Mr. Pauer Signs with Sony Music Latin’s Electronic Label, Orianna

Mr. Pauer has a new deal…

The 48-year-old Venezuelan Latin Grammy nominated artist/producer/DJ is teaming up with Orianna, Sony Music Latin’s electronic label, for the release of his upcoming studio album, Inevitable.

 

The set—marking Pauer’s fourth album following Soundtrack (2014), Orange (2015) and Fiera (2022) — is slated for release in the first quarter of 2024 as the first album to be launched under the Orianna banner.

Earlier this year, Orianna and Pauer launched “Pa’Onde Vamos” in collaboration with David Tort, Markem and Rayo.

“For me it’s a great step in my career to be able to work with a Latin electronic label like Orianna under the Sony Spain umbrella,” the Miami-based, Venezuelan DJ and producer tells Billboard. “This is the first time in my career that I have released an album with a label. I like independence but at this point in my career, I like to work more as a team and grow together with the same intention.”

The first single off Inevitable, a collaboration with Colombian artist Goyo called “Química,” which drops on Friday, November 3.

“We’ve known each other for over 20 years, even before ChocQuibTown was created. We’ve always had great respect for each other and the timing was right for our first collaboration,” Pauer says of his relationship with the 2023 Billboard Latin Women in Music Agent of Change recipient.

Created in the summer, “Química” is a dance-ready track that perfectly laces Goyo’s powerhouse vocals and Pauer’s tropi-pop fusions that include Venezuelan cumaco (drums), Colombian tambor alegre, and electronic beats.

“I am excited to have a team that supports, understands and dances to the rhythm of Mr. Pauer,” he notes. “Latin electronic music is in a good moment and it’s dominating globally.”

Amazon Music LAT!N’s Angie Romero Among LAMC’s “Wonder Women of Latin Music” Honorees

Angie Romero is a Wonder Woman…

The Latin Alternative Music Conference has announced the honorees for the third edition of its Wonder Women of Latin Music, including the Latina music executive who works for Amazon Music LAT!N.

Angie Romero

The Wonder Women of Latin Music celebrates female leaders making a difference in the industry.

Presented by Amazon Music LAT!N, this year’s Class of 2022 includes 20 women who represent a range of companies and countries. As is tradition, the list was curated by the LAMC team spearheaded by founder Tomas Cookman.

According to LAMC, the 2022 Wonder Women of Latin Music will be recognized with a special award and a social media campaign.

Additionally, the free virtual conference — set to take place April 27-29 — will also host a Wonder Women of Latin Music panel as part of this year’s schedule. Speakers include Romero, The Latin Recording Academy’s Iveliesse Malavé, Apple Music’s Marissa Lopez, Creative Management Firm’s Yvette Medina, and artists Goyo from ChocQuibTown and Villano Antillano.

“It is so important for us to celebrate and uplift the voices of the women in our industry who have been instrumental in the tremendous growth of Latin music worldwide,” says Rocío Guerrero, global head of Latin Music for Amazon Music. “It is an honor to join LAMC in presenting the third annual Wonder Women of Latin Music awards that celebrate these accomplished women who continue to inspire us.”

This year’s LAMC will have a third annual virtual conference and, for the first time since 2019, the LAMC returns for an in-person event in New York set to take place July 6-9 at the Stewart Hotel. Registration for both the online and summer event is now open. For more information and/or to register, visit www.latinalternative.com.

Speakers for the online event include Pepe Aguilar,Kany Garcia,Guaynaa,Carla Morrison, Fito Paez and Ana Tijoux. Artists who will be part of the in-person event will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Here’s the complete list of Wonder Women of Latin Music 2020 honorees:

Yvette Medina — Creative Management Firm
Pili Montilla — TV host and producer
Nerea Igualador — Sony Music U.S. Latin
Celeste Zendejas — CESAC
Angie Romero — Amazon Music
Amy Roland — Sony Music Publishing
Iveliesse Malavé — The Latin Recording Academy
Azucena Olvera — Pandora
Fátima Rodriguez — Grupo Toro
Loren Medina — Guerrera PR
Daniela Bosé — Palacio Vistalegre Arena
Patricia Flores — Apple Music
Tania Dorante — Meta
Inés Sapochnik — The Orchard
Monica Escobar — The 3 Collective
Fabiana Kulick — Live Nation
Núria Net — La Coctelera Music
Martha Ledezma — Fonovisa/Universal
Mariauxy Castillo-Vitale — Apple
María Montejo — Warner Music Colombia

ChocQuibTown Releases New Single “Bitcoin”

ChocQuibTown is having a bit(coin) of fun…

The Colombian group, composed of Goyo, Tostao and Slow, has released their new single “Bitcoin.”

ChocQuibTownCo-written by the group, Gerald Jiménez, Edgar Barrera, Jael Andrés Correa and Juan Diego Medina, the lyrics hold a very mature reflection after a breakup.

“I’m only rising, I look like a bitcoin and you’re calling me like a loser,” chants Goyo. “You never gave me importance, now respect the distance.”

Produced by Slow himself, “Bitcoin” is a catchy urban pop single with the group’s rhythmic melodies at the root.

Goyo recently embarked on her solo career but made it very clear that ChocQuibTown was not separating. This single is evidence of that promise.

Nicky Jam to Bring “Rockstar Show” to Billboard Latin Music Week, with Jhay Cortez as Special Guest

Nicky Jam is bringing his (Rockstar) Show on the road…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American will bring his talk show Rockstar Show live to Billboard Latin Music Week, and he’s booked Jhay Cortez as his special guest.

Nicky Jam

The intimate experience is set to take place on September 22 exclusively for Billboard Latin Music Week registrants, with capacity limited.

Nicky Jam’s talk show, his passion project, launched in January with Maluma as his first guest.

Daddy YankeeKarol G and Nicky Jam are also confirmed for Billboard’s 2021 Latin Music Week, returning to Miami in September with a weeklong event that unites the top Latin hitmakers, influencers and industry leaders, and features live performances and conversations with superstars.

Latin Music Week will feature one-of-a-kind performances, panels, conversations and more with the aforementioned artists. Karol G will take center stage in The Superstar Q&A on September 21 for an in-depth conversation about her career, music, love and upcoming projects.

On September 22, fans will get up close and personal with Yankee as he discusses his 25-year career that launched reggaetón around the world in the second installment of The Superstar Q&A. The Puerto Rican hitmaker is also set to perform for a Billboard En Vivo concert that night at the Faena Forum exclusive to Billboard Latin Music Week registrants.

Other recently announced panels include “My Cause, My Music: A Conversation on Social Justice” with Cuban artist/activist Yotuel Romero, Puerto Rican star Kany García and ChocQuibTown members (and husband and wife) Goyo and Tostao; “Making the Hit, Live” masterclass with Lunay and his longtime producers Chris Jedi and Gaby Music; and “Regional No More– Mexican Music Goes Global” with Eslabon Armado, Los Dos Carnales and Carin Leon, which is moderated by Rancho Humilde‘s Jimmy Humilde.

For the first time, Billboard will launch a virtual streaming experience in partnership with LIVENow, offering viewing opportunities to international audiences. Passes for the livestream can now be purchased here. The star-studded 2021 Latin Music Week lineup also includes participation by García, Anitta, Elena RoseMyke TowersRauw Alejandro, EstemanRaymix, and Tainy, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

Under the slogan “The Beat of Latin Music,” making its mark as the longest running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world, this year’s event will continue through the end of the week as Billboard launches its En Vivo concert series.

Ivy Queen to Headline “Urban Divas United” Virtual Concert in April

Ivy Queen is bringing the diva spirit to Miami…

The 49-year-old Puerto Rican rapper has joined forces with Goyo of Chocquibtown, and newcomer Chesca for the upcoming “Urban Divas United” virtual concert in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Ivy Queen

The three powerhouses, along with an all-female lineup, are teaming up to honor the Latin women leading the urban genre in a male-dominated industry.

“I am extremely grateful to be part of this project that will bring us all together through music, and for me personally it is a great pride to be the one who started [this movement] with a microphone in hand,” reggaeton veteran Ivy Queen said in a statement.

“Urban Divas United,” presented by Neutrogena and Conciencia Collective, will also raise awareness about the current difficulties affecting women and our community, providing educational resources to viewers.

The all-female lineup includes Snow Tha Product, Natalia Jimenez, and Nesi, with more artists to be announced soon.

The free virtual concert will take place from Downtown Miami at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, April 10.

In addition, fans can purchase a VIP pass for exclusive backstage access.

For more information, click here.

Sony Pictures Television Developing Drama Series Inspired by ChocQuibTown That Explores What It Means to Be Afro-Latino

It looks like art will be imitating ChocQuibTown’s life…

Sony Pictures Television Latin America is developing Somos Los Prietos, a new drama series based on the Colombian hip-hop group, consisting of rapper CarlosTostaoValencia, singer/rapper GloriaGoyoMartínez and rapper/producer Miguel SlowMartínez.

ChocQuibTown

The series will examine racism in Latin America and explore what it means to be Afro-Latino.

The new series, which was announced during the American Black Film Festival, is set in Condoto, a town on Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Somos Los Prietos follows a group of adolescent friends of Afro-Latin descent as they struggle with the challenges of poverty and racism and seek to avoid the recruitment efforts of local armed commandos while trying to form a band and take part in a festival organized by their favorite group, ChocQuibTown. Along the way they confront their family, friends, underhanded racism, violence and their own fears to finally define their identity and find their place in the world.

It marks the first cross-company collaboration – referred to internally as “One Sony” – between Sony Pictures Television’s international production arm and Sony Music Latin, which counts the Latin Grammy-winning Afro-Colombian trio among its roster of artists.

Gloria “Goyo” Martínez Helps Launch the Latin Music Industry’s BLM-Inspired ‘Conciencia Collective’

GloriaGoyoMartínez is standing in solidarity with the Black community…

The 37-year-old Colombian singer and member of the Latin Grammy-winning hip-hop group ChocQuibTown has joined the Conciencia Collective

Gloria "Goyo" Martínez

The recently-announced initiative, comprised of more than 35 executives from the Latin music industry — including artists, activists, artist managers, publicists, among others – aims to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Mattermovement in an effort to create awareness about racial and social injustice.

Conciencia Collective was born amid national outrage in the U.S. over the recent killings of George FloydBreonna Taylorand other black citizens who’ve died at the hands of police. The intention is to “educate our colleagues, artists and peers of influence in order to gain their advocacy. Our ongoing initiatives also focus on the many issues affecting our Latin community,” according to a press release. 

Goyo, a leading, Afro-Latinx voice launched the initiative with a poignant statement.

“I’m talking to you as a Black woman, rapper, singer, born in South America. In an invisible region, a jewel in my country; a Black village,” writes Goyo. “The experiences that we Black women live change you from the moment you leave your home. Society reminds you that at home, you live in a protected space. At home, we are educated with tools to go out into a racist world. As Howard C. Stevensonsaid, ‘we [as Black people] are educated with a kind of a racial literacy.'”

Goyo kicked off a “Conciencia Talk” alongside Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Rafa Pabónin partnership with Latinx-focused media/news company MiTú on Friday, June 26.

The “online dialogue” was moderated by Afro-Colombian Dr. Aurora Vergara Figueroa, director of the Afrodiasporic Studies Centerat ICESI University.

Quotes on solidarity and racial inequality from more than 100 Latin artists, including Leslie GraceAnuel AAJesse & JoyMyke TowersCarla MorrisonZion & Lennox, and Farruko, among others, will be posted weekly on MiTú’s page.

“In order to consciously educate the Latinx community and change the derogatory narratives towards people of color within our community, we commit to leading with acknowledgement in solidarity with the Black community to enable the rise of leaders in our respective communities,” the statement continues.

“We want to extend our platforms to our brothers and sisters so that their voices and needs can be heard. We want our brothers and sisters across the U.S. and Latin America to know that we see them, we hear them and we will champion equality and justice on behalf of our industry.”

J Balvin Among Latin Artists Speaking Out About Police Brutality in Latin America

J Balvin is among the Latino artists speaking out about police brutality in Latin America

As protests spread across the United States demanding racial justice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, the 35-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer and fellowLatin music artists are also breaking their silence on Anderson Arboleda, a young black man who recently died at the hands of police in Colombia.

J Balvin

On May 19, Arboleda, a 19-year-old man of Afro-descent, was allegedly beaten outside his home by local police officers for breaking the quarantine curfew. 

He was reportedly hit multiple times on the head with a baton and tear-gassed, according to his mother Claudia Arboleda, reports El Tiempo. Arboleda, who aspired to become a soldier of the Military Police and sold face masks in his town, was pronounced dead due to brain death on May 20 at Valle del Lili clinic in Cali.

Arboleda’s story came to light in a tweet by ChocQuibTown’s Goyo (real name: Gloria Martinez), just days after a video of Floyd’s death surfaced showing police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck. 

“Racism is when police murder a young negro in Puerto Tejada supposedly for failing to comply with the quarantine. And this isn’t reported by big media outlets. Is this not enough to outrage a country?”

J Balvin Post

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA_onNlHU1a/

In an Instagram post, J Balvins hared Arboleda’s story and publicly asked for justice. “One of the things that doesn’t let me sleep at night is injustice and that’s why I ask for Anderson Arboleda’s death to be investigated,” he expressed. “I raise a voice of protest and justice […] there is also racism here [in Colombia] and that is why I want to denounce it.”

El Tiempo reports that commander of the Cauca police, Colonel Rosemberg Novoa, is investigating the case.

Outside of the U.S., the recent death of Arboleda brings to the forefront the seriousness of police brutality and racism around the world. 

In Mexico, activists and artists like Alejandro Fernandez and Salma Hayek, are also demanding justice for Giovanni Lopez, who was recently allegedly tortured and killed by police in Jalisco, Mexico for not wearing a mask that was also caught on video.

With the world taking notice of cases of racism and police brutality, artists have taken to social media to condemn the acts and demand justice for the families of the victims.

Mala Rodriguez to Perform During the Virtual Edition of the Latin Alternative Music Conference

Mala Rodriguez is offering a special alternative for people stuck at home during this coronavirus pandemic.

The 41-year-old Spanish Latin Grammy-winning rapper will take this in this year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference, which will be held live online.

Mala Rodriguez

This year, the annual Latin Alternative Music Conference will officially kick off on Tuesday, June 9 withg a variety of virtual industry panels, workshops and showcases that will live.

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and as the nation begins to reopen gradually, the LAMC‘s five-day virtual conference includes timely panels like “The Future of Touring” with panelists Jordi Puig (OCESA), Phil Rodriguez (Move Concerts) and Sebastian De la Barra (Lotus Producciones).

And, “Mental Health and the Creative Community” presented by MusiCares and the Latin Grammys featuring Carla MorrisonKany GarcíaAna Tijoux and Guaynaa.

LAMC’s Talks with Billboard Latin will feature Leila Cobo‘s fireside chats with Walter Kolm and ChocQuibTown‘s GloriaGoyo” Martínez.’

Rodriguez will perform on June 9 as part of peermusic‘s showcase. Other participating artists include Thee SinseersGaby Moreno and Lido Pimienta.

Francisca ValenzuelaTatiana HazelLos Caligaris, among others will perform during the LAMC. 

On closing night, LAMC will celebrate Pride Month with performances by Kany García, MabilandCirco and Javiera Mena.

“Providing a forum to discuss the issues we face and the potential solutions that lie ahead is key as we look towards the future,” LAMC founder Tomas Cookman said in a previous statement. “Although the days ahead may be slightly different for a time, we should always keep in mind there is very much a future as music is a human and global emotion. We are lending our hand by making the conference free for all and having a team of professionals join us in making sure the LAMC experience is as informative and technologically seamless as can be.”

Check out the full schedule on the LAMC website.

Reykon to Speak at This Year’s Latino Show Conference and Awards in Colombia

Reykonis ready for a South American showcase…

The 32-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer will take part in the 2019 Latino Show Conference and Awards taking place this week in Bogota, Colombia.

Reykon

Reykon, known for hits like “El Chisme” and “Latina” featuring Maluma, will be present during the Week of Latin Musicin Colombia to talk about his experience and how he managed to position himself in the music industry. 

Dubbed as the most important promotion platform for Latin music in the South American country, according to an official statement, Latino Show Conference and Awards offers artists, promoters, music executives, record labels, and producers a great opportunity for networking. 

Besides Reykon, music acts who will attend the event include Chocquibtown, Rio Roma, Lupillo Rivera, and Shaila Durcal to name a few. 

The 2019 Latino Show Conference and Awards will take place on October 8, 9, and 10 at the Hotel Grand Hyatt Bogota in Colombia.