Amazon Music Latin’s Rocio Guerrero Talks “La Cultura That Connects Us” For Latinx Heritage Month
In an exclusive interview for crema by mitú, Amazon Music Latin’s Global Head of Latin, Rocio Guerrero, talked to us about Amazon’s plans for their 1 year anniversary which coincides with Latin Heritage Month, connecting languages, music genres, cultures and more.
For the first anniversary, Amazon Music Latin is celebrating the richness and diversity of the many genres of Latin music with new content featuring stars Kali Uchis, Carin Leon alongside country music artist Walker Hayes, ChocQuibTown, Evaluna Montaner, Las Villa, and more. With over 94% growth of Latin music listening at Amazon music globally, the future is looking bright for los nuestros on the platform. “Bad Bunny is by far the number 1 most requested Latin artist on Alexa, which isn’t a surprise after the year he had”, Rocío Guerrero shared with us.
“Our main focus is for people to know that Latin music isn’t just one genre, it’s an array of all these different sounds and nationalities. We are where music meets entertainment.” – Rocio Guerrero
For Latinx Heritage Month, Amazon Music Latin is going all out with a series of playlists and exclusive new music that will be released every Friday through the conclusion of Latinx Heritage Month on October 15th. Fans can also listen to new playlists, podcasts and livestreams that connect them to their roots and celebrate the diversity of la cultura. All new content can be found on the Amazon Music app and at amazon.com/latinmusic.
Read: 2021 Hispanic Heritage Awards Honoring Carlos Santana, Ivy Queen + Kali Uchis
In a sizzle reel narrated by Dominican-American Emmy Award Winning Actor Jharrel Jerome, Amazon seeks to highlight la cultura in all of its forms, our African ancestry, the rule breakers in Latin music and more.
Amazon Music Latin enlisted Kali Uchis to do a Selena Quintanilla Cover for “FLUENT” Playlist
Every week, Amazon Music Latin will release exclusive music covers under different umbrellas. The first one coming this Friday September 17th, is Kali Uchis doing a cover of Selena Quintanilla’s “Si Una Vez” for their FLUENT Playlist. Whether in Spanish, English, or Spanglish, music connects fans through its distinctive sounds and vibe. “FLUENT” is an all-new playlist brand celebrating fans who move fluidly between cultures, and connects fans to their favorite artists through the universal language of music.
To celebrate the launch of “FLUENT,” on September 17, the Grammy- and Latin Grammy-nominated artist Kali Uchis will premiere an Amazon Original version of “Si Una Vez,” a cover of the original by beloved singer Selena. Born and raised between Colombia and Virginia, bilingual singer-songwriter Kali Uchis is known for infusing bicultural influences in her sound. On September 21, fans around the world can also watch a new music video of her cover, which honors how first (and second) generation artists are changing the footprint of Latin music.
“The launch of this playlist is meant to support our community, so of course I had to pay homage to the Spanglish queen who paved the way,” said Kali Uchis. “Rest in Power Selena, we love you and you will never be forgotten.”
For the second week, Amazon Music Latin will celebrate Afro-Latinos with the “Vibras Afro Playlist” led by Afro-Colombian group Chocquibtown
To launch the playlist on September 24th, Afro-Colombian trio ChocQuibTown collaborates with Nigerian producer Mystro in an Amazon Original Afrobeat version of their hit “Vuelve,” and a new episode of the Género 101 video series that takes fans on a visual journey of the different musical movements of the African diaspora through the lens of proud Afro-Latinos like ChocQuibTown.
“The most amazing part of this particular week is the video. The short film we’re launching is going to be a journey throughout the Afro Latino diaspora until it makes it to ChocQuibTown. The short film was done in one shot and it’s beautiful”, Rocio shared.
Amazon’s top streamed genres: Country and Regional Mexicano finally meet on the “Whiskey & Tequila Playlist”
Regional Mexican singer-songwriter Carin León and country music star Walker Hayes are teaming up for an Amazon Original Spanglish rendition of “Fancy Like,” launching October 1. An accompanying video, which showcases the two singers and their respective musical movements’ overlapping cultures, premieres on October 4.
“We just don’t want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to be able to tell our story, and how do we want to represent Latin culture? This story is about inclusion, about connection. It’s not exclusive, it’s inclusive. It’s about celebrating all different aspects [of our culture] but also how are we connected to the world. So this is how all of these pieces are coming together. There are a lot of similarities between Country music and Regional Mexican that we want to showcase.” – Rocio Guerrero
Fans will be able to connect to established and emerging artists with “Platino Radio” in DJ Mode, “En La Sala” Podcast returns and more
When the new school pays their respect to the old school. For the new generation, Colombian artists Las Villa are paying homage to their musical influences with an original rendition of Shakira’s “La Tortura” on October 8th. Amazon will also release an enhanced version of the top Latin hits playlist with “Platino Radio” in DJ Mode in Spanglish, with commentary and insights from DJs and artists, trivia from Alexa and segments hosted by Christian Acosta.
In November, the second season of Amazon Original’s podcast “En La Sala” returns, this time around with Venezuelan artist Evaluna Montaner.
