First Stream Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Piso 21 & Maluma, “Más De La Una” (Warner Music México)
Four years after Piso 21’s “Me Llamas Remix” featuring Maluma, the Colombian stars team up again for “Más De La Una.” Boy band Piso 21 and Maluma come together for this reggaeton-pop track that finds the five men roaming the streets of Medellín after hours looking for the girl that’s left them hanging. The new collab, produced by Sky Rompiendo and Taiko, dropped along with a music video directed by Paloma Valencia that transports us to the bustling city’s nightlife.
Vicente Fernández, A Mis 80s (Sony Music México)
At 80 years old, ranchera king Vicente Fernández’s voice can still go from velvet to steel in an album that traverses both standards and new tracks. Fernández may be the last standing great icon of mariachi’s golden age, but he possesses an uncanny timeless delivery and emotion that breathes new life into classics like José Alfredo Jiménez’s “Corazón Corazón,” performed almost like a ballad, and Juan Gabriel’s “Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez,” delivered here with a pathos that veers from resigned to urgent. While “A Mis 80s” might at times sound like a retrospective, the fact that Fernández is still marching forward is evidenced in tracks like “A Mi Nieto,” a spoken poem penned for his grandson, where he imparts the traditions of the past (“A charro is born a gentleman”) with a view toward the future.
Séssi, “En Tu Piel” (BPR Records)
Urban-pop artist Séssi isn’t holding back in her new single titled “En Tu Piel,” allowing herself to get carried away by desire disclosing her biggest fantasy. The soft reggaeton track showcases Séssi’s fresh power vocals, which caught the attention of hitmaker Jhay Cortez who recruited her for his recently released “Kobe En L.A. 2.0″ song. In the music video, Séssi uses the visual platform to touch on the subjects of body image and equality, displaying an empowered femininity in girdles and hair rollers without the feel of what society perceives as being domesticated. The creative concept of “En Tu Piel” was envisioned by Séssi herself in conjunction with her creative director Sarah Akiba.
Natanael Cano, Snoop Dogg & Ovi feat. Snow Tha Product & CNG, “Feeling Good” (Warner Music Latina)
Repping the West Coast, Mexico, Cuba and Colombia, “Feeling Good” is the ultimate collision of cultures and generations of hip-hop leading voices. Rancho Humilde’s marquee artists, Natanael Cano and Ovi, team up with Snoop Dogg, Snow Tha Product and CNG for this hard-hitting, prideful, bilingual hip-hop track. “Cruising with the Black and the brown, it’s a way of life and a brotherhood,” Snoop says keeping it real in his rhymes. The weed-friendly music video, directed by Lalo the Giant, finds the flag-waving crew inside a warehouse surrounded by luxury lowrider cars. Check out the video below and don’t miss viral skateboarder Dogg Face’s cameo in the four-minute clip.
Wisin, Ozuna, Miky Woods & Jesús Navarro (Reik), “No Me Acostrumbro” (La Base Music Group/WK Records)
Uniting hitmakers Wisin, Ozuna, Miky Woodz and pop superstar Jesús Navarro (Reik), this heartbreak ballad strikes the perfect balance between pop and urban, genres these artists can straddle effortlessly. “No Me Acostrumbro” is produced by Los Legendarios, comprised of producing duo Rafy and Marc, who worked alongside Wisin’s record label La Base to create the hit. The track will be part of Los Legendarios’ debut album to be released next year.
The Weeknd & Rosalía, “Blinding Lights” remix (The Weeknd XO)
The Weeknd may not have gotten a Grammy nomination for “Blinding Lights,” but at the end of the day, he got the girl, as Rosalía joins him for a new remix. It’s a dazzling redo, beginning with Rosalía singing the now-iconic opening verse in Spanish in a higher register than she usually uses, for a more luminous effect. When The Weeknd comes in, the vocal blend is scrumptious, but the biggest “Ah” moment comes in the final break, when Rosalía and The Weeknd sing their codas, in Spanish and English respectively, practically a cappella. It’s a moment of beautiful pop.
