Bad Bunny Becomes First Latino Artist Named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is the apple of Apple’s eye…

Apple Music has named the 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar its 2022 Artist of the Year.

It’s the first time since the Apple Music Awards launched in 2019 that a Latin artist has been recognized as AOTY, and the first time only one artist is named for the award.

Bad Bunny — whose Un Verano Sin Ti Album is also Apple Music’s most streamed album this year and the biggest Latin album of all time — is acknowledged for his excellence and influence on global culture in 2022. He now joins previous AOTY honorees including Billie Eilish, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the achievements of Bad Bunny, whose influence on every corner of culture could not be ignored in 2022,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, in a statement. “Watching Bad Bunny ascend from an Apple Music Up Next artist in 2018 to our Artist of the Year this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. We congratulate him on his record-breaking year and for continuing to bring Latin music to a massive global audience.”

In addition to becoming Apple Music’s biggest Latin artist of all time by streams worldwide, Bad Bunny’s “Moscow Mule” holds the record for the biggest Latin song of all time by first-day streams worldwide.

He broke the record for most simultaneous entries by a single Latin artist with 22 songs on the Daily Top 100; reached No. 1 on the Daily Top 100 in 34 countries worldwide, more than any other Latin artist; and holds the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 Latin albums by first-day streams, just to name a few milestones.

“When I started, I didn’t have a global fan base,” he told Apple Music in an exclusive film. “I’m grateful for everything I’ve accomplished and everything I’ve experienced. The Latin music movement has grown so much. I would never take full credit or say, ‘It’s because of me.’ No, it’s every one of us. A whole generation. Our energy and presence are always felt.”

In celebration, the “Me Porto Bonito” singer curated a “La Fórmula” playlist with tracks from Myke Towers and Rauw Alejandro, among others, and fans can tune in to Apple Music 1, where it’s Bad Bunny Day with exclusive programming, specials, and more.

Chesca Added to Performers List for Los Angeles’ Inaugural LA3C Festival

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Chesca will be celebrating culture and creativity…

Penske Media Corporation has announced that the Puerto Rican singer will perform at its inaugural two-day culture and creativity festival LA3C.

Chesca is among a list of recently added performers that includes Piso 21 and Kyle.

In addition, Grammy-nominated producer TOKiMONSTA was announced as the Sunday headliner for the Hot Import Nights Stage, which will also include performance sets by Accia, Cuco and Rosegold. Additionally, VIBE, the leading entertainment and lifestyle brand in celebrating Black culture, will host a special 30th anniversary set featuring LA native producer and DJ Linafornia.

Click here for the full two-day event lineup, featuring headliners Maluma and Megan Thee Stallion.

Food, fine artists and on-site experiences for the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Penske Media’s first-ever culture and creativity festival will take over the Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10 and 11, 2022.

LA3C stands for Los Angeles the Capital of Culture & Creativity and aims to connect communities through the city’s music, food and art.

Additionally, LA3C will support the next generations of creative talent in Los Angeles through partnerships with nonprofit arts organizations Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) and Film Independent.

The festival and performance sets are slated to run from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT on the first day and 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. PT on day two. All attendees must be over 21 years of age.

Tickets for LA3C are now available to purchase here.

Gerardo Ortiz to Perform at Los Angeles’ First-Ever LA3C Festival

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Gerardo Ortiz is helping celebrate culture and creativity…

The 33-year-old Mexican American Regional Mexican singer has been added to the lineup for the first-ever LA3C culture and creativity festival.

Sponsored by Penske Media, the event is set for December 10-11.

In addition to Ortiz, new additions to the main stage performance lineup include Free Nationals, Fonseca, Marc Segui, Shawn Wasabi, Monogem, Shea Diamond, and Chicocurlyhead.

The festival will take place at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in Los Angeles.

The name, LA3C, stands for Los Angeles the Capital of Culture & Creativity.

The diverse lineup of performers join previously announced headliner and three-time Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion and Latin chart-topper Maluma, with performances by K-Pop stage-breakers Seventeen and Snoop Dogg.

Tickets are on-sale now at LA3C.com.

“We are thrilled to share our full music lineup today,” said Juan Mora, CEO of LA3C. “Our goals were to create a lineup that celebrates the range of musical genres Los Angeles offers including Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, K-Pop, Regional Mexican Music, EDM and more and for attendees to discover new artists while enjoying names they know and love.”

LA3C has also announced its partnership with HIN Events LLC, Hot Import Nights Brand, the world’s largest indoor/outdoor automotive lifestyle event producer.

As part of the partnership, HIN Events will host a second stage featuring headliner Mustard and performance sets from AJ Hernz, ARIUS, Cam Girl, Freya Fox, Kill Bambi, Kim Lee, LOLO, Lucky Light, Madds, MEIRLIN, Peach, Rose Gold, Soda and Vice.

Additional talent for the two-day culture and creativity festival will be announced in the coming weeks including chefs, restaurants and artists.

Bad Bunny’s “Moscow Mule” Soars to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny has racked up another chart-topper…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican rapper and singer returns to the summit on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Moscow Mule” soars 11-1 on the July 30-dated chart.

It’s the 17th champ for Bad Bunny, who first secured a No. 1 in February 2018.

“Moscow Mule” rallies to the top of the all-genre Latin chart in its 11th week with a 49% gain in audience impressions, to 9.9 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending July 24, according to Luminate.

The song’s growth makes it the chart’s Greatest Gainer.

Some of the greatest radio supporters of “Moscow Mule” during the July 18-24 tracking week were in New York and Philadelphia, leading with New York’s WSKQ (2 million impressions, up 50%) and WXNY (1.3 million, up 49%) and Philadelphia’s WHAT (749,000, a 43% gain).

As “Moscow Mule” takes over Latin Airplay, the previous champ, Wisin and Camilo’s “Buenos Días,” vacates the top spot after a one-week reign, with a 34% decline in audience impressions, falling 1-13. It’s the second-largest positional fall from No. 1 in 2022 after “SG,” by the all-star team of DJ Snake, Ozuna, Lisa and Megan Thee Stallion, which dipped 1-16 on the April 19-dated ranking.

With his 17th No. 1 on Latin Airplay, Bad Bunny ties Ricky Martin for the eighth-most No. 1s since the chart’s launch in 1994.

Here’s a look at the scoreboard:

35, J Balvin
32, Enrique Iglesias
28, Ozuna
25, Daddy Yankee
22, Wisin
21, Maluma
19, Romeo Santos
17, Bad Bunny
17, Ricky Martin

“Moscow” cracks the Latin Airplay No. 1 spot eight months after Bad Bunny captured his last champ, “Volví,” with Aventura, a one-week ruler in October 2021. The song also topped Tropical Airplay for 13 weeks and has ranked in the top 10 within its 51-week run (and counting).

In line with its Latin Airplay coronation, “Moscow Mule” powers to No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay, also Bad Bunny’s 17th win there.

The song previously ruled Hot Latin Songs and Latin Streaming Songs for one week on the May 21-dated survey.

Elsewhere, “Moscow Muke” is back in the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a 27-25 lift, after its No. 4 debut and peak, also on May 21.

Rauw Alejandro to Make Debut Billboard Music Awards Performance in May

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rauw Alejandro is readying to take the Billboard stage…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper, as the “King of Modern Reggaeton,” will perform at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, which will take place in less than a month.

In addition to Alejandro, the first round of performers fans can expect to see includes Megan Thee Stallion, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Latto and Burna Boy.

They’ll all take the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at the May 15 awards show.

Alejandro is a finalist in four categories this year, including top Latin artist.

More major reveals about the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, including who’s hosting and who’s set to receive this year’s Change Maker Award, are expected in the coming weeks.

Billboard Music Awards finalists and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Luminate (formerly MRC Data).

The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will air Sunday, May 15, at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT live on NBC.

Ozuna Earns 27th No. 1 on Billboard Latin Airplay Chart with DJ Snake-Collaboration “SG”

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ozuna is celebrating another massive hit…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican singer and rapper’s collaboration “SG” with Lisa of BLACKPINK, Megan Thee Stallion and DJ Snake has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart.

The track rises from No. 3 to rule the April 2-dated survey.

It’s Ozuna,’s 27th champ and second of the year: “Emojis de Corazones,” with Wisin, Jhay Cortez, which also features Los Legendarios, arrived at the summit on the January 8-dated list.

Lisa of BLACKPINK and Meghan Thee Stallion earn their first No. 1s on the chart.

DJ Snake, who clocks his third straight No. 1, returns to lead the all-Latin genre tally after “Loco Contigo,” with J Balvin and Tyga, reigned for one week in November 2019.

With the new No. 1 on Latin Airplay, here’s a look at the acts with the most No. 1s on the 27-year-old survey:

33, J Balvin
32, Enrique Iglesias
27, Ozuna
25, Daddy Yankee
21, Maluma
20, Wisin
19, Romeo Santos

The bilingual “SG” and its music video were officially released on October 22, 2021, via DJ Snake/Interscope. It didn’t, however, make its Latin Airplay appearance until four months later, when the track debuted at No. 37 on the February 19-dated ranking.

The song wraps a steady seven-week trek to No. 1 to lead the current chart with 8.4 million in audience impressions, up 26%, earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate, formerly MRC Data.

Both LISA and Meghan Thee Stallion concurrently score their first No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay. Meanwhile, Ozuna captures his 26th champ and DJ Snake returns to the upper reaches with a third No. 1.

Jennifer Lopez to Perform at This Year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is preparing for an Iconic performance…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar will perform on the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which will air live from The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 22.

Lopez, who is set to receive the Icon Award during the program, joins a list of performers that includes Megan Thee Stallion, Jason Aldean, John Legend, Charlie Puth and Måneskin.

The show’s host, LL Cool J, will also perform on the show.

LL Cool J and J.Lo previously collaborated on a pair of big hits – “All I Have” (No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 2003) and “Control Myself” (No. 4 in 2006) — but there’s no word if they’ll perform together during the show.

The 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards will air on March 22 from 8:00 – 10:00 pm ET (live) and PT (tape-delayed) on Fox. The event also will be heard on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.

Now in its ninth year, the iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2021, while also offering a preview of the upcoming hits of 2022.

iHeartRadio listeners have the opportunity to decide winners in nine categories. Fan voting will determine this year’s best fan army, best lyrics, best cover song, best music video, the social star award, favorite tour photographer, TikTok bop of the year and the first-ever TikTok songwriter of the year and best comeback album.

Social voting began on January 27 and will close on March 15 at 11:59 p.m. PT for all categories. Fans can vote on Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Additional categories include label of the year and individual winners for album of the year in nine formats — pop, country, alternative, rock, dance, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and regional Mexican.

For a full list of categories, visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Jennifer Lopez Appears in Coach’s “That’s My Ride” Spring 2022 Campaign

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is riding high…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican superstar appears in Coach’s “That’s My Ride” Spring 2022 campaign unveiled on Tuesday.

This season, Coach reworked its signature Horse and Carriage image to include the brand’s first-ever house logo reimagined for a new generation. Megan Thee Stallion, Noah Beck, Wisdom Kaye and Kōki are also featured in the campaign.

The unisex collection includes hoodies, cross body bags, large and mini tote bags, backpacks, fanny packs and more in white, orange, blue and pink color palettes.

Photographed by Tyler Mitchell and captured in cities across the globe, the campaign was created in collaboration with new Coach ambassadors Dean Fujioka and Shawn Dou, TikTok star Parker Kit Hill and comedian Elsa Majimbo.

Evoking nostalgic ride scenes from music and movies, Megan and Lopez and other members of the Coach family are featured using multiple forms of transpiration.

Lopez, for example, strikes a pose riding a BMX bike while Megan battles it out in bumper cars at a boardwalk amusement park. The Houston native shared a video from the campaign on her Instagram account Tuesday with the caption “Thee main attraction.”

Lopez posted a video as well, captioned, “How I’m riding this spring.”

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Demi Lovato Among Celebrities Featured in Twitter’s New “Manifestations” Campaign

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Demi Lovato is hoping to inspire others’ manifestations…

Twitter has launched a new campaign encouraging everyone to “Think big, make it happen,” and the social media platform has called in the 29-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actor to help.

Twitter is embarking on a physical campaign, one that’s meant to inspire minds and lay down the groundwork for big things in the future.

On Tuesday, Twitter launched its celebrity-powered “manifestation” project, engineered by the power of positive thinking in 280 characters or less.

Lovato, Megan Thee Stallion and Niall Horan are among the artists, athletes and celebrities whose tweets became a reality, and are now set to go extra-large on billboards around the country.

Those tweets will appear in the hometown locations of the stars “who manifested their dreams,” in eight cities around North America, reads a statement from Twitter.

On February 7, 2010, Lovato tweeted that they one day hoped to sing the National Anthem at a Super Bowl. A decade later, Lovato fulfilled this dream in 2020 by singing at Super Bowl LIV.

To get the ball rolling, Twitter is donating nearly $1 million to charities of the stars’ choice on their behalf, including Boys and Girls Club, Destination Crenshaw, The 3-D Foundation, and UNICEF Canada.

Tweets about manifestation are at an all-time high, the social network reports, with 100% year-over-year growth and a total of close-to 60 million posts over the past three years.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1483427691198095360?cxt=HHwWgIC5_YTomJYpAAAA

Bad Bunny Wins His First-Ever American Music Awards Trophies

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny’s America’s choice…

The American Music Awards aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, with the 27-year-old Puerto Rican superstar taking home his first-ever AMAs trophies.

Bad Bunny was named Favorite Male Artist – Latin, and he claimed the Favorite Album – Latin prize for his chart-topping album El Último Tour Del Mundo.

Cardi B, who hosted the star-studded awards show, won the award for Favorite Hip Hop Song for her chart-topping single “Up.” It’s her second consecutive win in the category after she took home the same award in 2020 for her single “WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion.

The awards show featured performances from BTS with Coldplay, Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler the Creator, Måneskin, Walker Hayes, Mickey Guyton, Bad Bunny, Tainy with Julieta Venegas, Carrie Underwood with Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, New Edition and New Kids on the Block. Diplo was on DJ duty for the ceremony.

Bruno Mars won the Favorite R&B Song for “Leave the Door Open,” his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 track “Leave The Door Open,” his single with Silk Sonic co-bandmate Anderson .Paak.

Becky G was named Favorite Female Artist – Latin for the second year in a row, Band MS was named Favorite Latin Duo or Group, and Kali Uchis won her first-ever AMAs trophy for Favorite Latin Song for “Telepatía.”

Here’s a look at the night’s winners:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR: BTS
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Olivia Rodrigo
COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR: Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”
FAVORITE TRENDING SONG: Megan Thee Stallion “Body”
FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO: Lil Nas X “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
FAVORITE MALE POP ARTIST: Ed Sheeran
FAVORITE FEMALE POP ARTIST: Taylor Swift
FAVORITE POP DUO OR GROUP: BTS
FAVORITE POP ALBUM: Taylor Swift “evermore”
FAVORITE POP SONG: BTS “Butter”
FAVORITE MALE COUNTRY ARTIST: Luke Bryan
FAVORITE FEMALE COUNTRY ARTIST: Carrie Underwood
FAVORITE COUNTRY DUO OR GROUP: Dan + Shay
FAVORITE COUNTRY ALBUM: Gabby Barrett “Goldmine”
FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG: Gabby Barrett “The Good Ones”
FAVORITE MALE HIP-HOP ARTIST: Drake
FAVORITE FEMALE HIP-HOP ARTIST: Megan Thee Stallion
FAVORITE HIP-HOP ALBUM: Megan Thee Stallion “Good News”
FAVORITE HIP-HOP SONG: Cardi B “Up”
FAVORITE MALE R&B ARTIST: The Weeknd
FAVORITE FEMALE R&B ARTIST: Doja Cat
FAVORITE R&B ALBUM: Doja Cat “Planet Her”
FAVORITE R&B SONG: Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) “Leave The Door Open”
FAVORITE MALE LATIN ARTIST: Bad Bunny
FAVORITE FEMALE LATIN ARTIST: Becky G
FAVORITE LATIN DUO OR GROUP: Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
FAVORITE LATIN ALBUM: Bad Bunny “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO”
FAVORITE LATIN SONG: Kali Uchis “telepatía”
FAVORITE ROCK ARTIST: Machine Gun Kelly
FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST: Carrie Underwood
FAVORITE GOSPEL ARTIST: Kanye West
FAVORITE DANCE/ELECTRONIC ARTIST: Marshmello

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