Urban music no longer moves in just one direction. It travels across islands, continents and platforms, absorbing local sounds and transforming them into global anthems.
That was one of the central ideas of The New Urban Movement, a conversation featuring Quevedo and Kidd Voodoo on Monday (Oct. 19) during Billboard Latin Music Week 2026. Moderated by Billboard associate editor Jessica Roiz, the panel took place at the Faena Theater in Miami Beach.
Both artists discussed how their places of origin have shaped their music. “One of the things that makes us unique is where we come from,” Quevedo said. For him, growing up in the Canary Islands — a territory historically connected to Latin America — was essential to developing the identity of Buenas Noches (2024) and El Baifo (2026), an urban album that also incorporates merengue, salsa and other Latin rhythms. “Talking about our own experiences makes us artists more unique,” he added.
He also reflected on the impact of his 2022 collaboration with Bizarrap, which topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay, Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts and became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the success arrived early in his career, he said the song remains deeply meaningful: “It’s the song that changed my life, and I’ll always have that affection for it.”
Kidd Voodoo, meanwhile, spoke about his transition from rock to reggaetón. For years, he tried to stay connected to his rock roots, even experimenting with jazz and bossa nova, until the pandemic led him to fully embrace urban music. He connected his earliest memories of the genre to songs by Yadiel, El Incomparable and Don Omar, which he listened to in Chile during family moments.
“I tried reggaetón and it went well for me on the third song,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘Maybe I’m better at this than I think.’” Over time, he embraced the genre as an essential part of his artistic identity: “I’m nothing without reggaetón now.”
The panel also highlighted the importance of collaborations between male and female artists. Kidd Voodoo spoke about his admiration for Chilean artists including Mon Laferte, Albana Cruz, María José Quintanilla and Sofía, while defending collaboration as a way to strengthen the scene: “The positive path will always be collaboration, unity,” he said.
