Yahritza Martinez to Receive Special Recognition at SESAC Latina Awards

Yahritza Martinez is officially breaking through

The 16-year-old Mexican American Regional Mexican artist, the lead singer of Yahritza y Su Esencia, will receive a special honor at the upcoming SESAC Latina Awards 2023.

Yahritza MartinezSESAC will award Martinez with its breakthrough songwriter award.

Argentine producer Federico Vindver is set to receive special honors at the event. He has worked with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky MartinMarc Anthony and, most recently, Christina Aguilera for her Spanish-language album Aguilera, which was nominated for album of the year at the Latin Grammys 2022.

The ceremony, which will take place on June 27 in Los Angeles, where the song of the year, publisher of the year and songwriter of the year — for both regional Mexican and pop/Latin rhythm — winners will also be announced.

“We love every opportunity to recognize our talented affiliates within the Latin songwriting community and l look forward to bringing everyone together for a night of celebration,” said Sam Kling, chief creative officer, SESAC Performing Rights. “The songs and spirit at the SESAC Latina Music Awards always make it a wonderfully special and unique evening.

“Vindver is a one-of-a-kind versatile producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist that has worked with some of the biggest names in music,” said Celeste Zendejas, VP of SESAC Latina. “Additionally, we are recognizing all that Yahritza has done in her career at such a young age — she has broken several records not only as an artist but as a songwriter as well.”

With “Soy El Único,” Yahritza y Su Esencia’s debut single, Martinez made chart history as the youngest Latin performer to enter the Billboard Hot 100 when the track debuted at No. 20 last year. Subsequently, their seven-track debut EP, Obsessed, peaked at No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart (dated May 7, 2022). Martinez is just one of the two women (the other being Karol G) who have reached No. 1 on the Latin Songwriters chart.

Peso Pluma & Eslabon Armado Make Billboard Hot 100 Chart History with “Ella Baila Sola”

Peso Pluma and Eslabon Armado are making Billboard Hot 100 history…

The 23-year-old Mexican singer and the American Regional Mexican group have each logged their first Top 10 on the Hot 100 with “Ella Baila Sola” on the chart dated April 22, 2023.

Peso Pluma & Eslabon ArmadoEslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” soars 17-10, led by 24.4 million streams, up 30%, as it wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer trophy, and jumps 6-3 on Streaming Songs.

Quartet Eslabon Armado, from California, and Peso Pluma, from Mexico, each reach the Hot 100’s top for the first time – as “Ella Baila Sola” makes history as the first regional Mexican song ever to hit the Hot 100’s top 10.

The genre has surged this decade, due in part to exposure on TikTok and other social media, with Gera MX and Christian Nodal’s “Botella Tras Botella” having become the first regional Mexican Hot 100 hit in May 2021, peaking at No. 60.

After “Ella Baila Sola,” Peso Pluma also has the second-highest-charting regional Mexican Hot 100 hit: “La Bebe,” with Yng Lvcas, rises to a new No. 17 best on the latest, April 22-dated chart.

The next-highest-peaking such hits: Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Soy El Unico” (No. 20, April 2022 – it debuted at that rank, the highest entrance for a regional Mexican song) and Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera’s “Bebe Dame” (No. 25, this January).

Among Latin genres, regional Mexican’s arrival in the Hot 100’s top 10 follows that of Latin pop, which, after English-language hits by Gloria Estefan in the 1980s (plus Los Lobos’ “La Bamba,” in Spanish) surged in the late ‘90s and beyond thanks to songs (in varying degrees of English and Spanish) by Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, among other stars.

At the same time, Marc Anthony helped tropical break through on the chart. In more recent years, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi’s pop-centered, mostly-Spanish-language “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, spent a then-record-tying 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2017, while, this decade, Bad Bunny, with Spanish-language songs, has carried the torch for Latin rhythm in the top 10.

As for Latin music overall, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma earn the Hot 100’s third Spanish-language top 10 this year, following two Latin pop hits: Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” (No. 9, January) and Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” (No. 7, March).

“Ella Baila Sola” was released on Prajin Parlay/DEL Records, both of which likewise appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time.

The collaboration concurrently achieves a second week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, where it became the first leader for both Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma.

“We didn’t expect for the song to make so much noise!” Pedro Tovar, lead singer for the former act, and the song’s sole author, told Billboard upon its coronation. “I really liked the song when I first wrote it, but I didn’t really expect it to be such a big hit. I previewed it on my stories on Instagram and, two days after, it went viral on TikTok, and that’s when I knew that the song was going to do big numbers.”

“Normally I don’t expect to chart with songs,” Peso Pluma marveled. “We just enjoyed the process of doing it.”

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data.

Yahritza y Su Esencia Teams Up with Grupo Frontera to Release New Single “Frágil”

It’s a fragile time for Yahritza y Su Esencia.

The Mexican regional music group has joined voices with Grupo Frontera for their first collaborative effort, “Frágil.

Yahritza y Su EsenciaThe captivating norteño track is charged with unanswered questions, soul, and emotion.

“Sorry, I don’t know the reason and I put my heart where I shouldn’t have/ I didn’t see the sign,” Yahritza starts off, backed by weeping guitars. “It was I who got their hopes up and though it didn’t work out, I gave you my life,” responds Payo in the first 28 seconds.

The track then transitions into a hard-hitting norteño and cumbia fusion — a sound that’s become signature to Grupo Frontera but new for the siblings’ group that’s known for their sad sierreño style.

Notably are the heartfelt lyrics about having a fragile heart and not knowing how to handle a breakup.

“Why don’t I have a heart like that?/ Like the one they gave you because the one I have is fragile, that’s why you easily broke it,” chants the 16-year-old singer-songwriter.

“Frágil” comes with a simple yet special music video featuring both acts.

DannyLux Named to New Class of Fender Next

DannyLux’s got (Fender) next

The 19-year-old Latino musician has been announced as a member of the new class of Fender Next, an artist development program designed to elevate rising musicians that are pushing guitar forward in music.

DannyLux,Born Daniel Balderrama, DannyLux was born and raised in Palm Springs, California. His love of music began at 6 years of age when his father brought home a guitar that had seen better days.

Daniel’s goal: to write powerful music that will calm you and make you feel better. To inspire people and help them in their time of need, is worth more to him than any amount of money.

But DannyLux isn’t the only Latin act making the grade.

Yahritza Y Su Esencia have been announced as part of the new class of Fender Next.

“When I play my guitar, I am able to dream out loud,” Yahritza says about being part of this program. “I drift into a space that is just me, my guitar and my thoughts and it is a big part of how I roll these ideas out, when writing music.”

Mexico’s Bratty is also part of the new class. He’s a bedroom pop / garage / surf rock project of guitarist and singer-songwriter

This year marks its fifth installment, with previous artist alumni being Sam FenderPhoebe Bridgers, Wet Leg and others.

The 25 artists have been chosen from across North America, Australia, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

This year’s honorees include:

Dayglow (US)
Cafune (US)
Jean Dawson (US)
Bartees Strange  (US)
Adi Oasis (US)
Momma  (US)
Wallice  (US)
Yahritza y Su Esencia  (US)
DannyLux  (US)
Devon Gilfillian  (US)
49 Winchester  (US)
Cecilia Castleman  (US)
Luna Li (CA)
Bratty (MX)
Samm Henshaw (UK)
The Mysterines (UK)
Ruti (UK)
Deyaz (UK)
Tommy Lefroy (UK)
Grentperez (AU)
Ruel (AU)
BREIMEN (JP)
Chili Beans. (JP)
Sunset Rollercoaster (TW)
Wen Zhaojie (CN)

 

Artists involved in Fender Next receive a welcome pack which includes a guitar from the Player Series, loaded with a commemorative gold pick guard, a Custom Fender Road Case and guitar strap, a Mustang Micro, a pedal from Fender’s Hammertone TM series (which will be selected to match to each artists unique sound), as well as PreSonus HD9: Professional Monitoring Headphones.

Those involved will be boosted through Fender’s marketing and social content on TikTok and Instagram, as well as being included on official Fender playlists on music streaming services.

To check out more from this year’s artists, check out the Fender Next playlist on Spotify.

Karol G Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Songwriters Chart

Karol G has the write stuff…

The 32-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter soars to No. 1 on Billboards Latin Songwriters chart dated March 11, becoming just the second woman to rule the ranking.

Karol GKarol G leads for the first time due to an impressive 16 songwriting credits on the latest Hot Latin Songs chart, all via songs on her new LP Mañana Será Bonito.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making history as the first all-Spanish-language leader by a woman. The only other all-Spanish-language No. 1 albums are Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo and Un Verano Sin Ti.

The only other woman to have hit No. 1 on Latin Songwriters is Regional Mexican teen sensation Yahritza Martinez, who tallied four weeks on top in April 2022 due to Yahritza y Su Esencia’s breakthrough single, “Soy El Unico.”

Here’s a recap of Karol G’s entries on the latest Hot Latin Songs chart:

Rank, Title
No. 1, “TQG,” with Shakira
No. 4, “X Si Volvemos,” with Romeo Santos
No. 8, “Mientras Me Curo del Cora”
No. 9, “Gucci Los Paños”
No. 10, “Tus Gafitas”
No. 11, “Gatúbela,” with Maldy
No. 13, “Cairo,” with Ovy on the Drums
No. 14, “Pero Tú,” with Quevedo
No. 16, “Ojos Ferrari,” with Justin Quiles & Ángel Dior
No. 17, “Besties”
No. 19, “Mañana Será Bonita,” with Carla Morrison
No. 24, “Amargura”
No. 25, “Karmika,” with Bad Gyal & Sean Paul
No. 26, “Mercurio”
No. 29, “Danamos Los Amistad”
No. 33, “Carolina”

In the history of the Hot Latin Songs chart, only Bad Bunny and Ozuna have charted at least 16 songs simultaneously. Bad Bunny holds the record for the most in one week: 24, on May 21, 2022, concurrent with the chart start for Un Verano Sin Ti.

Yahritza y Su Esencia Releases New Single “Cambiaste”

Yahritza y Su Esencia are noticing a change

The Mexican American family trio has released the new single “Cambiaste” via Lumbre Music and Columbia Records.

Yahritza y Su EsenciaWeeping requintos and a soulful, yearning voice bring the new single to life.

Written by the 16-year-old vocalist, Yahritza Martinez, the heartfelt sierreño narrates the story of a person who’s juggling their emotions in a relationship and has the other person confused.

“Out of nowhere, you changed/ One day you say you love me and the next, you throw me to the trash as if I were no one/ What happened to those days that you told me/ ‘I love you, I’ll always be by your side’?” she chants.

The music video finds the three siblings navigating Lake Xochimilco in Mexico.

 

Bad Bunny Wins Favorite Latin Artist Male & Favorite Latin Album for Third Year in a Row at American Music Awards

Bad Bunny is America’s choice…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican rapper and singer won two awards at this year’s American Music Awards, giving him the most wins among Latinx artists at this year’s exhibition.

Bad BunnyBad Bunny, who’d previously won 4 AMAs, took him the Favorite Latin Artist – Male and Favorite Latin Album for his chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti.

It’s the third year in a row that Bad Bunny has won both AMA prizes.

Anitta has claimed the first AMAs trophy of her career…

The 29-year-old Brazilian singer, songwriter and host was named the Favorite Latin Artist – Female.

Yahritza Martinez and her siblings are also first-time winners…

The Mexican-American teenager and her brothers won the Favorite Latin Duo or Group award.

Here’s a look at all the winners:

Artist of the year: Taylor Swift
New artist of the year:
Dove Cameron
Collaboration of the year: Elton John & Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”
Favorite touring artist: Coldplay
Favorite music video: Taylor Swift, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”
Favorite male pop artist: Harry Styles
Favorite female pop artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite pop duo or group: BTS
Favorite pop album: Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor’s Version)
Favorite pop song: Harry Styles, “As It Was”
Favorite male country artist: Morgan Wallen
Favorite female country artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite country duo or group: Dan + Shay
Favorite country album: Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor’s Version)
Favorite country song: Morgan Wallen, “Wasted on You”
Favorite male hip-hop artist: Kendrick Lamar
Favorite female hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
Favorite hip-hop album: Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Favorite hip-hop song: Future ft. Drake & Tems, “Wait For U”
Favorite male R&B artist: Chris Brown
Favorite female R&B artist: Beyoncé
Favorite R&B album: Beyoncé, Renaissance
Favorite R&B song: Beyoncé, “Break My Soul”
Favorite male Latin artist: Bad Bunny
Favorite female Latin artist: Anitta
Favorite Latin duo or group: Yahritza Y Su Esencia
Favorite Latin album: Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti
Favorite Latin song: Sebastián Yatra, “Dos Oruguitas”
Favorite rock artist: Machine Gun Kelly
Favorite rock song: Måneskin, “Beggin’”
Favorite rock album: Ghost, Impera
Favorite inspirational artist: for King & Country
Favorite gospel artist: Tamela Mann
Favorite dance/electronic artist: Marshmello
Favorite soundtrack: ELVIS
Favorite Afrobeats artist: Wizkid
Favorite K-pop artist: BTS

Yahritza y Su Esencia Sign Label Deal with Columbia Records

Yahritza y Su Esencia has a new deal…

The Mexican American group, comprised of 15-year singer-songwriter Yahritza Martinez and her brothers Armando (guitar) and Jairo (bass), has signed a label deal with Columbia Records.

Yahritza Martinez, Yahritza y Su Esencia,The deal is a partnership between Columbia, Sony Music Latin and the trio’s regional Mexican indie label Lumbre Music, who first signed the band in February.

The sierreño band is currently managed by their older sister, Adriana Martinez.

In April, Yahritza y Su Esencia made chart history with their heartbreak track “Soy El Unico” as the youngest Latin performer to enter the Billboard Hot 100 debuting at No. 20. Since then, major Latin and mainstream record labels had expressed interest in signing the regional Mexican act.

“Lumbre is really happy to partner with Columbia Records for Yaritza y Su Esencia. It speaks volumes for an American-Mexican indie label like us to work hand in hand with a major label,” says Ramon Ruiz, CEO of Lumbre Music. “We have been working hard to develop and really get the kids’ music out to the masses and we have done some great work with them, including their first diamond certification, but are so excited to take them to the next level. We are all so passionate about this project it was important that whoever came into the project felt that same passion, and both the artists and Lumbre felt that with Columbia from the get-go. It felt like the right choice. Great things are coming for Yahritza Y Su Esencia!”

Yahritza y Su Esencia, up for best new artist at the 2022 Latin Grammys, broke out on TikTok earlier this year after they uploaded covers and quickly created a zealous fan base.

In March, after being discovered by Lumbre Music on the platform’s For You Page, they released their first single, “Soy El Único,” which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Since, they scored their first No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart with their debut album, Obsessed, released in May.

Elsewhere, the five-track set debuted at No. 7 on Top Latin Albums, and it also entered the all-genre Billboard 200 at No. 173.

Yahritza y Su Esencia added in a statement: “We are so excited to be working now with not only Lumbre but also a big label like Columbia! For us it’s just another step forward in accomplishing our dreams. We still have to go to school, but we are working hard on recording new music for our fans that we love so much and who helped get us to where we are today. We are very grateful to our entire team for all their support, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Yahritza y Su Esencia Team Up with Ivan Cornejo to Release Heartbreak Track “Inseparables”

Yahritza y Su Esencia have teamed up with another up-and-coming Regional Mexican act.

The record-breaking family trio, led by Yahritza Martinez, have joined voices with Ivan Cornejo to release the single “Inseparables.”

Yahritza Martinez, Yahritza y Su Esencia,For their first collaboration with fellow sierreño artist, Yahritza y Su Esencia released aa powerful heartbreak track.

Powered by the subgenre’s signature requintos and acoustic guitars, the focus point of the song is the teens’ tender vocals and the way they intersect for an explosive pathos-filled delivery.

Penned by both Yahritza and Cornejo, their coming together only strengthens Mexican music’s new movement — where young Mexican-American artists are placing all bets on heartfelt lyrics to connect with their equally emotional and bruised teen fans.

Grupo Frontera Appears on Billboard Hot 100 for First Time with Cover of Morat’s “No Se Va”

Grupo Frontera has joined an elite club…

Five weeks ago, the Latino group appeared on a Billboard chart for the first time, Now the act is officially a Billboard Hot 100 hitmaker with its cover of Morat’s “No Se Va.”

Grupo FronteraThe song, which the group released independently, debuts at No. 99 with 4.8 million U.S. streams (up 43%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 278%) in the September 23-29 tracking week, according to Luminate.

It concurrently jumps 28-15 on Hot Latin Songs and 18-3 on Latin Digital Song Sales and debuts at No. 15 on Latin Streaming Songs.

Helping the song’s surge in popularity, a snippet of it has been used in more than 130,000 clips on TikTok.

Colombian folk-pop group Morat released its initial recording of the song in 2019, although the track has not appeared on any Billboard charts. The group has earned one Hot Latin Songs hit: “Sé Que Te Duele,” with Alejandro Fernandez (No. 49 peak, 2017).

“No Se Va” became Grupo Frontera’s first Billboard chart entry when it debuted at No. 12 on the Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales survey dated September 3; the song spends a second week at No. 1 on the latest list.

The song also helps the group rise 49-24 on the Emerging Artists chart.

Notably, “No Se Va” is just the fifth Regional Mexican song to reach the Hot 100 in the chart’s 64-year history, a distinction that began with Christian Nodal and Gera MX’s “Botella Tras Botella” in May 2021 (peaking at No. 60). Ivan Cornejo’s “Está Dañada” became the second regional Mexican song to reach the Hot 100 last October (No. 61), followed by Grupo Firme’s “Ya Superame (En Vivo Desde Culiacan, Sinaloa)” in November (No. 91) and Yahritza y Su Esencia’s “Soy El Unico” this April (No. 20).

 

Grupo Frontera comprises six members: Beto, Juan Javier Cantu, Carlos Frontera, Payo, Julian Pena Jr. and Carlos Zamora.