Tag Archives: Mana

Shakira to Get Her Own Bird as Part of Rovio’s “Angry Birds Pop” Mobile Game

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Shakira is flying high…

The 38-year-old Colombian singer will become an Angry Bird in the new Angry Birds Pop mobile puzzle game.

Shakira

The new “Shakira Bird” is yellow and has long, flowing blonde hair. In addition to Angry Birds Pop, she’ll also appear in the coming months to two other Angry Bird games: Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

The deal between Shakria and the game-maker Rovio came about after she met with Rovio marketing head Peter Vesterbacka in Barcelona this year, according to an article in musically.

Shakira Bird in Angry Birds Pop

“Within five minutes it was very clear that we had to do something together,” said Vesterbacka in a statement

The Shakira-Rovio partnership isn’t the first time they’ve partnered with a major music artist.

Shakira Bird in Angry Birds Pop

Back in 2012, Rovio partnered with Green Day, who got their own episode in Angry Birds Friends.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Angry Birds will link the Shakira Bird to her music.

Shakira is working on a new album but no material has been released yet.

She most recently appeared onstage in Barcelona with Mexican rock band Mana, who featured her in the group’s single “Mi verdad.”

Nicky Jam Leads the Pack of Latin American Music Awards Nominees

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Nicky Jam is on a roll…

The 34-year-old Puerto Rican/Dominican American urban singer, who recently moved into the No. 2 stop for most consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart, continues his hot streak in 2015 with six nominations for the new Latin American Music Awards – the most of any artist.

Nicky Jam

Nicky Jam is nominated in key categories like artist of the year, song of the year and favorite streaming song on the strength of his hit “El Perdón,” featuring Enrique Iglesias.

An awards show regular, Iglesias follows Nicky Jam with five nods (three of those for “El Perdón”). He’s tied with J Balvin, who is up for new artist of the year and favorite male artist – urban, in addition to other song categories in recognition of his smash “Ay Vamos.”

Romeo Santos, Maná and Calibre 50 each have four nominations, while Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez pop up in the favorite crossover artist and favorite dance song categories respectively, making the first-ever Spanish language award show modeled after the American Music Awards a must-watch event for all music lovers.

The show, airing live on October 8 on Telemundo from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, marks the first time a Dick Clark Productions awards show is recast in a Spanish language version, underscoring the growth of the Spanish speaking TV viewer and its appeal to advertisers.

Nominations to the Latin AMAs are based on key fan interactions with music, including (but not limited to) sales, airplay, streaming and social activity tracked by Billboard through its data partners Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. Voting powered by Telescope Inc. has officially begun here.

Here’s the full list of nominations for the Latin AMAs:

New Artist of the Year
Chiquis Rivera
J Balvin
Maluma
Remmy Valenzuela

Artist of the Year
Calibre 50
Enrique Iglesias
Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
Nicky Jam
Romeo Santos

Song of the Year
“Ay Vamos” – J Balvin
“Contigo” – Calibre 50
“El Perdón” – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias
“Hilito” – Romeo Santos
“Fanática Sensual’ – Plan B

Album of the Year
“A Quien Quiera Escuchar” – Ricky Martin
“Cama Incendiada” – Maná
“Hoy Más Fuerte” – Gerardo Ortiz
“Los Dúo” – Juan Gabriel
“Mis Número 1…40 Aniversario” – Juan Gabriel

Favorite Female Artist
Chiquis Rivera
Fanny Lu
Gloria Trevi
Natalia Jiménez
Paulina Rubio

Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock
Chayanne
Enrique Iglesias
Juan Gabriel
Marco Antonio Solís
Ricky Martin

Favorite Song – Urban
“Ay Vamos” – J Balvin
“Pierdo La Cabeza” – Zion & Lennox
“Sígueme y te Sigo” – Daddy Yankee

Favorite Artist – Tropical
Chino y Nacho
Juan Luis Guerra
Romeo Santos
Victor Manuelle

Favorite Song – Tropical
“Hilito” – Romeo Santos
“La Gozadera” – Gente de Zona feat. Marc Anthony
“Me Voy Enamorando” – Chino y Nacho feat. Farruko
“Solita” – Prince Royce

Favorite Collaboration
“Como Yo Le Doy” – Pitbull & Don Miguelo
“El Perdón” – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias
“Mi Verdad” – Maná feat. Shakira
“Nota de Amor” – Wisin & Carlos Vives feat. Daddy Yankee

Favorite Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
Camila
Jesse & Joy
Maná
Reik

Favorite Song – Pop/Rock
“Mi Verdad” –Maná
“La Mordidita” – Ricky Martin feat. Yotuel
“Perdón” – Camila

Favorite Male Artist – Regional Mexican
Gerardo Ortiz
Luis Coronel
Régulo Caro

Favorite Duo or Group – Regional Mexican
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga
Calibre 50
Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda

Favorite Song – Regional Mexican
“Háblame De Ti” – Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga
“Y Así Fue” – Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
“Contigo” – Calibre 50

Favorite Male Artist – Urban
J Balvin
Nicky Jam
Don Omar
Daddy Yankee
Yandel

Favorite Duo or Group – Urban
Gente de Zona
Plan B
Zion & Lennox

Favorite Crossover Artist
Demi Lovato
Ellie Goulding
Meghan Trainor
Natalie La Rose
OMI

Favorite Dance Song
“Where Are U Now” – Skrillex & Diplo with Justin Bieber
“I Want You To Know” – Zedd feat. Selena Gomez
“Lean On” – Major Lazer & DJ Snake feat. MØ
“You Know You Like It” – DJ Snake &  AlunaGeorge
“Back It Up” – Prince Royce feat. Jennifer Lopez

Favorite Streaming Song
“El Perdón” – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias
“Travesuras” – Nicky Jam
“Ay Vamos” – J Balvin
“Háblame de Ti” – Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga
“Fanática Sensual” – Plan B

Mana & Steve Aoki Team Up for “La Prision” Remix

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Maná is going electronic…

The Mexican pop rock group, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros, has partnered with electro house musician Steve Aoki for a remix of the band’s breakup anthem “La Prisión,” the new video for which features plenty of tribal-themed action.

Mana

To the tune of Olvera’s empowering vocals, Aoki is seen crowd-surfing in Ibiza and Las Vegas, while Maná rocks different concert crowds as part of their current Cama Incendiada tour. Cuts of the original video, set in the Mojave Desert, are interspersed throughout.

The remix is a departure from Maná’s other singles from the same album, like the Shakira-assisted ballad “Mi Verdad,” but it’s definitely a club thumper.

Mana Speaks Out Against Donald Trump’s Verbal Attack on Mexican Immigrants

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Mana isn’t afraid to trump Donald Trump when it comes to his negative comments against Mexicans…

The Mexican pop rock group, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín, and bassist Juan Calleros defended the dignity of Mexican immigrants following Donald Trump’s verbal attack against the community during his presidential campaign speech.

Mana
“There is a person named Donald Trump who made very violent statements, full of hate against Mexicans and Latin Americans; called them rapists, criminals, drug traffickers, and that they were rubbish,” said Olvera at a press conference preceding the concert for the Cama Incendiada tour at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Olvera and his bandmates reacted to Trump’s accusations after the sound test of their performance on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Cama Incendiada is the group’s latest album, whose runaway success got them a platinum disc from the label Warner Music Latin.

“It makes me sad because Mexicans have come to help build this country and it is sad that someone with so much hatred in his heart has a microphone to say these things,” he said about the statements made by Trump, after he announced his presidential nomination for the Republican Party on Tuesday.

He added such hatred was last seen in German and Nazi films and demonstrated “an excessive xenophobia.”

“We are very angry with Trump, because many Latinos are construction workers who have helped build his buildings and he is forgetting that they are the ones working hard to build the United States,” Gonzalez said
Mana was created in 1986 and has won 4 Grammys, 11 Latin Grammys and 14 Billboard Latin Music Awards among others.

Mana Releases the Official Music Video for Latest Single “La Prisión”

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It’s prison time for Maná…

The Mexican pop rock band has released an empowering breakup anthem as the second single to their chart-topping new album, Cama Incendiada.

Mana

“I’m going to free myself, I won’t be back in your prison,” sings Fher Olvera in the aptly titled “La Prisión,” the video for which is also out now via the band’s YouTube channel.

Shot by their frequent collaborator Pablo Croce, the video features a couple entangled in a toxic relationship interspersed with shots of the band members rocking out in the Mojave Desert.

The song is the follow-up to the band’s chart-topping single “Mi Verdad,” featuring Shakira. The video has garnered more than 42 million views on YouTube.

Maná, whose tour in support of Cama Incendiada starts June 10 in San Diego, recently presented a $250,000 check to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund on behalf of tour sponsor Montejo beer.

The tour will hit 14 U.S. cities and will wrap in July.

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

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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.

J Balvin

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.

Maná to Support Its Upcoming Album with Montejo-Sponsored U.S. Tour

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Maná is ready to run north of the border…

The iconic Mexican rock band, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros, will embark on a U.S. tour in support of the group’s upcoming album this June with sponsorship from Mexican Montejo beer, according to brand representatives.

Maná

The announcement coincides with the release of Maná’s first single and video from their upcoming album. “Mi Verdad” is the band’s first collaboration with Shakira.

In addition to signing on for Maná’s nationwide tour, Montejo, a newcomer to the Mexican beer market in the U.S., will produce special promotions, including a sweepstakes to attend a private concert by the group in one of the brand’s breweries in Mexico.

“Montejo is a very authentic Mexican beer,” says Patricio Ferrara, director of marketing for Montejo, who says the brand aims to appeal to Spanish language-dominant Mexican consumers in the United States. “For us, it was a very natural partnership with Maná, who we consider to be the best and most authentic Mexican rock band.”

Montejo is produced in Oaxaca by Grupo Modelo and imported to the U.S. by Anheuser-Busch, which bought Grupo Modelo in 2013.

“Montejo is one of the few beers made in México and imported to the United States that doesn’t try to adopt an Anglo personality or try to change what it is,” said, Maná frontman Fher Olvera, who deemed the beer “delicious.”

“It’s important for us to feel the connection with our heritage and our fans, especially when we are traveling,” he added. “We can’t be more proud of having Montejo as our sponsor to help us celebrate our music with our fans in the United States.”

Ferrara said that the brand has made “a significant investment” into its partnership with Maná, set to raise awareness with its Latino target consumers at Maná’s sure to be sold-out concerts. Winners of four Grammy Awards and seven Latin Grammy Awards, Maná is the most successful Latin rock band in the U.S., and the world.

“The partnership will be the largest asset the brand leverages in 2015,” Ferrera said. Maná’s new album is expected in March.

The Mexican rock stars are also set to play the first Rock in Rio USA, taking place in Las Vegas in May.

Maná to Perform at Next Year’s Rock in Rio USA Festival

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Maná is ready to rock Las Vegas…

The multiple Grammy– and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican rock group—consisting of vocalist/guitarist Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros—will perform at next year’s Rock in Rio USA event.

Mana

The Latin music superstars, considered the biggest Latin rock band in the world, are the first Spanish-language artists to be announced for the first U.S. edition of the massive festival, to take place in Las Vegas over two weekends in May 2015.

“Maná is the perfect example of the strength of the Hispanic community in the United States and how culturally diverse the country is,” Rock in Rio founder Roberto Medina said in a release announcing the band’s inclusion in the lineup.

Maná is set to play on the festival main stage during Rock Weekend (May 8-9) joining No Doubt, Metallica, Linkin Park and Rise Against. Deftones, Sepultura and Coheed & Cambria have been announced for the City of Rock Sunset stage that weekend.

Taylor Swift, John Legend and Joss Stone are the headliners revealed so far for the following Pop Weekend.

Brazilian artists Leo Gandelman, Bossacucanova and Spokfrevo have been announced for the festival’s Rock Street Brazil, which will be animated by “charismatic characters of Brazilian culture,” according to the festival website. A Rock Street USA and Rock Street UK are also planned.

Maná, the world’s biggest-selling Latin rock band, played Rock in Rio Madrid in 2012.

Santana to Release Live CD/DVD Package for His Hit Spanish Project “Corazón”

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Santana is bringing his corazón to live…

Following the success of his first-ever all Spanish-language album Corazón, the 67-year-old Mexican musician and 10-time Grammy-winner is set to release a live CD/DVD package titled Corazón, Live From Mexico: Live It to Believe It.

Santana

From RCA Records/Sony Latin Iberia, the package will be released on September 9 and include a live CD and DVD, plus a documentary film shot in different Mexican locales.

The track listing for Corazón Live From Mexico includes many of the artists featured in Santana’s original Corazón, including Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Miguel, Romeo Santos, Lila Downs, Diego Torres and Niña Pastori.

But it has also been expanded considerably to include new versions of his standards like “Black Magic Woman” and “Smooth” and collabs like “Corazón Espinado,” featuring Fher Olvera (lead singer of Maná) and Cindy Blackman Santana.

The set will be available for digital download and in three different physical packages: DVD, DVD/CD and Blu-Ray/CD.

Corazón debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in April and spent six weeks at the top of the chart. It’s currently No. 6 on the chart and was the third top-selling Latin album for the first six months of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But the upcoming live version was conceived from the onset as part of the overall Corazón project. The album, with all its featured artists, was recorded in the studio and released last April, but a live component was always part of the proposal.

With sponsorship from Mexico’s Tourism Board, the live show was taped in December 2013 in Santana’s home state of Gaudalajara, a documentary was filmed in different locales and a special aired on HBO Latino both in the U.S. and Latin America in the spring.

Corazón was a seminal project on many fronts. The HBO airing marked the first time ever that HBO Latino (which operates in the U.S.) and HBO Latin America joined forces to premiere a concert event.

De La Tierra to Launch First U.S. Tour

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Alex González and his De La Tierra are preparing to dirty up their schedules with a U.S. tour.

De La Tierra, the heavy metal super group formed by members of Sepultura, Maná, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and A.N.I.M.A.L., will start their first U.S. tour on August 31 in Los Angeles.

de-la-tierra-2014-billboard-650

“We all come from very important bands who have made their mark in rock in Latin America,” says González, known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as a member of top-selling Latin rock band Maná. Just before the release of De La Tierra’s debut album in late 2013, he described the band as, “A very special union of four good friends.”

Andreas Kisser, whose Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura has sold 2.2 million albums in the United States, brings heavy metal cred to the project. “The whole idea of doing a heavy band in Spanish alone was amazing for me,” Kisser said.

Kisser, González and collaborators Sr. Flavio from The Fabulosos Cadillacs and Andrés Giménez of A.N.I.M.A.L. will begin De La Tierra’s U.S. tour at the Fonda Theatre in L.A. They will also play Houston, New York, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco.

De La Tierra performed at Mexico City’s 2013 Vive Latino Festival, and toured throughout Latin America over the past year.