José Andrés Takes Part in Prince Harry & Meghan’s Spotify Holiday Special

José Andrés has joined the royal court…

Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, are kicking off their multi-year audio partnership with Spotify with a holiday special featuring a royal court’s worth of A-list guests, including the 51-year-old Spanish chef.

The stand-alone special promises “a collection of personal anecdotes and inspirational stories from a variety guests around the world … plus a surprise or two,” according to a press release.

In addition to José Andrés, billed guests include Stacey Abrams, Christina Adane, Brené Brown, Rachel Cargle, Deepak Chopra, James Corden, Matt Haig, Sir Elton John, Hussain Manawer, Naomi Osaka, Tyler Perry, and George the Poet.

Following the pattern set by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, the royal couple’s exclusive podcast partnership with Spotify, which starts in 2021, became known earlier this month. It followed the announcement of a Netflix deal earlier in the year. Archewell Audio is their production banner and teamed with Spotify-owned Gimlet Media to produce the special.

“We thought, what if we can bring together some people that inspire us – people that we admire…  and get their thoughts on what they learned from 2020,” the Duchess says in setting up the special.

Bidding good riddance to 2020, Prince Harry adds, “As we all know, it’s been a YEAR. And we really want to honor the compassion and kindness that has helped so many people get through it.”

The Duke and Duchess also single out a song that they say offers inspiration for listeners heading into 2021. “’This Little Light of Mine’ played at the very end of our wedding… while we were walking down the steps of the church,” Markle says. “It was the music that we wanted playing when we started our lives together. Because as we all know, ‘darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that…’” Replies Prince Harry, “The message of this song is one we hold so dearly. It’s about using the power we each have within us to make this world a better place.”

Selena Gomez Named to Time Magazine’s Time 100 List of the World’s Most Influential People

It’s a special Time for Selena Gomez

Time has revealed its Time 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, with the 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress earning a spot.

Selena Gomez

Gomez, one of nine Latino/as to make this year’s list, has been recognized for “unabashedly spreading her wings and influence into whatever lane her passions lead her,” writes America Ferrera in an essay about the artist.

“She has always been a great musician, but she’s also always been more than her music,” continues Ferrera. “In the past year, in addition to releasing her third No. 1 album, Rare, Selena got her own cooking show on HBO MaxSelena + Chef, and will star in and executive-produce the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building. She launched her own beauty line, with which she’s pledged to raise $100 million over 10 years for mental-health services in underserved communities. She’s used her enormous social-media platform to encourage voting and to support Black Lives Matter.”

Additionally, Gomez has been an outspoken advocate for immigrant rights in the United States at a time when immigrants are fearing for their safety and ICE raids are becoming more commonplace. Last year, she executive-produced the Netflix docuseries Living Undocumented, and told the story of her own family’s emotional journey from Mexico to the U.S. in Time.

J Balvin has earned a spot on the Time 100…

The 35-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer has been nicknamed the Prince of Reggaeton, with his songs garnering streams of more than 42 billion.

This summer, Balvin, who has taken to social media to talk about his struggle with anxiety and mental health, partnered with Deepak Chopra to launch a free 21-day meditation experience.

“He’s opened up the doors for Latino artists everywhere by making the world hear and fall in love with our culture, our sounds and our spirit,” says pop star Camila Cabello in an essay about the man born as José Álvaro Osorio Balvín. “What I truly admire and love the most about José is that he is just himself. He’s himself to the world, he’s himself to his friends and his peers, and he’s got the kind of heart that makes him a person everyone is rooting for. When he wins, we all win.”

Anne Hidalgo has been named to the Time 100.

The 61-year-old French–Spanish politician, who has served as Mayor of Paris – is the first woman to hold the office – since 2014, is being recognized for being a leader in the movement to solve the global climate crisis.

“Even in the midst of confronting the global pandemic, Mayor Hidalgo has turned Paris into a shining example of how cities can lead the transition to cleaner, healthier and more prosperous societies,” writes former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. “She is transforming the city’s landscape to make it friendlier to pedestrians and bikers, cutting car traffic and making the air safer to breathe.”

Dr. Cecilia Martinez is also being recognized for her environmental work…

“As a leader in everything from international projects to grassroots organizing, Cecilia Martinez has dedicated her impressive career to a moral imperative: the pursuit of environmental justice and the inclusion of equity and justice in environmental policy,” writes U.S. Senator Cory Booker about the co-founder and executive director at the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy (CEED).

Bonnie Castillo, the 60-year-old Latina registered nurse and executive director of National Nurses United, has earned her spot on this year’s list for support of frontline health workers.

“She was among the first to call attention to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available to nurses across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fought layoffs and pay cuts that nurses faced despite their vital frontline work,” writes civil rights activist and United Farm Workers of America co-founder Dolores Huerta. “Bonnie’s commitment to the labor movement and unions is unwavering; she states that unions are the foundation of a democratic society. Bonnie does not just work to heal patients; she works to heal society.” 

Felipe Neto has also made this year’s list…

The 32-year-old Brazilian social media star, who has 39 million YouTube subscribers and 12 million Twitter followers, is considered the most consequential digital influencer in Brazil and possibly in the world.

“A decade ago, from his family’s humble Rio de Janeiro home, he began creating content for YouTube and quickly found fame, a huge and loyal young audience, and lucrative endorsements,” writes Brazilian congressman David Miranda. “What has changed—radically—is how Neto uses his platform. His early notoriety was generated by standard fare for online adolescents: video games, celebrities and girls. But with the 2018 election of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and the empowerment of his proto-fascist movement, Neto, risking his brand and safety, repurposed his popularity to become one of Bolsonaro’s most effective opponents.”

For the second year in a row, Jair Bolsonaro has been named to the Time 100.

“The story of Brazil’s year can be told in numbers: 137,000 lives lost to the coronavirus. The worst recession in 40 years. At least five ministers sacked or resigned from the Cabinet. More than 29,000 fires in the Amazon rain forest in August alone. One President whose stubborn skepticism about the pandemic and indifference to environmental despoliation has driven all these figures upward,” writes Time’s international editor. “Yet the number that really matters is 37—the percentage of Brazilian society that approved of Jair Bolsonaro in a late-August poll, the highest rating since he took office early last year. Despite a storm of corruption allegations, and one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in the world, the right-wing firebrand remains popular with a large section of Brazilians.” 

Sister Norma Pimentel is being heralded for her work with immigrants…

“Sister Pimentel has been on the front lines of mercy for three decades, supporting migrants who are seeking refuge in the U.S. along Texas’ border with Mexico. As executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, she directs efforts to provide shelter, food, sanctuary and comfort to people often treated as less than human. Her organization has housed and assisted well over 100,000 people at the border,” says former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro. “Her work has taken on greater importance in the era of Donald Trump, and for good reason. As he has acted with cruelty toward migrants, she has acted with compassion. As he has preyed on the vulnerable and sought rejection, she has preached community and acceptance. As he has promoted fear, she has taught love.

Gabriela Cámara is being recognized for being “more than a chef—she is a Renaissance woman on the front lines of our industry,” writes chef Jose Andres about the Mexican chef.

Through her visionary career, Camara has become one of Mexico’s leading culinary diplomats, both in spirit and in practice.

“Not only does she run two of the most iconic kitchens on the continent—Contramar in Mexico City and Cala in San Francisco—offering the very best of her cultural heritage, she is also an adviser to the Mexican President, showing by example how food can have an impact far beyond the walls of a restaurant kitchen,” continues Andres.

Click here for the complete Time 100 list.

J Balvin to Take Part in Special “Mind & Music” Conversation at This Year’s Latin Music Week

J Balvin will be talkin’ mind and music…

The 35-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer will sit alongside Deepak Chopra in a special Q&A conversation during the 30th anniversary Latin Music Week.

J Balvin

Balvin will participate in a first-of-its-kind Q&A panel with the well-being pioneer titled “Mind & Music: Finding Meaning and Fulfillment Through Mindfulness and Music.”

They’ll discuss what meditation means to them, its connection to music, and why they decided to start a 21-day meditation program together.

Meanwhile, Grammy-winning Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía will join a Q&A session with Oscar nominated, 13-time Grammy winning musician and producer Pharrell Williams in an artist to artist discussion of their parallel lives as renaissance artists with multiple ventures, from music to fashion.

Colombian singer-songwriter and philanthropist Carlos Vives will be joined by internationally renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in an enlightening conversation on the power of music and the arts as a global agent of change for a better society.

And superstar Ozuna, one of the top-selling artists in the world, will join Afo Verde, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Latin Iberia, to discuss the crafting, production and promotion of his hit albums and songs.

This year’s event will take place virtually on its new dates October 20-23, 2020 here.

J Balvin Partners with Deepak Chopra for Free Bilingual 21-day Meditation Experience

J Balvin is spreading a little zen

The 35-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, who has long championed the benefits of meditation, has partnered with Deepak Chopra to launch an all-new, free 21-day mediation experience.

J Balvin

Renew Yourself: Body, Mind & Spirit, is an audio experience featuring guided mediations, storytelling and self-care wisdom from J Balvin and Chopra. 

The program, which can be accessed at choprameditation or by downloading the app, is available in Spanish and English. It’s comprised of daily 20-minute sessions that begin with “guided wisdom and storytelling” from J Balvin, followed by a meditation session.

This is the latest installment of Chopra’s 21-Day Meditation Experience, which he launched with Oprah Winfrey in 2013. The franchise currently features 17 programs.  

J Balvin has spoken openly about his struggles with depression and how meditation has served as a powerful tool to combat it.

“What makes mental health universal is that it doesn’t discriminate. It affects all of us. I have struggled with anxiety. I have been depressed. Meditation is one of the many ways that I have dealt with my mental health,” said J Balvin in a statement. “And that goes especially for this moment we’re currently experiencing: where money is so tight for many; health is such a question mark on a global level; and the fight for racial justice is more urgent than ever. When our world is in flux, our mental wellbeing is often one of the first things we neglect. But this should not be the case. In fact, it’s in times like these that mindfulness can help us most. This is personal for me.”

“The world is offering us a reset and J Balvin is the perfect partner to help us reach a critical mass of expanded global awareness,” adds Chopra.