New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard’s Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
Bacilos, Pequeños Romances (Kooperativa/Bacilos LLC)
Bacilos has gifted their fans with their new album, Pequeños Romances, an 11-track musical journey that includes previously released singles “Anoche” and “Facho.” With its distinct tropi-pop sounds, the former really set the tone for what fans could expect on the album. Pequeños Romances, meaning “small romances,” dropped with focus single “Enredadera,” a bohemian tune backed by el cajón and enchanting violin chords, which tells the story of an eternal love. Notably, the song captures the band’s essence through a sample of two of their biggest hits: “Tabaco y Channel” and “Mi Primer Millón.”
During an IG live with Billboard, Jorge Villamizar and André Lopes explained how the album carries the unique sound of Miami — the place that has influenced and accompanied them throughout their career. Villamizar further emphasized that this album focused him on where his voice was headed, serving as an essential starting point for the album’s creation. — INGRID FAJARDO
Luis Fonsi, El Viaje (Universal Music Latino)
Luis Fonsi’s El Viaje is a trip in the literal and symbolic sense, taking the Puerto Rican artist on a journey where each song is titled after a different city in the world, from Colombia’s “Santa Marta,” a collab with Carlos Vives, to Italy’s “Roma,” a collab with Laura Pausini. Each song is completely different — “Santa Marta” is acoustic tropi pop while “Roma” is a sophisticated pop ballad, for example — but each underscores Fonsi’s penchant for fine, melodic songwriting that showcases vocals first and foremost. The album, produced by longtime collaborators Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, coincides with Fonsi’s 25th anniversary as a recording artist, and reminds us that pop can survive and thrive through the decades. — LEILA COBO
LAGOS, Alta Fidelidad (Warner Music México)
Three years after their debut album, LAGOS does not disappoint with their second studio album Alta Fidelidad. With their distinctive enveloping electro-pop sound, the Venezuelan duo, formed by musicians and producers Luis Jiménez and Agustín Zubillaga, explores love in all its stages, from the sweetness of romance to the end of a relationship. The project of 11 songs and a 20-second intro, also includes singles released in advance such as the collaborations “No se Acaba Hasta que Acabe” with REIK, “Blanco y Negro” with Elena Rose as well as the catchy “Tengamos Pasado” and its counterpart “Tuvimos Futuro.” They also join Greeicy on the emotional “Si Supiéramos Esta Noche.” The focus track, “Dime Quién,” stands out for its mischievous play with the names of several women, some mentioned in their songs.
“We had to rewrite [the album] twice practically. We realized that we were perhaps thinking more about the results than how the songs made us feel in that first attempt,” Jimenez said in a release statement. “This second album embodies a refined essence that reflects our growth,” they add. In addition, they shared that they were inspired by the pop sound of the ’80s, using Roland Juno 106 synthesizers and the LinnDrum drum machine, instruments that defined the pop and rock of the time, to produce all the songs. With Alta Fidelidad, LAGOS manages to link the past with the present with a contemporary sound that captivates from beginning to end, while solidifying its essence and bringing a breath of fresh air to the current music scene. LAGOS will be touring several cities in Mexico, the United States, Europe and Latin America. — LUISA CALLE
Alejo, En Esta Nos Fuimos Lejos (Jungl/ONErpm)
Alejo has no plans of slowing down, and his sophomore studio set, En Esta Nos Fuimos Lejos (“We went far with this one”), is proof of that. Sonically, the 14-track production finds the Puerto Rican artist navigating futuristic reggaetón, trap, and R&B fusions. Lyrically, it showcases his growth and maturity. In the opening track, “Cosmo,” for example, Alejo belts a heartfelt track about believing in himself, hustling hard, and manifests he will become a legend in the music realm. “Cosmo” is so personal it was even named after his beloved cat that passed away. Backing up his nickname, “El Favorito de las Nenas” (every girl’s favorite one), Alejo also delivers some sensual tracks as heard in focus single “Casa de Campo” and “Del Avión Pa’ Tu Apa,” which means “from the airplane to your apartment.” In En Esta Nos Fuimos Lejos, Alejo reels in collaborators ROBI for “La Crush”; Kris Floyd for “Los Lobos”; Jowell for “Wiki Wiki”; and Raul Clyde & Polima Westcoast for “Bien” — mainly giving a spotlight to the new generation of urban acts that is growing with him. — JESSICA ROIZ
Xavi & Tony Aguirre, “Ya Te Superé” (Interscope Records)
About five months ago, amidst the viral success of Xavi’s hit “La Diabla,” which scorched the Hot Latin Songs chart, an unexpected track leaked throughout TikTok and SoundCloud. That song was “Ya Te Superé,” the corridos kiss-off banger, which officially sees Xavi and Tony Aguirre joining forces again — following their October collab “Modo DND” — where they continue to display their ability to dominate the regional Mexican music scene with undeniable grit.
On the song’s journey to release, Xavi shared with Billboard Español: “‘Ya Te Superé’ is a song that Tony and I have been waiting to release for a while. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite projects that we got to work on together. I’m thrilled, because today is finally the day it premieres, after it had been leaked… you can imagine.” In the music video, the two stars trade their construction site for visions of wild parties, vividly capturing the essence of their fierce and celebratory sound. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Nora González, Mariachi Bebecín (CHR Records)
“La Charra Millenial” Nora González presents six acoustic folk versions of her rancheras and a new song in this seven-track EP, produced by Fabian Rincón, Rogelio Villaseñor and Pablo Vamer (who also collaborates on all the tracks), solely over trumpet and piano. With new versions of “Con Tu Memoria,” “Secreto a Voces” and the cheerful “Soy de Parral,” among others, Mariachi Bebecín opens with the new heartbreak song “Ese Tren Ya Se Fue,” written by El David Águilar and Loli Molina, about a woman who doesn’t let herself be trampled. “I don’t understand my love, why do you ask this bird to forget its dream of singing/ When all the mornings are beautiful, why kill the roses when you can always love,” go part of the lyrics.
“Mariachi Bebecín is a way for me to explore another genre, always being faithful to my mariachi roots,” González tells Billboard Español. “Listening to songs that were full mariachi in this ‘naked’ way, gives me a new feeling, as if they were other songs.” Throughout the EP, the artist displays that sublime and powerful voice that earned her a Latin Grammy nomination for best ranchero/mariachi album in 2021 for #Charramillennial – Lady, and a prominent place on Billboard’s On The Radar Latin the following year. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Listen to more editors’ Latin recommendations in the playlist below:
