Tag Archives: spotify

At last, meet the Viva Latino Podcast…now on Spotify!

Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Music, Podcasts by

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This one has been a long time coming but I’m excited to finally be able to share my latest project for Spotify: the Viva Latino Podcast!!!

It’s been so much fun to co-produce and co-host this with my fellow Spotifier, AJ “El Kallejero” Ramos. Together, we bring you that “arroz con pollo” flavor. Lots of fun conversations in Spanglish, music geekery, laughter, and yes, the occasional “Oprah” teary-eyed moment. In one episode of Season 1 in particular, we all got emotional with one of the biggest names in Latin music.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • The Viva Latino podcast takes you behind the streams of Latin music’s biggest superstars, featuring insightful interviews and unique data stories behind today’s global Latin hits.
  • This is a unique, audio-driven brand extension of Viva Latino—Spotify’s biggest Latin playlist globally. You can think of this as the “cousin” of the playlist. 
  • Season 1 launched on Nov. 30, with Jennifer Lopez as our first guest. YES. J.LO. JENNY FROM THE BLOCK. LA LOPEZ. I still can’t believe it. But yes, it happened. And now I can die happy. By the way, the JLo episode got a ton of press because she was her magical self and opened up about a bunch of stuff, including her relationship with Marc Anthony, the lasting legacy of Selena Quintanilla, her current view on love, her bucket list, the proudest moments of her musical career, and so much more. Here’s one article in particular that does it justice on E!.
  • The podcast is currently available in the following territories: US, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.
  • Season 1 features interviews with J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Anitta, Prince Royce, Becky G, Carlos Vives, Residente, Bomba Estéreo, Jesse & Joy, and Pablo Alborán.

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So check it out here, be sure to FOLLOW IT so you don’t miss a single episode!!! Enjoy the amazing line-up we have for Season 1.

Shout out to everyone who made this possible: Natalie, Baron, Whitney, Andrew, Ayleen, William, Fred, Jack, and Rocio.

Thanks for listening!!!

King of Streams: Daddy Yankee is Now #1 Artist on Spotify Worldwide

Posted in Culture, Music by

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It’s taken me a while to post on here again, but I can’t think of a better reason to come back and say something…

History has been made. A heartfelt congrats to the one & only Daddy Yankee, the #1 artist in the world on Spotify (and the first Latin artist to hold that position). Forgive me if I get a little sentimental but it seems appropriate…

From its inception, and much like hip hop, reggaeton was dismissed as a passing fad, a trend that would burn out. At times it retreated from the spotlight. Because frankly it needed to evolve, like most things. But it never disappeared. What DY and the other true pioneers of the genre have proven is that it was always supposed to be more than just fiesta, perreo & mucho dembow. These are the storytellers of a generation. And the first chapters of these stories were born out of the ghetto, depicting what it was like growing up in the caserios of Puerto Rico. It was raw and it was often not pretty. But it was real. The party vibes came much later, as DY will tell you. And it was one song in particular that busted down the doors for the world to pay attention. That song was “Gasolina.”

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I’ll never forget a quote DY gave me during our first sit-down interview for Vibe magazine back in 2004. He told me that Nas was an MC he deeply admired and this next part I remember so clearly. He said: “Blacks and Latinos have the same struggles, in different languages.” So it’s no surprise, all these years later, that the spirit behind these musical movements, whether it be hip hop, reggaeton, etc, is indestructible, mainly because they had to fight for people’s respect. Now the world can’t seem to get enough but let’s not forget where it all started. Daddy Yankee’s journey to the top has been anything but an overnight one.

This is a win for DY, his formidable team, for Latin music & for everyone in the industry who continues to work hard to represent our culture through music.

Seguimos!

Watch this video in which Yankee talks about what it means to be #1.

And also, be sure to check out DY’s “This Is” playlist on Spotify, with the best of his music.

It’s all about #LatinosOnSpotify!

Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Culture, Music by

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So proud of our Hispanic Heritage Month campaign on Spotify! It was a true team effort and the first of many big things to come on the platform as we seek to give Latin music lovers the best experience. 

About #LatinosOnSpotify:

Data shows that Latin music is now one of the most popular genres globally on Spotify. To mark this milestone and to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, on September 15, Spotify launched #LatinosOnSpotify, a month-long campaign featuring, for the first time in a category’s history, Latino-centric video, podcasts and specially curated playlists all in one place.

Debuting just in time for Hispanic Heritage Month, Spotify.com/Latino celebrates the diversity and nuances within the culture, offering music for every taste and catering to different Hispanic audiences within the United States.

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Fans of Regional Mexican, Tropical, Latin Urban, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Jazz, and more, will have a chance to experience the music they love like never before and connect with their favorite artists in a unique way. Enrique Iglesias, Prince Royce, Marc Anthony, Los Tigres del Norte, Maluma, Daddy Yankee, Becky G, Yandel, Gloria Estefan and many other superstars have all come together with Spotify to bring you an unforgettable musical experience.

 

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Artist interviews with the biggest Latin stars in the world are available for streaming in the new Latino hub alongside Spotify’s most popular and beautifully redesigned genre-specific playlists and special one-off playlists such as “Latinos, Let’s Vote!”, our collaboration with Voto Latino to mobilize the vote among Latino millennials in this upcoming election. Also, for the first time ever inside the Latin category on Spotify mobile, people are able to enjoy some of the best podcasts on a range of topics of interest to Latinos!

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The first thing you see when you visit the new Latino hub is “La Familia, With Marc Anthony & his Father Felipe Muñiz,” Spotify’s first ever Latin music documentary. The 3-episode short doc profiles legendary recording artist Marc Anthony as he delves into the story and process behind one of the most exciting passion projects of his career: recording the new bolero-flavored track ‘Dejé de Amar’ with his father, Felipe Muñiz, who makes his recording debut at 81. Joining them is multiple Grammy Award winning producer Sergio George. In this intimate session, Marc and his father come together to discuss family, play music, and to celebrate the sound that was passed down from father to son, a gift that ultimately produced one of the biggest Latin stars in the world.

Press play now for Hispanic Heritage Month and join the conversation using #LatinosOnSpotify.

 

A new era begins!

Posted in Media, Music by

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When I started my career as an entertainment journalist (and resident reggaeton queen) at VIBE magazine in 2003, I never would have imagined I’d end up here. My dream was to one day be an editor-in-chief (of a print magazine, obviously). Eventually, I’d earn that title, but in the digital era, where instead of worrying about selling newsstand copies and upping subscriptions I would obsess over site analytics. And what I do now simply didn’t exist back then, so I couldn’t have possibly known that it would be the culmination of everything I’ve worked for. But here I am, feeling incredibly blessed to have joined Spotify’s global content programming team as a Senior Editor. In this role, I curate playlists across a wide range of genres and moods & moments for a US Latin audience — from pop to Regional Mexican; from party anthems to children’s music. I also create playlist brands with a global reach and with the goal of amplifying the streaming service’s role as the undisputed choice for Latin music lovers. One of the most exciting parts of the job is breaking new artists via a collaborative programming approach across a global team of editors. What could be more exciting than helping the world discover new voices who have something powerful to say?

Here’s to the dreams you can imagine — and to the ones you can’t even picture yet, but are waiting in the wings.