Scotty McCreery Wins First-Ever CMT Music Awards Trophy for ““It Matters To Her” Digital-First Performance

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Scotty McCreery is celebrating a special first…

The CMT Music Awards have been doled out, with the 30-year-old part-Puerto Rican country singer earning his first-ever trophy at the awards show.

Ahead of the 2024 CMT Awards live show, McCreery – who rose to acclaim after winning the 10th season of American Idol – took home an early win for the CMT Digital-First Performance for his performance of “It Matters To Her” (from CMT Stages).

Joining from Zoom, McCreery accepted the award from Raleigh, North Carolina, gushing about his wife and mentioning his excitement for his upcoming induction to the Grand Ole Opry on April 20.

“Thank you CMT, the fans. What a nice little surprise. Thank you very much,” McCreery said.

McCreery won out over a roster of top contenders, including Chase Rice‘s Goodnight Nancy, Dylan Scott‘s Don’t Close Your Eyes, Megan Moroney‘s I’m Not Pretty, Nate Smith‘s Whiskey On You, Stephen Wilson Jr.‘s Year to Be Young 1994 and The Castellows‘ I Know It Will Never End.

McCreery’ wrote the song with Lee Thomas Miller and Rhett Akins. It was released on September 12, 2022 as the third single from his fifth studio album Same Truck.

McCreery told Music Mayhem magazine that the song was inspired by a conversation between him and Akins about their relationships with their wives. He also said that he was inspired by the music of Brooks & Dunn when composing it. McCreery’s wife, Gabi, also appears in the corresponding music video.

“It Matters to Her” peaked at number three on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated June 10, 2023, becoming McCreery’s first single to miss the number one position since “Southern Belle” in 2015.

Here is a full list of CMT Music Awards winners.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”

DUO/GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Dan + Shay – “Save Me The Trouble”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton – “We Don’t Fight Anymore”

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR, presented by Walt Disney World
Ashley Cooke – “your place”

BREAKTHROUGH MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR, presented by Walt Disney World
Warren Zeiders – “Pretty Little Poison”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)

CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Scotty McCreery – “It Matters To Her” (from CMT Stages)

Frankie Muniz Becoming Full-Time NASCAR Race Car Driver

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Frankie Muniz is racing towards a new career…

The 37-year-old half-Puerto Rican Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actor has announced plans to compete as a full-time racecar driver in the ARCA Menards Series.

The series is a low-level feeder series for NASCAR — one that typically features less-experienced drivers — and will serve as a starting point for the former Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks actor’s stock-car career.

Muniz got behind the wheel of the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing during a test session last Friday at Daytona International Speedway.

“I wanted this my entire life,” he said.

His first of 20 scheduled races in 2023 will come at Daytona on February 18.

“I want to prove to people that like I’m here to take it seriously,” Muniz said during a half-hour Zoom with reporters. “I’m not just here for a fluke. I’m not just here for publicity. I wanted this my entire life, you know what I mean?

“I’m mad I waited 12 years after my last racing experience to get here. I want people to look at me and see me on track and go, ‘Wow, he belongs,’ and I’m ready to prove to everyone that I do. Hopefully I do.”

A longtime racing enthusiast, Muniz drove the pace car for the 2001 Daytona 500 — a race in which seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt died in a wreck on the final lap. Coincidentally, the chassis of the car Muniz is scheduled to drive at Daytona in the ARCA season opener was driven by Sterling Marlin that fateful day more than two decades ago.

Muniz said Earnhardt signed his jacket before the race and even told him how much he loved Malcolm in the Middle.’

“He said, ‘Your show has brought me and my daughter so much closer together. I love your show,”’ Muniz recalled. “And it was like insane to me that Dale Earnhardt is telling me that.”

Muniz said he first started thinking about becoming a professional driver in 2004 after competing in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California. He’s also raced in Formula BMW events as well as the Champ Car Atlantic Series.

His last full-time season came in 2009. He said he broke his back, broke an ankle and had a pin inserted into his hand following a crash. He has raced sporadically since.

“I just took longer to heal than I thought,” Muniz said. “Not that you have to essentially start over, but I missed an entire season and I got an opportunity to be in a band. I know that sounds crazy. I was touring the world playing drums, so a lot of things just kind of took over my life and I dove in 100%.

“I’ve always thought in the back of my mind I was going to go back racing. As the years have gone on, it felt further and further away. So when I had my son 19 months ago, it honestly made me go, ‘What am I? Who am I? Who do I want to be to my son or what I want him to see me doing?”’

He expects plenty of Malcolm in the Middle‘ jokes during races, so much so that he’s considering making T-shirts to sell at events.

“I’m going to capitalize on that before someone else does,” he said.

Luis Fonsi Teams Up with Hiba Tawaji to Release Arabic-Spanish Single “Que Sera Sera (Law Nebka Sawa)”

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

What will be, will be for Luis Fonsi…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer has joined voices with Lebanese singer-songwriter/actress Hiba Tawaji to release the new bilingual single “Que Sera Sera (Law Nebka Sawa).”

Tawaji had been sitting the song that she wrote a few years ago, believing it was missing something. It wasn’t until Tawaji met with her new label, Universal Arabic Music, and her producer that they brainstormed and concluded they’d release the song as a collaboration.

“The first name that came across my mind was Luis Fonsi because he had everything we wanted for this song,” Tawaji explains via Zoom from her home in Paris. “Vocally, image-wise as well. He’s such a classy act. I asked the label to reach out to him and we suggested he wrote his own lyrics in Spanish because we wanted it to feel like he was giving the song his own touch and adding his own emotions.”

An Arabic-Spanish language song, as Fonsi puts it, “doesn’t happen every day.” The Puerto Rican artist, who over the summer was featured on Helene Fischer’s “Vamos a Marte” — a German-Spanish song — says this collaboration was a “new world” for him.

“The song already had a lot of vibe,” shares Fonsi. “The feel of it, the rhythm. I don’t understand Lebanese-Arabic, but there was a connection with the music, and that in itself brought me closer to the project. We started a WhatsApp group and we had many phone calls. I’d ask Hiba, what do you want me to say? What are you thinking? What does it mean when you said this? Obviously, they sent me a literal translation of what she was singing.”

After writing his part in the song, he recorded it sent it back to Tawaji who “literally screamed” when she heard it for the first time. “He nailed it,” she says. “He added a rhythmic vibe and also this romantic thing that we were searching for. Very melodic and modern as well, it had everything.”

The bilingual song was released via Universal Arabic Music — a Middle Eastern music record label launched by The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby and Republic Records, which recently signed Tawaji.

“Que Sera Sera” is part of Universal Music Group’s global crossover efforts and the label’s mission to provide a global platform for their artists.

“One of the lessons we learned from previous global collaborations, is that you cannot come up with one single global marketing strategy and expect it to work in all markets,” says Gabriella Mosci, head of marketing at management company SALXCO. “Different countries have different dialects, cultures, and taste in music. You have to take the time to really understand each individual region and personalize your marketing campaigns to best fit that specific market.” Adding, “Our mission is to give Arab artists a global platform where their voices, music, and culture can be heard and shared around the world. We want to bridge the gap between MENA (Middle East/North Africa) and the rest of the world.”

In hopes this song strikes a worldwide connection uniting fans from opposite ends of the globe, Tawaji also thinks “Que Sera Sera” is a song that represents the “present and the future. Music brings people together and we need that today more than ever. It’s like opening borders and breaking barriers and it’s important to stick to that as artists and set an example of being open minded.”

Fonsi echoes Tawaji. “A song is more than just a language, it has different layers and sometimes we fall in love with instrumental music because it makes us feel something powerful and there are no lyrics, and you don’t know who the songwriter is or what religion he is, it just makes you feel something.”

Maluma Becomes First Musician to Design Limited-Edition Bottle for Hennessy V.S.O.P.

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Maluma is bottling up his artistic talent…

The 28-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter is celebrating his three-year partnership with cognac brand Hennessy with the release of a special, limited-edition bottle.

The neon-hued Hennessy V.S.O.P bottle, designed entirely by Maluma — who becomes the first musician ever to design a limited-edition bottle for Hennessy V.S.O.P. — is a reflection of the singer-songwriter’s culture and roots.

“That was the most important thing for me,” Maluma, who partnered with Hennessy back in 2019, tells Billboard via Zoom. “That they give me the opportunity to come up with how the bottle would look. Not only because I’d be the first musician to do so, but because I wanted to tell my story with the design. If you look closely, you can see the buildings that identify my city, Medellín. That’s always been my plan, to take my city and my culture to a global level. I always want everyone to know where I come from.”

Jasmin Allen, senior vice president, Hennessy U.S., said in a statement: “Hennessy has a long history of championing and celebrating those who push the limits of potential, and Maluma’s journey is the perfect personification of our brand ethos. With this collaboration, we continue our legacy embracing Maluma’s expansive perspective in this Hennessy V.S.O.P limited edition — where quality meets unapologetic originality.”

In tune with Hennessy’s “Never Stop. Never Settle” motto, Maluma — whose 2021 Papi Juancho Tour grossed a grand total of $24 million and is featured as narrator in the newly released Amazon Prime documentary Mi Selección Colombia — most recently scored his first-ever entry on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart thanks to “Cada Quien,” his collaboration with Grupo Firme.

“I’ve always been a fan of regional Mexican music, of ranchera and mariachi,” he says about scoring a No. 1 on the tally. “Being on a Mexican chart in the U.S., well that’s a big deal. I always dreamt of that. When I travel to Mexico, it’s like being at home, I feel part of it, and I am very grateful to Grupo Firme for making this possible.”

Additionally, the “Hawái” singer will make his debut on the big screen on February 11 with Marry Me, starring alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. He’s also featured on the film’s soundtrack, which is set to drop Friday. Originally slated to be released in 2021, Maluma is eager for fans to see his acting chops in the rom-com. “I feel happy, I feel very proud. It’s the beginning of a new journey because I didn’t act before and doing it next to Jennifer and Owen, it’s such a big deal. I want to keep acting. I love it and it’s part of my art.”

The Hennessy V.S.O.P Limited Edition by Maluma design is now available nationwide for a limited time only.

Visit Hennessy.com for more information.

Selena Gomez’s “Revelación” Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is No. 1 with a bullet…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer/actress has debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with her first Spanish-language album Revelación on the March 27-dated survey.

Her album arrives with 23,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 18, according to MRC Data — marking the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman since 2017.

“I never go into anything expecting a No. 1 so I do not take it for granted,” Gomez tells Billboard. “It’s always a bit nerve racking before releasing any music because as artists we put so much of ourselves out there. For this EP specifically, I was the most nervous I have been in a long time because my heritage means so much to me and I have been talking about doing this for over 10 years. I wanted it to be perfect. I am thrilled to see the response from my fans and also from people who might not have listened to my other music.”

The Top Latin Albums chart ranks the most popular Latin albums of the week in the U.S. based on multimetric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

The seven-track Revelación was released March 12 via Interscope/IGA. Of its starting sum of 23,000 equivalent album units, album sales comprise 14,000 and the bulk of the remainder are SEA units (equaling 12.21 million on-demand streams of the set’s songs). Gomez’s debut Latin project boasts the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman in nearly four years, since Shakira’s El Dorado started with 29,000 units in its first week (chart dated June 17, 2017).

“Without a doubt the most challenging aspect was having to do all of the sessions over Zoom,” Gomez adds. “We started recording the EP right before COVID-19 shut everything down. In the beginning there were times I ended up canceling sessions because I found it so uninspiring not to be in the same room with everyone. I eventually was able to get past it and am extremely happy with how the music came together. [Producer] Tainy was very patient with me while I worked through my frustrations.”

Revelación is the first album by a female act at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums since Shakira’s El Dorado spent its fifth and final nonconsecutive week atop the list dated Aug. 5, 2017.

Gomez also notches the highest debut by a female solo act since Jenni Rivera’s Paloma Negra Desde Monterrey likewise debuted atop the list in November 2016. In between Rivera and Gomez, a collaborative set by two women launched at No. 1: Gloria Trevi and Alejandra Guzman’s Versus in July 2017.

As Gomez’s “Baila Conmigo,” with Rauw Alejandro, concurrently takes over the top spot on the new Latin Airplay chart, she becomes the first female act in over a decade to rule both charts simultaneously. The last woman to achieve the feat was Shakira when Sale el Sol and “Loca,” featuring El Cata, ruled both Top Latin Albums and Latin Airplay, respectively in November 2010.

Elsewhere, Gomez places a total of four tracks on Hot Latin Songs, all from Revelación — one of which debuts in the top 20: “Baila Conmigo” with Rauw Alejandro lifts 8-5, “Selfish Love,” with DJ Snake, is at No. 18, “Dámelo To’,” featuring Myke Towers, starts at No. 20, and “De Una Vez,” re-enters at No. 50.

“Releasing ‘De Una Vez’ as the first song was the perfect way to introduce the new music,” Gomez says. “It’s a song I really related to and I think it’s beautiful with a message of hope and healing. I think all of the collaborators bring different elements to the table. With Snake it was great because we have a history together so on a mere comfort level that was nice to have. On ‘Dámelo Tó’ Myke brings this smooth rap and it makes you crave for it to be summer because it has the kind of vibe. When we were recording ‘Baila Conmigo’ I knew we needed a male voice on it and Rauw has the ideal sexy, soulful voice that really complements the song perfectly.”

Revelación concurrently bows at No. 1 on Latin Pop Albums and at No. 22 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.

Sasha Calle: The First Latina Supergirl in DC Universe

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Sasha Calle is making superhero history…

The 25-year-old Colombian American actress has landed the feature role of DC Universe’s new Supergirl.

Calle, chosen from more than 425 actresses who auditioned, is the first Latina Supergirl ever in DC history.

She will make her debut in Warner Bros’ The Flash.

Andy Muschietti, The Flash director, watched all the auditions and, along with DC Films boss Walter Hamada and producers, was reportedly blown away by the toughness and vulnerability Calle brought to the role.

“The talent pool was truly amazing and it was very hard to make a decision, but we finally found an actress who was destined to play this role,” said Muschietti.

The actresses weren’t informed what part they were reading for until late in the process. Calle also did a chemistry read with Flash star Ezra Miller. All auditions, chem reads and meetings, especially during COVID-19, were done over Zoom.

Calle plays the role of Lola Rosales on The Young and the Restless. She was nominated last year in the Outstanding Young Performer in a Drama Series at the Daytime Emmys. She also starred in the YouTube miniseries Socially Awkward.

In the DC media canon, Supergirl was first played by Helen Slater in the 1984 Warner Bros movie and later by Melissa Benoist on the Warner Bros television series for 126 episodes.

Muschietti revealed the news to Calle during a Zoom call, see her reaction below:

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A post shared by Andy Muschietti (@andy_muschietti)

Mariah Carey Releases Ms. Lauryn Hill Collaboration “Save the Day”

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a new Day for Mariah Carey, and she’s getting an assist from a fellow star.

The 50-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer has joined voices with Ms. Lauryn Hill on the new track “Save the Day.”

It’s the first release from Carey’s double-disc archival deep dive The Rarities (out October 2), which will be released shortly after the launch of her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (out September 29).

With heartfelt, affecting vocals delivering a timely message (“We’re in this together”; “it’s curious, the fear still holding us down”), a few classic Mimi high notes and a sick beat drop courtesy Jermaine Dupri that accompanies the entrance of Hill’s voice (sampled from the Fugees‘ Grammy-winning “Killing Me Softly With His Song“), “Save the Day” is everything Carey’s fans love.

On a Zoom listening party with fans, journalists and friends just hours ahead of the song’s release, Carey said she’s always been a fan of Roberta Flack‘s original recording of the song and that the Fugees’ version was her “go-to record” back in the ’90s while on tour.

“I love Lauryn, I think she’s an incredible artist,” Carey said. “I was happy that Lauryn wanted to do this moment with me…. I only wanted to do it with her approval and excitement.”

Ozuna Among 2,321 People Invited to Join the Recording Academy

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Ozunahas received a special invitation…

The 28-year-old Puerto Rican reggaetonand Latin trap singer is among the 2,321 people who’ve been invited to join the Recording Academy.

This year’s “freshman class,” as the academy calls it, is 48% female (compared to 49% in last year’s freshman class invites), 21% African American/African descent (compared to 26%), 8% Hispanic (compared to 7%), 3% Asian American/Pacific Islander/Asian (same as last year) and 51% people who are age 39 or younger (same as last year).

Some of those invited didn’t disclose their demographic details. On gender, 3% did not disclose. On ethnicity, 13% didn’t disclose. On age, a whopping 25% didn’t disclose.

Women account for 26% of the academy’s overall membership, not just the freshman class (same as last year). People from traditionally-underrepresented communities account for 25%, up a point from last year’s 24%. People who are age 39 or younger account for 25%, down from 29% last year.

According to the academy, 79% of this year’s freshman class is being invited as potential voting members, the other 21% as (non-voting) professional members.

Laura Segura, the executive director of MusiCares, said last year that it’ll become harder and harder for the Recording

Academy to find qualified new members to invite unless the music industry extends more opportunities to women and people of color.

“We will face challenges with future new member classes if not enough women and people of color are being hired, mentored and have access to opportunities to lead and excel,” she said.

The Academy also created a 90-minute video, “Your Academy: Welcoming the 2020 New Member Class,” in which both current members, like John Legend and Yolanda Adams, and 2020 invitees, including Ozuna, discuss membership.

The discussion, held on Zoom on June 24, was moderated by Justin Joseph, Grammy.com editor-in-chief. The roundtable debuted today on GRAMMY.com.

In order to participate in the process for the upcoming Grammy Awards, prospective new members have to accept their invitations by September 15.

The 63rd Grammy Awards are scheduled to take place on January 31, 2021, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

More information on the Recording Academy’s membership process and requirements can be found here. Full details surrounding the new class can be found here.

Screen Media Acquires U.S. Rights to Garcia Bernal’s Sci-Fi Comedy “Zoom”

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Gael Garcia Bernal will zoom into American theaters next year…

Screen Media has acquired the U.S. rights to the Pedre Morelli-directed dimension-hopping sci-fi comedy Zoom, starring the 37-year-old Mexican actor.

Screen Media plans to release the film sometime during the third quarter of 2016.

Starring Garcia Bernal, Alison Pill, Jason Priestley and Tyler Labine, the partly animated, partly live action film sees three creative spirits — a comic book artist, a novelist, and a film director — who live in different realities but end up each writing a story about one of the others.

The Rhombus Media and 02 Filmes Canada/Brazil co-production was written by Matt Hansen and produced by Niv Fichman and Andrea Barata Ribeiro.

Zoom saw its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

The deal was negotiated by Needle for Screen Media, with Gregory Chambet of WTFilms on behalf of the filmmakers.

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