Carey Reveals Artwork for Her Upcoming Greatest Hits Album

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is standing tall…

The 45-year-old half-Venezuelan-American singer has revealed the artwork for her new greatest hits album, which coincides with the launch of her Las Vegas residency on May 6 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, where she’ll deliver her 18 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.

The singer launched a social campaign with the hashtag #RevealMariah early on April 12 which encouraged fans to visit mariahcarey.com where they were then prompted to share news of the reveal in order to expedite the lift of a curtain over the final image.

Titled #1 To Infinity, the album is her first for Sony Music‘s Epic Records, with whom she signed last month. As previously reported by Billboard, the new contract reunites Carey with Epic Records chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who helmed her multi-platinum 2005 comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi, while running Island Def Jam.

Carey stuns on the album cover, with help from a her favourite designer, Yves Saint Laurent.

The edgy French brand created a plunging mini dress featuring thigh splits for the legendary singer, which put her gorgeous figure on show. Inspired from their autumn/winter 2015 collection which featured mini dresses with thigh splits, this dress was a touch more ‘Mariah’ with its soft pleated fabric and cleavage-baring neckline.

The news also arrives days after Mariah Carey announced that she and longtime publicist Cindi Berger have split. On April 9, the singer also confirmed to Billboard that she has new management, TV producers Brian Sher and Stella Bulochnikov.

No release date has been given for Carey’s greatest hits collection, and a track list has yet to be announced.

Arjona Bringing His “Viaje” Tour to the United States Next Year

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Ricardo Arjona is ready for an American voyage…

The 50-year-old Guatemalan singer-songwriter has announced plans to bring his Viaje (Voyage) tour to the United States, with the kick off concert set for the American Airlines Arena in Miami on February 27.

The announcement comes after Arjona sold more than 500,000 tickets in South America alone as part of his popular tour.

Arjona’s tour, as of now, will hit 13 markets, including New York, El Paso and Los Angeles. Tickets will go on sale Friday through Ticketmaster.

Arjona’s tour is shaping up to be one of the biggest U.S. tours for a Latin act in 2015. His last U.S. arena stint — which started in February 2012 and ended a year later, following his Latin American tour — featured 14 dates in 12 venues and played two nights at both the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and Puerto Rico’s Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. All told, Arjona grossed $13.5 million in ticket sales, according to BoxScore, and came in as the fourth highest-grossing Latin tour of 2013.

This time around, Puerto Rico dates haven’t been announced yet, and the tour is already bigger, with stops in cities Arjona didn’t play the last time around, including Hidalgo and El Paso, Texas.

Prior to his U.S. dates, Arjona will also tour Mexico, including five shows at the 10,000-seat Auditorio Nacional.

The tour is named after his Viaje album, which debuted at No. 1 in May and is the ninth top-selling Latin album this year to date, according to Soundscan. It’s also nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Singer/Songwriter album category, while the single “Lo Poco Que Tengo” is currently at No. 18 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart.

Arjona, who branched out as an independent artist four years ago — albeit distributed by Sony Music — has been aggressively investing in his tour and promotion, and his live show has grown increasingly complex and lucrative.

The Viaje show features a train station set that’s more 60 feet tall, with over 200 robotic lights and more than 40 tons of equipment onstage. While the scale is seen with major mainstream acts, it certainly isn’t common for a Latin act on the road. But it’s been giving steady dividends. In Buenos Aires alone, Arjona became the first artist to play seven GEBA Stadium shows, which were seen by more than 200,000 people.

Here are Arjona’s 2015 U.S. tour dates so far:

Feb. 27 – Miami, American Airlines Arena
March 1 – Fairfax, Patriot Center
March 6 – Chicago, Allstate Arena
March 8 – New York, Madison Square Garden
March 13 – El Paso, El Paso Coliseo
March 14 – Phoenix, ComericaTheatre
March 15 – Las Vegas, Axis Theater
March 18 – Hidalgo, State Farm Arena
March 20 – Dallas, Verizon Theatre
March 22 – Houston, Toyota Center
March 26 – San Jose, SAP Center
March 27 & 28 – Los Angeles, Nokia Theatre
March 29 – San Diego, Viejas Arena

VEVO & NUVOtv Parter with Lopez on the Series “The Collective, Powered by VEVO”

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez is bringing her people’s favorite pop culture trends to the Internet…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer, actress and American Idol judge is executive-producing the unscripted series The Collective, Powered by VEVO.

The program, which will feature DJs and celebrities talking about their favorite pop culture trends, will be a partnership between VEVO and NUVOtv, an English-language cable channel targeting Latinos,

Its the first foray into weekly television production for VEVO, the online platform known for its library of music video.

The Collective, Powered by Vevo, a weekly two-hour series, will be launched on March 6.

After premiering on NUVOtv, each episode of The Collective, Powered by VEVO will then stream exclusively on VEVO’s website and its slate of mobile, tablet and TV apps.

“When it comes to music videos, VEVO has become the world’s gold standard, making them the perfect partner for NUVOtv as we expand our original entertainment offerings in the music space,” said NUVOtv executive vp programming Bill Hilary.

Vevo, a joint venture of Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Google and Abu Dhabi Media, has a library of 75,000 HD music videos. It also produces original content and video of live concert performances.

“Creating original programming that is distributed through digital and traditional broadcast channels is an important focus for Vevo this year,” said Vevo senior vp content and programming Doug McVehil.

Thalía to Perform in Four U.S. Cities This Spring

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Thalía will be serenading Americans with her music in less than a month before trekking through Latin America.

The 41-year-old Mexican singer/actress will tour the U.S. cities of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Houston this spring, according to her record label, Sony Music.

Thalía will perform songs from her most recent album, Habitame siempre on what’s being called the Viva! Tour.

It will begin on March 24 in Chicago and consist of a series of intimate concerts where she’ll perform her new songs and the big hits of her more than 20-year career like “Equivocada,” “Amor a la mexicana,” “Entre el mar y una estrella” and “Arrasando.”

In addition to taking the stage at Chicago’s Vic Theatre, Thalía will make stops at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on March 28, Houston’s Arana Theatre on March 30 and at the Best Buy Theater in New York on April 3.

The tour by Thalía, who has sold more than 40 million albums and has starred in telenovelas like Rosalinda and Quinceañera, will continue on April 26 at Mexico City’s National Auditorium and then proceed through other Latin American countries.

Habitame siempre, released in last November, has gone triple platinum in Mexico and gold in the United States.

Iglesias Recognized as Spain’s Best-Selling Musician…

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

He’s one of Latin music’s brightest stars and one of the first to cross over into the English-language market… And, now Julio Iglesias is getting his due recognition.

During a special ceremony in his native homeland, the 68-year-old crooner was honored as the best-selling Spanish recording artist of all time in his home country, as well as the best-selling Spanish artist throughout the world.

To date, Iglesias has sold 23 million albums in Spain and more than 300 million albums worldwide, according to Sony Music.

Iglesias received his award from another of Spain’s biggest celebrities, tennis superstar Rafael Nadal. Fresh off his come-from-behind match to give Spain another Davis Cup triumph, Nadal praised his friend—the “great person” behind the famous artist—whose support he has always been able to count on “in difficult moments.”

“Julio can win the hearts of everyone in the world,” said the former World No. 1. “I believe it because, wherever I go, whether it’s Japan or the United States, sooner or later they’ll be playing one of his songs.”

Meanwhile, the Grammy-winning singer—who gave thanks to everyone who purchased his music, attended his concerts and game him their time—called the ceremony “the most important moment” of his 44-year career.

“Tomorrow I’ll think it was all a dream,” said Iglesias, who is probably best known for his hit single “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a
duet with Willie Nelson.

In a recent interview with Efe, Iglesias said he plans to continue singing, but will lead a much more secluded life by not appearing at awards
ceremonies, particularly after experiencing, he said, “such a magic moment.”

Vázquez Sounds Releases “All I Want For Christmas” Video…

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

They’ve been “Rolling in the Deep” after their oh-so-impressive cover of Adele’s hit song… And now Vázquez Sounds is getting into the holiday spirit by tackling a Mariah Carey classic…

The talented trio of siblings—consisting 10-year-old Angie Vázquez on lead vocals, 13-year-old Gustavo on drums and 15-year-old Abelardo on guitar—have released a brand-new video of the group’s cover of Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas” on YouTube.

The Vazquez’, who shot the Christmas-themed video themselves over the weekend, edited the clip in two days to get it online right away! In just two days, the video—featuring all three of the Baja California, Mexico siblings—has already notched more than one million views.

And you can expect more from Vázquez Sounds in the very near future…

The trio, who recently announced they’d landed a recording deal with Sony Music, could be releasing an album this month.

“Sony is thinking about releasing an album this month with the Christmas song, the Adele cover and a remix of that song that has a more clubby vibe and possibly an instrumental version that people can sing,” says the children’s father Abelardo Vázquez, a music producer.

Right now, Vázquez Sounds has no plans to perform publically, but the band would think twice if Adele asked them to share the stage with her. After all, the children do hope to meet her one day.

But for now, Angie and her brothers plan to spend the holidays with their family and maintain a normal life as they begin to practice and prepare for their next chapter.

Maldonado’s Pentatonix Wins NBC’s “The Sing-Off”

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

Kirstie Maldonado and members of her a cappella group are $200,000 richer and have a new recording contract with Sony Music after winning NBC’s The Sing-Off.

The 19-year-old Latina singer’s five-member group Pentatonix—the smallest singing group in the reality show—beat out the Dartmouth Aires and Urban Method in Monday’s finale to win the title…and prize package that came with it. The group won by claiming the majority of the reported three million viewer votes cast.

In all, 16 teams competed in the singing competition where participating groups couldn’t use instruments other than their own voices.

Throughout the competition, Pentatonix stood out as a small yet mighty group of talented singers and vocal percussionists, and they were praised regularly by show’s judges Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men.

Along with Maldonado—a National Hispanic Scholar and University of Oklahoma musical theatre major—Pentatonix consists of Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola and Avi Kaplan.

Maldonado was credited by the judges for bringing some serious sass and class to the group as the only female member.

“I don’t even know what to say … I’m just so humbled to have shared the stage with my best friends. They’re my family,” said Hoying after winning the competition. “And these 16 amazing groups; I can’t believe this is happening.”

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