Kali Uchis Releases New Single “I Wish You Roses”

Everything’s coming up roses for Kali Uchis

The 28-year-old Colombian American genre-blending singer/songwriter has released her latest single “I Wish You Roses,” along with the track’s music video.

Kali UchisProduced by Dylan Wiggins and Josh Crocker, the new single follows Uchis’ recent songs “La Única” and “No Hay Ley.”

“This song is about being able to release people with love. It could be a friend, a lover, or someone else, but the point is to celebrate releasing people from your life without being resentful or bitter,” says Uchis about the single.

The single showcases Uchis’ power as a hook creator; her ability to conjure lush choruses and sing them with verve and tenacity nods to the artist stepping more into the mainstream this year.

Uchis released her studio album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞, in 2020.

She’s set to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April.

Bad Bunny to Become Coachella’s First-Ever Latin Headlining Act

Bad Bunny is set to make history yet again

The 2023 Coachella Music and Arts Festival lineup has been announced, with the 28-year-old Puerto Rican superstar revealed as one of the headlining acts.

Bad BunnyIn doing so, Bad Bunny – the ultra-hot reggaeton superstar who had the highest-grossing tour of 2022 in North America and internationally – becomes the first Latin act to ever headline the festival.

Coachella is set to take place in Indio, Calif., on two consecutive weekends, from April 14-16 and then again from April 21-23.

Bad Bunny will play Friday on April 14 and 21.

But Bad Bunny isn’t the only Latinx act set to perform…

Becky G will return to Coachella to perform her own set after being Karol G’s special guest last year, where they sang their anthem “MAMIII” in front of a roaring crowd.

Spanish star Rosalía will take the stage on Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 22.

Others set to perform include the iconic Argentine rock band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are confirmed, as well as emerging artists DannyLux and Conexión Divina as the face of a new generation of Mexican music. Kali Uchis and Eladio Carrión are also set to perform.

This year’s lineup doesn’t compare to the number of Latin artists featured last year, which was more than 20 representing a wide-ranging and robust slate of Spanish-language artists. Then, Coachella had doubled the Latin acts on its 2022 roster from 2020, the most ever featured at an edition of the event.

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Here’s when the Spanish-language acts are playing at this year’s festival:

Friday, April 14 & 21
Bad Bunny
Becky G
DannyLux
¿Téo? 

Saturday April 15 & 22
Rosalía
Eladio Carrión
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
The Linda Lindas 

Sunday April 16 & 23
Kali Uchis
Los Bitchos
Conexión Divina

Grupo Firme Performs at Halftime During the NFL’s Monday Night Football Game

Grupo Firme is celebrating a career touchdown

The Regional Mexican band headlined the halftime show at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City during the Monday Night Football game in which the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-10.

Grupo FirmeThe return of the NFL to Mexico featured a week-long celebration of pride that transcends borders, as well as the nexus between Mexican culture and American football with activities focused on art, fashion, music, and youth football.

As part of the League’s “Por la Cultura” campaign, music has been a focal point of the NFL’s marketing strategy, kicking off the season with a J Balvin concert and releasing a Por La Cultura mixtape featuring Yandel, El Alfa, and Snow Tha Product among others. Latino football fans are the fastest-growing demographic for the NFL and an important audience the league is hoping to grow in the coming years.

Grupo Firme, formed in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana, arrived at the so-called “Coloso de Santa Úrsula,” as the Estadio Azteca is also known, after a massively successful touring year, including their concert at the Zócalo of Mexico City last September that garnered an audience of 280,000, a series of presentations at Foro Sol, a major arena also located in the Mexican capital, and their main stage set at Coachella.

“This is an achievement in our career, we are going ‘at a steady pace’ as we say it. The truth is that we were not thinking to be part of an event as important as this beautiful night,” singer Eduin Caz told Billboard Español. “It will be something historic, a different audience will know us. They will listen to us and we will give our best.”

The Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard Music Awards winners performed their hits “Ya supérame”, “El amor no fue para mi” and “Gracias,” for the 78,000 NFL fans in attendance.

This was the first Monday Night Football game played in Mexico City since 2019, after a forced two-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the musicians, the presence of the NFL in Mexico is a good opportunity for two communities to honor sports and music without language barriers.

“Something that we have realized and that we are very grateful for is that the public and the people who listen to Grupo Firme are increasingly bicultural. We have already seen people who do not speak Spanish singing at our concerts. It is a blessing for us that this is growing and that opens the door to be at events like this”, said singer Jhonny Caz.

Mexican singer Sofía Reyes was chosen this year to perform the national anthem of Mexico. She electrified the stadium as soon as she started singing the first verse.

“For me it is an honor to sing the Mexican national anthem and above all to sing it here in my country at an event like this. It’s crazy! I am happy and very grateful,” Reyes told Billboard Español prior to the game.

 

On the American side, the Mexican-American singer Marisol HernándezLa Marisoul”, from the musical group La Santa Cecilia, performed The Star-Spangled Banner, the United States National Anthem.

“This is my first time at the Estadio Azteca, singing the national anthem of the United States. I feel that my two worlds, my two countries, come together in a beautiful way and I can’t hide my feelings from this experience. For years at La Santa Cecilia we have tried to build musical bridges and I feel that tonight is a great example of this,” said Hernández.

The match in Mexico was the fifth and final of the 2022 International Series, which included three games in London and, for the first time, a game in Munich, Germany. Musical performances from the game at Estadio Azteca on November 21st can be viewed on Mundo NFL’s YouTube channel.

Anitta Teams Up with Maluma for Steamy Music Video for New Collaboration “El Que Espera”

Anitta has someone hot waiting for her

The 29-year-old Brazilian singer/songwriter has joined voices with Maluma to release the steamy new music video for their collaboration “El Que Espera.”

In the clip, Anitta and Maluma – two international music superstars – appear on the set of a film production.

When the cameras are rolling, the two seem to be happy, passionate lovers, but when they’re off, the arguments ensue.

This year has been an exciting year for Anitta, as she dropped her much-anticipated album, Versions Of Me, performed at Coachella, and made an appearance at the Met Gala.

But no matter how quickly her star is rising, she promises to always be a source of inspiration to her home country, Brazil.

“When we get fame, we can get lost in this game and forget who we are,” she said in recent interview with Interview. “Why did I start this whole thing? Why am I doing this? For me, it was never about getting famous and rich. It was about changing my people’s lives, my country’s life. So if I’m going to the Met Gala or Coachella or the VMAs, it’s not because I want to show off. It’s because I want my country to believe that they can go to places that they’ve never been.”

Grupo Firme Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Grupo Firme is hoping to take Regional Mexican music to the global stage…

The Mexican band has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for worldwide representation in all areas.

Grupo FirmeThe L.A.-based agency also signed the regional Mexican group’s indie label, Music VIP.

News of the signing comes on the heels of Grupo Firme’s stadium tour across the U.S. with stops at L.A.’s Sofi Stadium, Metlife Stadium in New York, Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium and a final stop at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for Mexican Independence Day weekend in September.

Grupo Firme — founded in Tijuana, Mexico, in 2013 — straddles the genres of banda and norteño and comprises brothers Eduin and Jhonny Caz, Abraham Hernández, Joaquín Ruiz, Christian Gutiérrez, José Rubio and Dylan Camacho.

Initially known for performing corridos, the group was catapulted into the mainstream in 2017 after signing a label and management deal with Music VIP.

Since then, the band — who won their first Latin Grammy last year with their album Nos Divertimos Logrando Lo Imposible — has achieved unprecedented success with many firsts under their belt, including making history by becoming the first banda ensemble to ever play at Coachella.

Additionally, on Billboard’s 2021 year-end Boxscore Charts, Grupo Firme landed at No. 23 in the Top 40 Tours chart after grossing $18 million from 19 shows thanks to their historic run at the Crypto.com Arena last year, when they helped relaunch the venue (then Staples Center) by playing its first concert in 513 days.

It also marked the beginning of the supergroup’s historic run at the arena with their first (of seven) full-capacity, sold-out show — making history as the Latin act to perform the most shows in a single calendar year at Staples (the only other artist who has done more is Adele, with eight in one calendar year).

Grupo Firme is managed by Isael Gutiérrez, founder of Music VIP. Management will continue to broker certain tour deals directly on their own.

Karol G Lands Fifth Music Video on YouTube’s Billion Views Club with “Bichota”

Make that five music video hits for Karol G

The 31-year-old Colombian singer’s “Bichota” music video has surpassed one billion views on YouTube, marking her fifth title to enter the Billion Views Club.

Karol GThe latest clip follows “China,” “Secreto,” “Tusa,” and “Culpables.”

Karol G, who won the 2021 Latin Grammy for best reggaeton performance with this single, reached this new milestone over the weekend.

Released on October 23, 2020, the term “Bichota” (linked to the Puerto Rican slang “bichote,” deriving from the English term “big shot”) refers to “a moment of feeling sexy, flirtatious, daring, strong, empowered, and to a certain extent, [it] translates into personal motivation and self-confidence,” Karol G previously told Billboard. “We are all super ‘Bichotas’ inside. It’s about believing and working so that the rest of the world can see it too.”

The Ovy on the Drums-produced single hit the Top 20 on Billboard Global Charts, earning Karol G her ninth No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart, and her 10th top 10 on Hot Latin Songs.

This led to her becoming the first female artist to debut in the list’s top 10 without another act in eight years since Gloria Estefan’s 2012 “Hotel Nacional.”

News of “Bichota” reaching one billion views comes on the heels of Karol G’s two-weekend Coachella debut on April 17 and 24, where she performed “MAMIII” with Becky G live for the first time, releasing her new single “Provenza,” and announcing her upcoming new trek dubbed the $trip Love Tour 2022. The trek kicks off on September 6 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, and wraps up on October 29 at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

TikTok Names Anitta its First Official #Rompiendo Artist

Anitta is counting down to a new partnership…

TikTok has announced the launch of a new program dubbed #Rompiendo, with the 29-year-old Brazilian star the first artist to be featured in the new program.

Anitta#Rompiendo is meant to “highlight the success and impact” of Latinx music and artists on the app. According to the social media company, the program includes promotion, playlisting, inclusion on TikTok radio and a feature on @MusicOnTikTok socials.

Anitta is a strong first choice to launch the program.

Her single “Envolver” has been used in more than 2 million videos after the song and its dance challenge went viral on TikTok. A new #Rompiendo artist will be announced every two weeks.

Most recently, Anitta made her Coachella debut with an epic set that brought Brazil to the desert and featured surprise guests such as Snoop Dogg, Saweetie and Diplo.

In mid-April, she dropped her long-awaited album Versions of Me, which includes “Envolver.” The cheeky reggaeton track peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart earlier this month, marking the first leader on the list by an artist from Brazil.

#Rompiendo is TikTok’s latest effort to propel Latinx creators on the app. Last year, during Hispanic Heritage Month, TikTok and MACRO — a media company that represents the voices and perspectives of Black people and persons of color — teamed up to launch a new incubator called TikTok Latinx Creatives in an effort to help further grow the Latinx creative community on the platform. The 10-week program focused on “nurturing and developing” 150 talented Latinx creators and music artists.

“We’re driven to spotlight and support Latinx talent with a platform that amplifies their voices and a community that is moved by them,” TikTok said in a statement at the time of Latinx Creatives’ launch.

According to TikTok, popular Latinx community hashtags — including #Latino, #Latina, #Familia, #Hispanic — generate “significant” community engagement and have accumulated billions of video views.

Karol G Announces New 30-Date “$trip Love Tour”

Karol G is strippin’ things down…

The 31-year-old Colombian singer has announced a new 30-date tour called $trip Love Tour, which will kick off in Chicago on September 6.

Karol G“There has never been a Tour where they sing to Love so NastY,” Karol G wrote on social media. “$triP LoVe ToUr USA 2022 ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 29.”

The AEG-produced tour will hit 30 North American cities in September and October 2022, including major cities like New York, Toronto, Miami, and Los Angeles.

“After breaking multiple sales records with her previous ‘Bichota Tour,’ Karol G promises to make her new ‘$trip Love Tour’ some of the most impressive shows in her career where she will bring to life all the greatest hits of her music repertoire,” the new tour’s press release reads.

Karol G will likely perform her new singles “Provenza” and “MAMIII,” as well as her now-classics like “200 Copas,” “Bichota,” and “Tusa.”

The tour announcement comes days after Karol G captivated hundreds of thousands of fans during her Coachella’s main stage performances on April 17 and 24.

For the second Coachella weekend, she performed her newest single, “Provenza,” for the first time, giving us a taste of this upcoming $trip Love Tour.

The song is already becoming a hit, having reached the No. 1 spot on YouTube’s “Global Trending” chart only a couple of days after its release.

Los Angeles Azules Announce “De Iztapalapa Para El Mundo” Tour Across the U.S.

Los Angeles Azules are preparing to hit the U.S. in a big way…

The six-sibling Mexican cumbia troupe, which found unlikely international success after 40 years together, is launching its biggest U.S. tour to date.

Los Angeles AzulesThe De Iztapalapa Para El Mundo tour, so named after their Mexican hometown, will feature 34 dates across 33 cities, beginning in Denver, Colorado on August 26, and ending in New Orleans on April 1, 2023.

Tickets for De Iztapalapa Para El Mundo go on sale beginning on Friday, April 22 at 10:00 am local time through www.losangelesazules.com.mx.

The tour is presented by Live Nation Entertainment.

While music from Mexico is increasingly gaining mainstream fans, both Latin and non-Latin, the continued popularity of Los Angeles Azules is one of the most remarkable success stories in Latin music in recent years.

Officially founded in 1980 by the Mejia Avante siblings, the group early on opted to sing its own version of Colombian cumbia, giving it a Mexican twist. Popular at home, Los Angeles Azules were thrust into the international spotlight in 1997, when their heartfelt cumbia “Como Te Voy a Olvidar,” landed the group for the first time ever on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts, peaking at No. 7 on the February 22, 1997-dated charts.

Three years later, “El Liston de tu Pelo” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart. It would take 19 years for Los Angeles to go to No. 1 again, this time with on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Nunca Es Suficiente,” featuring Natalia Lafourcade.

It was one of many collaborations with artists of other genres that have increasingly raised the group’s profile. In 2018, Los Angeles played Coachella, and last month, the group sold out five nights in Buenos Aires’ legendary Luna Park theater, making them perhaps the first-ever Mexican cumbia group to achieve that level of success in Argentina.

In the U.S., the De Iztapalapa para el Mundo tour marks the culmination of almost a decade of steady touring. In 2013, Los Angeles were averaging a gross of $82,700 per tour stop, selling an average of 4,000 tickets at an average price of $20. Last year, their average gross was $270,000 with an average of over 7,000 tickets sold per stop.

All told, the group sold out 25 U.S. dates in their last tour, including shows in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago and two in Los Angeles.

This time around, their trek is even more ambitious, with first-time stops in cities like New Orleans and Miami, where Mexican cumbia is not popular.

Here are the tour dates:

Los Angeles Azules’ 2022 De Iztapalapa Para El Mundo:
Aug. 26 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre
Aug. 27– Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
Sept. 9 – Anaheim, CA – The Theatre Honda Center
Sept. 10 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
Sept. 11 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center
Sept. 16 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
Sept. 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Michelob ULTRA Arena
Sept. 23 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
Sept. 24 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
Sept. 30– Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino
Oct. 1 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre
Oct. 7 – Laredo, TX – Sames Auto Arena
Oct. 8 – Edinburg, TX – Bert Ogden Arena
Oct. 9 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Center
Oct. 13 – Austin, TX – HEB Center at Cedar Park
Oct. 14– San Antonio, TX– Freeman Coliseum
Oct. 15 – Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Oct. 21 – El Paso, TX – UTEP Don Haskins Center
Oct. 22 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium
Oct. 23 – Dodge City, KS – United Wireless Arena
Nov. 18 – Atlanta, GA – Gas South Arena
Nov. 19 – Miami, FL – FPL Solar Amphitheater
Nov. 23 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro, Coliseum
Nov. 25– Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 26 – New York, NY – Hulu Theater
Nov. 27 – Fairfax, VA– EagleBank Arena

2023
March 12 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
March 17 – Kennewick, WA – Toyota Center
March 18 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
March 19 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum
March 24 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
March 25– Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
March 31 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts
April 1 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theater

Bia to Perform at This Year’s Revolve Festival

Bia has resolved to revolve

Fashion retailer Revolve is partnering with Los Angeles hospitality company The h.wood Group to bring today’s biggest stars to Coachella’s most coveted party, including the 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican singer/rapper.

BIARevolve Festival will be returning to La Quinta, Calif., on April 16 and 17 for its fifth year after a three-year hiatus.

In addition to Bia, other artists set to take the stage on Saturday (April 16) are Ty Dolla $ign and Jessie Murph, plus some special guest performances before Sunday (April 17), when Jack HarlowLatto, Iann Dior and Mills take the stage.

Willow will also be joining Sunday’s event as a special guest appearance.

Both days of the Revolve Festival will also include DJ sets by DJ Tay James and Zack Bia, Brittany Sky and Angel + Dren on Saturday, and Devin Lucien, Pookie | Honey and Angel + Dren on Sunday.

Revolve Festival

For nightlife enthusiasts, The h.wood Group will also be hosting a “Bootsy Bellows After Party” on Saturday night.

“Revolve Festival is our global cultural event, and the ultimate convergence of the lifestyle aspects we are most known for: fashion, music and fun,” Michael Mente, co-founder and co-CEO of Revolve Group, said in a press statement. “Our partnership with The h.wood Group allows us to explore this at the highest level, and to deliver bigger and better in all ways for fans, and our community. We can’t wait to bring this incredible lineup to the desert.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Revolve to throw the biggest activations during the festival weekend,” John Terzian and Brian Toll, co-founders of The h.wood Group, mirrored. “We are introducing the most epic lineup and award-winning talent to set the stage and bar high, while also bringing our world-renowned ‘Bootsy Bellows After Party’ to the same venue, rounding out the festivities. We really believe this will be where everyone will want to be.”

Additionally, Revolve Festival guests will have access to a number visually immersive, social media-ready installations, including experiences with partners Venmo and Spotify. Hawkers will be onsite as the official sunglasses partner.

Upon arrival, guests will be treated to organic pressed juices from popular Los Angeles-based health market Erewhon, delivered via Postmates, the official food delivery partner for Revolve Festival, and cocktails provided by Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila and tequila seltzers by the ready-to-drink partner, Onda. Daring Foods and a Good American ice cream truck will also on site, as well as drinks from exclusive energy partner, Celsius. Additional onsite partners include Zip and Pley Beauty.

“After nearly three years of hiatus, we are excited to showcase the incredible talent, brands, partners and content we believe our audience will be inspired by, and excited to celebrate with us,” Raissa Gerona, chief brand officer of Revolve said in a press statement. “Festival is a time our customer most looks forward to, so we always have to be there, and can’t wait to be back!”

See the lineup below, and shop the Revolve Festival Shop, curated with Zip here, between now and April 30.