Junior Mesa Named to YouTube Music’s Foundry 2021 Independent Artists Class

Junior Mesa has found(ry-ed) his place on YouTube…

YouTube Music has revealed its Foundry New Class of 2021, with 27 independent artists representing 14 countries across a variety of genres, including the Latino American singer.

Junior Mesa

This is YouTube’s largest class to date since the program’s inception in 2015.

The global artist development program, which “helps independent artists use music and storytelling to engage fans across borders,” per a press release, provides artists with marketing, promotion, and development support, and tools to help set them up for long-term success.

In addition to Junior Mesa, seven Latin artists have been included on the list this year — including three who were recently featured on Billboard’s Emerging Latin Artists to Discover in 2021 list. They join other Latinx Foundry alumni like Natanael CanoEladio Carrion, Cuco and Omar Apollo.

Here’s a look at this year’s highlighted Latin acts, with quotes and more info from YouTube here:

Ambar Lucid
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative/Indie
Ambar Lucid is a New Jersey-born singer-songwriter of Dominican and Mexican descent. She began to pen her own songs in her mid-teens, and ultimately put her hazy, bilingual indie-pop tracks onto SoundCloud.

“To me, being independent means having creative control and power over myself and my art,” she says to YouTube. “Success means being able to do things my way while having a loyal group of supporters with me throughout my journey.” Earlier this year, Lucid signed with independent label 300 Entertainment.

Bad Milk
Country: Colombia
Genre: Urban/Pop
Bad Milk (born Manuelita Garcia) has developed a following with her soulful vocals and urban-infused pop tracks. Her first single of 2021, “Ego,” was helmed by Latin hitmaker Ovy on the Drums, who also gave her his stamp of approval on his track “Angelito,” featuring Bad Milk and fellow Colombian newcomer Beéle.

“I love to experiment with different sounds and portray different emotions. I don’t enjoy putting my creativity in a box,” she says. “I see music as a mission. It’s definitely what I came here to do.”

Blessd
Country: Colombia
Genre: Urban/Hip-Hop
Also hailing from Colombia is Blessd (real name: Stiven Mesa Londoño), whose witty freestyle and sweet, crisp vocals are landing him major collaborations. The 21-year-old rapper, who kicked off his career in 2019, has already dropped tracks alongside Maluma, The Black Eyed Peas, Ovy on the Drums, The Rude Boyz and Piso 21.

Forming part of YouTube’s Foundry class is a great opportunity for Blessd, who mentioned that “being an artist is a dream I always had and also something I needed to do for my family. As an independent artist, I feel free.”

Junior Mesa
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative/Indie
California-based newcomer Junior Mesa is bringing a fresh sound to indie music while staying inspired by the greats. With songs such as “Far Out,” “Losing my Grip” and “Pushing Away,” the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is immersed in a trippy psych-pop sound that’s influenced by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & The Family Stone.

“Being independent is a mentality,” he assures. “Claiming independence is saying: We are not the same! I will not conform to your standards. I will express myself in a way that satisfies my will, not yours!”

Marina Sena
Country: Brazil
Genre: Pop
What Brazilian newcomer Marina Sena loves about being an independent artist is creating a sound that incorporates traditional genres such as Bossanova and funk with a soulful, seductive twist. “To be an independent artist is to have determination, free will, freedom,” she notes. “After starting my solo career on the right foot and being about to release my first full album, there’s nothing better than support to bet on my sound and make it reach people all over the world.”

Tokischa
Country: 
Dominican Republic
Genre: Urban
With her bold attitude and unapologetic lyrics, Tokischa is changing the Tokischa dembow game one single (and collaboration) at a time. With songs such as “Tukuntazo,” “El Rey de la Popola” and “No Me Importa” making the rounds, the Dominican trapera has already garnered the attention of artists such as J Balvin, Anuel and Karol G. “My music has no labels,” she says. “It’s a free, new wave. I’m excited to stand out in countries that are far from my culture.”

Tuyo
Country: Brazil
Genre: Alternative/Indie
Brazilian trio Tuyo — made up of Machado, Lio and Lay Soares — is making waves with an organic sound that experiments with folk music, lo-fi hip-hop and synth-pop. The São Paulo-based act says that their music is “more about a feeling” than a genre. “We mix very delicate vocals with strong rhythms. It’s music for floating, for flying. We are whole, happy, and successful when we can communicate with people through music.”

DJ Valadez Launches KROQ’s First-Ever Latin Show “Alternalido”

Anthony Valadez (a.k.a. DJ Valadez) is hitting the Southern California airwaves to celebrate Latin music.

The Latino deejay and radio host has launched KROQ‘s first-ever Latin show Alternalido from his makeshift studio at home in Venice Beach.

Anthony Valadez (a.k.a. DJ Valadez)

The two-hour show, the first of its kind for L.A.’s alternative KROQ-FM station (owned by Entercom), kicked off with the music of artists including Chicano BatmanCucoOzomatli and Bomba Estéreo, to name a few.

“Last night I had a lot of anxiety,” Valadez, who serves as host and curator of Alternalido, tells Billboard. “Latin alternative means so many things to different people. You’ve got fans that love Maná and then you have new artists like Omar Apollo and Ambar Lucid who want to break rules and do their own things.”

In an effort to better serve the bilingual Latin community in California — which has the largest Latino population in the 

U.S. — Alternalidoaims to spotlight an array of Latin alternative sounds from around the world. 

“Think of it like it’s Anthony Bourdain behind the turntables taking you around the world through sound,” Valadez says.

While the idea of a Latin-centric show was floated around a few years ago, now was the “perfect time” to go live, according to Jeff Federman, Entercom’s regional president. “We are so much better than we were when we entered March because we were forced to catch up on technology and learn to be even more resourceful. It’s almost a renaissance for radio.”

Mike Kaplan, senior vp/programming at Entercom, echoes Federman. “It’s exciting to know that we’re evolving and taking it to the next step. It was needed in this station. There are no boundaries in music.”

It was precisely that that drew Valadez — who will keep his weekend show on KCRW— to be part of the show as a host and curator. “In a new space and a new era, there’s more room for experimentation. Latin alternative is not new — it’s been there and it’s been neglected. And for these guys to say, ‘Let’s showcase this,’ yeah let’s break rules, that’s super important to me.”

Valadez, who has hosted weekly radio programs for the past 20 years, says he’s not only excited to offer a new home for Latin alternative artists but to be able to create a sense of community in trying times.

“People need community more than ever,” Valadez says. “This is music that is hand-picked and that’s a beautiful thing. The show is very inviting, it’s created with love for everybody and no matter where you come from, you’ll hear something you like.”

Alternalido airs Sundays from 8:00 -10:00 pm PST on KROQ.