From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and those little, important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
Farruko’s Youth Faithstival
Puerto Rican star Farruko held his first-ever Youth Faithstival in Puerto Rico on July 23, which kicked off with a faith-based march dubbed the Youth for Jesus and ended with a free concert, attended by 15,000 people, according to a press statement. Throughout the march, people could stop at several booths featuring guest speakers and presentations by groups such as the Christian Youth of Puerto Rico.
The day ended with a handful of performances by artists such as Gabriel José Rodríguez, better known as Gabriel EMC, Onell Díaz who collaborated with Farruko on “Misericordia” and Jaime Barceló — former member of the band León de Judá — among many more artists.
Prior to the event, Farruko posted on social media: “I’m going to make it easy totally free we will dance, jump, sing and feed the spirit that we need so much in these difficult times, if we unite for sometimes stupid causes let’s unite for peace, for the youth and for God.”
Anuel AA Surprises Fan
Anuel is making dreams come true. The Puerto Rican hitmaker was spotted gifting one of his sparkly necklaces to a young fan who couldn’t hold back the dears as his idol gave him this special gift. In the video shared on social media, you can see Anuel put the necklace on a little boy, who is of course recording on his phone every second of this moment. Then, Anuel gives him a hug and tells him to behave and never to take the necklace off.
On the Radar (July)
If you missed our On the Radar picks for July, it’s never too late to start listening to these hidden gems. This month, Billboard’s Latin and Español editors highlight 11 emerging acts, from Jasiel Nuñez – who scored his first entry on the Hot 100 thanks to “Lagunas” with Peso Pluma – and K-efe from Chile who performed at the Latin Alternative Music Conference earlier this month.
See all the picks for On the Radar here.
Colombia Team on Top
The Colombia team celebrated their first win at the Women’s World Cup 2023 in a big way. Following their victory over South Korea on Tuesday (July 25) at the Sydney Football Stadium, the team returned to the locker room where they got a surprise visit from the Colombian hitmaker J Balvin, who hyped them as they blasted and sang along to one of his early hits, “Ay Vamos.” Before the game, they were bumping to Karol G’s “Amargura,” to which Karol G responded with “Reinotas (Queens).”
Rosalía sends emotional message post-Motomami World Tour
Before reports of her engagement ending with Rauw Alejandro, Rosalía was celebrating a milestone as she wrapped her first-ever global tour. The Motomami World Tour, a nearly 70-date global trek, ended with a last performance at Lollapalooza Paris and later posted an emotional message on social media to mark the end of an era. “Motomami has anded but my gratitude with God, my family, my team and all those that support me is forever. Motomami has been a hurrican that has brought but also taken many things from my life that I don’t even know where to start. Thanks to all the Motomamis of the world for giving me so much love during this time,” she wrote.
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