Two music icons Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony unite and release a new hit 'De vuelta pa’ la vuelta'

Despite the rough times still being lived and the entertainment industry also feeling its affects, new releases are still going strong. Recently two global music icons, Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony united their voices to release “De vuelta pa’ la vuelta,” a track fusing classic salsa with reggaeton beats, producing for the first time ever a historic and unexpected collaboration. “De vuelta pa’ la vuelta” produced by Latin Grammy winner, acclaimed pianist and Puerto Rican producer, Sergio George was written by Daddy Yankee, Marc Anthony and Edgardo Barreras.

“One of my dreams…was to record salsa like back in La Fania days. One of the greatest experiences and satisfaction for an artist is to record with someone they listen to and have on their playlist. Marc is a Latin music icon. To have the honor to enter his musical world and be part of that magic was always on my bucket list, I’ve wanted to show a musical side that not many people know about, and what better way to do that than hand in hand with a legendary producer like Sergio George and a powerhouse like Marc. The vision was to bring something refreshing, to be able to fuse the world of salsa with the essence of reggaeton and at the same time give the song its own identity. This is salsa de callejón,  rumba de barrio with the right touch of elegance to light up Christmas,” expressed Daddy Yankee.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve wanted to work together. It was such an experience to see Yankee dive into my world. He is a force to be reckoned that has set so many precedents in the Latin music scene. Now with this song, we have the opportunity to unite our voices, highlight our culture and honor our Latino roots,” expressed Latin music icon, Marc Anthony.

The video, “De vuelta pa’ la vuelta,” released Thursday, December 10 had over 389,000 views in less than an hour and was one of the most viewed videos for several days. As for the single, it was released on all digital music platforms Friday, December 11 and is presently iTunes top tropical music song in the United States. In addition, both are distributed by El Cartel Records/UMG.

Watch the official music video for “De vuelta pa’ la vuelta,” here.

Source El Cartel Records

Daddy Yankee breaks records at the 'Choli' in Puerto Rico

Global music icon and music trendsetter Daddy Yankee closed out his Con Calma Pa’l Choli concert series Sunday, December 29 in record breaking fashion. The one-of-a-kind concert series broke records by becoming the highest grossing concert series ever held in Puerto Rico with 12 sold-out shows and more than 170,000 tickets sold in one month.

Photo credit Daddy Yankee Facebook 

Produced by Puerto Rican concert promoter Rafael Pina, Con Calma Pal’ Choli initially sold-out 10 concerts. Two additional matinee concerts were added to Daddy Yankees schedule for Saturday, December 14 and 28 which sold-out in a matter of hours. 

This past Saturday’s matinee concert - December 28 - was dedicated to Puerto Rico’s youth, and was made especially to inspire them to pursue their dreams. As an added extra, Daddy Yankee surprised the first 1,000 kids with a special edition Sikiri Santa t-shirt. In addition, Daddy Yankee invited a group from the deaf community to experience their first-ever concert alongside an interpreter, as well as hosted a special group of youth from multiple projects in Puerto Rico. To this day, Daddy Yankee has been the only artist to ever perform two concerts on the same date and on multiple dates.

Photo credit Daddy Yankee Facebook 

For almost three hours, the artist known for his global hit and 2019’s most watched video on YouTube “Con Calma”, performed 34 songs which included multiple medleys celebrating more than his 15-year trajectory. The set list included some of his most iconic songs and reggaeton classics - “Rompe”, “Machucando”, “Gata Gangster”, “Mayor que yo”, “Latigazo” and “Segurosky”. The genre pioneer also performed  global hits “Shaky Shaky”, “Gasolina”, “Despacito”, “Dura”, “Con Calma” and his latest worldwide #1 global hit song “Que Tire Pa’ Lante”. In true Puerto Rican fashion, Daddy Yankee surprised fans by ending his concert with pleneros who joined the award-winning artist on stage to bid farewell to the evenings audience.

Photo credit Daddy Yankee Facebook 

With evening performances spanning almost three hours, the musical journey highlighted the global icon’s record-breaking career in true reggaeton fashion. The Daddy Yankee experience took audiences through his childhood memories and brought high-energy special appearances by fellow artists Luis Fonsi, Ozuna, Bad Bunny, Wisin & Yandel, Natti Natasha, Lunay, Brytiago, Nicky Jam and Zion & Lennox.

 

Special guests Nicky Jam, Natti Natasha and Zion & Lennox

Photo credits Daddy Yankee Facebook 

Con Calma Pa’l Choli concert series is Daddy Yankee’s first solo appearance in 12 years in Puerto Rico. As one of the few artists to have a global audience that transcends generations, the Big Boss did not disappoint with his record-breaking concert run series witnessed by locals and tourists alike. Daddy Yankee not only produced the biggest show to be presented on Puerto Rican soil, but showed the world why he’s still the Big Boss, and that he’s here to stay.

    

Daddy Yankee celebrating his successful concert series closure 

Photo credits Daddy Yankee Facebook 

Sources: Nevarez Communications & Daddy Yankee Facebook

J Balvin reigns as Spotify's #1 global artist

Hailing from Medellin, Colombia, José Alvaro Osorio Balvin - better known to a legion of global fans as multiple Latin Grammy winner J Balvin - has been praised by Billboard as "the biggest breakout act Latin music has seen in many years" and is the only Latin artist included in Rolling Stone's recent spotlight of the "New Classics." With a distinctive style that pays homage to the first wave of reggaeton stars from Puerto Rico combined with more traditional Colombian rhythms and hip-hop, more seductive than presumptuous lyrics and a great passion for fashion, J Balvin has become the undisputed leader of the revolution of the second generation reggaeton, which has returned urban sound to the forefront of international Latin music.

Between his game-changing major-label debut album La Familía, multi-platinum successor Energía (The #1 Latin album of 2016) and recent landmark singles such as "Mi Gente," and "Machika," J Balvin has quickly notched nine #1 Latin singles, over 50 million social media followers, and ten billion YouTube views. Last summer, J Balvin's "Mi Gente" became the first all-Spanish track to reach #1 on Spotify's Global 50 chart, and now Balvin has just surpassed Drake to become the #1 Spotify artist in the world. With his trailblazing style and chart success, J Balvin has also become one of Latin music's most in-demand collaborators, having now worked with artists, such as Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Liam Payne, Nicky Jam, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Major Lazer, Poo Bear, Juanes, Daddy Yankee, Camila Cabello, and others.

With the recent chart-topping release of "Vibras," J Balvin adds to his already celebrated catalog with a new collection that combines throwback tracks paying tribute to old school reggaeton, balanced with adventurous new fusions that moves the genre far forward in style, tolerance and rhythms that will continue to expand the global embrace of Latin urban music. With the previously mentioned impressive list of superstar collaborations already to his credit, Balvin chose to demonstrate the strength of this musical chapter with focused pairings shining a spotlight on respected reggaeton contemporaries (Wisin y Yandel, Zion & Lennox), critically praised cross genre Latin artists (Carla Morrison, Rosalio) and innovative/rising international artists such as Willy William, Anitta, and Jeon. 

The majority of the album sees the producer chairs held down by Balvin's longtime Colombian artistic partner/producer Sky, as well as Puerto Rico's reggaeton pioneer Tainy – while Willy William, and Chuckie & Childsplay helmed the #1 advance singles "Mi Gente" and "Machika" respectively. But whether it is the propulsive rhythm of those already established hits, or the laid-back summer groove of the title track and current single "Ambiente," the one universal thread Balvin made sure to instill throughout the album is music that all audiences can quickly 'vibe'/connect with - extending the understanding of Latin culture and moving Spanish forward to an equal footing in the global pop landscape.

"All I can say is thank you, thank you; I'm so grateful and proud to be the most heard artist in the world on Spotify. It's bigger than J Balvin, it's the movement and it's in Spanish. We are proving that Latinos have the power to connect with an audience on a global level without having to leave our identity behind. This is an achievement for the entire Latino community. I'm so grateful to Spotify for the enormous support to the reggaeton movement." – J Balvin

Make plans now to join J Balvin this fall on his North American Vibras tour. The 27-date tour produced by Live Nation kicks off September 19 in Fresno, and will make stops in Los Angeles, New York, Tampa, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston, and other cities. Tickets are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.com here.

Follow J Balvin on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Spotify Apple Music, and  iTunes.

Source: Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Nicky Jam brings his El Ganador tour to the United States - Tickets on sale now

The Bostonian native has made a run with his second chance in the music industry. Nicky Jam who continues to sweep Latin music awards brings his El Ganador tour to the United States after his successful tour in Europe.

The reggaeton sensation will be joined by fellow reggaeton duo Plan B for the 12 city tour that kicks off in San Jose Friday, August 11 and closes out in Orlando Sunday, September 17. In between the tour, Nicky Jam will also perform in Wantagh, NY June 3; Montreal, Quebec September 1; and Toronto, Ontario September 2.

Tickets for the El Ganador tour go on sale Friday, May 19 starting at 10 a.m. E.T. with presales already on. Check out Ticketmaster.com for prices and to purchase tickets. In addition, follow Nicky Jam via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As for Plan B, follow the duo on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

These are the El Ganador tour stops so far:

August 11 in  San Jose, CA at SAP Center
August 12 in Los Angeles, CA at Microsoft Theater
August 25  in Boston, MA at Agganis Arena
August 26 in Washington DC at EagleBank Arena
August 27 in  Chicago, IL at Allstate Arena
September 7 in Dallas, TX at Verizon Theater
September 8 in Houston, TX at Toyota Center
September 10 in New York, NY at The Theater at Madison Square Garden
September 15 in Reading, PA at Santander Arena
September 16 in Miami, FL at American Airlines Arena
September 17 in Orlando, FL at Amway Center

Billboard Latin Music Conference informed, educated, and entertained

The 28th annual Billboard Latin Music Conference held last week in Miami, Fla. attracted hundreds of aspiring music artists. The three-day conference, which combined education and entertainment, provided pertinent information to its attendees.

The informational panel and Q & A sessions held at the Ritz Carlton in South Beach featured important guest speakers and artists from the Latin music industry. This year’s conference consisted of many topics of interest that included:

• Pop + Urban = The Perfect Marriage
• The Latin Music Streaming Explosion
• The Marketing Exchange
• Power Players
• I Want to be No. 1
• The Latin Trap 

In addition, a few Latin music artists also collaborated in the Billboard Latin Music Conference. Colombian artist Maluma shared his social media pointers in Socializing Maluma. Becky G and Jackie Cruz played key roles during the Latinx Activism session, and Billboard selected Residente and Miguel Bose for its popular Q & A sessions respectively. The most interesting session was the Billboard Superstar Mano a Mano that featured top urban artists Nicky Jam and J Balvin.

It was clear as water, that this year's music conference emphasis was on urban, reggaeton, and pop genres. The three genres are currently dominating Latin radio and Billboard charts. Also to mention, Latin trap is making its move into the Latin music industry.

Another key factor during the conference was collaborations. Artists were advised how significant it is today to go outside their comfort zones by collaborating in one of the mentioned genres especially reggaeton.

Each evening concluded with entertainment that included Nicky Jam and ChoQuibTown as the headliners for Pandora’s Noche de Música, and Billboard’s showcase consisted of performances by Bulka, Casilda, Railrod, Bianca, Juank Indigo, and Jeloz. Lastly, Los 4 closed out the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Conference.