JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 101st anniversary of the birth of the legendary Celia Cruz.
Category: Latin Music
New Single: Carmel Shares Gorgeous Ballad “Mariposa Al Fuego”
Spanish-based singer/songwriter Carmel proudly boasts having mixed Moroccan, Argentine and Middle Eastern heritage. And her music reflects that heritage, as she blends flamenco, soul and other global sounds with lyrics written and sung in Spanish, English and Hebrew.
Her debut EP, Contraste will see her continuing her genre-blending sound and approach through collaborations with musicians and producers from diverse backgrounds, including Spanish flamenco guitarist José De Maria, as well as Latin and global producers.
The Spanish-based singer/songwriter’s latest single “Mariposa Al Fuego” is a flamenco-tinged pop ballad that according to Carmel is inspired by the image of a butterfly being irresistibly drawn to a flame with the song diving into the pull of destructive relationships and the struggle to break free from dysfunctional patterns. The song’s cinematic arrangement serves as a lush bed for the Spanish-based artist’s pop ballad belter-like voice. At its core is a message of self-awareness, self-love, resilience and resolve, seemingly rooted in lived-in experience.
“We’ve all been that butterfly at some point—drawn to what we know will hurt us .This song is that mirror, but also an invitation to choose ourselves,” Carmel says.
New Audio: Los Cenzontles Shares Defiantly Hopeful “Somos Semillas”
Deriving their name from the Nahuatl word for mockingbird, the Richmond, CA-based Los Cenzontles (pronounced senn-SONT-less) — is an acclaimed touring and recording band and a nonprofit cultural arts academy for kids. Over their three-plus decade history, the recording and touring outfit has dug deep into cultural traditions, creating a vibrant, contemporary sound infused with the gutsy soul of Mexico’s rural roots, recording and releasing over 30 albums.
The collective have supported those albums with tours across the US, Europe, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico. And they’ve collaborated with an eclectic array of acclaimed, internationally recognized artists including The Chieftains, Los Lobos, Los Tigres del Norte, Ry Cooder, David Hidalgo, Linda Ronstadt, Taj Mahal and a lengthy list of others.
Their core members of the recording and touring band also serve as the programming staff and teachers of Los Cenzontles Academy, where they have been passing on musical traditions to new generations and inviting their students to perform with them on stage and participate in production projects since 1994.
The acclaimed collective’s latest single “Somos Semillas,” is the first of five new singles that they’ll be sharing this month. Written in Spanish by longtime member of Los Cenzontles, Verenice Velázquez, the track is performed by a unique cross-generational ensemble of Los Cenzontles Academy’s students, teachers and alumni, including a spoken-word recitation by Raúl Rivera, a 15-year old student, accompanied by Verenice dancing zapateado; and a Hector Espinoza-written arrangement performed by 18-year old Camila Ortega on quijada, a percussion instrument made from the dried and hollowed-out jawbone of a donkey, horse, mule or a cow, in which the animal’s teeth act like a rattle; 19 year-old Daniel Ortega on tuba and saxophones; 19 year-old Cruz Torres on accordion; 16 year-old Natalie Caldera on bass; 16 year-old Joshua Cerecedo on tololoche, a Mexican version of a double bass that’s smaller than the European double bass that’s traditionally played with a percussive, slapping technique; 17 year-old Eric Garcia on 12-string guitar; Los Cenzontles alumni Fidel Lopez on trombone; and Los Cenzontles faculty members Silvestre Martinez on cajon, a box-shaped percussive instrument that the player sits on and plays by tapping and/or slapping the front and near-facing sides; and Eugene Rodríguez on guitar.
The arrangement fuses elements of son jarocho, corrido tumbado and banda to create a sound that lovingly and proudly bridges generations, heritage and traditions, while being remarkably contemporary. The song’s lyrics touch on themes of community, migration, resilience and hope in a way that’s desperately needed in such dark, uneasy times. It’s reminder that joy, hope and pride in your heritage can be defiant and revolutionary in the face of rampant racism and fascism.
“This song represents the heart of Los Cenzontles . . . young people rooted in deep tradition, expressing themselves in ways that feel current and alive,” Los Cenzontles founder and Eugune Rodríguez says. “’Somos Semillas’ reminds us that our culture continues to grow and thrive through each new generation.”
New Audio: Juana Molina Shares Atmospheric “Siestas ahí”
Acclaimed Argentine-born and-based singer/songwriter and musician and JOVM mainstay Juana Molina‘s highly-anticipated and long-awaited eighth album, DOGA is also her first album of new material in eight years. The album took six years to complete.
As the Argentine-born and-based JOVM mainstay suggests, DOGA‘s creative process was much like preparing a meal for six but with enough ingredients to feed an army. The overwhelming amount of recordings had Molina paralyzed to the point that at one moment, she thought there was no way to make an album.
“Whenever I finish making an album there’s an inertia that makes me keep recording,” the Argentine-born and-based JOVM mainstay says. But the origin of DOGA‘s material can be traced back to 2019, during the preparation for a series of concerts called “Improviset,” which Molina performed with keyboardist Odin Schwartz.
“The idea was to play as if I were at home, that is, to improvise,” Molina says. “It was a duo mostly of analog synthesizers and sequencers. We recorded everything—so many hours—because there was no way to reproduce what we did; both rehearsals and shows were unique. Some of those ideas were later picked up again.”
As the world was about to ground to a halt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the acclaimed JOVM mainstay was finishing a set at March 2020’s NRMAL Festival in Mexico City. That festival set wound up comprising her first ever live album, ANRMAL, a live set that featured material from 2013’s Wed 21, 2017’s Halo and 2019’s Forfun EP.
The end of the pandemic saw several new developments in Molina’s career: Along with her producer and current manager Mario Agustín de Jesús González, a.k.a. Marito, founded her own label, Sonamos, which released a handful of anniversary reissues such as 1971’s Musicasión 4 ½, a foundation Uruguayan candombe-beat album and Molina’s 2000 effort, Segundo, a key record in her own growing discography. She returned to performing in several different iterations, including solo sets, “Improviset,” which Ordin Schwartz or a duo with drummer Diego López de Arcuate across the States, Europe and Asia.
She also several contractual ties with the various record companies that had previously released her work in different regions across the globe. In doing so, Molina finally became her own artist — and on her own terms.
Simultaneously, she was busy writing new material and in spring 2022, the JOVM mainstay booked ten days at Córdoba, Argentina‘s Sonorámrica Studios. “We brought a preselection of the Improviset recordings, and there the ideas for new songs appeared more clearly,” she says.
Building upon the momentum of the Córdoba momentum, her home studio in the Buenos Aires suburbs became the home for long, sprawling recording sessions. By mid last year, five songs were sketched out. And there were a trove of recordings for Molina and her collaborator to dive into and try to work into an album. “After Sonorámica I spent two more years composing; I felt I had nothing,” Molina says. “Until one day Marito started organizing what I had and we saw we’d reached 30 hours of ideas. That sparked enthusiasm but at the same time it paralyzed me having to decide which direction to take, because there were very dissimilar things. We even fantasized about making a triple album, one of them instrumental.”
Early last year, Marito proposed the idea of working with an external producer, someone with fresh ears for the new material to help the acclaimed Argentine finish the album. Around that time, Emilio Haro, best known for his work on Carolo’s 2023 full-length debut was enlisted to produce the album. And as it turned out, Haro’s influence was decisive: “He got very excited from the start, and I could say he got more out of me than anyone before,” Molina recalls. “I would record a guitar and he’d tell me to record more—different sounds, different arrangements, different ideas. Then he would take the recordings and program things on his own; many of those elements ended up on the record. I like his overall sense of the songs, the aesthetic of the mixes. I’m more of a straightforward person; I don’t usually use post-recording effects, and I thought Emilio had great command for creating spaces around things.”
Slated for a November 5, 2025 release through Molina’s Sonamos Records, DOGA reportedly sees the JOVM mainstay concentrating all the qualities that have long defined her work while going a step further in her constant pursuit for the singular. The album amy arguably be among the most genuinely original and unlike anything else of her entire career. Sonically, the album’ material features unexpected melodies, ethereal, organic songs, minimalist and subtle gestures, austere seemingly static harmonies, lyrics as concentric layers while anchored around repetition.
DOGA‘s first single “Siestas ahí,” features Molina’s processed and distorted vocals ethereally floating earound a looping guitar figure and glitchy electronics. Simultaneously intimate and cinematic, “Siestas ahí,” showcases `the acclaimed JOVM mainstays unerring knack for crafting material that’s unflinchingly difficult to pigeonhole yet remarkably accessible.
Throwback: R.I.P. Eddie Palmieri
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the life and music of the legendary Eddie Palmieri.
New Audio: French Producer HOJII Shares Summery ” Báilalo”
HOJII is a mysterious and emerging, French electronic music producer. His latest single “Báilalo,” is a summery, hook-driven blend of Latin house and reggaeton, anchored around skittering beats, a chopped up vocal sample, a looping and arpeggiated synth melody and a bombastic horn line. Inspired by the club music of 2000s era Latin clubs, “Báilalo” sees the French producer specifically crafting a song meant to get you to get on that dance floor and move your body. But it you’re old enough, it’ll remind you of sweaty night’s at BOB’s,. The Canal Room and Webster Hall.
News/Announcements: FME Announces 2025 Venue Showcase Lineups
FME announces the venue showcase lineups for the 2025 edition.
Throwback: Happy 79th LInda Ronstadt!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Linda Ronstadt’s 79th birthday.
New Audio: San DIego’s Franhaus Shares Breezy and Nostalgia-Inducing “No Puedo Ser”
San Diego-based electronic music producer, singer/songwriter and DJ Franhaus, who specializes in creating what he believes is a new wave of Latin music that combines lived-in, earnest lyrics written and sung in Spanish with slick, dance floor friendly melodic, deeply emotional house.
The San Diego-based artist’s latest single “No Puedo Ser” is a breezy, nostalgia-inducing tune anchored around glistening synths, tweeter and woofer rattling thump, skittering beats and bursts of squiggling guitar. The Ibiza-meets-Tame Impala-like production serves as a lush bed for Franhaus’ yearning delivery while showcasing an artist, who can craft a catchy hook.
New Audio: Music 4 Diana Shares Heartfelt Ballad “Mil Años”
Diana Jiminez is a Colombian-American, New Jersey-based singer/songwriter and creative mastermind behind the emerging recording project Music 4 Diana. Jiminez’s latest Music4Diana single “Mil Años” is a slow-burning ballad that showcases Jiminez’s gorgeous vocal and deeply heartfelt lyrics.
The emerging New Jersey-based artist explains that the song was written to pay tribute to her father. And as a result, it captures a sense of gratitude while being anchored around a message about love, legacy and the eternal bond between a daughter and her father.
New Video: Rafa Tena Teams Up WIth Las Negris on Mischievous “Morcilla”
Rafa Tena is a Madrid-born singer/songwriter, composer and music producer. His career started in earnest, behind the scenes as a lyricist and composer, who wrote material that became internationally recognized hits performed by other artists. Tena has also spent several years working as a producer, musical director for TV and as an apprentice poet.
Enamored with Cuban music, the Madrid-born artist has spent lengthy stints living in Havana, where he collaborated with some of Cuba’s most prominent artists, before eventually stepping out into the spotlight as a member of Son DOS, with whom he’ll release an album inspired by Cuba’s beloved son music.
But in the meantime, the Spanish-born singer/songwriter, composer and producer, who’s best known for work in pop and rock, recently collaborated with gypsy band Las Negris on “Morcilla,” a rowdy and raucous tune that will get the party started. Sonically, the song sees Tena and Las Negris meshing elements of flamenco tango and Cuban guagancó and pairing that with mischievous lyrics that reference morcilla, a blood sausages that’s a beloved delicacy across the Spanish speaking world — with some regional differences in ingredients and how its prepared. The song also references Tena’s travels between Spain and Cuba.
The accompanying video is a surreal and playful visual that features Tena and companions at a long dining table with wine, morcilla and other items. We also see Tena calling a someone from a banana phone, while his bags are packed, ready to hit the road. And of course, there’s a ton of dancing.
New Audio: Yeisy Rojas Shares Soulful and Anthemic “Immigrante y Que?
Yeisy Rojas is a Cuban-born, Oslo-based, classically trained, jazz violinist, singer/songwriter and composer. Back in her native Cuba, Rojas received a classical education and performed as a violinist with the National Opera Orchestra in Havana. Her passion for jazz led her to relocate to Norway, where she pursued her Masters studies in jazz violin at Kristiansand‘s University of Agder‘s Conservatory. The cross-cultural experience allowed Rojas to deepen her understanding of the African influences in Cuban music.
As a solo artist, Rojas’ work frequently sees her blending Cuban music, Latin jazz, funk and more with powerful social messages — in particular, she boldly speaks up against racism in her homeland and elsewhere. Her full-length debut, 2023’s Gaston Joya-produced A Mis Ancestros featured two singles I wrote about on this site:
- “Mama Ines,” an adaptation of Nicolás Guillén’s 1930 poem “Ayer Me Dijeron Negro” (Yesterday They Called Me Black) that pairs the poet’s words with a breezy and soulful arrangement that meshes elements of Latin soul, funk and jazz in a way that reminds me very fondly of the sounds of parties in the South Bronx, Lower East Side, Corona, East Elmhurst and so on.
- Album title track “A Mis Ancestros,” a gorgeous and soulful synthesis of bebop-era jazz, salsa, son cubano that not only showcases Rojas’ prodigious talent, but proudly and unabashedly displays a deep, reverential pride for her homeland and her ancestry. The song is a fairly autobiographical story that will be familiar for countless immigrants across the world: The nostalgia for the homeland — the language, the dear ones, the smells, the food — not only sparks memories and comparisons, it also sparks a much deeper appreciation for their culture.
Rojas’ latest single “Immigrante y Que” features a lush arrangement that effortlessly blends Cuban rumba, funk hip-hop and salsa paired with her self-assured and deeply proud delivery. As the Cuban-born, Norwegian-based artiste explains “Immigrante y Que” is anthem expressing pride, reliance and determination, meant to give voice to the millions across the world, who have left their homes in search of a better life and new opportunities for them or their descendants — or for safety.
Considering our current administration’s view of immigrants and anyone not White, CIS-male and heterosexual, “Immigrante y que” is a reminder that immigrants and migrants are supremely ordinary people, forced to make extraordinarily difficult decisions in extremely difficult times. And it’s a reminder that immigration and diversity makes the world much more interesting.
New Video: Niseff Shares Sultry Banger “Ice”
With the release of her debut EP, 2023’s Mami Spicy, the emerging and rapidly rising Puerto Rican artist Niseff quickly established a sound that that blends elements of reggaeton and contemporary pop and pairs it with her sultry delivery and empowering lyrics.
Since the release of Mami Spicy, Niseff has released some standalone singles including “La Nota,” and her latest single “Ice.” Clocking in at a smidge under two minutes, “Ice” is a slickly produced, hook-driven track featuring skittering reggaeton beats, bursts of glistening and atmospheric synths serving as a lush, club friendly bed for Niseff’s sultry Spanglish flow.
The accompanying visual features the rising Puerto Rican artist and some girlfriends dancing in an igloo-styled club. The stylish visual recalls the glitzy, slickly produced visuals of Hype Williams and others.
New Audio: Guatemala’s Cavidades Shares Brooding Dirge “Me Esperas en La Nada”
Nelson Morán is a Guatemala-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, who has spent the past 15 years in the local music scene, including stints with Xb’alanke and Adonis Muerto.
Morán’s solo project Cavidades sees the Guatemalan multi-instrumentalist and producer overseeing all production and composition, which gives the material a deeply personal, idiosyncratic touch. The project sees Morán drawing from doom metal but while venturing into industrial, psychedelia and post-metal. For the Guatemalan artist, this unique fusion of genre and styles helps to create an immersive and boundary-pushing sound.
The project’s full-length debut will feature guest spots from Marleny Ruano (drums) and Carlos Queme (vocals), which add a collaborative touch to a deeply personal batch of material.
Morán’s Cavidades debut single “Me Esperas En La Nada” is a slow-burning and forceful dirge, featuring eerily atmospheric synths, down-tuned power chords paired with guttural howls and a simple yet thunderous backbeat. Sonically, bringing Melvins and BORIS among others, the song according to Morán thematically explores the dichotomy of existence, capturing the beauty and pain of being alive.