5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (December 10)

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

Maestro Cares 2022 Gala

This week, the Maestro Cares Foundation, co-founded by Marc Anthony and Henry Cárdenas, hosted the ninth annual “Changing Live, Building Dreams” gala at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, hosting more than 600 guests, including J Balvin, Ariana DeBose, key industry leaders and more. This year’s event, co-hosted by Ana Navarro and Cesar Millán, recognized five key personalities in the music, sports and business fields: Gloria and Emilio Estefan with the Community Hero award, Mariano Rivera with the All-star award, Jeff Hoffman with the Courage to Care award, and Eduardo Trujillo with the Corporate Social Responsibility award. Proceeds from the fundraiser will provide essential support for Maestro Cares, which is a nonprofit organization established to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged children and communities in Latin America and the U.S.

The Good Bunny Foundation

The Good Bunny Foundation (a nonprofit organization founded by Bad Bunny) will host its “Bonita Tradición” gift drive, where they will give out 25,000 gifts related to the arts (sports equipment, instruments, paint materials and more) to children in Puerto Rico. The event will include many stations serving traditional food and drinks, as well as live music and the opportunity to snap a photo with Los Reyes Magos. “We want to close the year in the best way, bringing a bit of joy, hope, and love to the children with an event that reflects the best of this time with a very special emphasis on the traditions of our island,” said José “Che Juan ” Torres, director of the Good Bunny Foundation, in a press statement. “Bonita Tradicion” will take place at 8 a.m. local time on Dec. 27 at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.

Karol G’s Film Venture

After her successful Strip Love Tour, Karol G picks up the mic for a new venture — this time, lending her voice for the Puss in Boots: The Last Wish movie soundtrack in a song dubbed “La Vida es Una.” In true Karol fashion, the Ovy on the Drums-produced track is a vibrant reggaeton with a flair of flamenco guitars in honor of Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, who returns as the voice of the notorious PiB. The animated film, which comes 11 years after the premiere of the 2011 film Puss in Boots, will be available in theaters this Christmas.

Love Is in the Air

A lot of love is in the air as of late, starting with Becky G who just got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, soccer star Sebastian Lletget. The couple, who began dating in 2016, shared the news on social media with a sweet photo carousel. “Our spot forever,” they captioned the joint post.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rican artist Jay Wheeler and his girlfriend, singer-songwriter, Zhamira Zambrano, celebrated their one-year anniversary this week. “You are the best thing that has happened in my life, princess, thank you for being part of my happiness and for giving me peace in this world that is so heavy and full of so much damage,” Wheeler expressed. The couple got engaged in the summer.

Argentinean Artists Celebrating

A wave of Argentinean music stars are celebrating after a very suspenseful match between Netherlands and Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After a nearly three-hour game, Lionel Messi and the team have qualified for the semifinals with a 4-3 win in the penalty kicks round. On social media, many artists shared their excitement, including Fito Paez. Others, like Lali Esposito and Bizarrap, celebrated at the actual game in Qatar. And artists such as Maluma, Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee, were spotted supporting the game.

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How Bad Bunny Staged His Record-Setting Stadium Tour: 36 Trucks, a Cargo Jet & 100 Tons of Equipment

Few things faze Noah Assad, Bad Bunny’s manager. But even he admits that launching a stadium tour barely three months after an arena tour was a bit daunting.

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“We knew it was going to be a learning experience and something none of us had done before,” Assad says now, “but we went for it and worked through it with the help of old and new partners and set new industry standards.”

Bad Bunny ends the year as the top touring act of 2022, grossing $373.5 million from 1.8 million tickets across 65 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore, and that number doesn’t even include his last 20 Latin American stadium shows. This makes Bunny — born Benito Martinez Ocasio — the first act who doesn’t perform in English to ever top the year-end tally.

World’s Hottest Tour broke venue revenue records in 12 of the 15 U.S. markets that it hit, including Chicago and Washington, D.C., and New York, where he played Yankee Stadium. All told, the North American leg of tour averaged $11.1 million per show – the biggest per-show average gross by any artist in any genre in Boxscore history (dating back to the late 1980s).

Bunny also became the only artist to ever launch separate tours each topping $100 million in the same calendar year. His stadium tour launched after he played his 35-date El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo, an arena tour that earned $116.8 million from 35 shows.

So, how did an artist who only records in Spanish, who is signed to an independent label and has only been five years in the market achieve this feat? To find out, Billboard spoke with agents, promoters and producers to piece together the ingredients of Bunny’s spectacular touring success.

The seeds for World’s Hottest Tour, which ends with sold out shows Friday (Dec. 9) and Saturday (Dec. 10) at Mexico city’s Estadio Azteca, were sown April 15, 2021, when tickets went on sale for Bunny’s April 2022 arena tour. The tour sold out in a matter of hours, says Jbeau Lewis, one of Bunny’s agents at UTA, with some 200,000 to 300,000 people in virtual queue in individual arenas trying to score tickets, and it became clear how much demand there was for Bad Bunny concerts.

“I remember vividly Noah having a discussion that day and saying, ‘We have to hold some stadiums for next year.’ We saw the unprecedented demand for [2022 arena tour] Ultimo Tour del Mundo,” says Lewis. “And knowing that tour was going to be nine months away and that Benito had plans to release more music, the only way to provide enough supply to alleviate the demand was to move to bigger venues. And that’s when we started working on it.”

Last year Assad signed on with Henry Cardenas of Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), Bunny’s longtime promoter who was already doing his arena tour who’d been booking him since he played 1,000-people club shows back in 2017 and 2018 in cites like New York and Miami. Cardenas brought in Live Nation, which has vast experience with stadiums, as his partners in the U.S.

In the U.S., the biggest challenge was not the prospect of selling out stadiums; Lewis felt very confident that wouldn’t be an issue if they stuck to those markets where Bunny had strongest demand. Scheduling was the problem, given that the tour was being booked just 15-16 months in advance, and MLB and NFL teams already had dates locked down. Assad and Bunny were also adamant that he not play more than two dates per city, so fans wouldn’t think that one market was preferred over another.

In the end, they settled on 15 U.S. cities and tickets went on sale before the tour design even was finalized, something tour producer Roly Garbalosa says is unusual. “Normally for a tour this big, you design, then look for the markets. Not here. Here we just went.”

Bad Bunny hit road Aug. 5 with a massive production hauling his massive “beach,” palm trees, LED screens and of course, the contraptions needed for his flying stunt, where he gets on top of a small island with a palm tree and soars over the crowd, singing all the way. While a typical tour will take about 20 cargo trucks, Bunny traveled with up to 36, carrying 100 tons of equipment. While CMN and Live Nation promoted the entire U.S. trek of the tour, in Latin America CMN took over seven concerts. The others went to independent promoters Assad has long worked with in the past, including Bizarro in Chile, Westwood Entertainment in Mexico and Dale Play in Argentina.

“Noah has a code of honor,” says Fede Lauria, the founder of Dale Play, who promoted Bunny’s two shows at Velez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires. “I promoted Benito’s first tour here in Luna Park in 2016. This time, it’s been the biggest production I’ve ever done. We sold 90,000 tickets, but I would have sold 900,000. We sold out in half an hour. I had over a million people in virtual line trying to buy tickets.”

For Latin America, Bunny again insisted on his no more than two shows per city rule. He also insisted that his show had to be exactly the same as what his fans saw in the U.S. This is easier said than done. Usually, promoters will pay artists their guarantee plus the cost of local production. But Bunny couldn’t rely on local production for such a technically complicated show. Many countries and venues simply don’t have the equipment necessary to replicated what can be done in state-of-the-art stadiums in the U.S. And many local promoters can’t afford to pay the costs of importing production and still break even, especially in countries that are suffering from massive devaluation. So, instead of modifying the show to meet local production standards, “He took all his equipment, put it inside a 747 jet, and took it with him,” Cárdenas says. “And he paid for that.”

Even then, says Garbalosa, adjustments were required. Bunny’s flying stunt in the U.S. is done commonly by hitching the equipment to the lights and towers. Because many stadiums in Latin America don’t have that capability, “We had to rent cranes and place them outside the stadium,” says Garbalosa.

Bunny traveled through Latin America with the 747 cargo jet for his more than 100 tons of equipment; a passenger jet for his 130-plus crew and personnel and a private jet for himself and his immediate five-to-six-person team. And he paid those costs.

“No other artist does that,” says Cárdenas.” I will say it in plain English: He’s the only artist who invests that kind of money in his production in Latin America.”

What that decision translates to is less money for the artist. Shows in the U.S. make more because ticket prices are higher and the cost of production, in this case, can be far less.

“But he said, my fans deserve the same show,” Cárdenas says. “It will pay off in the future.”

In some ways, you could say it’s already paying off.

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” adds Garbalosa, the production manager. “I’ve never worked with an artist that creates this kind of frenzy.”

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Mariah Carey Duets With 11-Year-Old Daughter Monroe at First Post-COVID Christmas Concert: ‘This Is My Baby Girl!’

TORONTO — At her first live concert since the pandemic, the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey, brought out her princess, Monroe, to duet with her at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Friday night on the 19th-century carol “Away in a Manger,” and the 11-year-old is cut from the same tulle cloth as her mom. In other words, she can sing.

Both mom and daughter, resplendent in sparkly white dresses and tiaras, sat for the song on a set that included Christmas trees, presents and toy soldiers.

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“This is my baby girl, here,” Carey said in her introduction. “Eleven years ago, I got the greatest gift. You know what, I don’t have birthdays, but the birthing day was the greatest gift ever, when I had my twins Roc and Roe [Moroccan and Monroe], and once again I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Monroe.

“This is our first duet,” Carey told the sold-out crowd, before asking her daughter if her dress is OK. “Alright, this is a beautiful, beautiful hymn called ‘Away in a Manger.’ We’ve been working on this one for a minute,” she says, gently patting her daughter’s back.

Carey started the song with some notes showing off her inimitable upper range before Monroe — not looking the least bit nervous — started with the lyric, smoothly and indeed beautifully, to roars of approval from the impressed audience of 13,000.  “My daughter, Miss Monroe,” she said proudly at the end of the 90-second song.

The family-friendly Merry Christmas to All! Concert was Mimi’s first of four, two in Toronto and two in New York City at Madison Square Garden, Dec. 13 and 16. On Saturday (Dec. 10), her stage has been dismantled for the night’s Maple Leafs vs. Flames game and will go back up again for Sunday night.

Carey kept referring to the show as a dress rehearsal and trial run, but with her killer band and dancers, and festive stage design, there were no lumps of coal in this hour and 45-minute set.

She was also funny, endearing, self-deprecating, gracious and warm, discussing the hardships of the lockdown, soaking in the audience, telling a fan she would keep the handmade pillow embroidered with her likeness, praising her band, and playing up her vanity by blotting her face with tissues and bringing her makeup artists out on the stage to do touch-ups.

The setlist was mostly comprised of Christmas songs, including the highly anticipated finale of her perennial Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” for which she received a diamond-certification plaque onstage.

And for those unable to catch any of the four shows, Carey’s two-hour concert special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! airs Dec. 20 on CBS and Paramount+.

Watch a fan-shot video of the moment below:

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Will Smith Is Offering 2 Free Months of Apple TV+ So You Can Watch ‘Emancipation’ & More

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Will Smith wants to ensure that anyone with Internet access can stream his passion project, Emancipation, for free on Apple TV+.

The Antoine Fuqua-directed film, chronicling the harrowing freedom journey of a Black man who escaped slavery in Louisiana, premiered on the streaming platform on Friday (Dec. 9).

“I’ve been reading a lot of the comments and I see a lot of people saying they don’t have Apple TV+,” Smith said in an Instagram video posted Thursday. “That’s unacceptable to me.”

The 54-year-old actor reached out to Apple and secured a streaming deal for new and returning subscribers to watch the film for free.

Emancipation is inspired by a true story of “Peter,” best known from a series of photos taken by medical examiners in the Union Army in 1863. One of the images, “The Scourged Back,” captures the sheer brutality and inhumanity of slavery, showing Peter’s – whose real name was Gordon – welted back riddled with keloids from the severe beatings handed down by slave masters.

The images were published in Harper’s Weekly on July 4, 1863, and are said to have helped galvanize the abolitionist movement.

Ben Foster, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Charmaine Bingwa, Imani Pullum, Michael Luwoye, Gilbert Owuor and Aaron Clifton Morris star in the film written by William N. Collage.

Producers include Smith, Jon Mone, Joey McFarland and Todd Black. Chris Brigham, Fuqua, James Lassiter, Heather Washington, Cliff Roberts, Glen Basner and Scott Greenberg are executive producers.

Emancipation made its theatrical debut on Dec. 2. Read on for details on how to stream the movie for free.

How to Watch ‘Emancipation’ for Free on Apple TV+

Right now, new and returning customers can enjoy a free trial to Apple TV+ for the first week. That means you can stream Emancipation and anything else on the platform without paying anything up front. To redeem Smith’s offer visit apple.co/willgift.

Apple TV+ is $6.99 a month after the free trial ends but there are multiple ways to save on your streaming bill and extend the free trial for up to a year.

For starters, subscribers can get Apple TV+ included free for three months with the purchase of an eligible Apple device or save with Apple One, which bundles Apple TV+ with up to five other services for one low price. 

Apple TV+
$6.99/month after free 7-day trial
Buy Now 1

T-Mobile and Sprint offer a year free subscription to Apple TV+ with select wireless plans and Best Buy has a deal offering three months of free Apple TV+.

Enjoy Apple Originals such as Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Severance, Carpoole Karaoke: The Series, The Problem with John Stewart, Bad Sisters, The Shrink Next Door, Pachinko, Central Park, They Call Me Magic and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, along with holiday releases like Spirited and A Charlie Brown Christmas and lots more on Apple TV+.

Watch the Emancipation trailer below.

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A Full List of Current Las Vegas Residencies (Updating)

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Las Vegas entertainment is back in full swing, with some of today’s biggest stars — from Adele and Miranda Lambert to Katy Perry and Usher — taking the stage for their own residencies.

However, because there are so many shows available, finding the perfect one can be a bit overwhelming. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of all the currently announced Las Vegas residencies, where they’ll be taking place and, of course, where to buy tickets.

See below.

December 2022:

Dec. 2 – 31: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 2 – 10: Luke Bryan at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here)

Dec. 3 – 11: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 16 – 17: Ray Romano & David Spade at Terry Fator Theatre, Mirage (Buy tickets here or here)

January 2022:

Jan. 20 – 28: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

February 2022:

Feb. 3 – 25: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

March 2023:

March 3 – 25: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

March 24 – 30: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

March 24 – 31: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

April 2023:

April 1 – 9: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

April 1 – 8: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

May 2023:

May 18 – 28: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

June 2023:

June 1 – 4: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

June 21 – 30: Carrie Underwood at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here or here)

July 2023:

July 1: Carrie Underwood at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here or here)

July 6 – 23: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

July 7 – 22: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

July 28 – 29: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

August 2023:

August 2 – 12: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

September 2023:

Sept. 20 – 30: Carrie Underwood at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here or here)

November 2023:

Nov. 29: Carrie Underwood at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here or here)

Nov. 29: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

Nov. 30: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

December 2023:

Dec. 1 – 9: Carrie Underwood at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 1 – 16: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 2 – 16: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

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Here Are the Lyrics to Andy Williams’ ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’

Andy Williams’ 1963 holiday hit “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” returns to the Billboard Hot 100 chart once again at No. 9. The popular track has been covered by artists such as Johnny Mathis, Garth Brooks, Patti LaBelle, Harry Connick Jr. and Pentatonix. 

The popular holiday song begins with an energetic intro and features lyrics about warm and cozy winter events including “Parties for hosting/ Marshmallows for toasting/ And caroling out in the snow.” Since its 1963 release, the lovable track has continued to put listeners into a joyful spirit leading up to the holidays.

Check out the lyrics below. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you be of good cheer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap-happiest season of all

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago

It’s the most wonderful time of the year
There’ll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It’s the most wonderful time
Yes the most wonderful time
Oh the most wonderful time
Of the year
 

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY

Written by: Eddie Pola, George Wyle

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Here Are the Lyrics to Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song’

The Nat King Cole Trio recorded “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” back in 1946 and turned it into a Christmas classic, one year after it was written by Bob Well and Mel Torme. The song is also commonly subtitled as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” due to its opening lyrics.

Multiple arrangements of the song have been recorded throughout the years, but the most notable version has to be Cole’s, which includes the warm sounds of a small string section. The lyrics are filled with warm Christmas feelings and sweet holiday imagery, including: “Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe/ Help to make the season bright…Yuletide carols being sung by a choir/ And folks dressed up like Eskimos.”

The popular Christmas song has been covered by many artists, including Christina Aguilera for her 2000 album, My Kind of Christmas, and Michael Bublé on his Let it Snow EP.

Check out the full lyrics below to get in the Christmas spirit. 

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you
 

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Written by: Mel Torme, Robert Wells

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