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Victor Noe

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Artist Spotlight: Colombian-American Sofia Carson Should be on Your Spotify Playlist

By
Victor Noe
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Sofía Daccarett Char aka Sofia Carson as she’s known professionally is a 28 years old American singer and actress of Colombian descent, mostly known for her roles in Disney Channel productions. 

Her maternal family is Colombian, the Char family, are powerful politicians from Barranquilla, and one of the most influential “clans” in the city, owners of ‘Olímpica’ probably the most popular chain of supermarkets there. 

And she keeps a really close relationship with her Latin roots, visiting Colombia and her family constantly. She even spent this New Year’s Eve in Barranquilla with the Char family.

She first debuted on TV as a guest star in Austin & Ally, the Disney Channel show starring Laura Marano and Ross Lynch, later being part of the ensemble cast of the TV movie Disney’s Descendants, starring Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen, doing this role for three movies and being part of the soundtrack for the three as well. 

Kiss the Girl - song by Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, China Anne McClain, Thomas Doherty, Disney | Spotify

She has done other movies and TV shows after that, but one of the most recent and loved ones is Ava in Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, being one of the main characters of the season, currently sitting with a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and available to stream on HBO Max. 

Even with her Disney Channel roles, Sofia has proven time and time again that’s she’s a great actress, no matter the script, and with her role as Ava she was able to showcase her abilities to make a deep character with a complicated back story with only one season, hopefully, we’ll be able to see her in a lot more serious roles in the future, either movies of TV shows, but she has the range to go all the way. 

And not only as an actress, but Sofia Carson has also shown her musical talent multiple times outside of her Disney projects, with a lot of buzz singles over the years, like ‘Love Is The Name’, her first song, and ‘Back To Beaufitul’ with Alan Walker, that has over 30 million plays on Spotify, and finally after all these years of droplets, she has released her debut album.

‘Sofia Carson’, her homonymous project, she recently released a pop record consisting of 10 songs including one of them fully in Spanish, ‘Cómo, Cuándo y Dónde’ and the singles ‘LOUD’, ‘Fool’s Gold’ and ‘He Loves Me, But…’ all of them following the same Dream Pop genre, that she knows how to do really well, the album is really consistent through and through, with some great songs made especially to dance and vibe with.

Great lyrics, great production, and a great voice, she has it all, so we cannot wait to see what the future has prepared for her in the entertainment business, and let’s hope that her promoters do the right thing and bet on her talent even more. 

Who’s Ready for LAMC this year? Can’t make it to NYC – Sign up for the FREE Virtual Event!

By
Victor Noe
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The Latin Alternative Music Conference, also known as LAMC, is an annual event made with the intention of showcasing and promoting Latin American music talent across all genres, hosted both virtually and in person, returning virtually this April 27-29 and in person on July 6-9, in New York. 

Both events will feature panels, workshops, exhibits, and networking opportunities for those who attend. The music conference was one of the first to go digital in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. According to figures from the same page, more than 10,000 people joined the 2020 virtual event, and over 25,000 joined in 2021.

“The LAMC is to Latin what Sundance is to indie movies,” said the New York Times, and they were not wrong. The LAMC reunites different people, both English, and Spanish speaking, from the entertainment industry to extend their reach and better help these artists to grow, with coverage from magazines like Billboard, Rolling Stones, and of course us: Musica Roots. 

Every year, they also choose a group of recipients for the coveted Wonder Women Of Latin Music award, sponsored by Amazon Music LAT!N, made to honor women who make a difference in the music industry. It was first launched in 2020, as ‘Class of 2020’, and previous honorees include Rebeca Leon (Lionfish Entertainment), Jennifer D’Cunha (Apple Music), Yvonne Drazan (Peermusic), and Latin Billboard’s Leila Cobo, amongst many other amazing women, from composers to executive producers, and everyone that make the music we hear happen.

Registration for the virtual event is free, and you can do it via the official website: www.latinalternative.com, where you can get the latest updates, options to contact the LAMC team with any question you might have, and even book your hotel for the in-person event later this year, you have everything available from just one place, and you can even check what went down in the previous year, in case your not familiar with the event at all. Plus, here’s a list of participating speakers this year.

They also give an ‘LAMC Discovery Award’ every year, and last year one of the winners was Venezuelan artist Maye, a talented woman we have already covered in previous articles before, other recipients of this award include tropical synth-pop duo Buscabulla, and prolific Mexican singer Carla Morrison.

LAMC really has been helping growing Latin artists over the years to get a hold of the industry, with many of the attendees even getting record deals and multiple hit singles after that, and it’s amazing that such an important platform exists.

El Alfa: The Dominican Dembow King

By
Victor Noe
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Latin music has always been one of the best for parties, and with the way reggaeton has grown in the US this last couple of years, it was only a matter of time before they got into one of the best Caribbean-made genres for dancing: Dembow.

It will only take you a couple of minutes on any social media, especially TikTok, to understand how much of a big deal Dembow has become in the mainstream music scene all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if the formula is repetitive every time, or anything of the sort, people still love dancing to it.

And this is only an introduction to talk about one of the biggest powerhouses of the genre: El Alfa. With over 15 million monthly listeners, the Dominican rapper is probably the most popular Dembow artist out there, with basically every song he releases turning into an immediate hit.

The 31 years old artist grew up in Santo Domingo and started making music back in 2008 without much luck, until 2017 when he released ‘Disciplina’, the album that put him into the spotlight and gave him some of his most famous singles, like ‘Suave’. 

Hear his latest collab track – El Alfa El Jefe x Farina – Bendecido:

He recently released his latest single ‘GALAPIN’, already close to 1 million plays on Spotify in less than a month. The song, just like most of his songs, is recognizable for having clever wordplays involving sexual content, like his song ‘La Mamá De La Mamá’, that already surpassed 110 million plays, and is still being played around in parties and dance clubs after almost a year of being released.

Of course, Dembow is not known for having beautiful meaningful lyrics, but that’s completely ok too, not everything has to involve a thinkpiece and have a deeper meaning to it, is also fine that genres like this can still exist, and be made with a fun intention, so people can listen to it without thinking too much and just feel the music while shaking some on the dancefloor. 

El Alfa hasn’t released an album since 2020, the last being ‘El Androide’, but he releases at least one single monthly, and sometimes twice a month, so he’s constantly putting music out for his audience, even though we have two years without a full-length project. 

We hope we can have that soon, as long as he maintains the fun in what he does, that he’s so capable of making you feel with his music, instead of doing a record coaxed by a contract. Is always better when artists produce on their own time. 

And no matter if you’re sad, happy, or stressed, you can always play some ‘El Alfa’ at any given moment, it will always improve your mood. 

Danny Ocean’s Collaborations on His Latest Album Include Tokischa and TINI, to Justin Quiles and Guaynaa

By
Victor Noe
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The Venezuelan artist Danny Ocean released his second studio album ‘@dannocean’ this year, featuring multiple talented urban artists, from Tokischa and TINI, to Justin Quiles and Guaynaa. 

Danny first became famous for his single ‘Me Rehúso’, back in 2016, when Venezuela was going through a massive immigration crisis, where he sang to a girl he loved, and how he reused to kiss her goodbye, promising that he will her when they meet again. 

The song quickly gained traction on social media due to the relatability of the lyrics and how much Venezuelans could identify with that through their collective experience of losing loved ones that went far away from the country due to the socioeconomic downfall that Venezuela was going through. 

And with his previous record ‘54+1’ he explored both being in love and going through a heartbreak, with mainly Latin pop rhythms and some reggaeton too, which he explores further in this new full-length project ‘@dannocean’ with 16 new tracks, a lot of them already surpassing the 10 million plays in Spotify. 

Like ‘Tú No Me Conoces’ featuring TINI, where they fuse both of their melodic voices to a reggaeton beat, talking about how they are getting to know each other’s secrets, step by step, with no rush, to form a loving and free relationship.

Is not often that we see reggaeton artists going with love letters like this or talking about healthy relationships, and all his lyrics are similar in that way, all being more on the romantic side, that might not be everyone’s cup of tea but is certainly appealing if you’re looking for songs to fall in love to, or songs to dedicate to someone you’re interested in, ‘@dannocean’ will definitely be the perfect album for you, especially if you already dig what the artist has done before. 

Songs like ‘Rubia sol morena luna v2’ are other of the highlights of the album, where he pays homage to Venezuelan band ‘Caramelos de Cianuro’ for their renowned song of the same title, another great hit in Venezuela back in the 2010’s.

And ‘???’ is an ode to when you’re left wondering all those intrusive questions when something doesn’t work out with someone you really hoped for the best, and why, and how, it didn’t work at all. Again, Danny Ocean explores just the right amount of topics around love and its consequences, either good or bad, with his lyricism, with a genre that he already knows works for his voice and intention. 

Give it a listen or two, it might be your type after all. 

Music Festival Season Has Officially Begun

By
Victor Noe
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With the beginning of the new year, also come new announcements. Every year, in the early months, we get to discover what our favorite music festivals have to offer, and since we already have the vaccine, and we’re slowly getting back to normal, 2022 is no exception. 

That’s why we have compiled for you everything we know about the upcoming music festivals for 2022, especially those giving a spot to Latin artists in the US. 

Coachella

Coachella is another one of the biggest things for music, and this year the Line-up didn’t disappoint at all, with Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) as the headliners, and big names in the Latin scene like Karol G, Anitta, Pabllo Vittar. 

Ed Maverick, Natanael Cano, Nicki Nicole, Jessie Reyez, Chicano Batman, and Omar Apollo will also be there, and they are just a few of the numerous Latin performers, so if you want to go and see every one of them live and in person, you better join the waitlist right now, because we’re only a few days away from the first two dates on April 15 through 17. 

Lollapalooza

As usual, one of the most expected events of the year for music, the Lollapalooza is something you can’t miss if you have the chance to go to Chicago and experience this. 

Latin America already enjoyed all that they had prepared for this 2022 since the festival already happened in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile these past weeks, with great acts like Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Jhay Cortez, Javiera Mena, and Kaytranada, making it a year to remember. And the organization recently revealed the Line-up for the US. 

The headliners this time around are Metallica, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, Green Day, MGK, Kygo, Lil Baby, and J. Cole. But of course, we’ll another whole lot of artists that will be showing up to turn the party, like Venezuelan band Rawayana, The Marías, Guatemalan DJ GORDO, La Doña, Niko Rubio, and so much more.

The festival is happening from July 28 to July 31, so you still have time to decide if you want to attend, but hurry up before it’s too late. 

Other Music Festivals You Don’t Want to Miss:

Hurry up and make a decision, are you gonna live the experience? Or are you going to let someone else narrate it for you?

Event Producers – Promote your next event with us, contact: max@musicaroots.com

Dear Selena Fans, Get Ready for Her Album Dropping This Year…

By
Victor Noe
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Selena Quintanilla, the Queen of Tejano music, tragically left us 27 years ago, after being shot by Yolanda Saldivar, manager of Selena’s boutiques y San Antonio, TX. 

The death of Selena was a huge loss for music, with barely over 10 years in the industry, she left a unique mark in every genre she touched, forever: Tejano, Technocumbia, Ranchera, she dominated every one of them, and probably there will be no other like her, so of course, it was surprising knowing from Abraham Quintanilla, her father, that they will be launching a posthumous album probably this April.

We don’t have a title, nor a confirmed release date yet, but Abraham Quintanilla revealed that his son, professionally known as A. B. Quintanilla, who is a producer and songwriter, digitally cured a song that Selena recorded when she was only 13 years old, to make her sound exactly like she did in the last records before her death. 

We have no idea what to expect from this new project, but the father assures us that the public will receive it well, because of how much everyone still loves Selena’s music, that’s still being used to this day in different shows and movies, and many Latin families across the world play her in birthdays and celebrations. 

Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, is also working on the project, helping with the art for the single and the album, according to Abraham, so it seems like this album is a family project from the Quintanilla’s as an homage to her memory.

And just in 2020, we had Selena: The Series on Netflix, narrating the events of Selena’s life in a docuseries format, so it’s probably going to be really long until people forget who she was and how much she meant to the Latin music scene.

There’s a lot yet to be disclosed about this upcoming album, we can only wait for an official announcement from the family, or from ‘Q Productions’ the family record company that owns the songs they are about to release.

In the meantime, is always a good idea to go through Selena’s discography, all available on Spotify, so you can remember who she was, her unmeasurable talent, and her ability to evoke deep emotions with her voice and her lyrics. An artist like no other, that’s for sure, and someone we still love and admire for what she did while being with us, so we better honor her legacy, and take inspiration from the icon she was.  

Omar Apollo’s Album ‘IVORY’ and the Expectations are High for This One

By
Victor Noe
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He released his first full-length project back in 2020 with ‘Apolonio’, a 9 track album with features like Kali Uchis and Ruel, where he explored some genres like ‘Alternative R&B’ and ‘Neo-Soul’, or ‘Bedroom Pop’ as several people across the internet tend to call this music genre, that work and mix really beautifully with Omar’s melodic voice. 

For this newest album ‘IVORY’, we have already set our playlists on “repeat mode” for three of his latest singles, and every one of them brings something new to the table, leaving us excited while also playing around a little and confusing us, so we as the audience have no way of knowing what to expect next from Omar Apollo. 

The first single was released on February 9th, just a day after the album announcement, and is ‘Invincible’ featuring Daniel Caesar, following closer to the Neo-soul vibes that ‘Apolonio’ had, with an electric guitar track accompanied by a drum beat, really simple yet effective when put together with the otherworldly voices that the two artists have, and the lyrics about missing someone, not being able to move forward with your life without knowing if they even think about you.

Apollo is a great writer, there’s no doubt of it, and the second single he put out as a part of ‘IVORY’, ‘Killing Me’, is just further proof of that prominent talent. 

This time around, while repeating the guitar, bass, and drum basic combo that we already heard in ‘Invincible’, they switched it, and added a little more of a happy pitch to it, making the song more dreamy and angelic, while talking about desire, and wanting that one person so strongly that everyone around just disappears. 

Again, his lyrics are very effective, with the right amount of sentimentalism and softness while being straight to the point, something that works perfectly for this genre that he’s tapping into. 

‘Tamagotchi’ is the most recent single, released this past March 23rd, going a completely opposite direction to what we’re used to hearing from Omar, this time sounding a whole more like a trap record, with Spanglish lyrics, and just flexing around talking about how much of a successful artist he is now and how much people want to be with him. 

It has an edge, and is fun, is important that artist get to explore and navigate different genres while having fun within the things they create, so is great to see that every one of the singles are different and have something to say about who Omar Apollo is as an artist and how far he’s willing to go with his art. 

‘IVORY’ is amazing, so you better be adding the album to your favorite music platform and give it a try, in the meantime, you have some incredible singles that you can enjoy. 

Women’s History Month Continues…

By
Victor Noe
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In honor of this year’s Women’s History Month, we celebrate these three important Latinas that have made an impact in the entertainment industry, inspiring young and adult women, all the same, to keep it pushing and don’t let anybody pin them down, no matter the difficulties in the way. 

It is not new to anyone to hear that the entertainment business is completely unfair, most of the time when it comes to women. Women have to work twice as hard to get just half of the things that men in the industry are allowed to have from the very beginning, not to mention the endless criticism and double standards they have to go through once they have reached their place in the spotlight, so of course, we have to celebrate those who have fought endlessly for their place.

Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose is what everyone knows as a triple threat: an actress, singer, and dancer. 

She made her debut in the TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ back in 2009, later joining multiple broadway musicals with important roles, showcasing her amazing talent with important projects like Hamilton, and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in 2018, where she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, apart from having appeared in different Movies and TV shows. 

Most recently, Ariana had a supporting role in the newest adaptation of ‘West Side Story’ by Steven Spielberg, receiving nominations in every major award ceremony of the year, and winning every single one of them. She also became the first openly queer Afro-Latina to be nominated for an Oscar, and she also won the category, making history.

Rita Moreno

Another triple threat, just like Ariana DeBose, Rita Moreno is a 90 years old internationally recognized Puerto Rican actress, singer, and dancer, present in the entertainment industry since 1943, having appeared in countless productions, from TV shows to movies, to theater projects. 

She has the ‘EGOT’ status, meaning she has won at least one Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. Her most recent appearance was in ‘West Side Story’ (2022), a movie she won an Oscar for back in 1972, with the first adaptation. 

She’s been around for a long time and has had to endure a lot of things to be where she is, so of course, she’s a role model for everyone out there trying to persevere.

Selena Gomez

Selena Marie Gomez, is the daughter of an American-born father, of Mexican descent, making her a third-generation Latina, although she has stated multiple times that she remains close to her parental family roots.

She has explored her Latin identity through music multiple times before, most recently whit the critically acclaimed EP ‘Revelación’, heavily influenced by reggaeton and more Latin rhythms. 

Selena is a prime example of resilience, being active since 2002, seen for the first time in ‘Barney & Friends’, later gaining recognition by appearing in ‘The Wizards of Waverly Place’, sending her to stardom, where she began to make music and made several movies.

Currently, Selena Gomez is considered one of the most successful women, with her makeup brand ‘Rare beauty’ doing amazingly well while working at the moment in different shows and movies both as a producer and an actress, without letting her music to the side. 

All this while struggling with Lupus, having to undergo chemotherapy for this, and even a kidney transplant, back in 2017.

These are only a few in the endless list of Latin women that have fought for a place in the industry, but we have many more like Karol G, and Becky G, currently taking over the reggaeton scene even though is known for being close-minded and dominated by men, as well as many other powerful women that are trying to make a change and create a new path for the upcoming talent to have it easier. 

The struggle and the inequalities look like they’re never-ending, but we will get there eventually, but in the meantime, we have to remember and celebrate the ones that came before and the ones that are still fighting. 

Meet Ls Lvndrs: Venezuelan Indie Music Collective for Women and Queer Folks

By
Victor Noe
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Ls Lvndrs (read as Les Lavanderes in Spanish) is a new artist network that promotes music made by Venezuelan women and genderqueer people, intended as a safe space for artists to create whatever they want without being judged or mistreated. 

It’s not easy for independent artists worldwide to find their audience and extend their reach, but it’s especially hard trying to make music in Latin America. Now imagine if we’re talking about making music in a country like Venezuela that recently saw the light at the end of the tunnel after really tough times. 

Now, it’s a different case when you’re trying to make music as a woman or a queer person and explore genres that are not what people usually listen to in your environment. 

But there’s one thing we can salvage from stories like this, and it’s that it pushes people to come on with new ideas to promote their work and get their message across and beyond, no matter the barriers that their surrounding is putting in front of them. And that’s when projects like Ls Lvndrs come into existence. 

Lorena Orlando, the creator of Ls Lvndrs, managed to create a community for the artists who most need it. And that way, making it easier for people interested in supporting independent artists to find a varied selection of talent to choose from depending on their taste, without burning their eyebrows searching the internet for something new. 

It’s important to talk about spaces like this on bigger platforms so that everyone can uplift new and fresh talent, artists that are easier to relate to, and that a lot of the time put their whole heart into their projects.

Meet Ls Lvndrs 

Hilandera

Founder of Ls Lvndrs, Hilandera is one of the most proficient musicians in the Venezuelan indie scene, having published several EPs with past projects and participated in Rudo y Cursi’s Soundtrack. Hilandera’s sound is between lo-fi electronic music and indie rock, full of danceable beats and empowering lyrics. 

Lienzos

Lienzos can play the electric guitar like a rockstar from the 70’s. She’s all about psychedelic and solo guitars. Lienzos has built her own universe where we can also appreciate genres like dream-pop and ambient. 

Aida Rojas 

Aida Rojas is all about lovely acoustic guitar tunes. If you enjoy the music from Natalia Lafourcade, you’re going to love Aida. They are also a great photographer and poet. 

Brigitte Olivares 

She recently released her EP: Chronicle of an Original Doll, where she talks about her trans experience and her struggles to come to terms with her art and what she loves most: music. It’s a beautifully made album, with heart-touching lyrics and a nostalgic feeling to the production.

Aún No Hija 

Aún no hija describes their music as avant-garde trap. Aún no hija sounds like early unknown Grimes EPs, but full of tropical vibes and witty lyrics.

La Infanta de Bernandino

Infanta has created her own genre, called “Perreo Artesanal” or handmade perreo. Infanta’s tone of voice is so unique and warming that it is impossible to forget once you listen to it.

Cecé 

Cecé combines R&B with rap in her work. She has an incredible vocal range and can write heartwarming lyrics. 

There are plenty of other artists in Ls Lvndrs, including Gentlemay, Nuwalins, Maisha, Khalix, Bloom, among others. You can check them all at their Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/lslvndrs/?hl=es

We Need To Talk About Tokischa

By
Victor Noe
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Dembow has been growing faster and faster into the mainstream scene in the last couple of years, especially with all the viral songs that El Alfa has made, bringing it forward as what it is: one of the best genres there is for partying. The bounciness and repetitiveness, with the catchy, easy-to-remember lyrics, make Dembow songs so energetic that you can’t resist getting up and dancing.

To this day, the genre has become indispensable in every Latin party across the world and slowly getting into the Spain music scene, which means we can expect Dembow to go mainstream on all continents in a couple of years. But the scene going as big, of course, has consequences, and it’s the big spotlight it puts into Dembow artists that have been making music just for their own countries and without considering what the rest of the world might think.

They still probably don’t care about what the rest have to say since they’re making music for their enjoyment, but that doesn’t stop people from having debates around them, their morals, and their lyrics, especially with the genre being as sexual and carefree as it is.

The one that’s been getting the harshest critics, it’s been Tokischa, simply for existing as a woman in the industry and making her lyrics as unapologetically as she is.

Everything that she does screams sexual liberation. She loves writing about what she does and wants to experience in bed. Her whole persona is as carefree as her lyrics, with the authorities even threatening to imprison her for posing with revealing clothes in front of a mural of the “Virgen de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia.”

And the backlash is not coming only from the conservative side. Still, many people who love to label themselves as liberals are also attacking her, claiming that she is a bad representation in the media for women of color and that’s she’s “setting the progress back for feminism.” The claims don’t make sense because, at the end of the day, Tokischa is only talking about herself in her lyrics, and isn’t the whole point of female liberation just letting everyone choose to live as they please without oppression; as long as they are not harming anyone?

It seems like people cannot see a confident woman living their best life while making what she loves without immediately looking for a million reasons to pin her down. If you disagree with someone’s morals, you can choose not to consume their content. You don’t have to do the actual most to end them, especially in this case, when she’s not harming anyone.

Instead, we should support female artists trying to make their way to the top in a male-dominated industry like the urban scene, in this case, Dembow. Watch out for Tokischa. I assure you, she will have one of the biggest breakthroughs of 2022.

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