02/06/2026

LYFE TUESDAY | JUNE 2, 2026

FOLLOW

ON TWITTER Malaysian Paper

26

@thesundaily

Madrid pumps up volume on Latin tunes P UERTO Rican superstar Bad Bunny kicked off a series of 10 concerts recently in Madrid, a city o Spanish capital emerges as vital venue for famed superstars

Karencici enters new era with upcoming album Loser

GLOBAL Mandopop artiste Karencici has announced her upcoming album Loser , which is scheduled for release on June 19. The album is led by the single If I Had , now available for streaming. The track gives listeners an early look at the album’s sound, moving from Karencici’s R&B roots towards alt-rock and pop. Written in English and Mandarin, If I Had is a mid-tempo track built on deep grooves and live-sounding textures. The song centres on looking back at past relationships and

accepting the present rather than trying to change what has already happened. Speaking about the track, she said, “It’s about missing the past, but more than that, it’s about the purest form of love. Even if we knew the ending, we’d still choose to love them all over again.” The lyrics also include the lines “I just wanna be right here” and “I need you now”, reflecting the song’s focus on holding on to the person in front of you. The music video follows a similar theme. Its background actors represent different traits and past relationships that have ended, with each character serving as a memory. The video asks whether someone would still choose the same relationship if time could begin again. Loser is expected to mark a broader change in Karencici’s sound and image, with the album moving across alt-rock and alt-pop. If I Had introduces the album’s themes before the full project is released.

Despacito , moved to Madrid in March after a decade in Los Angeles, according to Spanish daily El Pais . “It has become the capital of Spanish-language music. Madrid is very much in fashion – it’s a place where people live well and that attracts talent,” he told the paper. ‘Gateway into Europe’ Most major global record labels have offices in the Spanish capital and have stepped up their focus on Latin music, particularly artiste development. Warner Music Spain has hosted multiple Latin artists at its creative hub The Music Station in central Madrid, since it opened in 2022. The space has staged songwriting camps and other sessions bringing together Spanish and Latin American artistes to collaborate on writing and recording. One of the Latin music events that has emerged in Madrid is Iberoexperia, an annual concert cycle focused on Ibero-American contemporary music that has been staged since 2022 and acts as a showcase for talent bookers. This year’s lineup includes Colombian folk-protest singer La Muchacha and Venezuelan funk band Los Amigos Invisibles, which emerged from Caracas’s alternative music scene. “Madrid is a gateway into Europe, which is a gigantic market,” the event’s director Anamaria Rigotto said, adding performing in Madrid can help Latin artistes raise their international profile.

with a booming Latino population now emerging as a new hub of the Latin music industry. It will be the most shows of the singer’s Debi Tirar Mas Fotos tour outside of his native Puerto Rico, where he staged a 31-show residency last year. Colombian pop superstar Shakira will follow with a 12-night residency beginning Sept 18 at a temporary venue under construction in southern Madrid that will hold roughly 50,000 people. The so-called Queen of Latin Pop has vowed to go “all-out” for the Madrid shows, the final stop on her Women Don’t Cry Anymore tour and her only dates in Europe. “Right now, Madrid is an indispensable stop for any major Latin artist on tour. Every single Latin star of note plays Madrid,” Billboard’s Latin music chief content officer, Miami-based Leila Cobo, told AFP. That was not always the case, despite the Spanish capital’s deep historical ties with Latin America. For decades, Madrid’s music scene was better known for Spanish pop, rock and flamenco, with Latin music relegated to nightclubs outside the city centre. But over the past two decades, Latin beats have increasingly taken the limelight. The surge in high-profile Latin concerts reflects Madrid’s expanding role in the Latin music industry, driven in part by rising immigration from Latin America that has reshaped the city’s audience and music market. The number of residents in the Madrid region born in Latin America has risen from about 80,000 in 1999 to just over one million in 2024, roughly one in seven residents, according to the latest official figures. That demographic shift has pushed Latin rhythms into the mainstream in Madrid, from reggaeton and hip-hop to pop and traditional styles, eased by a shared language, said Cobo, the author of Decoding Despacito: An Oral History of Latin Music . ‘Attracts talent’ Music by Latin artists was largely absent from Spanish radio in 2008, but by 2023 it accounted for 44% of all songs played on music stations, according to a Nebrija University study published last year. Latin artists have also become dominant on streaming platforms in Spain, with reggaeton and urban acts such as Bad Bunny and Karol G regularly topping annual charts. “Young people have grown up listening to reggaeton and Latin urban music, so it’s basically their natural soundtrack. For them, it

Bad Bunny performs onstage during the 2026 Super Bowl. – PICS FROM AFP doesn’t feel like foreign music; it’s the sound of their youth,” said the study’s author, Nebrija University communications professor Lourdes Moreno Cazalla. The genre’s rise has attracted more producers and songwriters to Madrid and spawned new festivals dedicated to the genre, a trend that exploded in the 2010s. Colombian singer, songwriter and producer Mauricio Rengifo, who co-produced the 2017 hit

Taiwan ranks first among Karencici’s top 10 audiences worldwide, with Malaysia at third, Indonesia at fourth, the Philippines at seventh, Thailand at eighth and Singapore at ninth.

Karencici’s work has crossed into K-pop and C-hip hop collaborations, while

her 2026 activity has included viral covers of her single Hard to Say . Awich releases Fear Us music video

JAPANESE hip-hop artist Awich has released the music video for Fear Us , featuring RZA and Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$. The track is taken from her album Okinawan Wuman , released in November 2025 and produced in full by RZA. Fear Us brings together Okinawan history with hip-hop’s political and cultural roots, touching on war, peace and unity. The collaboration links Awich’s Okinawan perspective with American hip-hop through RZA, a founding member of Wu-Tang Clan and producer of the track. “Our unity is what they fear the most. Fear Us is an anthem against an era ruled by fear, and a powerful statement calling for unity,” Awich said. Born in 1986 in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Awich takes her name from the English rendering of “Asia Wish Child”. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 2006 and released her debut full-length album Asia Wish Child in 2007. Her 2022 album Queendom reached No. 1 on Japan’s Apple Music overall album chart, while the single Ryukyu Aika topped multiple charts. That same year, she sold out her first solo concert at Nippon Budokan.

Her latest album Okinawan Wuman explores her Okinawan roots, personal history and wider global themes.

Awich holds the honour of being the first Japanese rapper to ever perform at Coachella.

Shakira (right) has a 12-night residency in Madrid this September.