Billboard

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Billboard Announces New Dates for Latin Music Week 2020


Rosalia performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Source: Instagram)

Billboard has announced new dates for the 30th anniversary of Latin Music Week, the largest and longest-running event in the Latin music industry. The event was originally scheduled for April 20 to 23 in Las Vegas but was postponed due to COVID-19. It will now be happening virtually from October 20 to 23.

Billboard Latin Music Week 2020 will feature conversations by artists, industry panels, workshops, and performances by J Balvin, Black Eyed Peas, Maluma, Ozuna, Rosalía, and Carlos Vives.

Additional participants and schedules will be announced in the coming weeks. Check out the Billboard Latin Music Week website for more information and to RSVP.

Related Post: J Balvin’s #ColoresDJChallenge Winner Announced

| Music Industry
Billboard, DJcity Latino, Latin Music Week,
Sunday, April 19, 2020

‘Toosie Slide’ Producer OZ Talks Working with Drake and More in Billboard Interview


OZ. (Source: Billboard)

Emerging Swiss producer OZ has made a name for himself with Travis Scott‘s “Highest In The Room” and chart-topping Drake collaboration “SICKO MODE.” With the current Billboard number-one single “Toosie Slide,” he’s continued to solidify his place in the music industry. He was recently interviewed by Billboard, where the rising star talked about working with Drake, finding inspiration as a producer, and more.

On making “Toosie Slide” in a day:

“‘Toosie Slide”‘didn’t take me very long. I made that in like… a day?, and sent it out to Drake in the middle of January… A week later, he told me he loves the beat and he told me, ‘Yo, this is magical.’ He had some ideas on it and when he sent it back, we all knew it was the single and that this was gonna be special.”

On the difference between networking then and now:

OZ was given Meek Mill‘s email almost a decade ago, and his name grew via word-of-mouth promotion. “People were talking about me in the studio. I’d have a record come out and everyone would hit me, ‘Yo, we need a pack too. We need some beats too,'” he tells Billboard. “Back then, everyone was saying that you have to live in New York or Los Angeles to make it. But now you’re one email or one text message away from a hit.”

On being inspired to experiment with different styles:

“I started making beats in 2005 or 2006… If I had just come up in the past couple years, maybe all I’d have seen and been inspired to make were trap beats. But thanks to that era, like with Pharrell too, I’ve tried my hand at rap beats, pop beats, dancehall beats, all of that.”

On looking up to Timbaland, Scott Storch, and 50 Cent:

“I was making more Caribbean type beats, and even tried more like New York, gangster type beats. Those guys were special — every beat was different.”

On building a name for himself:

“When you don’t have number ones or any name, artists aren’t gonna trust in your sound. They’ll shrug it off like, ‘Eh, I don’t think this is the one.’ But after having different number ones — ‘Highest in The Room’ is way different than ‘Toosie Slide,’ and ‘Sicko Mode’ was different too — I think they’ll believe in me more.”

Read the full interview here.

Related Post: DJ Kwest In The Mix With DJcity’s ‘New and Notable’ Tracks Of The Week

| DJ Culture, Music Industry
Billboard, Interview, OZ,
Thursday, February 14, 2019

How Bad Bunny Took Over Pop

bad bunny

bad bunny
Bad Bunny at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA on Aug. 25, 2018. (Credit: Alan Hess)

Of the Latin artists that have crossed over into mainstream popularity, none have done it quite like Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican native has taken a progressive, often controversial path to become one of music’s biggest stars. And he’s done it while singing only in Spanish.

In a new feature story in Billboard, writer Eduardo Cepeda describes how “el conejo malo” managed to take over pop music by taking “risks few young male Latin stars would.” Bad Bunny chimes in with insights into his mindset and discusses why he’s not afraid to paint his nails or call out social issues.

Bad Bunny released his critically acclaimed debut album X 100PRE in December. The project peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and currently sits at No. 19. It features the hit singles “MIA” featuring Drake, “Estamos Bien,” and “Solo de Mi.” The latest single is “Si Estuviesemos Juntos,” which the 24-year-old dropped on Thursday along with a music video.

Read Bad Bunny’s best quotes from the story and watch the video for “Si Estuviesemos Juntos” below.

Why he takes risks:

“When I came into this industry, I was never afraid to be myself … There were others who would advise me to tone down a bit, but I just always thought, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?'”

How calling out social issues comes easy to him:

“At the end of the day, these are basic messages .. Ultimately, I’m not doing that much. I’m only doing what a human being who feels wants to do — in my way, without stepping out of my flow, while staying in my lane. Without, I guess, boring people.”

Why he lets fans approach him in the street:

“That’s the whole point — that’s how it should be … Like, fucking trying to connect with people.”

Why he keeps his friends close:

“[It] makes you feel like you’re with family, makes you feel at home, makes you feel normal. It gives me that grounding I need to always stay within orbit and not forget Earth.”

Why he used the same two producers on X 100PRE:

“It influences not just the quality of the album, but also the sentimentality of it … That energy translates. You feel like you’re listening to an artist, not just music meant for radio play.”

Related: Watch Bad Bunny’s ‘Caro’ Video

| Videos
Bad Bunny, Billboard, DJcity Latino, Interview, Music Video,
Thursday, August 23, 2018

Ozuna Talks New Album ‘Aura,’ Akon Collab, Cardi B, and More

Ozuna

Ozuna
Ozuna (Source: Instagram)

As he prepares to drop his new album Aura on Friday (Aug. 24), Latin superstar Ozuna sat down with Billboard for an interview.

The Puerto Rican artist discussed many topics, including revealing that the project contains a Spanish-language track with Akon. He also confirmed that his Cardi B-assisted hit single “La Modelo” will appear on Aura.

Other topics covered include why he likes to collaborate often, his relationship with J Balvin, and the pressure of topping his record-breaking debut album, Odisea. Released in August 2017, Odisea is currently in its 45th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

Working with Akon:

“Working with someone who shares your vision, your work ethic, and who likes to create as you do makes it easy. When we got together, we made four songs in one day. There’s one song for his album and two for a future release. Yes, he sang in Spanish, and I even sang in English. He doesn’t speak perfect Spanish, and I don’t speak perfect English, but we understand each other.”

His relationship with J Balvin:

“He’s an extremely important person to me. I value his opinion and his presence in my projects. He has an impressive aura about him, he’s brilliant and intelligent, and he puts his heart into his work. He’s someone who always gives it his all. I can ask him for advice even when it’s not his song, and he’ll tell me what to fix.”

Why he likes to collaborate often:

“I like it because it’s like being in a group. Working with people like Reik, Anuel AA, Wisin & Yandel, and J Balvin, you get to do things like film videos. So we enjoy it because that’s where we can be free to be ourselves, talk, and create. I can’t walk down the streets of Miami without getting mobbed, for example. But I can be on set with Balvin and Arcangel and feel comfortable.”

Topping his debut album:

“It wasn’t about doing something bigger or better. I don’t like to proclaim things like saying it will be better because it might or it might not. It’s just that nowadays, people demand a lot more music. It’s not how it used to be when you didn’t need to put out so much music. But I’ve learned that each week, there are new sounds, new rhythms, new technology, new artists, and you have to evolve. Odisea made an impact, but the people want more music.”

Watch the interview, which was conducted in Spanish, below.

Related: Watch Anuel AA’s ‘Brindemos’ Video Feat. Ozuna

| Videos
Billboard, DJcity Latino, Interview, Ozuna,
Thursday, April 26, 2018

Watch Q&As From the 2018 Billboard Latin Music Conference

Maluma
Maluma at Billboard’s Latin Music Conference at The Venetian in Las Vegas on April 25, 2018. (Credit: Nicole Pereira)

Latin music’s popularity is at an all-time high thanks in part to artists like Bad Bunny, Maluma, and Pitbull. They, along with other Latin stars, have topped charts and sold out shows in record numbers all over the world over the past year.

Now, they’ve all gathered together in Las Vegas for the 29th annual Billboard Latin Music Week. The event, which ends Thursday night with the 2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards, began Monday with a three-day conference.

Among the festivities at the conference was a series of individual Q&A and panel interviews with the top artists, producers, and executives in the game. Topics included a look back at the past year, how collaborations came together, and future projects.

We put together some of the best Q&As below, most of which were conducted in Spanish. The list includes interviews by the aforementioned Bad Bunny, Maluma, and Pitbull as well as Ozuna, Maná, and songwriter Descemer Bueno.

Watch them below.

Bad Bunny

Maluma

Ozuna

Pitbull

Iconic Songwriter Descemer Bueno

Maná

Related: Watch: Nicky Jam Explains How J Balvin Collab ‘X’ Was Made

| Music Industry, Videos
Bad Bunny, Billboard, Descemer Bueno, Interview, Maluma, Maná, Ozuna, Pitbull,
Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Watch: Nicky Jam Explains How J Balvin Collab ‘X’ Was Made

Nicky Jam

Latin superstar Nicky Jam recently sat down with Billboard to explain how his J Balvin-assisted hit single “X” was made. The video is part of Billboard’s How It Went Down series.

Produced by Afro Bros and Jeon, “X” currently sits at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 47 on the Hot 100. It was DJcity’s eight most-downloaded song of March.

Nicky discusses how he knew the track was going to be a hit as soon as Balvin played it for him and that he quickly realized he needed to be a part of it. He goes on to talk about how he kept Balvin from changing the original beat then describes the meaning of his lyrics.

Watch How It Went Down above and download “X” on DJcity.

Related: Chuckie Talks J Balvin Collab, ‘Machika’

| Videos
Billboard, Interview, J Balvin, Nicky Jam,

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