Iglesias’ “Bailando” Video Makes History with One Billion Views on YouTube

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias has a billion reasons to bailar…

The 40-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter’s massive hit “Bailando,” has reached a new milestone, hitting one billion views on YouTube.

Iglesias’ urban-flamenco party anthem featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona is now the first Spanish-language song to reach one billion views online.

“Thank you guys so much for getting Bailando Spanish version to 1 BILLION views. Incredible!!!,” said the “I Like It” singer on Instagram.

Iglesias is currently on his Sex & Love tour, which, to date, has attracted over one million people around the world and counting.

Up next he’s nominated for two Premios Tu Mundo, in the favorite pop artist category and “party-starting song” for “El Perdón,” his other mega-hit with Nicky Jam. A new bilingual version of the song, titled “Forgiveness,” aims to get it a comparable amount of play as its Spanish-language counterpart.

Iglesias will probably have more to toast to in the future. His longtime manager Fernando Giaccardi, who made it onto the 2015 Billboard Latin Power Players List, recently said of his superstar client, “With Enrique, it’s never enough. It’s like, ‘Great, we did this. Now what?’ ”

Sanz to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Sanz is bringing zombies to the Billboard Latin Music Awards…

The 46-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter will perform “Un Zombie a la Intemperie,” the first single from his upcoming new album, during the awards show on the April 30.

Sanz’s appearance will mark the worldwide television premiere of “Un Zombie a la Intemperie.”

The song will be included on Sanz’ new album Sirope, his 10th studio set. The artist has announced to his over 12 million Twitter followers that the album will be released on May 4.

Sanz, a Latin music superstar who has won more Grammys than any other Spanish artist, has also announced the first dates of what is expected to be a worldwide tour to support the album.

Starting with a concert in Cordoba on July 7, he’ll be performing in Spanish cities throughout the summer, finishing in Seville on Sept. 26.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards, hosted by actress and TV host Gaby Espino and Mexican singer Pedro Fernandez, will also feature performances Wisin, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Carlos Vives, Regional Mexican chart topper Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda, Ana Gabriel, Lucero, and special honorees Roberto Carlos and Carlos Santana.

Topping the list of this year’s finalists are Romeo Santos (21 entries), Enrique Iglesias (19), J Balvin (12), Marc Anthony (7), Drake (7), Descemer Bueno (6), Gente de Zona (6), Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda (6), Farruko (6) and Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga (6).

Jesse & Joy Honored at the ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jesse & Joy have a new premio to add to their trophy case…

The Mexican pop group, comprised of the brother-sister tandem of Jesse Huerta and Joy Huerta, was honored by its peers Monday at ASCAP‘s 30th annual Film & Television Music Awards, which honor the composers behind the top films at the box office, the most-performed television music and the top video game music of 2014.

Jesse & Joy were honored for penning their single “Mi Tesoro,” which served as the theme song for the Mexican telenovela Qué Pobres Tan Ricos, starring Jaime Camil and Zuria Vega. The duo previously earned a Best Theme Novelero at the 2014 Premios Juventud.

But Jesse & Joy weren’t the only Latino honorees…

Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno were also honored at the ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards.

The Spanish superstar and the Cuban singer were honored for Iglesias’ duet with Marco Antonio Solis, “El Perdedor,” which served as the opening theme to Mexican telenovela Lo que la vida me robó. It’s the fifth time that an Iglesias song was chosen as an opening theme of a telenovela after “Cosas del Amor“, “Nunca Te Olvidaré“, “Cuando Me Enamoro” and “Marisol.” The song was composed by Iglesias and Bueno.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Santaolalla was honored in the Top Box Office Films category. The legendary Argentine musician and film composer was honored for his work on the animated film The Book of Life.

Other Latino honorees in the film category include Brazilian composer Pedro Bromfman for his work on RoboCop, Brazilian composer Heitor Pereira for If I Stay, and Spanish composer Fernando Velázquez for Hercules.

J Balvin Scores First No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with “Ay Vamos”

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a big first for J Balvin…

The 29-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, considered the breakout Latino artist of 2014, has scored his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart as “Ay Vamos” hops 4-1 in its 25th week on the chart.

The track takes Digital Gainer honors on the chart, climbing 78 percent (to 5,000 downloads sold in the week ending Feb. 22, according to Nielsen Music), fueled in part by a performance of the song on Univision‘s Premio Lo Nuestro awards show on February 19, where he took home four awards, including urban artist of the year.

A recently released remix featuring Nicky Jam and French Montana, along with a price reduction (to 69 cents) as part of a digital promotion, also helps the track leap 11-4 on the Latin Digital Songs chart.

On Hot Latin Songs, “Ay Vamos” had spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks stuck at No. 2 on the list, unable to break his tourmate Enrique Iglesias‘ impenetrable 41-week record No. 1 run with “Bailando” featuring Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona. A week ago, “Bailando” finally fell (1-2), as Mana‘s “Mi Verdad” bowed atop the list. At the same time, “Ay Vamos” slipped 2-4 — to its lowest rank since the Nov. 29-dated chart. But thanks to its surge in sales, the song finally crowns the list with its three-spot leap.

“Ay Vamos,” from Balvin’s La Familia B Sides (released Sept. 16), also earlier spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay (first peaking on Oct. 25), tying with Don Omar‘s “Zumba” for fourth-longest No. 1 run on the chart. It currently continues at No. 2 (with a 10 percent jump in airplay — to 7.7 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen).

Balvin is a 12-time finalist at the upcoming 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards, airing live on Telemundo from Miami on April 30. He’s a finalist in such categories as artist of the year, new; and hot Latin song of the year for “6 AM” (featuring Farruko). He’ll be speaking at the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Conference.

Juanes to Perform New Spanish Song “Juntos” at the Grammys

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Juanes is ready to bring a little Spanish flair to the Grammys…

The 42-year-old Colombian rockero will sing again at the Grammy Awards, but this time he’ll perform a song of his own, en español.

Juanes, who in 2013 sang an English-Spanish rendition of Elton John‘s “Your Song,” says appearing on the telecast again on Sunday is like a dream come true.

“I’m very excited. I can’t believe this is going to happen. You know, I’ve been waiting for this moment for many years and we are very excited now that it’s about to come, to happen,” Juanes told The Associated Press on Monday in an interview at his recording studio in Miami, where he lives.

“We are going to perform a new song called ‘Juntos,’ or ‘Together,’ the song that we made for the Disney movie McFarland, USA,” he added. “So, yes, we’re rehearsing and practicing a lot, and just … (getting) ready for that big night”.

It may be the biggest Latin moment at the Grammys since Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony sang “Escapémonos” exactly 10 years ago.

Juanes, who has won two Grammys and 19 Latin Grammys, sees the telecast as a “big window,” as “something very special” that will allow him to connect with many people and once more be among other musicians like him.

He said that when he saw McFarland, USA in Los Angeles, after Disney Studios contacted him to ask if he could write a song for the movie, he liked it so much that he accepted.

“It touched my heart in a very positive way, in a very deep way,” he said. “It’s a very inspiring story.”

The movie, starring Kevin Costner as a cross country coach in Bakersfield, California, follows a group of young Latin American immigrants that through very hard work get to be championship contenders. It opens February 20 in the U.S.

“The inspiration (for the song) comes from the movie itself, the idea that when people work together and when people believe in the other anything can be possible,” said Juanes, who co-wrote it with fellow Colombian Fonseca and Cuban Descemer Bueno, under the production of renowned Dominican singer, songwriter and producer Juan Luis Guerra, also a Grammy winner.

Juanes is working on a new album at the moment. He plans to go on tour next year around the U.S. and Latin America.

The 57th annual Grammy Awards will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Lands at No. 2 on YouTube’s List of 2014’s Top 10 Music Videos

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is bailando his way into this year’s music history books…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter, who was named Favorite Latin Artist at this year’s American Music Awards, has landed on YouTube’s list of 2014’s top 10 music videos.

The official video for Iglesias’ international smash “Bailando (Español),” featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona comes in at No. 2 on the year-end list, behind the clip for Katy Perry’s “Dark House,” featuring Juicy J.

The Spanish version of Iglesias’ “Bailando” video has logged 589-million views since it was published on VEVO on April 11, 2014.

The English version, featuring Sean Paul, has logged an additional 80-million views, while a Portuguese version featuring Luan Santana has registered 19-million views.

“Bailando,” which had a record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, earned Iglesias three Latin Grammy awards in November.

Meanwhile, Shakira has the distinction of landing two clips in the top 5.

The 37-year-old Colombian superstar’s sizzling hot music video for “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” featuring Rihanna, comes in at No. 3 with 443-million views. The video for the Spanish version of the song, “Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte” logged an additional 14-million views.

Following right behind: Shakira’s clip for her World Cup anthem “La La La (Brazil 2014),” featuring Carlinhos Brown, at No. 4 with 419-million views. The clip for the Spanish version of the song logged an additional 42-million views, while the clip for the original pre-World Cup version of the song “Dare (La La La)” garnered 52-million page views.

Here’s a look at YouTube’s list of the top 10 music videos of 2014:

Iglesias’ Hit “Bailando” Nabs Three Awards at the Latin Grammys

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is bailando with good reason…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter picked up three awards at this year’s Latin Grammys for his platinum hit “Bailando.”

Iglesias and his collaborators on the inescapable track, Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona, took home the trophies for Song of the Year, Urban Performance and Urban Song during Thursday night’s live broadcast from Las Vegas.

Iglesias accepted his awards from Paris, where he was touring, and a taped performance of his hit song closed the show.

Meanwhile, Calle 13 – comprised of stepbrothers Rene Perez and Eduardo Cabra – picked the awards for Urban Music Album (for Multi_Viral) and Alternative Song (for “El Aguante”).

With the two wins, Calle 13 set the record for the most Latin Grammys with an astonishing 21 career wins.

“We are happy. We have 21 (Latin) Grammys and it is a dream. We never thought we would have this in our lives,” said Perez backstage to reporters after the show.

Other winners included Paco de Lucia – the iconic Mexican guitarist who died earlier this year – who won album of the year and best Flamenco album for Canción Andaluza. Colombian singer Juanes won best pop/rock album for Loco De Amor, Marc Anthony won best salsa album for 3.0, and Carlos Vives won for best contemporary tropical song and album.

Venezuelan singer-songwriter Mariana Vega won best new artist and legendary singer Joan Manuel Serrat, who performed, was named person of the year.

Here’s a complete look at this year’s Latin Grammy winners:

Record of the year: “Universos Paralelos” — Jorge Drexler, featuring Ana Tijoux
Album of the year: “Canción Andaluza” — Paco de Lucía
Song of the year: “Bailando” — Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona and Enrique Iglesias
New artist: Mariana Vega
Contemporary pop vocal album: “Elypse” — Camila
Traditional pop vocal album: “Fonseca Sinfónico” — Fonseca Urban performance: “Bailando” — Enrique Iglesias, featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona
Urban music album: “MultiViral” — Calle 13
Urban song: “Bailando” — Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona and Enrique Iglesias
Rock album: “Agua Maldita” — Molotov
Pop/Rock album: “Loco De Amor” — Juanes
Rock song: “Cuando No Estás” — Andrés Calamaro
Alternative music album: “Romantisísmico” — Babasónicos
Alternative song: “El Aguante” — Calle 13
Salsa album: “3.0” — Marc Anthony
Cumbia/Vallenato album: “Celedón Sin Fronteras 1” — Jorge Celedón and various artists
Contemporary tropical album: “Más + Corazón Profundo” — Carlos Vives
Traditional tropical album: “Grandes Exitos De Las Sonoras, Con La Más Grande, La Sonora Santanera” — La Sonora
Tropical song: “Cuando Nos Volvamos A Encontrar” — Andrés Castro and Carlos Vives
Singer-songwriter album: “Bailar En La cueva” — Jorge Drexler
Ranchero album: “Lástima Que Sean Ajenas” — Pepe Aguilar
Banda album: “Haciendo Historia” — Banda El Recodo De Don Cruz Lizarrag
Tejano album: “Forever Mazz” — Jimmy González and Grupo Mazz
Norteño album: “Amor Amor” — Conjunto Primavera
Regional song: “De Mil Amores” — Marco Antonio Solís, songwriter (Marco Antonio Solís)
Instrumental album: “Final Night At Birdland” — Arturo O’Farrill and The Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra
Folk album: “Raíz” — Lila Downs, Niña Pastori y Soledad
Tango album: “Tangos” — Rubén Blades
Flamenco album: “Canción Andaluza” — Paco de Lucía
Latin jazz album: Tie: “The Vigil” — Chick Corea, “Song For Maura” — Paquito D’Rivera & Trio Corrente
Christian album (Spanish language): “La Carta Perfecta – En Vivo” — Danilo Montero
Christian album (Portuguese language): “Graça” — Aline Barros
Brazilian contemporary pop album: “Multishow Ao Vivo – Ivete Sangalo 20 Anos” — Ivete Sangalo
Brazilian rock album: “Gigante Gentil” — Erasmo Carlos
Samba/pagode album: “Coração A Batucar” — Maria Rita
MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) Album: “Verdade, Uma Ilusão” — Marisa Monte
Sertaneja music album: “Questão De Tempo” — Sérgio Reis
Brazilian roots album: “Amigo Da Arte” — Alceu Valença
Brazilian song: “A Bossa Nova É Foda” — Caetano Veloso, songwriter (Caetano Veloso)
Latin children’s album: “Coloreando: Traditional Songs For Children In Spanish” — Marta Gómez & Friends
Classical album: “Verdi” — Plácido Domingo; Christopher Alder, album producer
Classical contemporary composition: “Concierto Para Violín y Orquesta De Cuerdas” — Claudia Montero, composer (Claudia Montero)
Recording package: “Wed 21” — Alejandro Ros, art director (Juana Molina)
Engineered album: “De Repente” — Juber Anbín, Johnnatan García, Rodner Padilla, Eduardo Pulgar, Vladimir Quintero Mora, Jean Sánchez & Alexander Vanlawren, engineers; Germán Landaeta & Darío Peñaloza, mixers; Germán Landaeta, mastering engineer (C4 Trío y Rafael “”Pollo”” Brito)
Producer of the year: Sergio George
Short form music video: “Flamingo” — La Vida Bohème | Leonardo Gonzalez, Pablo Iranzo & Carl Zitelman, video directors; Debbie Crosscup & César Elster, video producers
Long form music video: “El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco – La Película” — Café Tacvba | Gregory Allen, video director; Café Tacvba, video producers

Visitante Leads the Pack of Latin Grammy Nominees with 10

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a perfect ten for Eduardo Cabra …

The Puerto Rican reggaetón singer has picked up 10 Latin Grammy nominations to lead the pack of honorees this year.

Cabra, commonly known “Visitante,” earned nine nominations with his stepbrother and fellow Calle 13 member René Pérez, known as “Residente.” He earned his tenth nod of the year for Producer of the Year his work as a producer on Jorge Drexler’s album Todo Cae.

Calle 13’s nominations include Record of the Year, for their single “Respira El Momento;” Album of the Year for MultiViral; and Song of the Year for their track “Ojos Color Sol” with Silvio Rodríguez.

Since 2006, when they took home the Best New Artist award, Calle 13 has won 19 Latin Grammys.

Meanwhile, Andres Castro earned eight. Tom Coyne received seven, Julio Reyes Copello and Carlos Vives each received six nominations, and Descemer Bueno and Enrique Iglesias were next with five nods each.

In the running for best new artist are Aneeka, Linda Briceno, Caloncho, Julio Cesar, Pablo Lopez, Miranda, Periko & Jessi Leen, Daniela Spalla, Juan Pablo Vega and Mariana Vega.

This year’s Latin Grammy Awards will broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The ceremony will air on the Univision from 8:00 – 11:00 pm ET.

Click here to see the complete list of nominees.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Hits 20 Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is still bailando on the Billboard charts…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer’s “Bailando” featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona is still holding strong on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Iglesias’ track holds the No. 1 spot for the 20th consecutive week, becoming the fifth song in the chart’s 28-year history to spend 20 weeks at the top.

“Bailando” joins Son by Four‘s “A Puro Dolor” (2000), Juanes‘ “Me Enamora (2007) and Flex‘s “Te Quiero” (2008) in a four-way tie for second-most weeks at No. 1.

The track is five weeks shy of matching the longest running No. 1 on the chart, Shakira‘s “La Tortura” featuring Alejandro Sanz.

“Bailando” passed Iglesias’ previous lengthiest No. 1 run when it reached 18 weeks (on September 13), exceeding “Cuando Me Enamoro” featuring Juan Luis Guerra, which had a 17-week lead in 2010.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Picked as Theme Song for Telemundo’s Telenovela “Reina de Corazones”

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Telemundo viewers may soon be bailando to Enrique Iglesias‘ voice…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer’s new hit single “Bailando” (feat. Descemer Bueno and Gente D’Zona), has been chosen as the theme song for Telemundo’s new telenovela, Reina de Corazones.”

The series, described as a “story full of mystery, espionage, conspiracies, intrigue, crime and romance” that unfolds in Las Vegas, premieres July 7 and will air weeknights at 8 p.m.

Iglesais’ up-tempo dance track, which blends urban, pop and flamenco beats and boasts a beautifully choreographed video shot between the Dominican Republic and Cuba, has topped Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart for six consecutive weeks.

The track jumped to No. 1 after Iglesias performed it at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in April, which aired on Telemundo.

Telenovelas are widely viewed as a major promotional tool for Latin musicians and landing the theme song in a successful soap has proven to greatly boost a track’s success.

Iglesias’ music has often found its way into soap operas. Most recently, his single “El Perdedor,” featuring Mexican crooner Marco Antonio Solís, was the theme of soap opera “Lo Que La Vida Me Robó,” which was produced by Televisa in Mexico, and aired in the U.S. on Univision.

Reina de Corazones is produced by Telemundo and shot here in the U.S.

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