U-LAB Podcast

The Puerto Rican indie rapper was delving into trap in Spanish way before reggaeton stars ventured into the genre. Still, he considers himself an outcast in the island's urban scene, while getting accolades in Mexico and abroad. Alvaro Díaz just signed a deal with Universal and 2018 will be a big year for him.

Out of unimaginable loss, the Los Angeles-based band Wait.Think.Fast. crafted beautiful, hopeful songs for their new album, 'Dale Tiempo'. I spoke with the band's frontwoman about dedicating the album to her late father, Julio.

This Chilean composer and musician Sokio (Mauricio Díaz) is behind the 2nd annual New Latin Wave festival in New York City, where he aims to bring together Latinx music, journalism, gastronomy and art.

This Cuban pianist and composer has been part of Alejandro Sanz's touring band for the past two years. Glenda is U-LAB Music's artist of the month for September. We spoke about her musical family, moving to Toronto as a teenager and a crazy dream she had about her idol, Stevie Wonder.

For years, Buena Vista Social Club is all most people knew about Cuban music. Luna Olavarría Gallegos is a writer whose work has appeared in The Fader, The Guardian, Remezcla and more. She is the executive producer of the Afrorazones multimedia project, which includes a compilation album of Afro-Cuban artists exploring race and identity through hip hop, R&B and spoken word.

The record-breaking hit 'Despacito' was co-written by Ender, a Panamanian singer-songwriter who has been in the music business for 25 years. This fall, she will become the youngest person to be inducted in the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and she recently released an album titled 'Tatuajes', which includes her own rendition of 'Despacito'.

If you like J Balvin's song 'Mi Gente', you like global bass music and you might not even know it, says Chato! a DJ, producer and graphic artist who is an ambassador for global bass music in Miami. The Puerto Rican native from Mexican descent is the first U-LAB Music Artist in Residence, a program we're launching starting in August.

I interviewed this neo soul singer from Spain in New York City during the Latin Alternative Music Conference. Nora Norman is part of a growing soul and black music scene in Madrid. We talked, among many things, about how she got "discovered" on Youtube and why she sings in English.

The soul rock band released its latest album, 'Freedom is Free' in March and after playing Coachella multiple times and serving as opening act for Jack White in the past, is currently on an ambitious tour that started this summer and will extend through November.

I had a lot of questions for this Dominican urban artist from NYC: Why is it so hard for Latin rappers to make it in English? Do women really find trap offensive? And most importantly - why is trap music so concerned with making women come? For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.

Will Holland (Quantic) and Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero) formed this cumbia collective five years ago and now present 'Baile Bucanero', which draws on pan-Caribbean sounds. This is cumbia of today with vintage sounds and respect for the greats. For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.

Mexican-American artist Lila Downs walks us through her new album, 'Salón, lágrimas, y deseo', which includes collaborations with Andrés Calamaro, Mon Laferte, Banda Tierra Mojada, Carla Morrison and Diego El Cigala. We spoke about identity and why she got her second-ever tattoo after the 2016 elections. For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.

Mark Underwood arrived in Puerto Rico from Texas in the late 90s and quickly became a fixture in the local music as a DJ and producer. Now, as Otura Mun, he leads the group IFE, a fusion of Afro-Cuban rumba, electronic and hip hop sounds with Yoruba spirituality.

Roberto Carlos Lange (aka Helado Negro), recently released an expanded version of his album 'Private Energy' and contributed original compositions to the critically-acclaimed S-Town podcast. He spoke to U-LAB's Nuria Net about his choice to sing in Spanish (is that political?), being part of a new wave of artists who express their Latinx identities unapologetically and against stereotypes, and crossing paths with Residente years ago in college.

The singer-songwriter is feeling fiercely proud about her Mexican culture in her new album, Musas. Recorded with guitarists Los Macorinos (known for their work with Chavela Vargas), Natalia Lafourcade also duets with Omara Portuondo in this album, which draws on vintage bolero and folk sounds to result in what she calls "baby-making" music. For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.

Musicians Javier Limón and Nacho González are creative directors of Univision's U-LAB, where they handpick emerging talent and arrange musical productions. They spoke to U-LAB's senior editor Nuria Net about the status of the music industry today, Limón's work in flamenco music, and the artists we're developing at U-LAB and bringing to a wider audience. For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.

René Pérez Joglar, known as Residente, is a writer, rapper and artist who rose to fame with the group Calle 13. In the first episode of U-LAB podcast, Residente talks to U-LAB's Nuria Net about the creative process behind his new album and documentary, the moment in first grade where he realized he was a good writer and how he got Lin-Manuel Miranda to rap in his album. For more U-LAB, visit ulabmusic.com and friend us on Facebook: U-LAB Music.