LEÓN SINGS NEW TUNE WITH VIRGIN/ISLAND PARTNERSHIP

After a protracted competition among some of the biggest players in the biz, Carín León's Socios Music has partnered with both Virgin Music Group and Island Records to release the Latin country star's new music. Further details were not disclosed, but Island is believed to be providing support in North America, while Virgin will oversee strategy in Latin America and the rest of the world.

León's latest album, Boca Chueca Vol. 1, serves as the first project under the deal and sports guest turns from Kane Brown, Leon Bridges and Pepe Aguilar. León’s music appeals to a more diverse audience than the trendy, sad sierreños and narcocorridos that dominate DSPs, and in Latin America, he's viewed as country—he just happens to sing in Spanish.

In 2023 León mounted a North American arena tour produced by AEG. With UTA and partner-agent Jbeau Lewis on board as well, he upped the ante in 2024 to include a few stadium performances, having already achieved the rare feat of performing at both Coachella and Stagecoach in the same year. León, who is managed by Jorge Juarez, opened for The Rolling Stones in May in Glendale, Arizona.

Last November, the artist signed a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group under the direction of UMPG Mexico MD Yadira Moreno. Meanwhile, the Boca Chueca Tour begins on 7/22 in Paso Robles, California, and will visit Los Angeles' BMO Stadium on 9/13 and Madison Square Garden on 10/2.

“Carín León has established himself as one of the most exciting and creative artists in the world today,” reads a joint quote issued by Virgin co-CEOs JT Myers and Nat Pastor. “He has also assembled around him a world-class team and together we are already building upon the amazing work they’ve done throughout Carín’s incredible career.”

“Carín León is a true outlier,” added Island co-CEOs Justin Eshak and Imran Majid, also speaking as one. “He transcends not only stylistic and sonic boundaries, but also cultural boundaries. We’re thrilled to work with Carín and manager Jorge Juarez via this new partnership with Virgin Music Group and Socios Music. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish together.”

“We are proud to have assembled an incredibly collaborative team at both Virgin Music Group and Island Records to work alongside us to take Carín’s career to even greater heights,” said Juarez. “We are already seeing huge benefits from this new partnership and are excited for the future.”

Seen celebrating above are Eshak, Pastor, León, UMG Chairman/CEO Sir Lucian Grainge, Juarez, Majid and Virgin Music Group President, Latin, Victor Gonzalez. Later, there was a deli tray that all parties agreed was "estupendo."