This year, the Billboard Latin editors highlighted promising up-and-coming acts, history-making artists leading their generation and Latin Grammy best new artist nominees as part of our Latin Artist on the Rise feature.
This year, a wide-ranging group of 19 made the cut, including rising urbano act Maria Becerra, fellow Argentine singer-songwriter Emilia Mernes and Gera MX, who — alongside Christian Nodal — made history placing “Botella Tras Botella” on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first regional Mexican title to enter the list in its almost 63-year history.
Below, we highlight all the artists who formed part of the coveted Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise series throughout 2021. Check them out!
CAMI
Featured on: Jan. 14
Memorable Quote: “I’m still discovering my sound. I’m on a constant search because I’d hate to feel comfortable. I mean, I’m happy with what I do, but I don’t want to think that I’ve reached my maximum point. I still have so much more to give.”
JUHN
Featured on: Jan. 28
Memorable Quote: “Thanks to sports, I made many connections in the music industry. I played basketball with Brytiago and Miky Woodz, and at that time, Latin trap was growing. I met Myke [Towers] around 2014 at the basketball court too. Our first collaboration was ‘No Pensarte’ in 2018 and it became a hit in Puerto Rico. In 2019, I wrote four songs, including ‘Bandido.’ Out of the four songs, Myke really liked this one.”
MORA
Featured on: Feb. 11
Memorable Quote: “When I saw my name on the [Billboard] charts, I honestly thought it was Photoshop. I thought someone was playing with my feelings. It was weird because I never imagined this could happen, but it was motivation and it sort of confirmed that I was on the right path.”
KHEA
Featured on: Feb. 25
Memorable Quote: “Music has always surrounded me. I come from an artistic family. I discovered Justin Bieber, who’s important to my generation. As I got older, I discovered rap music and that’s when I realized that instead of listening to music, I wanted to create it.”
KALI UCHIS
Featured on: March 11
Memorable Quote: “I felt like the world needed some healing energy. I’ve always used music to express myself. So I never force anything that’s not there. After we ended up in this pandemic, the lyrics became more relevant. I try to stay grounded and make music from a clear, level-headed place and contribute something positive to the world.”
CHESCA
Featured on: March 25
Memorable Quote: “It’s been a crazy journey. Everything that’s happened in the last year, I’ve been optimistic and positive about. I’ve been working my a– off for so long and now I’m going to let things flow and happen. It’s meant to be. It’s what God had planned for me.”
LUIS FIGUEROA
Featured on: April 8
Memorable Quote: “We have an incredible relationship; Marc Anthony is a blessing in my life. When we toured together, he would share his tips and we would pray together. We have a great friendship and he’s an amazing mentor.”
DUKI
Featured on: April 22
Memorable Quote: “I’m not the type to be looking at charts. But if it happens, it’s always a nice thing. What really motivates me is what a song can do for me or someone else. It’s rewarding to know that I’ve shown something different in a song that my fans appreciated. What’s important is to know that someone liked, understood and supported one of my tracks.”
GERA MX
Featured on: May 6
Memorable Quote: “I come from a dangerous neighborhood that made it easy for my lyrics. I had so many things to share; nothing was invented. I simply penned my feelings [on] paper.”
BIZARRAP
Featured on: May 20
Memorable Quote: “The first ‘session’ back in 2018 wasn’t even planned. All I wanted to do was record a local rapper who goes by Kodigo and upload that to YouTube because I was a big fan of his and I wanted others to listen to him too. My plan was to record with my phone, but for some reason it didn’t work. So we scheduled the session for the following day and I thought, ‘Why not give these freestylers the production they deserve with microphones and everything?’ So that’s what I did.”
MARIA BECERRA
Featured on: June 3
Memorable Quote: “I’ve always been dramatic and sensitive and I needed to express that. At 7, I realized that I could sing and when I was 12, I began to write my thoughts and feelings.”
DANNY FELIX
Featured on: June 17
Memorable Quote: “I was doing things that no one did at the time, like English songs in sierreño and adding beats to cumbia songs. I feel unstoppable. I don’t have to do tumbados all the time. I can always return to traditional regional music and from there, create new things.”
LUIS VAZQUEZ
Featured on: July 1
Memorable Quote: “All my life I’ve been surrounded by music. Since I was a little kid, we used to sing in the holiday parrandas. I grew up with plena, which is somewhat similar to salsa, so for me to transition into salsa now isn’t really a major change.”
BOZA
Featured on: July 15
Memorable Quote: “Time stopped. I wrote, like, 600 songs. When I came out [of prison], several of my songs began to get played. I kept working hard and always had a clear goal. When I decided to change my flow completely, that’s when I went viral.”
BLESSD
Featured on: Aug. 5
Memorable Quote: “I would make eight dollars to 10 dollars per day at the market. With that money, I would record parts of a song. One day, I had enough money to record an intro, the other day, I would record a chorus, and so on.”
EMILIA MERNES
Featured on: Sept. 16
Memorable Quote: “I love how we’ve embraced collaborations because they truly are magical when it comes to giving you exposure in places you thought you could never reach. For example, when I collaborated with Boza, many people didn’t know me in Panama, but they did after we sang together. And same thing happened with him getting new recognition in Argentina.”
TIAGO PZK
Featured on: Oct. 14
Memorable Quote: “To give thanks has been the best advice I’ve received. When I started doing that every day before going to bed, good things began to happen in my life in general. Without having anything or having everything, you always have to be grateful. That’s key.”
IVAN CORNEJO
Featured on: Nov. 11
Memorable Quote: “I for sure want to keep that same style, very indie, rockfish. People are really liking me for that. Junior H was the first to take that risky step and changed regional Mexican, making our music more alternative. It’s scary because you don’t know how people will take it. But people accepted it.”
MICRO TDH
Featured on: Dec. 9
Memorable Quote: “I began making music from a very young age. I was 12 when I knew I wanted to be a rapper. I started doing freestyle battles in Merida, and then traveled all over the country. As time went by, I grabbed any resource I could to make myself known and little by little, I created my fan base.”
