Gloria “Goyo” Martínez Launches Solo Career with New Dembow-Infused Single “Na Na Na”

Gloria “Goyo” Martínez is saying na (na na) to going it alone…

The Afro-Colombian singer/rapper, who co-founded the Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown 20 years ago, has officially marked the beginning of a solo career by releasing her new single “Na Na Na.”

Gloria “Goyo” Martínez The dembow-infused, club-ready track is a perfect introduction to what Goyo’s project as a soloist is all about: female empowerment.

“With ChocQuibTown I could also sing about empowering women — but to say it alone and in my own words, it just has a different impact,” she tells Billboard. “Writing on my own has allowed me to reflect, analyze and really think about what I want to say,”

Launching her own career doesn’t mean she’s leaving the trio, which also includes her brother Slow and her husband Tostao. The trio are still very much committed to ChocQuibTown and, are even set to release a new single in April.

But having her very own independent project is something Goyo has been planning for quite some time.

“We’ve always considered ourselves a group where we can also respect each other’s individuality. For example, Slow likes the production side more and is often producing for other artists. I wanted to invite our fans to my world and give them the opportunity to know the woman behind Goyo.”

Timing was everything Goyo explains, and she’d have to find the right song to aunch her solo career. After many studio sessions searching for the song, inspiration came when she sat with Rauw Alejandro‘s go-to producer, Mr. Nais Gai, artist Fuego and her brother Slow during a writing camp at her favorite studio House of Hits in Miami.

“When we all come together, because we’re Afro, we always say that Wakanda is in the house. That day, they were showing me some beats and I suggested instead we start from scratch. So we brought in some instruments and built a structure. My brother stopped by and created a melody and it was pure magic,” she says. “I wrote the song’s first verse on the spot. The end result is a song that I love and I believe many women will adopt as their own anthem.”

Going solo coincides with the release of her upcoming album and HBO documentary, En Letra de Otro, where she re-imagines classics like Shakira‘s “Antologia,” Tego Calderón‘s “Pa’ Que Retozen” and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong‘s “Summertime.”

“The creative process for this project was easy in a sense — because I just had to revisit my roots and remember those days when I used to stay up to watch Shakira videos. Or during the pandemic, my vocal coach asked me to sing “Summertime,” and it really had a huge impact on me — because it was around the time when George Floyd was killed,” Goyo explains. “Recording this album pretty much trained me, and gave me an idea of what working alone would be like.”

For now, fans can listen to Goyo’s new single “Na Na Na.”

En Letra de Otro is out DSPs and on HBO March 4, with additional projects (as a solo artist and with ChocQuibTown) to be announced later this year.

“I’m ready to explore a new side of me and reach new ears. Sometimes, you just have to what your heart tells you to do.”

Jowell & Randy Join Voices with J Balvin for Old-School Reggaeton Track “Bonita”

Jowell & Randy have joined forces once again with a Latin superstar for a Bonita-fied hit…

The Puerto Rican duo and Colombian superstar J Balvin are going old-school reggaetón with their new track “Bonita.”

Jowell & Randy

The upbeat reggeatón tune and emoji-filled music video was released on Friday (June 2).

The team-up marks the second collaboration between the J Balvin and Jowell & Randy, who have previously collaborated with other reggaetoneros including Tego Calderón, Farruko and Yandel.

“Bonita” will be featured in the duo’s forthcoming album Viva La Musik.

This new collaboration follows J Balvin’s latest string of releases including the Fate of the Furious track “Hey Ma with Pitbull ft. Camila Cabello and the Bad Bunny-assisted song “Si tu novio te deja sola.”

Yandel Releases Official Music Video for “Nunca me olvides”

Yandel is making sure he’s unforgettable

 

Yandel

After premiering his new music video “Nunca me olvides” on Tidal on July 12, the 39-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton singer-songwriter has made the new clip available on YouTube for all his fans to watch.

The “Nunca me olvides” video, directed by Carlos R. Pérez and filmed in Los Angeles last month, is the first one Yandel premieres under Jay Z‘s Roc Nation.

“Nunca me olvides” is featured on Yandel’s latest album Dangerous which features collaborations with Lil Jon, French Montana, Tego Calderon, De La Ghetto, Spiff TV and Future.

J.Lo Bringing a Little Pop to SBS’ Megaton Mundial Concert

Jennifer Lopez is bracing for a mega(ton) performance….

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress has joined the roster of acts performing at the SBS network’s annual Megaton Mundial de Polito Vega, taking place on October 28 at Madison Square Garden.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez is the only pop act so far on a roster that, as is traditionally the case with Megatón, features predominantly tropical and urban music.

The Megatón will also feature performances by Pitbull, veteran rappers Tego Calderon and Vico C, Cuban duo Gente de Zona and Ivy Queen.

Salsa performers include Luis Enrique, Pirulo y la Tribu, Tony Vega, Hector Tricoche and Nino Segarra, while merengue will be represented by Elvis Crespo, Grupo Manía and La Dinastía Rosario. Bachata will be present courtesy of El Torito, Bachata Heightz and Jay Ruiz.

SBS’ annual Megatón, produced by SBS Entertainment, bears the name of popular radio personality Polito Vega, who’s been on the air more than 50 years.

Vega is one of the iconic voices of Mega 97.9 FM, the top-rated Spanish-language station in the country.

J Balvin to Perform at DJ Alex Sensation’s La Mega Mezcla Live (Mega Mix) Show

J Balvin is preparing for a mega show…

The 29-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, who recently notched his first-ever No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with “Ay Vamos,” is among the list of Latin urban acts announced to perform as part of DJ Alex Sensation‘s La Mega Mezcla Live (Mega Mix) show at Madison Square Garden on April 14.

J Balvin

In addition to J Balvin, the lineup includes appearances by Prince Royce, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderon, Plan B, Farruko, Maluma, Nicky Jam, French Montana and Maffio.

The show is produced by SBS Entertainment, the concert division arm of radio network SBS, which includes Mega 97.9 FM, New York’s top-rated Spanish language station and home to Sensation’s Monday-Saturday mix show, La Mega Mezcla.

Sensation has hosted his radio show for 15 years, amassing a major fan base that allows him to spin in clubs across the country. Along the way, he’s also mixed tracks for multiple artists — collaborating with the likes of J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam — and paired up with major brands. In 2011, Sensation launched his first live concert with friends at MSG. It has become an annual fixture and as of last year, branched out to Miami. There, Sensation’s Miami Bash takes place April 10 with a slightly different lineup.

This year’s roster of acts performing at the New York show is particularly impressive, which also includes J Álvarez, Zion & Lennox, Arcángel, De la Ghetto, Reykon, French Montana and pop singer Alejandra Guzmán.

The show is a precursor to Sensation’s next step as a recording artist. A first single, featuring Yandel and Shaggy, is due out this spring.

Sensation will be the moderator of the New Latin Urban Movement during the Billboard Latin Music Conference, taking place April 27-29 at the Ritz Carlton in Miami Beach.

J Alvarez to Perform at the Calibash Festival in January

J Alvarez is bringing his preguntas to Southern California…

The 30-year-old Puerto Rican reggaetón artist and “La Pregunta” singer will perform at the Calibash festival, which is set for January 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

J Alvarez

This year’s lineup includes PitbullDon Omar, Carlos Vives, Tego Calderon, WisinPlan BFarruko3BallMTYGente de Zona and Maluma.

The lineup joins some of the most established Latin music acts with a strong representation of emerging artists who have become familiar names on the charts, including Alvarez, Farruko (“Passion Wine”), and Gente de Zona (“Bailando”).

The festival should be a magnet for the bilingual young Latino crowd.

Calibash, billed as “the leading urban Latin music festival in the world,” is presented by SBS Entertainment, AEG Live and Mega 96.3 FM. The latest edition of the 7-year-old festival was previously scheduled to take place on Nov. 22.

SBS moved the Calibash date ahead when iHeartMedia launched its own Latin mega concert, the iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, on that same November date.

Tickets for Calibash 2015 go on sale on November 21 through axs.com.

Calderón Releases New Single “Dando Break”

Tego Calderón is dando break with new music…

The 42-year-old Puerto Rican rapper and reggaetón pioneer has released “Dando Break,” the first single long-awaited new album, El Que Sabe, Sabe, which is set for release in early 2015.

Tego Calderón

Calderón stays true to his musical roots on the new track, combining slow jamming rhythms with his intense street-talking delivery. The track serves as a reminder of how tight the urban tropical fusion genre was with hip-hop when it came out of the projects of San Juan.

El Que Sabe, Sabe is Calderón’s first major studio album in eight years. Despite his long absence from recording music, Calderón has continued to perform and record, as well as appear in the Fast and Furious movies.

He was nominated for a 2012 Latin Grammy for The Original Gallo Del País, a “mixtape” released by his own Jiggiri Records. (The marketing plan involved handing copies of the album out at New York’s Puerto Rican Day Parade.) He gave a boost to the young reggaetón duo Plan B by appearing on the 2013 song “Zapitito Roto,” which landed on the Billboard Latin charts.

El Que Sabe Sabe will be released by Siente Music, a Venevision label distributed by Universal.

“I keep on producing, writing new songs and enjoying the process in addition to be debuting with a new record company,” Calderón said in a press release from the label. “So I’m ready to keep contributing to the development of the genre, with lyrics that in addition to make people dance, have a message they can identify with.”

Sanchez Releasing Music Video for New Single “Pick Up Your Game”

Roselyn Sanchez is making sweet music again…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer is returning to the music world with the release of the official video for “Pick Up Your Game,” a song that grew out of her role on Lifetime’s primetime sudser Devious Maids.

Roselyn Sanchez

Sanchez performed the track last December on last season’s finale of Mira Quien Baila.

For this version, Rapper Flo Rida collaborated with Sanchez on the production, which will have its world premiere on Friday.

Sanchez, known for her role as FBI agent Elena Delgado on Without a Trace, released the song “Pick Up Your Game” last November, as part of the show.

Her character on Devious Maids, Carmen Luna, is an aspiring singer.

Sanchez said she was excited about the debut of the “Pick Up Your Game” video, her first musical release since the 2003 album Borinqueña, which featured contributions from Puerto Rican stars like Tego Calderon and Victor Manuelle.

The first single from the album entitled “Amor Amor was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Music Video.

Bardem to Portray Manuel Noriega in “Hands of Stone”

Carlos Bardem is preparing to portray one of the world’s most notorious dictators…

In Hands of Stone, the 49-year-old Spanish actor, brother to Javier Bardem, has been cast as Panama’s former dictator Manuel Noriega, who was removed from power after the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States.

Carlos Bardem

The film, scheduled to be released in 2013, will tell the story of Roberto Dúran, the popular Panamanian boxer and his trainer, Ray Arcel.

Calling his character a “badass,” Bardem told Fox News Latino that he’s is ready to get on the set and play the controversial military leader.

Along with Bardem, Hands of Stone will reportedly star Andy García, Robert DeNiro, Gael García Bernal, Usher and possibly reggaeton singer Tego Calderón.

Bardem, who recently starred opposite Salma Hayek in the film Americano, will next star opposite Mia Maestro in the upcoming film Gardel about Argentine Tango phenomenon Carlos Gardel.

Lopez to “Follow The Leader” on Wisin & Yandel New Album

It’s official… Following weeks of speculation, Wisin & Yandel has confirmed that they’ll share the mic with Jennifer Lopez on their upcoming album.

The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo joined voices with 42-year-old American Idol judge to record a song entitled “Follow The Leader,” according to Wisin & Yandel’s agent,  Paco Lopez.

In addition, Lopez will join Wisin & Yandel—Juan Luis Morera and Llandel Veguilla Malavé Salazar—in Acapulco next week to film the music video for the song.

The track includes South American rhythms, as well as the duo flipping the script. “Wisin sings in the style of Yandel and Yandel in that of Wisin,” says Lopez, referring to the more powerful tone of the former and the lighter vocal touch of the latter.

Wisin & Yandel’s earlier album – “Los vaqueros, el regreso” – included “underground” rhythms on the songs “Muevete,” “Callate” and “Perreame,” while on “Sigan bailando” they collaborated with rappers Tego Calderon and Franco El Gorila.

Wisin & Yandel have released eight albums since they burst onto the scene in 1998. The duo have collected several accolades, including a Grammy and two Latin Grammys.