New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Eladio Carrión feat. Anuel AA, “Triste Verano” (Rimas Entertainment)
Two Puerto Rican powerhouses, two broken hearts, and one explosive lovelorn banger resulted in “Triste Verano.” One of the most highly anticipated team-ups of the música urbana game, Latin trap superstars Eladio Carrión and Anuel AA spit verses like two forsaken fellows who ain’t too proud to beg against an invigorating interplay between Latin trap and reggaetón. “Un verano sin ti, me tienes aquí desde junio hasta agosto,” cries Carrión, a slick reference to labelmate Bunny’s last album (meaning, “A summer without you, you have me here from June to August”). The sad-themed spring song surprises a season too soon because of an unintended leak. “It’s a song that I accidentally posted as a story. It was only up for like 15 seconds and then I deleted it. So this is probably one of the songs, and collab, that my fans have been waiting for,” Carrión tells Billboard Español. El tremendo cabrón will be launching his own Sauce Boyz Fest this May, along with a beer line, La H. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Marshmello & Farruko, “Esta Vida” (Sony Music Latin)
After the hit “El Merengue,” enigmatic masked DJ Marsmello ventures back into the Spanish-language music market to release his latest Latin collaboration “Esta Vida” with Farruko. The track maintains the Puerto Rican artist’s trademark electronic sound, which has seen him reach the top of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Hot Dance/Electronic Songs charts in the past, but the American DJ takes it a step further with an electro-house mix that elevates it with synths and a danceable beat.
The lyrics convey a different message that reflects his newly found life path and the video only adds to it, showing Farruko living two parallel but contrasting lives, as a homeless man and as a wealthy celebrity. “Let them talk, let them say, live your life, I live mine/ I got tired of the lies, from so much falsehood of the same system/ I found a way out of my problems/ Now that I’ve changed for the better, don’t take it the wrong way,” he sings. The song had its live debut during the DJ’s Ultra Music Festival headlining set on March 26th — and you can’t please everyone, as they mention in the chorus, but they will undoubtedly please many with this collaboration. — LUISA CALLE
Esteman, “Despertar” (Univeral Music Group Mexico)
Esteman takes a departure from his signature upbeat electro-pop sound for his new track “Despertar,” a groovy, slowed-down pop ballad that narrates the Colombian singer-songwriter’s emotional awakening. The song — co-written by Esteman and Christian Jean — is about finding your way back to the person who makes you feel home or grounded. “I want to wake up and find you next to me,” he nostalgically sings. “And gain back what I lost being far from you.” “Despertar” is Esteman’s first single from his forthcoming album, due later this year. — GRISELDA FLORES
Boza & Dalex, “Volar” (Sony Music Latin)
Marking his first official single of the year, Boza recruits Dalex for “Volar” (Fly). Steering away from the signature reggae plena and afrobeat melodies that characterize his music, Boza experiments with infectious electronica beats helmed by Colombian hitmaker Sky Rompiendo. A common denominator, however, is his romantic and flirtatious lyricism: “Kiss me and tell me what you feel/ If you want to repeat it, for me it’s enough/ Time without you is time wasted/ I feel alive when I’m with you/ Show me how to fly,” says the chorus. The Panamanian act and the Boricua star (who is making a comeback in his own right) join forces on a track about falling hard for a girl and feeling the highest of emotions. The music video — where Boza is having a passionate makeout sesh with a model — is also representative of that. — JESSICA ROIZ
Felipe Peláez, “Magia” (Arte Producciones)
Vallenato superstar Felipe Peláez dips his toes in his first-ever ranchera for his new single “Magia,” also marking the first track from his upcoming album Un Sueno Llamado Ranchera. If “Magia” is any indication, the set will be made up entirely of captivating ranchera tunes laced with his passionate and signature vocals. In Pelaez’s true fashion, “Magia” highlights the incomparable, life-changing magic of love through its lyrics. Penned by the artist, the traditional mariachi song is a love poem that best showcases Peláez’s versatility to adapt music in genres of all kinds. — INGRID FAJARDO
Zuco 103, “Postcard” (Zuco Sound)
Lillian Vieira’s melodious voice is like candy to the ears in Zuco 103’s “Postcard,” part of the Brazilian-Dutch musical ensemble album Telenovela released Friday. Sang in Portuguese, this elegant bossa nova with hints of jazz and funk is about home not being just a place, but a sense of belonging. The accompanying music video, directed by Chris de Krijger, was filmed in her hometown in Brazil and showcases Vieira surrounded by the beauty of nature and the embrace of her family in Teresópolis. “[This] video and song is actually a summary of my life away from home, it’s a reflection,” the Holland-based singer says. “To leave your place and go looking so far away for what you have in abundance in a hug, in an unpretentious small talk and the unique and inexplicable sounds of nature and the richness of belonging to a place.” — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
