Tag Archives: Quetzal

Ivy Queen to Make Carnegie Hall Debut as Part of the Iconic Venue’s Nuestros Sonidos Festival

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Ivy Queen is preparing to make her Carnegie Hall debut…

The 52-year-old Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter and actress, whose real name is Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, has been added to the roster for Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos festival.

Ivy Queen,Ivy Queen, considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre and commonly referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton, will be joined by fellow debutantes Monsieur Periné and Grupo Niche.

They will join Natalia Lafourcade, Cimafunk, Gustavo Dudamel, Quetzal and others for the concert series.

Nuestros Sonidos — which kicks off on October 8 with the festive Opening Night Gala featuring Dudamel leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic and concludes with Cimafunk and La Tribu on May 22, 2025 — will see the three newly announced performers make their debut at the prestigious Manhattan venue.

Ivy Queen, who was honored with the Icon Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music event, earned her name as the Queen of Reggaetón for her formidable contributions to the Puerto Rican genre. With hits such as “Quiero Bailar,” “La Vida Es Así” and more recently, “Toma,” her contributions extend beyond the genre she helped pioneer, making a mark in salsa, hip-hop and bachata. She’s scheduled to perform on November 20 at Stern Auditorium’s Perelman Stage, Carnegie’s main hall, which seats more than 2,800 people.

Meanwhile, Bogota-based group Monsieur Periné has been bringing boleros, swing and indie music to the Latin scene. Their most recent album, Bolero Apocalíptico (2023), earned them a Latin Grammy for best alternative album. They are set to perform at Zankel Hall, a smaller venue that seats about 600 people, on February 22.

Grupo Niche will also make its Carnegie Hall debut on April 17 next year on the Stern Auditorium’s Perelman Stage. Hailing from Cali, Colombia, the legendary group founded by Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano has kept salsa alive and thriving since the late ’70s, releasing iconic songs such as “Cali Pachanguero,” “Una Aventura” and “Gotas de Lluvia.” A Grammy Award-winning band, they are considered one of the most influential and respected bands in the salsa genre.

Carnegie Hall’s Nuestros Sonidos celebrates the “vibrant sounds, pioneering rhythms, diverse traditions, and enormous influence of Latin culture in the United States,” says the press release.

For more information, visit the Carnegie Hall website.

Annie Gonzalez Signs with Innovative Artists 

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Annie Gonzalez has new representation…

The Chicana actress has signed with Innovative Artists for representation.

Annie Gonzalez

Gonzalez plays Lidia on Netflix hit series Gentefied, which is heading into its second season. Her other recent credits include the role of Amanda on Starz’s Vida, as well as Showtime’s Shameless and Amazon’s Good Girls Revolt.

Gonzalez, a East Los Angeles native, grew up singing with the band Quetzal, which has been a noted force in the Chicano movement.

She was one of the original dancers on Jamm X Kids for the WB and has been appearing on TV since the age of 10. She was recently cast in the series regular role of Jessie on ABC’s comedy pilot Bucktown, opposite Jane Lynch and Nicole Richie.

She also has a YouTube page with videos dedicated to her thoughts on spirituality, self-love, peace, positivity and living life as a Latina.

Downs Wins Her First-Ever Grammy Award

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It’s official… Lila Downs can add “Grammy winner” to her list of accomplishments…

The 44-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter earned her first gramophone from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 55th Grammy Awards.

Lila Downs

Downs, who mixes indigenous Mexican roots music with contemporary sounds, picked up the award at a pre-Grammy telecast event in the  Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) category.

Downs’ Pecados y Milagros won in a category often dominated by Mexican regional genres like ranchera and norteño. Besides English and Spanish, Downs sings in indigenous Mexican languages like Mixtec, Zapotec and Nahuatl, an artistic choice that underscores her political involvement in supporting native people’s rights.

But Downs wasn’t the only Hispanic artist to win a Grammy this year…

Miguel, who led the Latino field of Grammy nominees with five nods, won the first gramophone of his career in the Best R&B Song category.

The 27-year-old half-Mexican American singer-songwriter picked up the award for his hit single “Adorn,” which dominated the Billboard charts last year.

Juanes, who performed during  Sunday night’s show, won the award for Best Latin Pop Album for his most recent work, MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition. It’s the latest award for the 40-year-old Colombian singer’s highly acclaimed project, which won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year last November. It’s the second Grammy of Juanes’ career.

Esperanza Spalding, who beat Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore project Radio Music Society. She also won in the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) category for “City of Roses” with Thara Memory. It’s the second and third Grammy awards for the 28-year-old part-Mexican singer, who will be starring in the remake of A Star is Born.

Other Latino winners include Quetzal’s Imaginaries for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album and Marlow Rosado y La Riqueña’s Retro for Best Tropical Latin Album.