From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
Billboard Latin Music Week 2023
This week, Billboard unveiled the first lineup confirmed for the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week, set to take place from Oct. 2-6 at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach. The star-studded list includes Latin urban veterans and breakthrough newcomers such as Arcángel, Edgar Barrera, Maria Becerra, Eladio Carrión, Fonseca, GALE, Grupo Frontera, Natanael Cano, Nathy Peluso, Nicki Nicole, Peso Pluma, Santa Fe Klan, Sebastian Yatra, Vico C, Yng Lvcas and Young Miko. Registration for the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week is now open at BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
More information is available here.
Chencho Teams Up With Sprite
“The collab we needed,” expressed Sprite Puerto Rico after announcing that they have teamed up with Chencho Corleone for a limited-edition can. Available now only in La Isla del Encanto, the green can features art of the reggaeton veteran with a line that says: “Chencho Corleone solo hay uno” (there’s only one Chencho Corleone). “Every time I reach a goal, I set myself a new one and the achievement of each one is the reward of someone who never settled for dreaming it,” the Puerto Rican artist posted on Instagram. “This collaboration with Sprite is a collector’s edition for my fans and everyone who enjoys what I do. Always grateful.” The partnership celebrates some of the most respected artists from the Latin urban genre.
Ricky Martin’s Heartfelt Concert Moment
In a career highlight, Ricky Martin shared the stage with his twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, for the first time during his show in Switzerland on Monday (July 17). But it wasn’t planned. In fact, in a video the Puerto Rican superstar posted on social media, his 14-year-old boys take the stage to hype up the crowd and start jumping along with their father, whose facial expression says it all. “What a beautiful surprise! When my twins jumped on stage with me for the first time in Locarno, Switzerland,” he captioned the short clip with a crying emoji.
Fuerza Regida’s Historic Show
The ups have canceled the downs for Fuerza Regida in the past week. Last Saturday, the group became the first Mexican American act to play BMO Stadium as the official kickoff of their first major U.S. tour (the week prior, on July 7, Fuerza played Dos Equis Pavillion in Dallas). More importantly, over 22,000 people were in attendance at the stadium, a massive amount for a new group, according to an official release. The group also performed at Premios Juventud in Puerto Rico July 20, playing their new single, “Sabor Fresa.” And on July 28, the band resumes its Otra Peda Tour with a stop in Miami before continuing on more than 20 U.S. dates through the end of November.
Best Latin Albums of 2023 So Far
This week, the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors published the coveted “23 Best Latin Albums of 2023 So Far” list. While Bad Bunny dominated pretty much all of 2022 with his blockbuster release Un Verano Sin Ti, this year the landscape looks a little different, with more than just one Latin album taking its turn in the spotlight. Most notably, there is Karol G‘s history-making new album, Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first all Spanish-language LP by a female artist to top the Billboard 200 albums chart. Another album that made history was Peso Pluma‘s Génesis, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — the highest rank ever for a música mexicana album on the chart.
Tainy’s DATA, Carin Leon’s Colmillo de Leche and Don Omar’s comeback set, Forever King, all made the cut as well. See the complete list here.
