Maria Becerra Announces Natanael Real & Armando Lozano as New Co-Managers

Maria Becerra has new management.

The 24-year-old Argentine singer-songwriter, who has been dubbed as “a leading voice in Argentina’s urban pop movement,” will ] be co-managed by Natanael Real and veteran Mexican manager Armando Lozano after she parted ways amicable with longtime manager José Levy.

Maria BecerraReal has been Becerra’s longtime day-to-day manager, while Lozano steps into a bigger role after working two years as a consultant for the artist for all territories outside Argentina.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to María for placing her trust in me over nearly seven years, from the very beginning. It has been a true pleasure and honor to be part of her professional journey, and I wish her every success in this new chapter,” Levy told Billboard in a statement.

In turn, Lozano, who until recently also managed Mau & Ricky, said: “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to join María in this exciting new phase of her career. I am confident that remarkable achievements await her, further cementing her place as the global star she truly is.”

Added Real: “From the start, I’ve been inspired by María’s extraordinary talent and charisma. It is a privilege to support her in this new chapter and help her reach even greater heights.”

Becerra started her career as a YouTuber in her native Argentina as a tween, posting all kinds of content that included music covers.

By 17, she was focusing only on music and started working with Levy.

In  2021, at 21, she released her debut album, Animal via 300 Entertainment and earned a Latin Grammy nomination for best new artist.

In 2023, Becerra signed a deal with Warner Music Latina as a joint venture with 300 Entertainment, still managed by Levy, and also received the Visionary Award at Billboard’s inaugural Latin Women In Music event.

Becerra is in the midst of her first major U.S. tour and released new singles with Yandel (“El sexo está de moda”) and Gloria Trevi (“Borracha”), the latter which she performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in October.

She currently has 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making her 240 in the world on the platform.

Becerra has multiple entries on the Billboard charts, including two No. 1s on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart.

Miel San Marcos to Release Special Holiday-Themed ‘Spotify Singles’ Track “Emmanuel”

Miel San Marcos is getting into the holiday spirit.

The Guatemalan Christian music group, comprised of three brothers Josh, Luis and Samy Morales, is among the artists releasing holiday songs this Christmas season on Spotify.

Miel San MarcosMiel San Marcos perform the single “Emmanuel” as part of the music streamer’s five Spotify Singles, which will be released at the stroke of midnight local time on Tuesday, October 15. 

This year’s annual singles collection — which arrives a little earlier than usual this time — will feature four other artists and their covers of holiday tunes, including Kesha, Max Richter and Dasha.

The featured musicians and their yuletide songs are:

“Emmanuel” by Miel San Marcos
“Holiday Road” by Kesha
“Driving Home for Christmas” by Dasha
“River” by Max Richter
“Run Rudolph Run” by Mark Ambor

“As you’ll hopefully hear, each single really showcases the personality and style of each artist — often reinventing holiday classics in an entirely new way,” Talia Kraines, Spotify’s senior editor of pop, tells Billboard. 

“With ‘Holiday Road,’ Kesha has taken this really fun ’80s song – which wasn’t originally a holiday song – and brought it to the modern day. We just knew she would sound amazing singing it, and she does. Her vocals make me think of The Go-Gos or The Bangles here. It feels like a monumental year for Kesha, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it – she’s reclaiming her joy and owning her own voice,” she adds of the Grammy nominated artist. “It also seemed fitting to have Kesha make a holiday song with us because her music actually hits a high each year on Spotify during the holiday season.

Tracks like ‘Tik Tok’ and ‘Timber’ have come to be known as New Year’s and celebration anthems.”

Latin Mafia Signs Exclusive Record Deal with Rimas Entertainment

Latin Mafia has a new deal…

The Mexican act – consisting of brothers Milton, Emilio and Mike de la Rosa – has signed an exclusive record deal with Rimas Entertainment.

Latin MafiaThey join the label that’s home to Latin music stars Bad Bunny, Eladio Carrión and Arcángel, among others.

News of the group’s signing comes after they secured slots in global music festivals, including their U.S. debut at CoachellaSueños in Chicago and Summerfest in Milwaukee.

As independent artists, Latin Mafia has grown a dedicated pool of fans with only an eclectic handful of singles that gained traction on Spotify, where they boast nearly seven million monthly listeners.

Based in Mexico, the trio’s sound ranges from R&B, reggaeton and trap, to indie, pop, afrobeats and EDM.

Latin Mafia tells Variety their debut album, which is said to be released later this year, will be “very different” than their previous releases.

“We’re experimenting a lot and changing even more,” the group said jointly. “We could say that on the album everything starts from contrast — of saturation and noise, with the non-existent and almost barely perceptible; of the simple and the exaggerated, as well as the reasonable and the irrelevant.”

The group described signing a deal with Rimas as “synergetic,” adding that “we feel Rimas is a record label with a very young mentality.” They continued, “[Rimas] understands this industry is always changing and that today, the music industry stands for something totally different than it did [before].”

Junior Carabano, vice president of Rimas, said the signing was a “testament to our expansion in Mexico,” adding that the deal took a year to complete. The deal was said to have involved multiple bids from other major labels.

“This amazing achievement is the result of a year of hard work, and I am incredibly grateful to have made it a reality,” said Carbano. “This has been my biggest priority over the past 12 months, and signing Latin Mafia means a lot to me personally. We’re honored to welcome them and appreciate their trust in our work. We’re excited to embark on this adventure, giving them our best to bring their music to expansive new audiences in Mexico and around the world. I can’t wait to write their next chapter together and make history.”

Latin Mafia’s biggest songs include “Patadas de Ahogado,” “Flores,” “Julietota,” “Se Fue La Luz,” and “No Digas Nada.”

The band has already completed dates at Lollapalooza Argentina, Lollapalooza Chile, Costa Rica’s Picnic Festival, Colombia’s Estereo Picnic, Guatemala’s Empire Music Festival, and Justas Festival in Puerto Rico. They’re set to perform for Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest on August 10.

Cote de Pablo to Co-Host Spotify’s “Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch” Weekly Video Podcast

Cote de Pablo is reporting for (off) duty

The 44-year-old Chilean actress and singer and NCIS veteran and her former on camera love interest, Michael Weatherly, will host Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, a new weekly video podcast for Spotify.

Cote de Pablo & MIchael WeatherlySlated to launch on Tuesday, June 4, the podcast features the de Pablo and Weatherly, who’ll reprise their characters in the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff series produced by CBS Studios for Paramount+.

In each weekly podcast episode, de Pablo and Weatherly, along with a special guest, will rewatch iconic episodes.

Former franchise cast and guest stars making appearances include Sean Murray, Sasha Alexander, Eric Christian Olsen, Jon Cryer and more who’ll join the hosts to reminisce about the show’s impact on television and in pop culture, and reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from making the TV series.

Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, is produced by Spotify Studios in partnership with Rabbit Grin Productions.

The show is executive produced by Jeph Porter and Rob Holysz. Produced by Natalie Holysz, Kasper Selvig and Derek Johnson.

Peso Pluma Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Peso Pluma has new representation…

The 24-year-old Mexican singer and musician has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in all areas.

Peso PlumaPeso Pluma’s debut albumGénesis, won the “Best Música Mexicana Album” award at the 2024 Grammys and landed No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking the highest-charting Mexican music album in the chart’s history.

The album has also garnered a variety of other awards this year, including four iHeartRadio Music Awards and two wins for “Best Album – Regional Mexican” and “Best Collaboration – Regional Mexican” at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards.

In the past year, Peso headed off on a sold-out global tour, became the first Mexican artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards and won the “Best New Act” category at the MTV Europe Music Awards last year.

In 2023, Peso’s hit single “Ella Baila Sola” broke records by securing the No. 10 spot on Billboard’s All-Genre Hot 100 list, amassing an impressive 1.2 billion streams.

He currently holds the title of the fifth most-streamed artist globally, boasting over 60 million monthly listeners on Spotify revealing his popularity beyond the Spanish-language market.

Following his performances at Coachella and for Sony Electronics, Peso is gearing up for his North American tour this summer and headlining major festivals such as the Governor’s Ball, Sueños and Baja Beach Fest.

Additionally, his second studio album, Éxodo, is set to release this spring.

Additional accolades include four 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro awards, including “New Artist Male” and “Música Mexicana – Album of the Year.” Further, there were eight triumphs at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, with Peso notably clinching titles like “Artist of the Year, New.” Additionally, he garnered five distinctions at the 2023 Premios Juventud, securing recognitions like “Next Generation Regional Mexican” and “Best Regional Mexican Album.”

Peso Pluma Releases Music Video for DJ Snake-Assisted Track “Teka”

Peso Pluma has slithered his way to a new collaboration…

After premiering the track at Coachella last weekend, the 24-year-old Mexican singer has officially released the new collaborative single, “Teka,” with DJ Snake.

Peso Pluma

Released via Interscope Records, the song blends the styles of both internationally-renowned artists to create a beat you’re bound to hear on a dance floor soon. Or, as Peso Pluma puts it, it’s “gonna rock the discotheque, theque, theque, theque, theque.”

If the massive crowd at the Sahara Tent for DJ Snake’s Coachella set was any indicator, the song is sure to be an upcoming summer staple.

An instant crowd-pleaser, the song has already amassed almost 300,000 plays on Spotify. Now, Peso Pluma and DJ Snake have released the official music video.

The video offers a whole new perspective on the tried-and-true musical “car test.” In the video, directed by Benjamin Mege, DJ Snake and Peso Pluma are listening to the track on the car stereo when they notice tiny people dancing within the vehicle’s speakers. A mini-dancefloor comes alive within its dashboard and everyone gets down, including grandma.

Sleek lighting and cinematography add depth to the video’s lighthearted narrative, with artistic angles complimenting the track. When DJ Snake and Peso Pluma are stopped and asked to take off their sunglasses, they, too, join the dance party within the car’s speaker.

Bizarrap Teams Up with Natanael Cano to Release Two-Track “BZRP Music Session #59″

Bizarrap is back with new music featuring a Regional Mexican star…

The 25-year-old Argentine record producer, songwriter, DJ and hitmaker has partnered with Natanael Cano to release two singles.

Bizarrap, Natanael CanoThe 23-year-old Mexican corridos tumbados pioneer and Bizarrap joined forces on “BZRP Music Session #59,” a two-song project officially released on Wednesday, April 3.

The new music is as explosive and raw as previous music sessions recorded by the likes of Residente, Arcángel and Young Miko.

According to a press release, “BZRP Music Session #59” was created following a “spontaneous” Miami meeting between the two artists in 2021, and is powered by Bizarrap’s innovative Argentine trap.

“Now that they know we’re on top, they think we haven’t struggled,” spits Cano in the first track, or chapter one, also being referred to as “Endiamantado.”

Chapter two, or the second song from this release titled “Entre las de 20,” fuses Cano’s corrido tumbado hybrid with synthesizers and Bizarrap’s signature style.

Kicking off with his prickly guitars, Cano sings about outgrowing a relationship; he’s on to bigger and better things. “There’s no trace of what you knew about me/ I told her we broke up, I don’t have time to spend. But I do have money to throw away.”

It’s not the first time Bizarrap teams up with a música mexicana artist.

Last summer, Bizarrap tapped Peso Pluma for “BZRP Music Sessions #55,” which peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart dated June 17.

Cano’s session with Bizarrap follows team-ups with Milo J, Rauw Alejandro and Shakira, the latter being Bizarrap’s most consequential session to date.

The dis track broke a handful of Guinness World Records and, when it dropped, held the title for most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours (14.4 million streams) and most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours (63 million views). It also won song of the year at the Latin Grammys.

Justina Machado to Star in Netflix’s First Original Medical Procedural “Pulse”

Justina Machado’s pulse is on the rise…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican actress has been cast as the first series regular on Pulse, Netflix’s first medical procedural original.

Justina MachadoHailing from first-time creator Zoe Robyn, who serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside veteran.

The show’s first two episodes will be directed and executive produced by Kate Dennis.

Pulse will feature a mix of medical cases and office romances. In it, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Dani Simms is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.

Machado plays Natalie Cruz, a brilliant and politically-savvy doctor, who oversees both administration and medicine in her role as the Chair of Surgery and Emergency Medicine.

Bradley Gardner, Emma Forman and Michael Klick also executive produce the series, which is slated to begin production in March in Albuquerque.

The greenlight for Pulse comes after Robyn and Cuse worked with a writers room last year to craft scripts.

Machado recently starred in the Amazon/Blumhouse series The Horror Of Dolores Roach based on the popular Spotify podcast of the same name.

She previously headlined Netflix/Pop’s acclaimed One Day At a Time reboot and recently guest starred on NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez.

Machado will next star in the independent feature The Throwback from director Mario Garcia.

Kid Cudi to Co-Headline FanDuel’s Annual Super Bowl Party

Kid Cudi is preparing for a Super performance…

FanDuel is partnering with Spotify this year for its annual Super Bowl party, with the 40-year-old part-Mexican American singer, songwriter and actor co-headlining alongside Calvin Harris.

Kid CudiThe 2024 FanDuel Super Bowl Party powered by Spotify — which will be held at LIV inside the Las Vegas Strip’s newest resort, Fontainebleau Las Vegas, on Friday night, February 9 — is the company’s third annual Super Bowl event and will feature a live recording of The Ringer Gambling Show podcast with hosts John “JJ” Jastremski, Raheem Palmer and “Cousin Sal” Iacono.

On January 12, Kid Cudi released his ninth studio album, Insano, which features collaborations with Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, Lil Yachty, Pharrell Williams, the late XXXTentacion, Lil Wayne and Young Thug.

The project debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart dated January 27.

The event comes just two days before Super Bowl LVIII at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Sunday (February 11), where the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers for the championship.

It was announced in September that Usher would headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. Usher also announced that his ninth album, Coming Home, will arrive on Super Bowl Sunday. This set marks his first new album since 2016’s Hard II Love, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Xavi Becomes First Artist of Mexican Descent to Reach No. 1 with Solo Single on Global Spotify Chart

Xavi has made Spotify history…

The 19-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter, who recently earned his first No. 1 on any Billboard chart, has become the first artist of Mexican descent to reach No. 1 with a solo song on the global Spotify chart.

XaviXavi, who hails from Phoenix topped the Spotify chart on January 2 with his single “La Diabla.”

This is the fourth time that a song with a Mexican artist has reached No. 1 on Spotify’s global chart, following Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola”; Grupo Frontera’s “Un 100xto” with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny; and Peso Pluma‘s music session with Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap.

The music video for “La Diabla,” which was released in late November, has garnered more than 68 million views on YouTube.

The song also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, unseating Bad Bunny’s “Monaco.”

Xavi, whose real name is Joshua Xavier Gutierrez, first reached popularity following the release of his debut single, “La Víctima,” in August 2023.

The heartbreak song went viral on TikTok and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.

Now, he has more than 17 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Xavi has been playing the guitar since he was 10 years old, according to his Spotify profile. In 2023, he performed at the Viva Pomona festival at the Glasshouse.

After releasing music independently, Xavi was discovered on social media by Interscope Records, which also manages artists like Karol G, Kali Uchis and Selena Gomez.