See photos of Nacho, Lele Pons, Danny Ocean, Elena Rose and Mau y Ricky.
From left: Lele Pons, Ricky Montaner, Nacho, Elena Rose, Danny Ocean and Mau Montaner photographed on September 26, 2024 at Grove Studio in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
This fall, two months after Venezuela's disputed presidential election plunged the country into crisis — with Nicolas Maduro claiming victory despite overwhelming evidence that he lost — six of the country's most influential figures gathered in Miami for a historic conversation.
Despite the travel challenges posed by Hurricane Helene, Danny Ocean made it from Mexico, Elena Rose made it from Italy, and the rest – Nacho, Mau y Ricky and Lele Pons – met at a studio in Coconut Grove.
All of these artists are part of a growing wave of Venezuelan musicians succeeding at levels perhaps not seen since the 1980s, when stars like Oscar D'Leon, “El Puma” José Luis Rodríguez or Ricardo Montaner made hits careers outside their home. country.
This year, there are more than 20 Latin Grammy nominees from Venezuela — including Elena Rose, Danny Ocean and Mau y Ricky, with multiple nods each — and a greater presence of Venezuelans in Bulletin board diagrams. But the artists here today have not only gone global with their music—or in the case of Lele Pons, as a social media content creator—they're also using their voices to speak out about the political strife in their country, a cause close to their hearts.
Until the July elections, concerts were a rare bright spot for Venezuela's economy: Luis Miguel and Karol G packed stadiums in Caracas with their spectacular tours in February and March, respectively, and there were more planned. But an artist like Nacho, who until recently lived part-time in Venezuela, has not been able to sing publicly in his country since 2016, possibly because he criticized the government.
Check out the exclusive photos below and read Sigal Ratner-Arias' Billboard Español cover story here.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/photos/venezuelan-artist-roundtable-photos-from-the-billboard-cover-1235806892/
