One is a Puerto Rican Latin music star. Another, a Nicaraguan fashion designer. The third, a Mexican-American barber, tattooist and visual artist. But all three have something in common: Myke Towers, Shantall Lacayo and Rob The Original are leaving their mark in their respective fields, through their own way of making art.
The three met on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami Beach, Florida, where they participated in the “Deja Tu Huella” panel presented by Cheetos to talk about the importance of giving back. With Billboard‘s Jessica Roiz as moderator, each spoke about their inspirations, influences and motivations.
Towers, who has placed dozens of songs on the Billboard charts, including his latest hit “Lala,” has used his platform to give back to Puerto Rico during difficult times such as Hurricane Fiona in 2022, when he donated $150,000 from two concerts at the Coliseo to the survivors. “I feel that I have responsibility; Those people are the first to support me,” he said about his fans on the island. “And not only in Puerto Rico,” he added. “There are a lot of fans who make a sacrifice just to be in a hotel to greet you or come to the show and try to be in the first row. You see that and you try to do what you can for them.”
Lacayo, who has been making her way in the U.S. fashion scene, where she won Project Runway‘s season 19, not only incorporates bright colors that represent her land into her creations, but also elements such as wooden buttons hand-carved by indigenous women and other details made by artisans from Nicaragua and other Latin American countries.
“I believe that every artist who wants to excel in the creative industry has to find that DNA that makes them unique,” said the Miami-based designer. “Throughout my career, together with my team, I think the main thing we have discovered is that the DNA of our brand is our cultural roots, how we can keep alive those indigenous traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and that unfortunately are getting lost in this world of fast fashion. We all want to leave a mark; part of my work seeks to do so through the reinterpretation of the work of artisans.”
Her brand has also partnered with Extraordinary Women, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women in extreme poverty to work on their self-esteem and prepare themselves in various fields to be able to enter the work field.
For Rob The Original, who started out cutting hair, went on to be a tattoo artist and today makes portraits in shattered glass and other mediums — from sand and salt, to Cheetos! — his contribution lies in the diversity of his work. “That is going to be my mark: telling people that there are no limits to art,” said the artist, who has 1.7 million followers on Instagram alone. To that end, he has announced the Rob the Original Academy, in which he plans to prepare other multidisciplinary artists. “Basically, we are going to do a little bit of everything I do, we are also going to show how you can grow your social networks… how to make a career out of your talent.”
Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.
Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
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