From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
J Balvin’s Hitting the Road
After touring Latin America in the fall of 2022, J Balvin is ready to hit the road again in 2024. This week, the Colombian star announced his international tour Que Bueno Volver a Verte (Good to See You Again), set to kick off with a 20-date stint across Europe. Running from April to June, Balvin will visit fans in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and The United Kingdom, to name a few.
“Latino Gang – I can’t wait to see you! We’ve had so much fun together that we have to do it again!” he said in a press statement. “I’m thrilled to take a completely new show, with new music on the road with the Que Bueno Volver a Verte tour abroad next year. We have something very special in store for you and I can’t wait to unveil the next chapter of music we’ve been working on.” Balvin’s tour comes on the heels of his return to music this summer after a nearly 10-month social media break. For ticket information, click here, and see the full list of dates below.
Karol G Appears in the Griselda Trailer
In early 2022, Billboard reported that Karol G was “taking acting lessons [in Los Angeles] and playing an evolving character in the world of drugs” — and at last, we will see the Colombian singer make her acting debut. This week, Netflix shared the official trailer of Griselda, starring Sofía Vergara as Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug queen. Karol, who is featured in the trailer, will make her Netflix acting debut as Carla, one of Griselda’s mules who transports drugs to the U.S., when the series debuts on January 25. “It’s a great role because there’s real character development,” she previously told Billboard. Carla, she explains, “is a character that evolves. She sees what she does as a job, but also as a way to maintain her family, and she’s tough! She reaches another level.” Watch the trailer below:
Maestro Cares Announces Honorees for 10th Annual Gala
Marc Anthony and Henry Cárdenas, co-founders of Maestro Cares Foundation, announced the 2023 honorees for their 10th annual “Changing Lives, Building Dreams” gala. Recognized for their contributions and charitable work in film, television and the corporate world, the three honorees are: American rapper and actress Queen Latifah, who will be honored with the Maestro Cares Courage to Care Award; Mexican actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez, who will receive the Maestro Cares Voice of Change Award; and entrepreneur Sam Nazarian , who will be presented with the Maestro Cares Corporate Responsibility Award.
“Henry Cárdenas and I are very excited to celebrate our foundation’s milestone by honoring the legacy of this group of remarkable individuals, who through their careers have made enormous contributions to their communities and our society,” Anthony said in a statement.
The 2023 Changing Lives, Building Dreams Gala will take place Dec. 5 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Proceeds of the fundraiser, according to the statement, “will provide essential support for the non-profit organization established to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged children and communities in Latin America and the United States.”
Blur Tributes Peso Pluma
During Blur’s return to Latin America, the leader of the British group, Damon Albarn, paid tribute to Mexican superstar Peso Pluma and his Eslabon Armado-assisted hit “Ella Baila Sola.” The presentation, which took place from Nov. 17 to 19 at the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico’s Foro Sol, caused the astonishment of the 80,000 attendees (according to figures from the promoter Ocesa). The famous song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Hot Latin Songs chart.
Albarn—who was carrying the Mexican flag on his back while he performed a fragment of the popular song on the piano—previously explained to a British magazine why his favorite new artist of the moment was the popular corridos performer. “He’s a young Mexican who won eight Billboards. He plays this kind of music that talks about gang life, but it’s very musical. He has accordions, trumpets, and lovely melodies. He has a great voice. Everyone should listen to it,” he said in the interview. The Briton previously collaborated with Gorillaz and reggaeton super star Bad Bunny on “Tormenta.” Could his next Latin collab be with Peso? Watch the performance below: — NATALIA CANO
