From trap and reggaetón-pop anthems to corridos tumbados, our genre-bending panelists for the On the Rise — The New Generation of Urban Men and Women: A Candid Conversation are up-and-coming artists making music their own way.
Featured speakers include Natanael Cano, ushering the trap-inspired corridos movement, Argentine trap queen Cazzu and reggaetón crooner Sech.
The On the Rise panel will take place April 22 at Billboard and Telemundo's LatinFest+ in Las Vegas.
Other stars confirmed so far to participate at LatinFest+ include Ozuna, J Balvin, Rosalia and Los Tigres del Norte. Registration for 2020 LatinFest+ is already open at http://latinfestplus.com.
The inaugural Latinfest+ also marks the 30th anniversary of Billboard’s Latin Music Conference, the longest-running and biggest Latin music gathering in the world. Latinfest+ will be an immersive, week-long experience for the Latin entertainment industry, artists, executives and fans and will include superstar conversations, industry panels and workshops, celebrity fireside chats, live concerts, fan experiences and live activations of some of Billboard’s most celebrated franchises, including Growing Up Latino.
The three-day music event culminates with the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air live April 23 on Telemundo.
Meet the featured panelists below:
Cazzu:
In a Latin trap world dominted by male artists, Cazzu is making waves with her unique syle of music. Dubbed as the Queen of Argentine Trap, rising artist Cazzu found power in making music. "I rely on my music a lot, because it is what gives me power, nothing came out of somebody else's head but mine," she previously told Billboard in an interview. Fusing pop and Latin trap elements, the singer-songwriter has performed at sold out shows in Argentina and will give her first show at Luna Park Stadium in March.
Inspired by Luny Tunes and Don Omar, the rising Puerto Rican singer-songwriter began writng his own music at the young age of 11. Now, 22 years old and after scoring a Latin Grammy for his role as a songwriter on Tito El Bambino's 2011 album, Invencible, Cortez has collaborated with artists like J Balvin and Zion & Lennox. His first album, Famouz, debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Albums chart (dated June 8, 2019). "It's a dream being where I am today. Many would say winning a Grammy is a major accomplishment but for me, it's my album," he told Billboard.
The Puerto Rican singer, who kicked off his career by posting freestyle videos on social media platforms, had his first entry on a Billboard chart when his "Soltera" remix with Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny peaked at No. 73 the Hot 100 (chart dated May 25, 2019). "I found out about the charts two days after the 'Soltera' remix release," Lunay told Billboard. "My producers Chris Jeday and Gaby Music gave me the news while I was in the studio, I coudn't believe it but then I saw my name and it is exciting."
The Colombian reggaetón singer scored his first top 10 on Top Latin Albums thanks to ADN, which debuted at No. 8 on survey (chart dated Sept. 7, 2019). It was Turizo's first-ever entry on that chart. Up for new artist of the year, Turizo has placed a total of 12 songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart including "Una Lady Como Tu" and "Una Vaina Loca."
Discovered at age 16 by urban producer Nely "El Alma Secreta," the Miami-based reggaetón singer is known for her catchy lyrics and girl-power anthems. The newcomer, now signed to Universal Music Latin, recently collaborated with fellow rising star Guaynaa in "Taxi" which has collected more than 5 million views on YouTube since it's debut two weeks ago.
After collaborating with artists like Farruko, Bad Bunny, Becky G and Arcangel and peaking at No. 12 on Billboard's Latin Rhythm Album Sales chart (dated April 2, 2016), the Puerto Rican artist is making a name for himself thanks to his rap skills and hip-hop beats. Towers kicked off 2020 with sophomore album Easy Money Baby showcasing his evolution since his 2016 debut album and experiments with new sounds. "With this album, I wanted to expand and show people that I'm not only the kid who raps," Towers recently told Billboard.
Natanael Cano:
It's not every day that you find Latin superstar Bad Bunny singing along to one of your corridos on social media. It happened to up-and-comer Natanael Cano who, after seeing el Conejo Malo singing "Soy el Diablo" on Instagram, collaborated with Bunny himself for a "Soy el Diablo" remix. "I never thought something like that would happen," Cano previously told Billboard. "I was like, what is going on here?" Cano is ushering the corridos tumbados, or trap-inspired corridos, movement and he was featured as Billboard's chartbreaker for February after his heartbreak song "Amor Tumbado" scored him his first top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
Sech:
Panamaniam reggaetón gem is making waves with his soothing vocals. Discovered by Dímelo Flow, Sech's promising career has led to collaborations with superstars Ozuna, Maluma, Nicky Jam and, most recently, Bad Bunny on the new track "Ignorantes." Sech is a seven-time finalist at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards vying for top categories such as best new artist of the year and top Latin album of the year. "If things are going great for me, then many people might begin to explore the music industry in Panamá," he told Billboard. "This is not only for me. I want the new generation of artists to see that everything is possible."
