Iglesias’ “Bailando” Video Makes History with One Billion Views on YouTube

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias has a billion reasons to bailar…

The 40-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter’s massive hit “Bailando,” has reached a new milestone, hitting one billion views on YouTube.

Iglesias’ urban-flamenco party anthem featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona is now the first Spanish-language song to reach one billion views online.

“Thank you guys so much for getting Bailando Spanish version to 1 BILLION views. Incredible!!!,” said the “I Like It” singer on Instagram.

Iglesias is currently on his Sex & Love tour, which, to date, has attracted over one million people around the world and counting.

Up next he’s nominated for two Premios Tu Mundo, in the favorite pop artist category and “party-starting song” for “El Perdón,” his other mega-hit with Nicky Jam. A new bilingual version of the song, titled “Forgiveness,” aims to get it a comparable amount of play as its Spanish-language counterpart.

Iglesias will probably have more to toast to in the future. His longtime manager Fernando Giaccardi, who made it onto the 2015 Billboard Latin Power Players List, recently said of his superstar client, “With Enrique, it’s never enough. It’s like, ‘Great, we did this. Now what?’ ”

Anthony Teams Up with Gente de Zona for “La Gozadera”

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Anthony is celebrating with his gente (de zona)…

The 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer has joined voices with Cuban reggaeton duo Gente de Zona for an all-ages track that’s accompanied by a euphoric dancing-in-the-streets official video shot mainly in Havana.

The new clip was directed by Alejandro Perez, who’s responsible for the 900-million viewed clip for Enrique Iglesias’s “Bailando” ceaturing Gente de Zona, and it again it artfully showcases Cuban dancers. Roclan Gonzalez, choreographer for the Cuban Television Ballet, also repeats his role, enlisting dancers from his contemporary dance company Ballet Revolution for “La Gozadera” with their bodies painted with the colors of Cuban, Puerto Rican, and other Latin American flags.

According to production notes from Sony Music Latin, footage of Anthony was shot in the Dominican Republic, not in Cuba. If that is true, the Cuban music fan missed out on a massive fiesta during the making of the video in Havana.

Following a tropical music lyric tradition, “La Gozadera” calls out a list of countries from the Spanish-speaking world, inviting everyone to join the party. The happy show of Pan-Latin spirit pretty much guarantees the song’s international popularity.

The video is as much a promo for Cuba as it is the song. It starts out with a traffic jam of classic cars before erupting into a dance that will teach everyone some easy Cuban salsa moves. True to the title, “La Gozadera” is music for a good time, whether or not your summer plans include a vacation in Havana.

Santiago Wins the Third Installment of Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids”

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Jonael Santiago is the pint-sized voz of the season…

The 11-year-old Puerto Rican dynamo with an outsize personality was declared the winner of the third installment of La Voz Kids, the Spanish-language kiddie version of The Voice on the Telemundo network.

Santiago’s win — determined by audience voting from more than 1.2 million viewers — was not a slam dunk by any means. This third season boasted a particularly talented lineup of finalists, including 11-year-old Shanty Sumaya, a Mexican American from Texas who already plays gigs in her home state and is particularly good at grupero; and 14-year-old Franser Pazosa, a Cuban-born 14-year-old from Portland, Oregon, with a stunning, versatile voice.

Santiago, a diminutive boy who looks younger than his years, couldn’t match their vocals, but he made up for it with stage presence, attitude and dance moves that evoked Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson. His grand finale was Mars’ “Treasure,” a song chosen for him by coach Natalia Jimenez.

“He’s an amazing package,” Jimenez told Billboard after the win. “He can dance, he can sing, he can act. I wanted him to sing something he can move with. He’s really good at singing ballads, but the most impressive thing is seeing him dance and sing at the same time.”

Even Daddy Yankee, a competing coach, agreed. “It’s so entertaining to watch Jona onstage,” he said after Santiago’s final performance.

Santiago competed against contestants coached by Jimenez, ranchera singer Pedro Fernandez and reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, who shared the stage as coaches for the first time in this third season of La Voz. The show, whose previous coaches have included Paulina Rubio and Prince Royce, has become a ratings success for Telemundo.

La Voz Kids is a variation on The Voice’s format that features kids as contestants, major music stars as coaches and big-name guest performers. For the Sunday night finale, held — as the entire season was — at Universal Orlando, featured performers for the evening, beside the contestants, were Marc Anthony and Gente de Zona, Mexican singer Lucero and La Voz coach Fernandez.

The winner of La Voz Kids gets a $50,000 cash prize from AT&T that goes toward their education, and a recording contract from Universal Music Latino for the production of a song and video. That could go in different directions for Santiago, who moved from Puerto Rico to Miami two years ago to further his training in music and dance and sings equally well in both languages.

“I felt comfortable with ‘Treasure,’” he said of his final performance. His favorite acts, he says are “Demi Lovato — I love her — and Tori Kelly. I really want to record in the studio ‘All In My Head’ by Tori Kelly; she’s awesome.” However, he added, “Spanish is my first language and I came to Miami two years ago and I’m not perfect [in English yet]. I’m Puerto Rican and I always will be and I’ll talk Spanish forever.”

Sanz to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Sanz is bringing zombies to the Billboard Latin Music Awards…

The 46-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter will perform “Un Zombie a la Intemperie,” the first single from his upcoming new album, during the awards show on the April 30.

Sanz’s appearance will mark the worldwide television premiere of “Un Zombie a la Intemperie.”

The song will be included on Sanz’ new album Sirope, his 10th studio set. The artist has announced to his over 12 million Twitter followers that the album will be released on May 4.

Sanz, a Latin music superstar who has won more Grammys than any other Spanish artist, has also announced the first dates of what is expected to be a worldwide tour to support the album.

Starting with a concert in Cordoba on July 7, he’ll be performing in Spanish cities throughout the summer, finishing in Seville on Sept. 26.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards, hosted by actress and TV host Gaby Espino and Mexican singer Pedro Fernandez, will also feature performances Wisin, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Carlos Vives, Regional Mexican chart topper Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda, Ana Gabriel, Lucero, and special honorees Roberto Carlos and Carlos Santana.

Topping the list of this year’s finalists are Romeo Santos (21 entries), Enrique Iglesias (19), J Balvin (12), Marc Anthony (7), Drake (7), Descemer Bueno (6), Gente de Zona (6), Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda (6), Farruko (6) and Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga (6).

J Balvin Scores First No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart with “Ay Vamos”

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a big first for J Balvin…

The 29-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, considered the breakout Latino artist of 2014, has scored his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart as “Ay Vamos” hops 4-1 in its 25th week on the chart.

The track takes Digital Gainer honors on the chart, climbing 78 percent (to 5,000 downloads sold in the week ending Feb. 22, according to Nielsen Music), fueled in part by a performance of the song on Univision‘s Premio Lo Nuestro awards show on February 19, where he took home four awards, including urban artist of the year.

A recently released remix featuring Nicky Jam and French Montana, along with a price reduction (to 69 cents) as part of a digital promotion, also helps the track leap 11-4 on the Latin Digital Songs chart.

On Hot Latin Songs, “Ay Vamos” had spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks stuck at No. 2 on the list, unable to break his tourmate Enrique Iglesias‘ impenetrable 41-week record No. 1 run with “Bailando” featuring Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona. A week ago, “Bailando” finally fell (1-2), as Mana‘s “Mi Verdad” bowed atop the list. At the same time, “Ay Vamos” slipped 2-4 — to its lowest rank since the Nov. 29-dated chart. But thanks to its surge in sales, the song finally crowns the list with its three-spot leap.

“Ay Vamos,” from Balvin’s La Familia B Sides (released Sept. 16), also earlier spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay (first peaking on Oct. 25), tying with Don Omar‘s “Zumba” for fourth-longest No. 1 run on the chart. It currently continues at No. 2 (with a 10 percent jump in airplay — to 7.7 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen).

Balvin is a 12-time finalist at the upcoming 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards, airing live on Telemundo from Miami on April 30. He’s a finalist in such categories as artist of the year, new; and hot Latin song of the year for “6 AM” (featuring Farruko). He’ll be speaking at the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Conference.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Lands at No. 2 on YouTube’s List of 2014’s Top 10 Music Videos

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is bailando his way into this year’s music history books…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter, who was named Favorite Latin Artist at this year’s American Music Awards, has landed on YouTube’s list of 2014’s top 10 music videos.

The official video for Iglesias’ international smash “Bailando (Español),” featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente De Zona comes in at No. 2 on the year-end list, behind the clip for Katy Perry’s “Dark House,” featuring Juicy J.

The Spanish version of Iglesias’ “Bailando” video has logged 589-million views since it was published on VEVO on April 11, 2014.

The English version, featuring Sean Paul, has logged an additional 80-million views, while a Portuguese version featuring Luan Santana has registered 19-million views.

“Bailando,” which had a record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, earned Iglesias three Latin Grammy awards in November.

Meanwhile, Shakira has the distinction of landing two clips in the top 5.

The 37-year-old Colombian superstar’s sizzling hot music video for “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” featuring Rihanna, comes in at No. 3 with 443-million views. The video for the Spanish version of the song, “Nunca Me Acuerdo de Olvidarte” logged an additional 14-million views.

Following right behind: Shakira’s clip for her World Cup anthem “La La La (Brazil 2014),” featuring Carlinhos Brown, at No. 4 with 419-million views. The clip for the Spanish version of the song logged an additional 42-million views, while the clip for the original pre-World Cup version of the song “Dare (La La La)” garnered 52-million page views.

Here’s a look at YouTube’s list of the top 10 music videos of 2014:

J Alvarez to Perform at the Calibash Festival in January

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

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.

This year’s lineup includes Pitbull, Don Omar, Carlos Vives, Tego Calderon, Wisin, Plan B, Farruko, 3BallMTY, Gente 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.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Hits 20 Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is still bailando on the Billboard charts…

The 39-year-old Spanish singer’s “Bailando” featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona is still holding strong on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Iglesias’ track holds the No. 1 spot for the 20th consecutive week, becoming the fifth song in the chart’s 28-year history to spend 20 weeks at the top.

“Bailando” joins Son by Four‘s “A Puro Dolor” (2000), Juanes‘ “Me Enamora (2007) and Flex‘s “Te Quiero” (2008) in a four-way tie for second-most weeks at No. 1.

The track is five weeks shy of matching the longest running No. 1 on the chart, Shakira‘s “La Tortura” featuring Alejandro Sanz.

“Bailando” passed Iglesias’ previous lengthiest No. 1 run when it reached 18 weeks (on September 13), exceeding “Cuando Me Enamoro” featuring Juan Luis Guerra, which had a 17-week lead in 2010.

Iglesias’ “Bailando” Reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay Chart

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias’ really knows a No. 1 hit when he hears one…

The 39-year-old Spanish superstar has scored his 26th topper on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart with his latest single “Bailando,” featuring Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona.

Iglesias’ latest chart-topper extends his record for the most Latin Airplay No. 1s, doubling the total of runner-up Ricky Martin (13). Gloria Estefan follows with 11 No. 1s, while Marco Antonio Solis and Wisin & Yandel have each landed 10.

“Bailando”jumped 3-1 with Greatest Gainer honors to reach the summit.

Earlier this month, Iglesias extended his record on the Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart with “Bailando,” notching the 25th No. 1 of his career.

Iglesias Notches His Record-Extending 25th No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Enrique Iglesias is bailando his way to the top of the charts once again…

The Spanish singer is celebrating his 38th birthday this week with another No. 1 single on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.

Iglesias, who hold the record for the most songs ever to top that chart, scored his 25th No. 1 of his career with his oh-so-catchy single “Bailando,” which features his co-writer on the song, Descemer Bueno, and the Havana-based reggaeton duo Gente de Zona.

Iglesias further extends his lead, leaving the subsequent top No. 1 holders in the dust. Luis Miguel trails with the second-most chart toppers (16), followed by Gloria Estefan (15).

“Bailando” also climbs 6-1 to rule the Latin Streaming Songs chart. To date, the music video has amassed 27 million views worldwide, in the (almost) four weeks since its release.

On the Latin Digital Songs chart, the track lists its third week at the top, selling just under 13,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

On Latin Airplay the track bounds 13-5, stretching to 9.5 million audience impressions (a 37 percent increase), according to Nielsen BDS. Iglesias currently holds 25 No. 1s on Billboad’s Latin Airplay chart, also claiming the record for the most to reach the top.

Iglesias has been placing hit after hit at the top of the chart for 19 years, logging his first when he was only 19 years old with “Si Tu Te Vas.” The track spent eight weeks at the peak, and was only the start of his illustrious chart history. Since then, he has ruled with smashes like “Enamorado Por Primera Vez” (12 weeks in 1997), “Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)” (11 weeks in 2007), and “Cuando Me Enamoro” (17 weeks in 2010), among a slew of others.

“Bailando” comes off of Iglesias’ latest album Sex & Love, which debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums on April 15, 2014 and is currently in its sixth week at the No. 2 spot, selling 5,000 copies for the May 17 chart date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

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