A new generation of Argentine urban musician has already peaked locally. It has gone from small shows to stadiums like Vélez, River and the Arena porteño, and is ready for more. For some time now they have been touring in the United States, performing for Latin audiences, and now thy are having a big impact in Spain, engaging in a continuous exchange with the Iberian artists.
And from there, their influence has expanded all over Europe. For instance, Nicki Nicole toured the Old Continent last year in a series of concerts that put her in front of half a million people. At just 21 years old, she dazzled audiences in France, Portugal, and Switzerland, where she performed at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival.
After her acclaimed show at Coachella festival in the United States, the rosarina travelled to Europe. For two months she toured the stages in Barcelona (Primavera Sound), Madrid (Boombastic Festival), Santiago de Compostela (O Son Do Camiño Festival), Calahorra (Holika Festival), Llanera (Boombastic Festival), Tenerife (Isla Bonita Love Festival) and Portugal (Nos Alive).
The same happened with Bizarrap, who enjoyed a phenomenally succerssful Spanish tour in 2022, and now he is repeating it in 2023: He will be performing on July 22 in Asturias, July 28 in Coruña, August 10 in Portugal, August 12 in Malaga and August 19 in Alicante. After the success of 'Session #53' with Shakira, and the recent 'Session #56' with Puerto Rican artist Rauw Alejandro (and winning the Top Music Producer of the Year award at the Tu Música Urbano awards), the Argentine is also the resident DJ at one of Ibiza's most important parties, with weekly performances from June 25 until August 22.
Bizarrap, who has already surpassed 7.5 billion views with his sessions, is the flag-bearer of a generation that conquers the stages of Europe and the United States in the Boraeal summer, where the next step is to break out of the niche to reach the mass audience that the producer has already achieved.
Pioneer
An example of this leap for Argentine artists is Duki's recent announcement of a show at none other than the Santiago Bernabéu, the legendary stadium of Real Madrid. "It's a historic day for Argentine music," celebrated Dale Play, the production company of the Argentine trap icon, who also represents Bizarrap, Lali, Nicki Nicole, Rels B, Callejero Fino, Milo J, Rei, and La Joaqui.
After "importing" local performances of artists like Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Residente, Maluma, and Camilo, among others, Dale Play Live (previously Lauria Entertainment), one of the largest entertainment companies in Latin America, founded by the Argentine music industry entrepreneur Federico Lauria, now exports Argentine talent and aims to fill stadiums in the United States and Europe.
Duki, the leading figure in the Argentine urban music movement, has achieved an unprecedented milestone by announcing his show at the Bernabéu for 2024. On June 8 next year, he will perform in Madrid, riding the Argentine wave that hopes to take Spain and the rest of Europe by storm. This major highpoint in the rapper's career comes after selling out four Vélez stadiums in 2023, selling out his first tour in the United States in 24 hours, and releasing his new album Antes de Ameri, which debuted at the top of the global charts.
In addition to this, more than 150,000 tickets were sold in just hours, selling out two River Plate stadiums where he will perform on December 2nd and 3rd. "There was never a plan B, there's no turning back from this, there's no turning back," Duki promises in self-encouragement. His drawing power is proven: he recently completed his first North American tour with sold-out shows in New York, Chicago, and Miami. During June and July of this year, he toured in Spain with special dates in Asturias, Bilbao, and Madrid, among others.
And he projects himself to a global musical conquest that crowns him once again as the leader of a movement that no longer respects national boundaries.
"My devils and my demons, this is Duko speaking. I wanted to inform you that the Apollo 13 Mission failed. However, we are about to start a new programme, this programme is called Ameri. But I wanted to leave you a present before we leave". With those words Duki announced to his fans the release of the long awaited "Antes De Ameri". A 100% trap album that thrilled his fans. "This album can be listened to in its entirety from beginning to end, it's all connected, and it was put together with the purpose of the experience being the whole album, not song by song", said Duki in his networks, leaving behind the logic of a new artist who releases single songs. He is now thinking about albums, and is establishing himself as an artist with a global vision.
After years of exploring other genres with his latest records, Duki returns to his sonic roots with a fresh and authentic proposal, where the key is the powerful and challenging lyrics that characterised his beginnings. "Ameri for me is that place we all want to reach, in this case at this moment in my life, it was the inspiration. For other people it may represent the next level, whether personal or professional. It's about the illusion of reaching that place we dream of. Ameri for me is the goals we want to achieve in life", says the singer about the journey represented by the album, featuring collaborations with Jhayco, Quevedo, Lucho SSJ, We$t Dubai, Akapellah, Neutro Shorty, Micro TDH, C.R.O, and Salastkbron.
Echoes
Awarded "Rising Star" at the Latin Women in Music edition, where she also had the opportunity to perform live for the first time her new song 'No_Se_Ve.mp3', in which she collaborates with Brazilian favela queen Ludmilla and producer Zecca, Mermes has already surpassed 250 million views, and this year, her tour is shaping up to be a new success.
In the same vein, Emilia Mermes, Duki's girlfriend, is also making waves. She has a 2023 tour scheduled for Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Spain, starting on May 14 and concluding on September 9, with 22 planned dates, including stops in Sevilla and Madrid, Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Lima (Peru), and Florianopolis (Brazil).
Nicki Nicole, on the other hand, has a significant stop in July when she arrives at Lollapalooza Paris for the first time. In August, she will return to Argentina to perform three shows at the Movistar Arena (August 26, 27, and September 7) as part of the tour to present her new album, 'Alma.' On the 29th of the same month, she will hold a concert at the Amphitheater in Rosario. Then, once again, she's heading to the United States, with a show at the Pepsi Center WTC in Mexico on November 2.
However, the great success of the European summer season goes to Wos, who made Berlin vibrate, in a completely full theatre that welcomed him as if he were at home. In his first show in a non-Spanish-speaking country, on Friday, June 30, the author of the song beloved by the Argentine national football team during the 2022 Qatar World Cup was moved to tears, concluding a highly successful tour that took him to more than 10 countries in Latin America and Europe in front of over 200,000 people.
Accompanied by Evlay (his producer and guitarist), Fran Azorai on keyboards, Natasha Iurcovich on bass, Ivanna Rud on guitar and Tomas Sainz on drums, Wos Wos reviewed his albums Oscuro Éxtasis and Canguro. He had already presented them in front of almost 100 thousand people in his shows at Argentinos Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata stadium, all during this sublime 2023, which also includes a collaboration with Fito Paez for the reversion of 'Balada de Donna Helena' and another with Molotov on 'Money in the Bank,' a single that forms part of the new album Solo D’Lira by the Mexican band.
And behind them come new heirs to the urban genre like Acru, who has just announced the first part of his Latin American tour, which will take him to Peru, Chile and Uruguay before his show at Luna Park in Buenos Aires with his new album El Don on Thursday, September 28. "Today the movement that gave me an identity triumphs, the language we speak for those who love this sound, and a part of my history in all of this comes to light", the rapper celebrated on social networks.
An Argentine wave is washing over other shores.
— TIMES/PERFIL
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