Billboard's Rich Polk
While numerous artists performed at the outdoor stage on Nashville's Lower Broadway on Friday (June 7), some of the most notable Latino country artists in the country music world gathered inside Fun Fair X on the CMA Close Up Stage for panels and performances.
explore
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
“Latin Roots: The 'Equis' Element in Country Music” featured artists Frank Ray, Angie K, Leah Turner, Louie the Singer and Sammy Arriaga and was hosted by Rolling Stone writer Tomas Miel.
Each artist spoke about their different backgrounds and paths into country music. Texas native Louis the Singer, who signed with UMG Nashville earlier this year and released the single “Brothers,” performed R&B music before switching to country and spoke candidly about his experience being jailed for two years on a drug charge, while Frank Ray was a New Mexico state police officer before turning to country music. Angie K touched on her Salvadoran roots, but also touched on her identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Angie K. spoke about her experience migrating from El Salvador to Georgia, recalling, “Migrating here from El Salvador… being in a country where freedom doesn't come as easily as it does here… my father, my father's grandfather, was kidnapped and got cancer and died shortly after he escaped. He almost got kidnapped and that's one of the reasons we ended up migrating to the U.S.,” she said. “When I talked to my dad, he was like, 'You're healthy and you're OK, so it's not a problem.' That's the Latino community that I want people to know about,” she said, drawing applause from the audience.
“We are a beautiful community, and there is real trauma in both worlds, Latinos and rural people, and we are here to make caring for each other a priority,” Angie K. added.
“I'm a border town boy who grew up in Columbus, New Mexico and Texas,” Ray said, noting the deep connection between country music culture and Latino culture. “The Latino community and country music…American cowboys wouldn't exist without the Mexican vaqueros. I imagine that at some point guitars were being passed around campfires. That's why the themes of love, family, heartbreak and whiskey are the same. Growing up in a border town and country music [would be heard] As good as mariachis are.”
Artists' music was also front and center during the event. Turner, the Mexican-American country singer-songwriter who brought her Latin roots to the forefront of her 2022 EP Lost in Translation, performed a searing version of the sensual ballad “T-Shirt.” Angie K performed her new song “Red Dirt on Mars,” while Arriaga shared a tearjerker rendition of “The Boat.” Ray, who had a Top 20 Billboard Country Airplay hit with “Countrified Look Good on You,” performed a mashup of her breakout bilingual track “Streetlight” and her new album “A-Ha (A-Ja).”
Each spoke about Latin and country artists who inspired them, including Luis Fonsi, the late Tejano singer Selena, Jesse and Joy, Rick Trevino (who had a No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit in 1997 with “Running Out of Reasons to Run”), George Strait, Garth Brooks, Karin Leon and the late country singer Freddy Fender, who had No. 1 Hot Country Songs hits with “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
A Cuban-American who grew up in Miami, Arriaga first came to prominence after appearing on American Idol in 2011. In addition to releasing his own original songs, including his recent single “Dominoes,” Arriaga has long helped cement the connection between Latin and country music with his Spanish-language versions of country hits such as Luke Combs' “Beautiful Crazy” and Thomas Rhett's “Die a Happy Man.”
“Everything sounds more romantic in Spanish,” Arriaga says. [songs] “In my culture, this music is so beautiful you can't help but experience it. I didn't want to change too much of what people are used to, so I just reversed the language. I brought in musicians from Mexico and Miami to add some flair. It opened the door to getting into the Latino community. I realized a lot of people in Texas love this music.”
Angie K. told Arriaga, “You were one of the first people I met … when I was trying to decide whether to release him.” [her bilingual single] “You did this on Real Talk and I was like, 'Why not?' I think you're one of the pioneers of Spanish-language country music too.”
Regarding his work to raise awareness of Latino artists in country music, Ray said, “It takes a lot of hard work, but I couldn't be more proud to do this with this group. We love these opportunities, they don't come around very often, and it brings us closer together.”
“We should all do a big tour,” Ray said, eliciting agreement from the other artists and cheers from the audience.