Rodney Alejandro is an American musician, composer, arranger, producer and audio engineer raised in Houston, Texas. A product of Houston's inner city neighborhoods, Alejandro grew up in the barrios and ghettos that would enrich his consciousness. Living on the east side, he tasted all the spices of Salsa music, Tejano and life lessons told through Mariachi music. Attending schools in Houston's 5th ward, he was heavily influenced by the sweet sounds of soul, intimacy of jazz and hard hits of hip hop. From an early age music was all around, and his diverse influences only help broaden his music appreciation and creative palette.
Alejandro's professional career began as a senior in high school, with the co-founding of Tejano-pop band Valentino. Valentino was led by David Flores, who departed another Houston band called La Mafia. Alejandro joined the band on keyboards, having taught himself after saving a year to buy his first keyboard, an Ensoniq ESQ-1. He quickly mastered the synthesizer and its capabilities, but his music technique was limited. Texas musician Joel Guzman gave him lessons not only on technique but playing in the Tejano style. Technology was fast becoming the norm in music and Alejandro took the opportunity to learn about MIDI, sequencing, sampling, and other digital technologies available at the time. His keyboard arsenal grew to include an E-mu Emax, Roland R-8 drum machine and a Yamaha C1 music computer, one of the first MS-DOS computers made to run music software. Valentino was known throughout the state as the most electronic band in Tejano, in a genre where traditional instruments of drums, bass, guitars, and accordions were the norm. The band would perform concert using these various technologies, midi sequencing backing tracks, triggering audio samples, and blending electronic pop sounds with the tradition Tejano arrangements. Alejandro's reputation grew as a skilled music programmer, and he continued to work on his performance technique while other artists employed his assistance in incorporating electronic instruments to their music. Valentino toured in the Tejano circuit with Little Joe y La Familia, Groupo Mazz, Selena y Los Dinos, La Sombra, and La Mafia and others. While on tour he connected with many musicians and began to collaborate on other projects. A.B. Quintanilla III asked Rodney to come work with Selena contributing arrangement and production services on her song "Amame", [1] on the Entre Mi Mundo project. Tony Guerrero of La Sombra from Chicago asked Alejandro to sequence and program sounds for their projects and a solo project of lead singer Gavino Guerrero. Albert "Tiger" Diaz, another singer in the group, recorded a solo project and he too hired Alejandro for arranging and keyboard programing. These relationships would lead to further collaborations many years later.
Alejandro's band Valentino continued to perform while making the crossover to a more Latin American pop music market. They performed original bilingual pop songs recorded at SugarHill Recording Studios in Houston. Traveling to LA, they worked with producers Michael Sembello, and Preston Glass, on demos pursuing a record deal. In 1992, Valentino performed on Buscando Estrellas, the Latin version of the American show Star Search, and won in the band category with the Alejandro-penned song "Vamos A Bailar". During that trip to LA Alejandro met Coyote of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Rodney contributed a bi-lingual song called "Mas Dura" to their effort on the American show, Star Search. The band went on to win the season finale and signed to Capitol/EMI Latino. Their first single was "Bien Dura", a full Spanish version of the original bilingual song. Unknowingly, Alejandro became the only songwriter to win Star Search in Spanish and English. In 1992, Valentino signed a record deal with BMG International. Alejandro contributed 8 of the 10 tracks record for the album and project was released in 1993. While in the studio, Rodney met Jamie Glaser, a guitarist who mentioned the value of his Berklee education. Being self-taught in pop music got him only so far, so Rodney set his sights on Berklee College of Music. Upon returning to Houston from LA, Alejandro enrolled at a local community college to pursue his education and music professional goals.
Having completed basic requirement course at San Jac Community College, he then transferred to Berklee College of Music in June 1995. Summer semester was his first, carrying a full course load, his objective was to get in and get out. By the end of summer he took a job in the school's work study program. He was assigned to the Berklee Performance Center, where he worked as a stage hand, and later as sound engineer for college functions and various professional concerts. This allowed him to stay and complete a degree program. He chose a dual degree program in music production and engineering and contemporary writing and production. His previous experience in professional music would help him throughout the journey. With each passing semester, he garnered more scholarship funds, and was awarded the Ticketmaster Award for Excellence. 1n 1997, Rodney completed his studies, graduating summa cum laude, and received the Production Scholar of the Year from the MP&E dept. and Outstanding Excellence from the CW&P dept. See Education below for further details.
After graduating, Rodney headed to San Francisco with one connection. During his time at Berklee, he maintain a professional relationship with producer Preston Glass. Preston introduced Rodney to 3x Grammy Winner Narada Michael Walden the previous summer. Landing in SF, Rodney contacted Narada but there was no place for him in his camp at the time. Rodney pursued other avenues and worked as a stage hand to make ends. After 2 months he got a message Narada was now looking for a staff music programmer. Rodney reconnected with Narada and his first assignment to prove himself was a project for Diana Ross. Narada approved of his work and hired Rodney on staff in Oct 1997. During his tenure with Narada Michael Walden, Rodney worked with some of today greatest artist and legends. Sessions include artist and musicians, Ray Charles, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Sammy Hagar, En Vogue, Tamia, Debelah Morgan, Winans Phase 2, My Town, Jerry Hey, Wyclef Jean, Wild Orchid, Shanice Wilson, Jaci Velasquez, Take 6, Yolanda Adams, and Father Guido Sarducci amongst many others. In 1998, Rodney became a staff producer with Narada, contributing to many recordings as an Associate Producer. Rodney also joined Narada on various live performance events. In which Rodney performed with Stevie Wonder, Chucho Valdez, Sam Moore, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, The Impressions, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, to name a few. Narada's show of love is giving people nicknames. After a session one day, Rodney acquired the name "Cortada". On every project completed with Narada he is credited with that moniker. It since has been added to various credits though Rodney has been independent since 2001. Highlights from Rodney's time at Tarpon Studios in San Rafael, CA under the super producer Narada Michael Walden.
In 2001, Rodney made the move to Los Angeles and officially launched SweetSpot Entertainment, Inc. His company would be the headquarters for all his music production, live performance and music publishing activities. While still cultivating his English music contacts, he began to make new connections for the Spanish music market. He would team up with Claudia Brant, and Nir Seroussi to begin writing for various project. He also worked with Andy Vargas(Santana), Adrianne Gonzalez(The Rescues), Gerard McMahon, Frankie J, Maria Conchita Alonso, Tina Moore, Siedah Garrett, Corbin Blue, Raven-Symoné, Paulina Rubio, Phoebe Snow, Roger Daltrey, Lee Sklar, Michael Landau, The Script, amongst many other artist and provided music for film and TV productions. Here are some highlights from his work with SweetSpot Entertainment, Inc. He also works for The Script, in some way.
José Roberto Pulido Jr., known professionally as Bobby Pulido, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is acclaimed for pioneering the dissemination of Tejano music to a youthful audience, subsequently ascending as a teen idol and becoming one of the most influential Tejano recording artists among Mexican-American teenagers.
Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz, is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year three times. The singer is notable for his flamenco-influenced ballads, and has also experimented with several other genres including pop, rock, funk, R&B and jazz.
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by regions. Subgenres include banda, country en Español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico music, Norteño, Sierreño, Tejano, and Tierra Caliente. It is among the most popular radio formats targeting Mexican Americans in the United States.
Mexican pop is a music genre produced in Mexico, particularly intended for teenagers and young adults.
Ven Conmigo is the second studio album by American singer Selena, released on November 12, 1990, by EMI Latin. The singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III remained her principal record producer and songwriter after her debut album's moderate success. Selena's Los Dinos band composed and arranged seven of the album's ten tracks; local songwriter Johnny Herrera also provided songs for Selena to record. Ven Conmigo contains half cumbias and half rancheras, though the album includes other genres. Its musical compositions are varied and demonstrate an evolving maturity in Selena's basic Tejano sound. The album's structure and track organization were unconventional compared with other Tejano music albums. The songs on Ven Conmigo are mostly love songs or songs following a woman's struggles after many failed relationships.
Selena is the self-titled debut studio album by American Tejano singer Selena, released on October 17, 1989, by EMI Latin. Its music incorporates a range of contemporary genres with a mix of cumbia and regional styles of Mexican music. The album was released following company president Jose Behar's failed crossover request for the singer. The project was denied by the heads of EMI Records' pop division, believing the singer should first strengthen her fanbase. Selena's brother and principal record producer and songwriter, A.B. Quintanilla III fought to remain the singer's producer. The band introduced Pete Astudillo and Joe Ojeda, who contributed to the album's experimental production and songwriting. Aside from A.B., Selena worked with two Mexican songwriters, Alejandro Montealegre and Reinaldo Ornelas.
Live! or Selena Live! is a live album by American Tejano pop singer Selena, which was released on May 4, 1993, by EMI Latin. The album was re-released on September 22, 2002, as being part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection; which included spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band members Selena y Los Dinos. Live! includes three cumbia-influenced studio tracks, while the rest of the album consists of live versions of previously released songs. The album was recorded during a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 7, 1993. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in its first year, double platinum in 1995, and 8× platinum in 2017.
Alpha is the second independent studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. Released on June 11, 1986 under Manny Guerra's G.P. Productions, it followed the group’s debut album, which was recorded under Freddie Records. Selena y Los Dinos, led by vocalist Selena, recorded mostly cover songs. Wanting to stand out, bassist A.B. Quintanilla requested original material from Luis Silva after noticing his track record for writing award-winning songs. Silva ignored A.B.'s request and he was inspired by Abraham to write songs himself. The group expanded to include keyboardist Ricky Vela and guitarist Roger Garcia. Vela collaborated with A.B. on "Dame un Beso", while he collaborated with Abraham on "Dame Tu Amor". A.B. became Selena y Los Dinos' music producer and songwriter, while Abraham encouraged them to record songs of various genres to appeal to a wider audience. Despite her limited Spanish, Selena recorded all nine tracks phonetically.
Dreaming of You is the fifth and final studio album by American singer Selena. Released posthumously on July 18, 1995, by EMI Latin and EMI Records, it was an immediate commercial and critical success, debuting atop the United States Billboard 200—the first predominately Spanish-language album to do so. It sold 175,000 copies on its first day of release in the U.S.—a then-record for a female vocalist. With first week sales of 331,000 units, it became the second-highest first-week sales for a female musician since Nielsen Soundscan began monitoring album sales in 1991. Billboard magazine declared it a "historic" event, while Time said the recording elevated Selena's music to a wider audience. It won Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 3rd annual Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Tomás Torres Carrasquillo, known professionally as Tommy Torres, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and record producer. Named "#1 Hot Latin Tracks Producer" of 2007 by Billboard magazine and Composer of the Year at 2010 ASCAP's Latin Music Awards, Torres has written and produced songs for many artists including Ricardo Arjona, Jesse & Joy, Ednita Nazario, Alejandro Sanz, Ricky Martin and Alicia Keys.
Real is the 23rd album and 19th studio album recorded by Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter Ednita Nazario. The album witch released by Sony BMG Norte on December 11, 2007. The first single of this album are No te Mentía. After the warm welcome to the lead single, "No te Mentía", the album is ready to go to market on December 11. "Real" includes a work by producer Jacobo Calderón, José Luis de la Peña, Tommy Torres, Cristian Zalles, Claudia Brant, Sebastián Krys, Andrés Castro, by himself Ednita Nazario, Homero Patrón, Armando Ávila, Juan Carlos Noguel, Graeme Pleeth (Sonique) and Iker Gastamiza and Alejandro García. Is the album number 23 of Ednita, "Real", was recorded between London, Nashville, Mexico City and Miami. The album debuted at No. 1 in Billboard's Top Latin Albums and Top Latin Pop Albums, selling about 18,067 in one week. The album received nomination a "Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album" in the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 13, 2008, losing to Cualquier Día (2007) by Kany García.
"Lo Mejor de Tu Vida" is a ballad written and produced by Spanish singer-songwriter Manuel Alejandro, co-written by Marian Beigbeder, and performed by Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. It was released as the first single from his studio album Un hombre solo (1987). The song became the first by a male performer to spend 13 weeks at number one in the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart and held the record for the biggest leap to the top of the chart for over twenty years until Mexican rock band Maná leapt from 22 to number one with "Manda Una Señal" in 2007.
"Buenos Amigos" is a down-tempo, pop ballad duet recorded by Salvadoran recording artist Álvaro Torres and American recording artist Selena for Torres' sixth studio album Nada Se Compara Contigo (1991). The song was released by EMI Latin in 1992, as the album's second single. Its lyrics explore a friendship built on the strong, unrequited feelings of the male narrator. Torres composed "Buenos Amigos" after attending a showcase event at which Selena was performing.
"No Quiero Saber" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena. It was originally a track on her second studio album Ven Conmigo (1990). It was composed and produced by her brother, A.B. Quintanilla III. Pete Astudillo, a backup singer with Selena y Los Dinos, produced the song with Quintanilla. The recording was later remixed by Quintanilla III for Selena's 1996 first remix album, Siempre Selena. It was released posthumously by EMI Latin in June 1996, as the album's second single, behind "Siempre Hace Frio".
"Baila Esta Cumbia" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer Selena for her second studio album, Ven Conmigo (1990). It was released as the second single by EMI Latin on August 28, 1990, behind "Ya Ves". It was composed by her brother–producer A.B. Quintanilla, and Selena y Los Dinos backup dancer, Pete Astudillo. The recording is an up-tempo Mexican cumbia song. It was well received by music critics who enjoyed its cumbia-feel and rhythm.
"Amiga Mía" is a song by Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz from his fifth studio album, Más (1997). WEA Latina released it as the album's fourth single in the same year. The song was written by Sanz and produced by Miguel Angel Arenas and Emanuele Ruffinengo. The rock ballad carries a message of unrequited love and was inspired by a close friend of Sanz. The song received positive reactions from music critics who regarded it as one of his best songs. A music video for "Amiga Mía" features the artist performing on top of a building while the townspeople watch and his love interest leaves with her fiancé.
"Mi Marciana" is a song recorded by the Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz. It was released as the third single from his ninth studio album La Música No Se Toca (2012). The song was released for digital download on 6 December 2012.
This is a list of notable events in Latin music that took place in 2015.
Nir Seroussi is a music executive, songwriter, and producer. He is currently Executive Vice President at Interscope Capitol Labels Group. He was previously the President of Sony Music U.S. Latin.
Latina is the fifteenth studio album by Mexican recording artist Thalía, released on May 6, 2016, by Sony Music Latin. The album consists of 13 tracks, including collaborations with Maluma, Silvestre Dangond, De La Ghetto, OMI, Jacob Forever and Chiky Bom Bom "La Pantera". Latina is Thalia's recent studio album since 2014's Amore Mio. The album was praised by music critics' and well received commercially receiving Platinum certifications in both Mexico and United States.