Karin Leon, the soulful yet powerful-voiced regional Mexican singer who was named the 10th highest grossing Latin touring band of 2023 on the Billboard Box Score charts, has announced new partnerships between her label, Socios Music, Virgin Music Group and Island Records.
The deal is unique in that both Virgin and Island will distribute and sell Leon's releases under Socios Music, the label Leon co-founded with manager Jorge Juarez. Virgin will distribute and sell Leon's music for the U.S. Latin and global markets, while Island will serve the U.S. mainstream market. The deal includes select back catalogue and new music, including Leon's latest album, “Boca Chueca, Vol. 1,” out May 30, which debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Mexico Regional Albums chart and No. 8 on the Top Latin Albums chart.
To date, Leon has had 16 songs on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, including three in the top 10, and six at No. 1 on Billboard's Regional Mexican Airplay chart. His hits include numerous collaborations with major Mexican music groups, such as Grupo Firme, and pop groups, such as Maluma, Camilo, and Kany Garcia. Leon has also been making headlines (for good) with his forays into the country music market: “The One (Pero No Como Yo),” a bilingual collaboration with country star Kane Brown, peaked at No. 46 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and this spring he performed at Stagecoach and made his debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.
“Karin Leon has established himself as one of the most exciting and creative artists in the world today,” Virgin Music Group co-CEOs JT Myers and Nat Pastor said in a statement. “He has also assembled a world-class team and we are building on the incredible work they have already done throughout Karin's incredible career.”
“Karin Leon is a true maverick,” said Island Records co-CEOs Justin Eshak and Imran Majid. “He transcends not only stylistic and sonic boundaries, but cultural boundaries as well. We are thrilled to be working with Karin and her manager Jorge Juarez through our new partnership with Virgin Music Group and Socios Music.”
Leon first appeared on Billboard's Mexico Regional Airplay chart as a soloist in 2019 with “Me la aventé” and had a major hit during the pandemic with her cover of the Latin pop song “Tu,” recorded as a live session during lockdown. She was originally signed to independent label Tamarindo Rekordsz, but began working with veteran concert promoter and manager Juarez in December 2022.
Juarez toured with AEG Live last year, signed a publishing deal with Leon's Universal Music Publishing Group and negotiated new deals with Virgin Records and Island Records.
“We're proud to have such a supportive team at both Virgin Music Group and Island Records and to have her join us in taking Karin's career to even greater heights,” said Jorge Juarez, Leon's manager and business partner at Socios Music. “We're already seeing great benefits from this new partnership and are excited for the future.”
In promotion of the new song, Karin's upcoming Boca Chueca Tour 2024 will kick off on July 22nd in Paso Robles, California and will travel to Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Nashville, Houston, Toronto, and a landmark show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A full list of dates and tickets can be found here.