Viva Friday is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors.
Natti Natasha – “Me Estas Matando” (Pina Records)
Natti Natasha proves once again that she’s a versatile artist, presenting her new single “Me Estas Matando” (You Are Killing Me). With lyrics such as “you’re killing me without even touching me,” the heartwrenching ballad brings to the forefront the seriousness of verbal and emotional abuse in a relationship. The music video shows Natti performing the song as different men are either cheating on their wives or screaming at them. Toward the end of the clip, the Dominican singer is singing at a club, empowering an all-women audience with her new track as their scars and bruises vanish. Watch it below. — JESSICA ROIZ
Ms Nina – “Caprichosa”
As one of the artists spotlighting the neoperreo movement, Argentinean-born Ms Nina drops “Caprichosa,” sampling Chaka Demus and Pliers’ reggae song “Murder She Wrote.” Characterized by an infectious beat and witty lyrics, the track follows Ms Nina’s hunt for the perfect Papito (Daddy). For that, she auditions multiple men in the desert who are apparently up for the challenge and willing to do anything to take the title of Papito. The sex-positive video was directed by Ana Sting, who has previously worked with the likes of Rosalía and Dua Lipa. The single is released Diplo’s Mad Decent label. — GRISELDA FLORES
Ozomatli & Beto Hale – "Tesoro"
Fusing retro, alternative and jazz, Los Angeles band Ozomatli and Mexican multi-instrumentalist Beto Hale join forces in the empowering song “Tesoro,” which touches on the theme of self-worth. “The song was a great collaborative effort about an important issue to Beto and us,” Ozomatli’s Raúl Pacheco said about the song. “The human drive for a better life is often shackled by laws that are inhumane.” With motivating lyrics like “my color doesn’t define me” and “no one can tell me what my value is … my heart is a treasure of the world,” the uplifting song becomes that self-love anthem the world needs. — GF
Brownout – “Naín” (Fat Beats)
Austin’s Brownout delves deep into Latin funk on “Naín,” the second single from Berlin Sessions, the nine-piece ensemble’s first full-length album in more than eight years, produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin and due March 6. The Alex Marrero-fronted band explores with textures and tones in the song whose name derives from biblical times and means “a person of great spirit and beauty.” Undergirded by its lyrical force with the battle and pain of being different and its subsequent triumph, “Naín” takes off with sublime analog drum effects before jolting into a rapid and strong staccato passage of the bass, segueing between sharp guitar chords and a robust bass progression and convoyed by the crescendo of the horn section. — PAMELA BUSTIOS
Klik & Frik – MOMOTO EP (Onda Mundial)
Paying tribute to their residency in Tepoztlán in the state of Morelos, Mexico, the electro-cumbia Argentinean ensemble composed of duo Rafael Caivano and Lisandro Sona weld their avant-garde electronica with cumbia-like rhythms on MOMOTO. The two-track EP and first Onda Mundial takes its name from momoto, a bird from the Yucatán Peninsula. The EP’s title track parades through an almost cinematic atmosphere with effortlessness that captivates upon first listening. Its bated vibration makes its way boldly through a sensorial journey closing with nature as its backdrop. “Salamanquesa” picks up a distinctive beat as the duo dabbles with the sound of the clarinet from the cumbia of 1950s through the use of synthesizers. — PB
La Doña – “Quién Me La Paga” (Human Re-Sources)
San Francisco-born Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea, known as La Doña, pushes her brawny vocals forward in “Quien Me La Pega,” a Mexican cumbia that previews her forthcoming Algo Nuevo EP. Co-written with Ayla Davila and Camilo Landau, the second single confronts the cost of living with the space for creativity and love. Flanked by an electric guitar and bass coupled with an acoustic guitar, accordion, bongos and congas, the Mexican-American maintains ties to her culture’s roots pumping the beat in this brash and uninhibited tune heavily influenced by Bay Area hyphy styles, lowrider culture and music from the border. La Doña recently toured alongside Cuco and opened up for Café Tacvba. — PB
Reik, Farruko & Camilo – “Si Me Dices Que Si” (Sony Music)
Reik, Farruko and Camilo have joined forces to bring to life a heartfelt pop-urban track about a long-lost love. With lyrics such as “if you get away from me, I don’t want to live anymore” and “I’ll leave everything behind if you tell me ‘yes,’” the three artists sing about a couple who has parted ways but still love each other. In his verse, Camilo states he would do anything to turn back time and make that person happy. “Who are you kidding? You’re not happy without me,” his sweet voice belts. The music video, directed by Joaquin Cambre, perfectly sums up the song, showing a man and woman floating on top of the rubble that signifies their world is crumbling without each other. Reik, Camilo and Farruko are also caught in the rubble because the heartbreak is that real. At the end of the clip, the man and woman reunite and give each other a kiss as a sign that they will give their relationship another shot. — JR
Chiquis & Amandititita – “Ticket de Salida” (Universal Music)
Did Chiquis and Amandititita just drop the new 2020 anthem for single ladies? In their first-ever collaboration, dubbed “Ticket de Salida,” the two Mexican artists sing about an unfaithful man and send a clear message to his new girlfriend. “You have to pick up my extras/ I’m forever grateful for my exit ticket,” Chiquis Rivera chants, assuring that she’s better off alone. The single fuses cumbia music with hints of Latin alternative, a first-time experience for Rivera, as she recently told Billboard at the 2020 Premio Lo Nuestro awards, where the two debuted the single. The music video shows Amandititita riding a neon-drenched bus as Chiquis and her girlfriends jam to the song. — JR
Natalia Lafourcade – Veracruz (Sony Music Latin)
In her continuous journey outside of her pop flagship, Natalia Lafourcade unearths “Veracruz,” a song with folky swells composed by Maria Teresa Lara and follow-up single to her forthcoming Un Canto por Mexico in support of the Veracruz-based cultural space Centro de Documentación del Son Jarocho (Son Jarocho Documentation Center). Interspersed between wistful lyrics of her native port city and the orchestra’s musical chops flowing seamlessly, Lafourcade’s vocals delivers the elegance and deep waters for the listener to plunge on. The Kiko Campos-produced song is a homage to Veracuz and to the Mexican bolero legend Agustín Lara, convoyed by the captivating guitar chords by Fernando Santiago (also on vihuela), Marco Antonio Santiago on guitarrón, Alger Erosa on guitar, Gounta Salaks on the harp, Isidro Martínez on trumpet and bugle, Juan Antonio Ramos on the flute, Cesar Pacheco on percussion and escorted by a robust chord section. –PB
