Chiquis is celebrating her late mother with a new version of her debut single…
The 37-year-old Mexican American singer has released a mariachi version of debut single “Paloma Blanca” to commemorate Jenni Rivera’s death 10 years ago, on December 9, 2012.
The new interpretation comes eight years after the original banda track debuted in 2014.
Accompanied by the all-female Mariachi Divas, Chiquis belts out a heartfelt love letter to La Diva de la Banda, expressing how much she misses her, what she would’ve changed about their mother-daughter relationship, and her biggest life lessons learned.
The song was produced by Cindy Shea, Ulises Lozano El Licenciado and Janney “Chiquis” Marin, and co-written by Marin and Claudia Brant.
“When ‘Paloma Blanca’ was originally released, I wasn’t entirely happy with the way it was recorded. I have always wanted to re-release it,” Chiquis said in a press statement. “My vocals and delivery have greatly evolved over these last eight years and I feel better than ever about my music so I decided to record it alongside Mariachi Divas. It will always be dedicated to my mom who passed away ten years ago but I also wanted to re-record it for her fans as well as mine.”
Bringing the emotional lyrics to life, a music video helmed by director Oscar Eden shows Chiquis performing the song dressed as an angel as well as never-before-seen footage of her mother.
The sweet tribute comes a month after Chiquis received her first-ever Grammy nomination for best regional Mexican album and her second Latin Grammy win in the best banda album category with Abeja Reina.
Victoria La Mala is empowering women with her latest single…
The Mexican singer has teamed up with Chiquis, whom she met about six years ago, for their first-ever collaboration “Sexo Debil (TNMDQH).”
“I wrote the song a couple of years ago with Claudia Brant,” La Mala tells Billboard. “I was holding on to it for a while because I loved it so much and it meant so much to me.”
“Sexo Debil (TNMDQH),” short for “tu no me dices que hacer” is a Western-tinged corrido that fuses to an infectious cumbia melody towards the middle. It’s an anthem to remind women that they are in no shape or form the weakest sex.
“Every word we wrote was something that was told to me,” she adds. “I wanted to let women feel that they are empowered, have control of their lives and that they can do whatever they want.”
For the track, La Mala reeled in Latin Grammy winner, Chiquis, because “she’s such a strong woman and she’ll be able to relate.”
“Us women who are in this industry understand how hard it can be and the discrimination that happens,” Chiquis notes. “I love what Victoria did on this song because it comes from the heart. She’s really embracing who she is, she’s hip-hop, she’s Regional, she’s a little bit of everything and I love that she did something different. This song gives women power and reminds them that they can do whatever they want.”
In the music video, both Mexican artists are just as unapologetic and fierce as the track.
“I’m obsessed with this video! We had so much fun and I think it reflects that,” La Mala says. “I wanted to do this whole late ‘90s, early ‘00s aesthetic because I grew up with that. We filmed it in a day and we got to hang out with each other and let loose.”
With the release of “Sexo Debil,” part of Soy MalaEP coming out on May 5th, both La Mala and Chiquis hope to encourage more and more women in Regional Mexican to collaborate.
“Why can’t we get together the way Becky G and Natti[Natasha] collab? I want that in our genre so now it’s happening and hopefully it keeps on going,” Chiquis expresses.
“We’re the generation that’s doing it!” La Mala agrees. “There’s space to support all the women and grow together. We’re more unstoppable that way.”
Claudia Brant’s music will have a broader audience…
The 51-year-old Argentine singer-songwriter has signed a global publishing administration agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Brant, whose credits include Luis Fonsi’s “No me doy por vencido” and Ricky Martin’s “Lo mejor de mi vida eres tu,” is one of a few prominent female songwriters in Latin music.
She returns to Sony/ATV after a stint at Universal Music Publishing Group.
“With over two thousand songs recorded, multiple awards, and 30 years of my life dedicated to songwriting, it’s clear to me now that Sony/ATV is where I belong,” said Brant in a statement. “It is my honor to be a part of this publishing powerhouse where songwriters are not only heard and understood but respected and taken care of. I am looking forward to getting back to work with my friend Jorge Mejia, whose hard work and dedication has greatly impacted my career. Moreover, I am thrilled to find new opportunities for my music under the guidance of the amazing Jon Platt and his team, both in the United States as well as internationally. I’m so glad to finally be back home.”
Brant has songwriting credits with many of Latin music’s biggest stars and beyond, including Camila Cabello, Fifth Harmony, Reik, Il Volo and CNCO.
Her deal with Sony/ATV encompasses her prior catalog with the publisher.
Most recently, she created “Canción de Autor Oficial,” a non-profit whose aim is to promote songwriters’ craft and rights. The organization teamed up with MusiCares for a live event concert series to raise money for the COVID-19 relief fund.
Jorge Mejia, Sony/ATV president and CEO for Latin America and US Latin said in a statement: “I have known and worked with Claudia for years, and I couldn’t admire her more for the uncommon dedication, commitment, and respect she brings to her craft. She is the consummate songwriter (not to mention mother, artist, songwriter advocate, the list goes on). Sony/ATV is lucky to be able to welcome her back home.”
The 26-year-old half-Dominican American rap sensation, a five-time nominee at this year’s Grammy Awards show, didn’t leave empty-handed.
Cardi B took home the award for Best Rap Album for chart-topping debut album Invasion of Privacy, becoming the first woman to win the prize.
50-year-old Argentine Singer/songwriter Claudia Brant, who has built a career as one of the top songwriters in Latin music, won as a performer in the Best Latin Pop Albumcategory for Sincera, a collection of personal, heartfelt songs set to acoustic, Brazilian-tinged arrangements, courtesy of producers/engineers Cheche Alaraand Moogie Canazio.
The Best Latin Rock/Alternative/Urban Albumwent to Mexican band Zoé’s Aztlanin a hard to predict category where the alternative sounds of Monsiuer Perinéand the urban sounds of Orishas also stood a good chance of winning.
There were no big commercial releases in the Best Tropical Albumcategory, which went to critically acclaimed Spanish Harlem Orchestrafor Anniversary.
The only fully expected win was Luis Miguel’s, for his Latin Grammywinning ¡México Por Siempre!
Earlier in the evening, Lucy Kalantari, who won Best Children’s Albumfor All The Sounds by Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats, gave a shout out to her mom in Dominican Republic.
“This album was recorded by a Latina woman. It was produced by a woman,” she said.
Here are the artists, albums and songs that received awards.
Record of the Year “This Is America” — Childish Gambino
Album of the Year “Golden Hour” — Kacey Musgraves
Song of the Year “This Is America” — Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
Best New Artist Dua Lipa
Best Pop Solo Performance “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” — Lady Gaga
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Shallow” — Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Best Pop Vocal Album “Sweetener” — Ariana Grande
Best Rock Performance “When Bad Does Good” — Chris Cornell
Best Rock Song “Masseduction” — Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent)
Best Rock Album “From the Fires” — Greta Van Fleet
Best Alternative Music Album “Colors” — Beck
Best R&B Performance “Best Part” — H.E.R. featuring Daniel Caesar
Best Urban Contemporary Album “Everything Is Love” — The Carters
Best R&B Album “H.E.R.” — H.E.R.
Best Rap Performance “King’s Dead” — Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake and “Bubblin” — Anderson .Paak
Best Rap Song “God’s Plan” — Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels and Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
Best Rap Album “Invasion of Privacy” — Cardi B
Best Country Solo Performance “Butterflies” — Kacey Musgraves
Best Country Album “Golden Hour” — Kacey Musgraves
Best Jazz Instrumental Album “Emanon” — The Wayne Shorter Quartet
Best Latin Pop Album “Sincera” — Claudia Brant
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album “Aztlán” — Zoé
Best Americana Album “By the Way, I Forgive You” — Brandi Carlile
Best Song Written for Visual Media “Shallow” — Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Pharrell Williams
Best Music Video “This Is America” — Childish Gambino
Best Comedy Album “Equanimity & the Bird Revelation” — Dave Chappelle
Best Musical Theater Album “The Band’s Visit” — Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Katrina Lenk and Ari’el Stachel, principal soloists; Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek, producers; David Yazbek, composer and lyricist
Best Instrumental Composition “Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil)” — Terence Blanchard
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella “Stars and Stripes Forever” — John Daversa
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals “Spiderman Theme” — Mark Kibble, Randy Waldman and Justin Wilson, arrangers
Best Recording Package “Masseduction” — Willo Perron, art director
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package “Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic” — Meghan Foley, Annie Stoll and Al Yankovic, art directors
Best Album Notes “Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris” — David Evans, album notes writer
Best Historical Album “Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris” — William Ferris, April Ledbetter and Steven Lance Ledbetter, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical “Colors” — Julian Burg, Serban Ghenea, David “Elevator” Greenbaum, John Hanes, Beck Hansen, Greg Kurstin, Florian Lagatta, Cole M.G.N., Alex Pasco, Jesse Shatkin, Darrell Thorp and Cassidy Turbin, engineers; Chris Bellman, Tom Coyne, Emily Lazar and Randy Merrill, mastering engineers
Best Remixed Recording “Walking Away (Mura Masa remix)” — Alex Crossan, remixer
Best Immersive Audio Album “Eye in the Sky – 35th Anniversary Edition” — Alan Parsons, surround mix engineer; Dave Donnelly, P.J. Olsson and Alan Parsons, surround mastering engineers; Alan Parsons, surround producer
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album “Steve Gadd Band” — Steve Gadd
Band Best Gospel Performance/Song “Never Alone” — Tori Kelly featuring Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin and Victoria Kelly, songwriters
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song “You Say” — Lauren Daigle; Lauren Daigle, Jason Ingram and Paul Mabury, songwriters
Best Gospel Album “Hiding Place” — Tori Kelly
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album “Look Up Child” — Lauren Daigle
Best Roots Gospel Album “Unexpected” — Jason Crabb
Best World Music Album “Freedom” — Soweto Gospel Choir
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media “The Greatest Showman” — Hugh Jackman (and Various Artists); Alex Lacamoire, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Greg Wells, compilation producers
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media “Black Panther” — Ludwig Göransson, composer
Best New Age Album “Opium Moon” — Opium Moon
Best American Roots Performance “The Joke” — Brandi Carlile
Best American Roots Song “The Joke” — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, songwriters
Best Bluegrass Album “The Travelin’ Mccourys” — The Travelin’ Mccourys
Best Traditional Blues Album “The Blues Is Alive and Well” — Buddy Guy
Best Contemporary Blues Album “Please Don’t Be Dead” — Fantastic Negrito
Best Folk Album “All Ashore” — Punch Brothers
Best Children’s Album “All the Sounds” — Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books and Storytelling) “Faith – A Journey for All” — Jimmy Carter
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) “¡México Por Siempre!” — Luis Miguel
Best Tropical Latin Album “Anniversary” — Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Best Regional Roots Music Album “No ‘Ane’i” — Kalani Pe’a
Best Music Film “Quincy” — Quincy Jones; Alan Hicks and Rashida Jones, video directors; Paula Dupré Pesmen, video producer
Best Country Duo/Group Performance “Tequila” — Dan + Shay
Best Country Song “Space Cowboy” — Luke Laird, Shane Mcanally and Kacey Musgraves, songwriters
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album “My Way” — Willie Nelson
Best Engineered Album, Classical “Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11” — Shawn Murphy and Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer
Producer of the Year, Classical Blanton Alspaugh
Best Orchestral Performance “Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11” — Andris Nelsons, conductor
Best Opera Recording “Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” — Michael Christie, conductor; Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edward Parks, Garrett Sorenson and Wei Wu; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer
Best Choral Performance “Mcloskey: Zealot Canticles” — Donald Nally, conductor
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance “Anderson, Laurie: Landfall” — Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet
Best Classical Instrumental Solo “Kernis: Violin Concerto” — James Ehnes; Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album “Songs of Orpheus – Monteverdi, Caccini, D’india & Landi” — Karim Sulayman; Jeannette Sorrell, conductor; Apollo’s Fire, ensembles
Best Classical Compendium “Fuchs: Piano Concerto ‘spiritualist’; Poems of Life; Glacier; Rush” — Joann Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Best Contemporary Classical Composition “Kernis: Violin Concerto” — Aaron Jay Kernis, composer
Best Dance Recording “Electricity” — Silk City and Dua Lipa featuring Diplo and Mark Ronson
Best Dance/Electronic Album “Woman Worldwide” — Justice
Best Reggae Album “44/876” — Sting and Shaggy
Best Improvised Jazz Solo “Don’t Fence Me In” — John Daversa, soloist. Track from: “American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom”
Best Jazz Vocal Album “The Window” — Cécile Mclorin Salvant
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album “American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom” — John Daversa Big Band featuring DACA Artists
Best Latin Jazz Album “Back to the Sunset” — Dafnis Prieto Big Band
Best Traditional R&B Performance “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” — Leon Bridges and “How Deep Is Your Love” — PJ Morton featuring Yebba
Best R&B Song “Boo’d Up” — Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai and Dijon Mcfarlane, songwriters
Best Metal Performance “Electric Messiah” — High on Fire
Best Rap/Sung Performance “This Is America” — Childish Gambino
Victoria La Mala is raising her voice to raise awareness for the plight of migrant families separated at the border…
The Mexican singer, an up and coming regional Mexican singer/songwriter signed to Roc Nation Latin, not only marched in support of reuniting families last month.
She also wrote “Corazón Valiente” with Claudia Brant in the wake of the government’s decision to rescind DACA.
“You risked so much searching for a dream, how can they tear it away like that?” La Mala asks in her song, inspired in part by her own immigration experience when she moved from Mexico to the U.S. at eighteen years old.
“All of us come here looking for a better life, a dream, and it’s terrible to be treated like possible criminals,” she tells Billboard. “In my family, many who came without papers have gone on to become doctors, attorneys, even mayors of their towns. This is an issue of humanity, not politics.”
In tandem with the song’s release, La Mala has launched a Facebook fundraising campaign called “Corazon Valiente” to raise money for the RAICES Foundation, a nonprofit providing legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees.
The song, produced by Brant and Ezequiel “Cheche” Alara, has been released on Roc Nation.
The 45-year-old Mexican singer is set to receive the special La Musa Elena Casals award at this year’s La Musa Awards during the October 13 ceremony.
Venegas will receive the prize named after the Cuban poet and singer/songwriter, which recognizes young musicians who have an outstanding career in contemporary Latin music.
“Julieta Venegas is one of the most influential voices in Latin music and we are absolutely thrilled to give her this award,” said Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame co-founder Desmond Child in a statement.
“Venegas makes everyone in the Latin music industry proud. She is a true artist who inspires and moves. Her music has captivated all generations,” added fellow LSHOF co-founder Rudy Pérez.
The Grammy and Latin Grammy award-winning artist is known for her hit singles like “Limón y sal,” “Andar conmigo,” “Lento,” “Algo sucede,” among others.
The fourth annual La Musa Awards will take place in Miami where urban superstar Yandel will be given the Premio Triunfador honor and six Latin artists — Los Temerarios, Robi Draco Rosa, Cheo Zorrilla, Miguel Luna, Claudia Brant and Alejandro Jaen — will be inducted into the hall of fame and honored with the silver La Musa trophy statuette.
He’s the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time… And, now Marc Anthony is being celebrated for his songwriting talents…
The 43-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, a two-time Grammy award winner, received ASCAP’s Founders Award at the 20th annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards.
Anthony received the award from ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams and soccer star David Beckham during a music-filled night that honored the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed Latin music songs in 2011.
“When I left home today I felt handsome, and then they stand me next to this,” Anthony said with a laugh when he picked up his award, pointing to Beckham, a good friend. “This award goes to my team,” he added on a more serious note. “I’m not an island. It’s all about the love of music and the fight for music.”
The evening included performances of Anthony’s songs by Victor Manuelle, Pia Toscano, La Mafia and Natalia Jimenez.
Past recipients of the Founders Award include Rod Stewart, Annie Lenox, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Ruben Blades.
Described as a “renaissance man,” Anthony also shared the best pop song award with Cuban American rap superstar Pitbull for their collaboration, “Rain Over Me.”
The Songwriter of the Year award was given jointly to Claudia Brant and Anthony “Romeo” Santos. Meanwhile, the Latin song of the year award went to “Di Que Regresarás,” written by Carlos M. Ferraresi “Ferra“, and recorded by regional Mexican band La Original Banda El Limón.
Awards were also presented in the Pop, Tropical, Regional Mexican, Urban and Television categories.
The new interpretation comes eight years after the original banda track debuted in 2014.
