Not only is Mon Laferte up for another Latin Grammy award – for Best Alternative Song for “Traguito” with iLe – but she’s also been named one of the Latin Recording Academy’s 2023 Leading Ladies of Entertainment.
The Latin Recording Academy launched the initiative seven years ago “to honor and recognize professional and socially-conscious women within the arts and Latin entertainment fields who have made significant contributions and inspired the next generation of female leaders.”
This year’s Leading Ladies of Entertainment include Róndine Alcalá, founder of music and entertainment public relations firm RondenePR; Simone Torres, Grammy-nominated engineer and vocal producer; and Ana Villacorta López, SVP of Marketing and Promotion at Sony Music Entertainment México.
The singer/songwriter born Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte got her start performing on the streets in the city of Viña del Mar in her native Chile as an adolescent and then relocated to Mexico, where she released her first few albums independently.
“I find direct contact with people very exciting. Singing in the streets was something very special,” Laferte says, reflecting on the early days of her career. “Ten years later, I returned to the streets, but with my own songs, in parks and public places, and I can say that seeing people up close and feeling when there’s a connection with the songs is very special to me.”
Laferte – who is booked by CAA – is now playing venues like Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional (9,244 tickets sold and $478,396 grossed in December 2022) and Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre (5,404 tickets sold and $455,441 grossed in October 2022).
Asked her favorite thing about performing live, she says, “Everything! Those minutes just before going on, when I hear the excitement of the audience and get an adrenaline rush. I also love the fact that being on stage allows me to turn off my mind for a moment and concentrate 100% on the present moment. It’s a kind of meditation.”
Laferte released two albums in 2021 that earned a number of accolades including a win for Seis as Best Singer-Songwriter Album at the Latin Grammys and a nomination for Best Regional Mexican Music Album at the Grammys, while 1940 Carmen earned a Grammy nod for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. Her new LP, Autopoiética, is due out Nov. 10 through Universal Music México. She is also a visual artist and showed off her paintings at a 2020 solo exhibit at the Museum of Mexico City.
For Alcalá, though she “didn’t sing, dance or play any instruments well enough,” she knew from a young age she wanted to work in the entertainment or music business. After studying marketing in Venezuela and relocating to Los Angeles, Alejandro Asensi, Luis Miguel’s manager at the time, offered her a position at Lion Enterprises and she got the opportunity to join Miguel on his 1999 “Amarte Es Un Placer” world tour.
“I had everything to learn, but I was willing to do so,” Alcalá says. “While working on my daily responsibilities, I realized that what I was doing was what a publicist does – writing press releases, bios, coordinating interviews, inviting the press to the shows, and promoting the album Amarte Es un Placer, among many other things. I thought, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I was 27 when I truly discovered this career existed, and I’m so grateful I did.
“Another thing I learned very quickly was that this industry is not a game. Maybe from the outside, it looks like it’s just music and dancing, etc., but it is a very demanding and serious business. Earning respect and longevity in this industry takes a lot of work, courage, passion, responsibility and discipline.”
Over the years Alcalá’s worked with major stars including Ricky Martin, Juan Luis Guerra, Los Temerarios, Laura Pausini, Luis Fonsi and Adrián Lastra. Alcalá also takes pride in “working hard to develop emerging artists such as Natalia Lafourcade, Jesse & Joy, Pablo Alborán, or Camilo, and then seeing them become international stars.”
Villacorta López has been in the music industry since 1981; after a brief stint at RCA, she spent more than a decade at EMI, primarily as director of international development in Spain. Following five years at EMI, she joined BMG and, after the merger with Sony, she eventually took on the role of senior vice president in 2015.
Noting that it’s hard to pick a few highlights to sum up so many years, she says, “I might mention the international breakthrough of Héroes del Silencio, that of Locomía in Latin America, of C. Tangana and Rosalía, the development of Mexican artists like Ha*Ash, Reik, Camila, Carlos Rivera, Kenia OS and many others.”
Asked what advice she’d give to someone wanting to get into the industry, she says, “I would tell them that it’s the best profession in the world because we’re surrounded by artists and by talent. To prepare themselves, to work hard and, above all, to have respect for their artists and colleagues.”
A ceremony will be held in honor of the Leading Ladies in Sevilla, Spain, on Nov. 13 as part of the Latin Grammy Week events leading up to the award show on Nov. 16.
To help provide opportunities for future generations, the Leading Ladies of Entertainment has once again partnered on the “Leading Ladies Connect TogetHER mentorship program” with nonprofit She Is The Music, which is working to increase the number of women in music.
Leading Ladies of Entertainment honorees from both 2023 and years past will be invited to mentor a She Is The Music mentee.
Over the years Torres’ career high points have included engineering Cardi B’s “I Like It” and “Be Careful,” as well as vocal producing and engineering Becky G’s “La Nena,” “Cough,” “Coming Your Way” and “People;” Normani’s “Motivation” and Sofia Carson for her film “Purple Hearts.” Mentorship and helping achieve gender parity in the industry is something Torres is very passionate about.
“Music production and engineering are unfortunately still very male-dominated fields. Recent studies show that only 2.1 percent of producers and 1.9 percent of audio engineers are women or non-binary people,” says Torres, pointing to 2023’s Fix The Music Annual Report by nonprofit organization We Are Moving The Needle.
“It is so important to me to work with amazing organizations like She is the Music, EqualizeHer, Women’s Audio Mission, and We Are Moving The Needle to not only help work towards equilibrium, but to build community and support each other. That’s also why I started my initiative, Soundtrack Mixers, a community event series for women, non-binary and gender-expansive people who are working behind the scenes in music to create the soundtracks to people’s lives. We seek to create a safe space for these people to network, build community, seek advice, and find opportunity.”