Brett CallwoodThe English translation of the Spanish phrase “dale fuego” is “give it fire,” and the word “fuego,” or specifically “en fuego” has passed into the modern vernacular as meaning something awesome and sexy. Literally, “on fire.”
Therefore, “Dale Fuego” is an ideal name for a festival celebrating urban Latin music and reggaeton. The latter, for the uninitiated, is a style of music which was born in Puerto Rico in the late ‘90s, blending hip-hop, reggae and Latin music. It all spells a fun and vibrant day at the Queen Mary in Long Beach this weekend.
“Dale Fuego Festival has been curated to highlight and represent the trending urban Latin movement,” Goldenvoice representatives told us by email. “This is the first Dale Fuego Fest at Queen Mary Events Park. Many of our events reach a young Latin audience, but this is the first of its kind for Goldenvoice. Urban Latin is the focus.”
The Dale Fuego bill is filled with genre treasures. Headliner is reggaeton/Latin trap singer Ozuna, who has seven years and three albums under his belt. The latest, Nibiru, is due out this year and it’s preceded by a ton of singles including “Muito Calor,” a collab with Anitta (also performing at Dale Fuego).
“The reggaeton and Latin trap singer/songwriter carries dozens of hit tracks which he leads or features in: ‘Taki Taki,’ ‘Baila Baila Baila,’ ‘Dile Que Tu Me Quieres,’ ‘Te Vas,’ ‘Tu Foto,’ ‘El Farsante,’ ‘Se Preparó,’ ‘Quiero Repetir,’ ‘Síguelo Bailando,’ and ‘La Modelo,’” Goldevoice reps told us.
Ozuna is the perfect choice for headliner, describing his own urban Latin style as, “the sound of the tropical islands that I come from.” Ozuna was born in Puerto Rico and his father, a professional dancer who toured with reggaeton artists, was from the Dominican Republic.
“When I was 12 years old, I began to write songs and the dream of becoming a singer started there,” he says. “Ten years later, in 2014, I began uploading my songs to YouTube and that’s when it became serious.”
The artist is psyched to be performing in the L.A. area, a place he justifiably believes is a melting pot.
“Latin music in Los Angeles is Latin music in the world,” he says. “They love Mexican, they love urban, they love salsa, they love Ozuna and that makes me happy. Los Angeles is a special city for me. I had a sold out show at the Microsoft Theater in July 2017 before I even had released my first album. L.A. showed me then how much they loved me too. Last year, for my first show at the Forum, I redesigned the stage to be in the middle of the floor like a boxing [ring] and the musicians were hanging in cages. The event broke the records of most tickets sold. That is a special memory.”
Lary Over (Luieville and Company)
Of his set at Dale Fuego, Ozuna says, “I don’t have a formula or a set list written in stone. I like to feel the audience and switch the order around, I like to add a song that wasn’t on the list. I like to interact with the audience. That’s the advantage that you have when everything is performed live.”
Elsewhere on the bill is reggaeton/electro pop star Anitta, an artist the Goldenvoice reps describe as, “A Brazilian musical goddess, Anitta’s uniqueness – through lyrics, musical sound and choreography — is like no other. The singer/songwriter/dancer has amassed a great deal of prominence for ‘Bola Rebola,’ ‘Downtown,’ ‘Paradinha’ and ‘Banana,’ among many others. This is going to be Anitta’s first-ever performance in the U.S. — one that will thrill all festival-goers.”
Also on the bill is Cuban-born, Miami based singer Malu Trevejo, who has risen to prominence in recent years thanks to a string of viral online videos.
“I started singing and dancing when I was about 5 years old and never stopped,” Trevejo says. “It started to get serious when my dance videos started going viral. Then I signed with my team and we have been taking it to the next level ever since.”
Trevejo considers himself an urban Latin pop artist, and she’s also firmly in “influencer” territory with 7 million Instagram followers, plus 2.5 million musical.ly fans. Her debut EP, Una Vez Mas, dropped on August 2, and all signs point to a big future for a performer still only 16. She’s certainly psyched to come to L.A.
“I love L.A., it’s like my second home,” she says. “One of my favorite memories is riding scooters along the Santa Monica pier. [Regarding L.A.’s Latin music scene], I want it to grow more. Miami is very Latin, I would like to see more of the Miami Latin flavor in L.A.”
She says that we can expect, “Great dancing, pop colors, and my new records,” from her Dale Fuego set and, after that, “more music, some TV, and some surprises.”
For now, we’ll have to make do with that plethora of online videos, and the new EP. Of the latter, Trevejo says, “I love it! There are some summer anthems on it — check out ‘Adios’ and ‘Hace Calor’ featuring JEON. Those are my favorites.”
Plenty to look forward to then, especially with Ozuna “finishing final details for my upcoming album Nibiru.” There are further gems elsewhere on the bill too, with those Goldenvoice reps pointing out that, “Alex Sensation, Rauw Alejandro, Lary Over and Malu Trevejo are all critically acclaimed singers and songwriters who are on the rise to stardom and will win over the crowd with their performances.”
No arguments here; Alex Sensation is a popular DJ who was born in Columbia and relocated to the States as a kid. Since then, he has been spinning at some of the biggest Latin music clubs and radio stations in the country.
Rauw Alejandro started this year with Billboard calling him a “Latin artist on the rise.”
“I want to be a showman like Ricky Martin and Michael Jackson,” the 24-year-old told Billboard, and based on his dance-heavy tunes, those comparisons are entirely appropriate.
And then there’s Lary Over, the Puerto Rican trap artist who started singing in 2016 then performed for the first time around Christmas time that same year.
“I felt I was doing something right and that I could become a successful artist when I shook [fellow Puerto Rican artist] Farruko’s hand and was later signed by him alongside Franklin Martinez and Carbon Fiber Music,” Over says. “Honestly, I believe my style and sound is different, it goes with my personality. I like to transmit energy. It is some sort of mix between reggaeton and dembow, along the lines of tropical and Caribbean.”
Over says that he’s been to Los Angeles about five times and always has a great time.
“The energy I get from the audience is amazing,” he says. “My favorite memory is from the first time I performed there. My dad is from El Salvador and lots of the audience were from there — it felt like home. L.A. music is great. It is different, like me. L.A. is the cradle of music and entertainment — it has a unique style that I very much enjoy.”
The heavily tattooed artist says that he’ll be singing material from his entire repertoire at Dale Fuego.
“You can expect a lot of energy and a great experience,” he says. “I will be giving my max so everybody can have a good time.”
With Khea also on the bill, Dale Fuego promises a red hot time by that big, old ship in Long Beach.
For more information, go to dalefuegofest.com.
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