pop Albums chart. Catarsis, her last set, peaked at No. 4 on the Top Latin Albums chart in 2013.

“Throughout my musical career I have been lucky enough to come across wonderful people but also difficult and unexpected situations that did not allow me to maximize my potential and stop believing,” said Belinda in an Instagram post. “I stopped believing in the industry and companies. Today, years later, I decided to believe again. Believing in myself, in my music, in my career and in a wonderful team, which at a time very different from the one I had to live in the past, is fully committed. Thank you for believing.”

Belinda will soon unveil her new music projects under the signing.

Universal Music Publishing Group to Administer Publishing Rights to Jenni Rivera’s Global Catalog

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

The late Jenni Rivera’s global catalog has a new administrator…

The Jenni Rivera Estate has signed a global deal with Universal Music Publishing Group to administer the publishing rights for the late banda singer’s global catalog.

“I’m so excited about this new partnership with Universal Music Publishing. It’ll bring great achievements for my mom’s legacy and for Jenni Rivera Enterprises,” said Jacqie Rivera, CEO of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, in a statement. “We’re confident that this amazing group of empowered women behind Universal Music Publishing will help expand the Jenni Rivera music catalog, something that our mother would have loved. Our mom had her hand in making this decision. While looking through her files, we found an email from years back showing that it was her plan all along to go with Universal Music Publishing.”

Jacqie — the second of Jenni’s five children — took over as head of the Jenni Rivera estate in January 2022, signaling a change of direction in the management of Jenni Rivera’s estate, which had been helmed by Jenni’s sister, Rosie Rivera, since the singer’s death in 2012.

After taking the reins, Jackie — along with her four siblings Chiquis, Mike, Jenicka and Johnny — released the posthumous album Misión Cumplida in June featuring original recordings they discovered after taking over the estate.

Jenni — at the pinnacle of her career — tragically died in 2012 at 43 years old. The most successful woman in Regional Mexican on the Billboard charts, she has a total of 19 entries on Top Latin Albums, 12 of which reached the top 10 and seven of which topped the chart.

She has earned a total of 12 entries on the Billboard 200 and has 14 top 10 hits on the Regional Mexican Airplay tally.

“We share the news of the signing of the Jenni Rivera Estate with much joy! Jenni was someone who inspired the fans of her music and empowered them,” added Alexandra Lioutikoff, president of Latin America & U.S. Latin, Universal Music Publishing Group. “She was a fighter and a woman with much success, and her music will always be remembered because it opened many doors for women in the regional Mexican genre.”

Peso Pluma Earns First No. 1 on Any Billboard Album Chart with “Genesis”

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Peso Pluma is celebrating his first No. 1 on any Billboard album chart…

The 24-year-old Mexican singer/songwriter’s album Génesis rises to No. 1 (from No. 35) on the Top Latin Albums chart dated July 8 after its first full tracking week.

It also advances 10-1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart.

Génesis’ coronation arrives a week after the album debuted on both lists dated July 1 with only one day of activity. The original version of the album, comprising 14 tracks, was released on an off-cycle Thursday (June 22), the final day of the June 16-22 tracking week.

The new Génesis, containing three bonus tracks, was released on June 30. Both versions of the album have been combined for tracking and charting purposes, while the original version has been removed from platforms.

According to Luminate, Génesis earned 73,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during its first official tracking week ending June 29. It becomes the biggest week by units earned for a regional Mexican album ever, dating back to when the all-genre Billboard 200 chart began ranking by units in December 2014. The previous largest week by total units arrived just less than two months ago, when Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado launched with 44,000 units (May 13-dated list).

An equivalent album unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album (track equivalent album units, TEA), or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album (streaming equivalent album units, SEA).

As is standard among new artists, streaming powers nearly all of Génesis’ first-week totals. Out of its 73,000 units, 72,000 stem from SEA units. That figure equals to 101.18 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs. Traditional album sales contribute just under 1,000 of the remaining balance, with a slice of negligible units deriving from TEA.

With 101.8 million streams, Génesis boasts the largest streaming week ever for a regional Mexican album. Previously, Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado drew the largest, with 63.51 million official U.S. streams (May 13).

Génesis becomes only the fifth Latin album to garner at least 100 million on-demand streams for its songs in a single week, following multiple weeks by Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, two for Bunny’s YHLQMDLG, one for Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo, and one for Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito.

Further, Génesis becomes the fourth regional Mexican effort to lead Top Latin Albums this decade, after Alejandro Fernández’s Hecho en México (one week, Feb. 29, 2020) and two Eslabon Armado albums, Vibras de Noche (one week, Aug. 2020) and Desvelado (one week, May13).

Elsewhere, Génesis launches at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, his first entry and top 10 there. The set concurrently outpaces the two other regional Mexican albums which have seized a spot in the top 10, both by Eslabon Armado: Nostalgia (No. 9 debut and peak, May 2022) and Desvelado (No. 6 debut and peak, May 13).

Ozuna Signs with Scooter Braun‘s SB Projects

Posted on June 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ozuna is hoping to build up his music empire with a little extra braun…

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and rapper has signed with Scooter Braun‘s SB Projects.

The management deal is a partnership with Edgar Andino, founder and CEO of Andino Marketing Group.

Ozuna joins a SB Projects roster that includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, among others.

The company also previously managed Colombian powerhouse J Balvin, who parted ways with SB in June 2022 and is now signed to Roc Nation.

“I’m confident that Scooter and his team’s global music expertise will open doors into new markets,” Ozuna said in a statement. “We all share the same strategic vision and direction to keep spreading my music worldwide. I’m truly excited about all the new opportunities the future holds.”

“His music is a true voice of his community, and we look forward to working with him here at Hybe on a global scale,” Braun, CEO of HYBE America, added.

A key figure in Ozuna’s team, Andino has helped the singer-songwriter land global deals that range from NFT collaborations to releasing a song for the Call of Duty video game.

Most recently, he led negotiations for Ozuna’s inclusion in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack, performing “Arhbo” with rapper GIMS. The uplifting song, which they performed at the World Cup’s closing ceremony, peaked at No. 1 Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart.

“Working with Ozuna over these past years, one thing is for certain, we always go big,” added Andino. “For us, Scooter and SB Projects align with our vision. They are the perfect partners to help in our continued approach and take Ozuna to the next level of his career. We cannot be more thrilled and cannot wait for everyone to see what we have coming next.”

In May, he released Afro, a seven-track EP where he experiments with Afrobeats. It followed his 2022 studio album, Ozutochi, which landed at No. 5 on the Top Latin Albums chart. Ozuna is set to embark on his Afro Tour across Europe this summer, which has 16 confirmed dates, including stops in France, Spain, Italy, Israel and Holland. The monthlong trek kicks off July 7 in France and wraps Aug. 6 in Spain.

“We’ve been following Ozuna’s career for years and we’re excited to be bringing him into the family to work with him and Edgar,” Jennifer McDaniels, president of management at SB Projects, said in a statement.

“Ozuna’s music is unmatched. His ability to work across genres including reggaeton, Latin pop, and more, is phenomenal. With unique songs offering fresh perspective and beautiful sounds, we’re thrilled to amplify his artistry with this partnership.”

Eslabon Armado’s “Desvelado” Makes History on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart with No. 1 Debut

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Eslabon Armado is making history…

The Regional Mexican group has earned a place in the Latin music history books with the No. 1 debut of their full-length album Desvelado on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart dated May 13.

With 44,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week, the set scores the largest week for a regional Mexican album since the survey started measuring titles by units in February 2017.

“It means a lot being No. 1 on Top Latin Albums,” Pedro Tovar tells Billboard. “It’s probably our favorite album, but we didn’t expect it to go that high! Mainly because I know that people don’t like something at first, but when four, five, six months or a whole year pass by, there’s always that one song that hits, and then everybody is like, ‘Oh, this is my favorite album!’”

Desvelado was released April 27 via DEL Records. The 16-track effort starts with 44,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the April 28-May 4 tracking week, according to Luminate.

As its predecessor (Nostalgia, 2022), nearly all of Desvelado’s first-week total was fueled by streaming-equivalent album units, with 43,000 stemming from the metric. In total, its songs drew 63.51 million official U.S. streams – the most in a week ever for a regional Mexican album.

The set also boasts the fifth biggest streaming opening week among Latin albums, after Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (365.55 million official streams, May 2022), YHLQMDLG (201.37 million, March 2020) and El Último Tour del Mundo (145.94 million, Dec. 2020), as well as Karol G’s Mañana Sera Bonito (118.73 million streams, March 11-dated list).

On the all-genre Billboard 200, Desvelado opens at No. 6, becoming the highest rank ever for a regional Mexican album, since the ranking started measuring by units in December 2014. It also becomes the second album to hit the top 10, surpassing Eslabon Armado’s No. 9-peaking Nostalgia in May 2022.

“The hardest challenge producing and recording this album was the timing,” Tovar remembers. “We wanted to release it on the 27th and we had such a short time to record everything. Plus, I didn’t really get much time to put in the final touches, so I put it on God’s hands. The result was amazing.”

As Desvelado arrives at the summit on Top Latin Albums, Eslabon Armado maintain their perfect run of six straight top 10s among six chart appearances. Out of those, one other album took the quartet up the penthouse: the one-week ruler VIbras de Noche in August 2020. Plus, Eslabon’s sixth studio effort sends Benito’s Un Verano Sin Ti to No. 2 after its 46-nonconsecutive-week domination. (Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito crowned for five weeks in between.)

Desvelado was preceded by the No. 1 viral hit “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma — in its fourth week in charge on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart. It concurrently reaches No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, with 34.6 million official U.S. streams, up 2%. It’s the first regional Mexican song to lead the list and the first No. 1 on the chart for both acts. Elsewhere, “Ella Baila Sola” rises 20-9 on the all-Latin-genre Latin Airplay tally with 6.7 million in audience impressions earned during the same tracking week, a first top 10 for Peso Pluma there.

Meanwhile, among the new recruits on Hot Latin Songs, “Así Lo Quiso Dios,” with Luis R. Conriquez, bows at No. 24. “Quédate Conmigo,” with Grupo Frontera, follows at No. 25, while “Quiés Es El?” starts at No. 33.

“Honestly, ‘Quédate Conmigo,’ with Grupo Frontera, is the song I relate to with the most,” Tovar muses. “It’s super romantic and it fits me perfectly because now I am in love. In a way, I am kind of dedicating that song to a special someone.”

About Desvelado’s eight collaborations, Tovar concludes: “I think the best one is with Peso Pluma, mainly because it’s the No. 1 song. Everywhere I go I hear it… everywhere! I don’t get tired of singing that song at all.”

Luis Miguel Announces 43-Date North & South American Tour

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Miguel is hitting the road…

The 53-year-old Mexican singer, known as El Sol de Mexico, has revealed the dates for his 43-date stint in North and South America that will kick off on August 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The trek will visit major cities in the U.S. such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles before wrapping up on December 17 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The tour is produced by CMN.

It’s Luis Miguel’s first tour in years. His last tour — México Por Siempre, which ran from 2018 to 2019 — grossed $101.4 million and sold 965,000 tickets across 116 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.

It was the highest grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history until last year when Bad Bunny‘s El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour surpassed it.

The anticipation for this trek began when Luis Miguel simply posted on Instagram “Luis Miguel Tour 2023” in February without offering more details.

Whether he’ll drop new music to coincide with the tour is still up in the air.

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The elusive artist released ¡MÉXICO Por Siempre! in 2017, which won album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards.

Luis Miguel is one of Latin music’s biggest star and one of the top vocalists of his generation. The chart-topping artist has notched 16 No. 1 songs on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, and nine leaders on the Top Latin Albums tally.

Wisin & Yandel Scores 16th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart with Rosalia-Collab “Besos Moja2”

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Sweet Sixteen for Wisin & Yandel.

The Puerto Rican Grammy– and Latin Grammy-winning reggaeton duo have taken over Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as the Rosalia-collaboration “Besos Moja2” rises 2-1 to lead the April 1-dated ranking.

The new champ hits the top after the song’s domination on Latin Rhythm Airplay, where it holds strong at No. 1 for a fourth week.

“Besos Moja2” is a contemporary reggaetón version of Wisin & Yandel’s “Besos Mojados” produced by Luny Tunes and originally released as part of the duo’s sixth studio album, La Revolución (No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, May 2009).

The new Rosalía-assisted version stems from the Puerto Rican’s 10th and farewell full-length set as a duo, La Última Misión, which debuted and peaked at No. 14 on Top Latin Albums and reached top 10 on Latin Rhythm Albums last October.

“Besos Moja2,” produced by the same team plus Los Legendarios and Noah Goldstein, stretches to No. 1 on Latin Airplay, after two weeks in the runner-up slot, with a 3% increase in audience impressions, to 12 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 23, according to Luminate.

The collaboration gives Wisin & Yandel their 16th No. 1. The duo extends its record for the most champs among groups, ahead of Maná’s 11 leaders, and Zion & Lennox’s eight No. 1s. Among all acts, J Balvin continues to lead with 35 No. 1s. “Besos Moja2” arrives atop of the chart following Wisin & Yandel’s one week command through “Mayor Que Usted,” with Natti Natasha and Daddy Yankee, in September 2022.

Rosalía, meanwhile, secures her seventh No. 1, and sixth consecutive, after conquering Latin Airplay also for one week with the bachata “El Pañuelo,” with Romeo Santos on the survey dated February 25.

Rosalia to Become First Artist Featured on FC Barcelona’s Men’s & Women’s Team Home Kits

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rosalia is picking sides…

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 30-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter’s Motomami, the Grammy-winning album’s logo will be emblazoned on FC Barcelona’s jerseys for their El Clásico match against Real Madrid.

Rosalia becomes the first artist to be featured on both the men’s and women’s teams home kits as part of Barcelona’s partnership with Spotify.

The limited-edition shirt with the Motomami logo will also be available for fans to purchase.

Rosalía follows Drake who, in October, had his OVO brand owl logo placed on the front of the FC Barcelona men’s jerseys for the match after becoming the first artist to surpass 50 billion streams on Spotify.

“We’re honored to give up our space on the FC Barcelona shirt to celebrate Rosalía – the most streamed Spanish artist on Spotify in 2022,” Marc Hazan, vice president of partnerships, Spotify said in a statement. “It’s a chance to continue the celebration of our unique partnership with FC Barcelona and continue to bring the worlds of football and music together.”

In 2022, Rosalía was the most-streamed Spanish artist in the world on Spotify, with streams of her tracks growing by more than 110% year over year, and she was also the most-streamed female artist in Barcelona, according to the company.

Juli Guiu, vice president of marketing, FC Barcelona, added: “Seeing such a renowned artist as Rosalía on the beloved Barça jersey is a wonderful surprise for our fans around the world. Music and football form a special partnership with a long future ahead of them and we are happy to add another chapter to the story alongside the world’s most popular music streaming platform, Spotify.”

Barcelona’s El Clásico match will take place on March 19. The women’s team will then also wear the Motomami jerseys at their match on March 25.

Both team’s players will also be curating the El Clásico Matchday playlists featuring the top songs to motivate the players in the build up to the matches, which will, of course, include their favorite Rosalía songs.

Rosalía’s Motomami peaked at No. 3 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart. It won the Latin Grammy for album of the year. Most recently, Rosalía confirmed a joint three-song project with boyfriend and fellow artist Rauw Alejandro titled RR, set for release on March 24.

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