Search Results for: Salsa en Venezuela

Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨

Latin America / Venezuela / Caracas

In Venezuela, Caracas, the neighborhood is a way of life with its own identity. The neighborhoods of the entire National Territory, its inhabitants, become outstanding characters. Such is the case of Betty Zapata who was born in the emblematic La Pastora Parish located in the Capital (Caracas). There he spends his childhood in a neighborhood of colonial and historical houses of Venezuela.

There are many memories of that legendary Zone, they are inevitably built by those associated with survival, preparation, development, work, love, struggle and family formation, its magic and what marked it for life… . “Music”.

My connection with music is due in part to the fact that I live in a popular area where the music that was heard was Afro-Caribbean (mostly Salsa), the parties or meetings in my house and the neighborhood were always enlivened by that type of music, the most rooted and sticky collectively, originating the most varied dancers.

In the Carnestolendas festivities, improvised platforms (Templetes) were installed to stage the most varied costume and dance contests. Leaving my childhood and beginning my adolescent stage, I participated in dance competitions, obtaining recognition and prizes that were awarded to the young people of my generation.

I attended festive celebrations (dance meetings) with my older sisters at the age of 12, not because I was a dancer, but to not leave me alone, since I was the youngest of 3 sisters, this allowed me to share with people older than me and which I was learning the different dance styles “remembering with great affection the Cayender family, made up of excellent dancers” they are part of my school and love for dance. My cadence, flavor and body movement also allowed me to learn until I had my own dance style.

The music of the moment was the Danzones, Billo’s, Melodicos and in my house my sisters listened in the 70’s to Joe Cuba, Ricardo Rey and Bobby Cruz, Eddie Palmieri, the Latin Dimension prevails, Grupo Mango, Salsa Mayor, La Banda and his Young Sauce. That stuck with me forever and I felt drawn to Salsa.

That gave me the basis to fully incorporate myself into the exciting world of music. In the Barrio salsa is something essential, if you don’t dance it, enjoy it, feel it, you’re nothing.

Attending a meeting, an event, a concert, a presentation, a party or a meeting and there is no salsa, you feel an emptiness since with it we enjoy, we share, we dance and it definitely puts us to enjoy.

Photo - Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨ — Photo – Betty Zapata ¨The Lady of Salsa¨

In the course of my 6 decades of existence, I have not ceased to be linked to it in different facets: as an audience, spectator, guest, contestant, jury, organizer, producer and director of events.

Each of these participations has allowed me to stand out, stand out and be a well-known, popular and loved person, a reference in the organization of a good party, night events, presentations of representative groups of the world of Salsa such as:

Ray de La Paz, Herman Olivera, Frankie Vásquez, Bobbie Valentin, Willie Rosario, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Sonora Ponceña, La Selecta, Mulenze, Carlos Cano Estremera, Julio López, Yolandita Rivera, Mambo Legends among others, and for those from the Patio: Bailatino, Rumberos del Callejón , Ensamble La Calle, Albondiga y su Pandilla, Repicao, Tributo, On Fire, La áquina de la Salsa, La Negramenta, Gerardo Rosales, Javier Plaza’s Son Risa Orchestra among others.

This has allowed me to be an obligatory reference when it comes to producing and making an event of great importance and musical quality where the Dancing Public is respected and appreciated, providing them with the comforts to enjoy an excellent show and Latin music is seen as an element of identity that belongs to all of us to live it and feel it.

I am (Betty Zapata) currently planning and developing projects in the short, medium and long term and to give you a heads-up I am giving you the scoop: I am here with my radio program to promote, support, disseminate and promote our exciting and magical world of Caribbean music.

Meet the venezuelan Oeste 11 orchestra

Latin America /  Venezuela / Caracas

Did you know that tropical music arises from the region surrounding the Caribbean Sea and the Antillean region of the American continent, where there is a mixture of rhythms from the African continent, fused with folklore and rhythms from the different American countries?

In this edition we can say that many music and dance lovers tend to choose Salsa and/or Tropical music, since they are musical genres that people enjoy as a couple or in a group, whether at an event, party or festival. giving it essence, life and sharing among all the members, for this reason there are many singers and members of orchestras that specialize in these genres, today we have as a special guest the Oeste 11 Orchestra from Caracas, Venezuela.

It was made up of young musicians belonging to the Venezuelan Orchestral Movement, among them the Venezuelan percussionist Alejandro Alfonzo who baptized it in 2007 with the name “Oeste 11” for all the musical experiences they shared since childhood, because most of their members were formed together in said parish.

It is currently made up of 13 musicians, who specialize in the musical genre “Salsa”, giving life to 2 discographies, the first entitled “AL NATURAL” that came out in 2015, consists of 8 unreleased songs and a cover. “With his songs I lie, Al natural, I forgot about you, Forget you, Medicine, You made fun of me, I have decided to forget you, My sweet friend and Dancing”

And for this month of May their second discography “Amor y gusto” will be available, which will be composed of 11 unreleased songs, and to give a preview of the new album they already presented us this March 31 their first single (theme), titled “ I want you to feel Mine”, which is accompanied by a music video that you can enjoy on her YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpleKvxCg9Y.

And over the years they had the opportunity to share on stage with several well-known artists and/or groups, such as the Latin Dimension, Rafael el Pollo Brito, Proyecto A, Los Satélites, Magia Caribeña, Grupo Mango, and other national artists. of different musical genres.

Among their achievements, they mention that in the National Festival of Salsa Orchestras Dile no a la Payola de PDVSA la Estancia were the winners in 2014, they were also selected to honor the Sonora Ponceña for her 60 years of artistic career and were in the Festival Sounds Caracas.

If you want to listen to their discographies “Al Natural” and “I want you to feel mine”, they are available worldwide on the platforms Amazon, Itunes, Spotify, Tidal, Google Music, among others.

For more information:

E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oeste11/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oeste11?lang=es
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oeste11/?hl=es-la
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-wi3ybnoTbLH9C3-8keMA
Phones: +584242251360 / +584265161630 del manager Alejandro Alfonzo

Luis Guillermo Rangel the great friend of everyone

Time is the owner of the best because of what happens

In this section of International Salsa Magazine, there have been very special characters who provided us with important lessons and wonderful anecdotes about their lives, but the luminary we are going to talk about in this opportunity simply has no comparison with the rest. We are talking about composer, musician and singer Luis Guillermo Rangel, who very kindly welcomed Augusto Felibertt and myself into his home to try to give us an overview of the highlights of his life, since he has a lot to say.

After having picked us up on a busy street in the city of Caracas and arrived at the beautiful and comfortable home of Mr. Rangel and his family in the Las Mercedes area, we have become fascinated with his living room, which houses an impressive collection of instruments of all kinds, microphones, CDs and vinyl records, showing that the place is a reflection of what the artist is most passionate about. So much so that as soon as we entered the house, the first thing he told us was ”this is my life” as it was more than evident when appreciating the room.

Mr. Rangel’s beginnings in music

The first thing we wanted to know about the central figure in this story is obviously his beginnings in the musical world, to which he responded that it all started when he was only a child, since God gave him the opportunity to have parents who liked music very much. His father was a guitarist and his mother sang.

Although Mr. Rangel lost his mother at a very young age, she gave him with a love of music deeply anchored in his heart. At that time, it was very easy to play in family homes, so his was no exception.

”We came from El Cementerio, Avenida Los Carmenes 24 and that was a very familiar block. Every weekend, my home was filled with music and my mother loved parties, gatherings and friends. In one of these meetings, I met Alfredo Sadel, but he was not the only one. I also met Rubén Osuna and Sergio Mexicano in that context. My musical career as such began when I was seven or eight years old with a cuatro that dad bought”, he said about the subject.

Luis Guillermo Rangel playing the guitar in his living room

Time in Coche

It was not long before the artist told us that he went to live in Coche with his family and it is in that same area that he met Cherry Navarro, José Luis Rodríguez ”El Puma”, Fran Acevedo and many other young people who would become his great friends thanks to his passion for music. He also made reference to a very famous group of that time called Los Zeppys and consisting of ”El Puma”, Estelita del LLano, Agustín Calzadilla, Alberto Lewis and Nicolas Alvarado.

‘’We formed the first Venezuelan music group there in Coche and the harpist was Frank Acevedo, who lived in Los Valles del Tuy, but it was not an impediment for us to have the strength to form the ensemble. Nilson Díaz, who lived in El Valle, was our maraquero and ended up being the musical director of Yolanda Moreno’s group until he passed away recently” Mr. Rangel remembered about his time in Coche.

Friendship with Cherry and Carlos Navarro

His friendship with Carlos and Cherry Navarro comes from that Mr. Rangel was about 11 or 12 years old when he lived in the block eight letter D, while the Navarro brothers lived in letter C. They always met in the sports courts of the area to play basketball or rubber ball, but the time gathered also led them to become interested in other hobbies and one of them was music.

One day, we were all invited to a birthday party and Cherry, who was the fastest of all of us, proposed us to give a small performance to the birthday boy, since we had no money to buy him anything. That’s how we started in this world” said Mr. Rangel keeping with his story.

He continued his story saying that ”I met Chelique Sarabia at the Industrial Technical School while he was studying oil and I was studying electricity. We became great friends and he invited me to play with his band, with which I was for 26 years. We recorded very beautiful songs with Cherry, José Luis, Chucho Avellanet, Javier Solís and many other great talents. Such was the level we achieved that we even accompanied Placido Domingo at the Teatro Teresa Carreño in 1991 and 1992”.

Precisely because of the large number of artists he has managed to meet in the music scene, he wants to compile all this information in a book that includes so many anecdotes that no one even heards about before. At the moment, he has a page known as ”Mi Personaje de Hoy” which currently has 21,000 followers and always has interesting things to tell.

Rangel showing his skills — Luis Guillermo Rangel showing us his musical skills during our interview

What does it mean to have met and shared with so many national and international luminaries?

Mr. Rangel ensures that the environment around him is very important to him. He thinks that the principles and values of every human being are determined by the people who accompany him in life. In the case of the Navarro family, he deeply values what each and every one of its members has done for him on a personal and musical level.

”I was very fond of Cherry in life and, today, I have a beautiful friendship with Carlos. The same thing happened with José Luis Rodríguez, although he went international in a way that made it difficult for him to return to the country, and many other friends with whom I still maintain contact because I never forget my friends” Mr. Rangel emphasized on the issue.

He also remembered singer-songwriter Rudy Márquez, who sadly passed away on October 9 this year. The artist grew up with Márquez in La Florida long before he went to live in Coche, a time when they used to play ball and cards. As adults, they met again on Radio Caracas Television and played in the extinct show ”Club Musical”, after which they went for lunch, had a coffee or shared any other plan to have a good time.

The family for Mr. Rangel

For Mr. Rangel, family is the backbone of growth and maturity. Fortunately, his was always very close, so he and his 11 siblings always stuck together and were in touch even after they became adults. Of course, that was until the older ones passed away.

However, the artist believes that nowadays there is a great deficiency in the current family upbringing and submits that the values and principles of yesteryear are a bit lost. This is part of what has resulted in the situation facing the country at a social level, not to mention that there is no institution to protect these principles.

Despite everything, he continues to believe in the institution of the family and thinks that the good things it brings to society can be recovered if we all play our part.

Rangel staring at the guitar — Luis Guillermo Rangel staring intently at his guitar while he is playing it

What does music mean to Luis Guillermo Rangel?

Mr. Rangel says that, for him, music is everything. It is the best language in the world and the language we all speak. The musician ensures that a human being can be going through any situation in life and, no matter how hard it is, accompanying it with music will automatically calm the spirit and soul almost immediately.

He also added that ”music activates you. Psychologically, music is an element that helps you and each of its genres has a particular function. In the case of romantic music, we can use a song with this style to dedicate it to whom we like, while the ideal genres to brighten the spirit are guaracha and salsa. All this is what has made me grow and be here with you”.

Luis Guillermo the composer

Mr. Rangel claims to be pushing for his own achievements with songwriting, but unfortunately he has not found them yet. However, with sacrifices, he has been able to progressively become known thanks to this facet of his.

Recently, he recorded a very original Christmas album thanks to the fact that he listened to a lot of Christmas music at home and his father was a great arranger of aguinaldos, so he took some of that essence and poured it into an album which he called ”Navidad Criolla” about eight years ago. The big problem is that he has not had the resources to market it properly and the crisis and currency devaluation have made it even more complicated.

However, the artist does not give up and continues his campaign to get someone important to be interested in the album and promote it so that people can enjoy it.

Payola

Like many other Venezuelan artists, Mr. Rangel has also had to deal with the phenomenon known as payola, which consists of the payment to radio stations by the artists in order to be able to be played in those spaces.

He told us that when his Christmas album was released, a friend told him that he could make him reach number one on every available radio station in exchange for a specific monetary value, but he absolutely refused.

”I didn’t know what payola was and I never thought that radio stations would hurt composers, musicians and singers and keep them away from their passion due to their greed for money. I believe that payola is a profound mistake that was made and continues to be made, so I have not been able to get lucky with my songs. I made a spectacular album with La Rondalla Venezolana and I don’t know where all of it will lead” said Mr. Rangel regretfully about the situation.

Luis Guillermo Rangel in the bathroom at home, where there are many photos with famous people such as Carlos Andrés Pérez, Eduardo Serrano, José Luis Rodríguez and many others

Luis Guillermo Rangel the musician

As for his facet as a musician, Mr. Rangel defined himself in one word: ”guataca”. This means that the artist was always self-taught and did not need sheet music to do his job correctly. In this regard, he told us a very interesting anecdote, which we describe below.

‘’One day, Chelique Sarabia got a call from Radio Caracas Televisión to ask him to lend one of her cuatristas, me among them, and when I went to the channel, the first thing these people did was to give me a score that I could not read. Then, I told Aldemaro Romero that Chelique and I have never had the need to read music to be able to play, something that surprised him a lot” said Mr. Rangel with a laugh.

The artist ensures that he has never been ashamed to say that he does not use sheet music to play and he has his own methods to be able to play.

His greatest musical influences

Although the answer may seem very obvious, one of the greatest musical influences Mr. Luis Guillermo has had is his great friend Chelique Sarabia from the very moment they met at the technical school. His cuatrista retired, so he asked Mr. Rangel to fill that position and, from that moment on, they became inseparable until the death of the musician in 2022.

He got to know Sarabia beyond the demanding artist and producer of strong character. He also got to know the romantic, passionate and noble man who always helped those who were just starting in the world of music.

His great friend has been his biggest inspiration for what he has achieved musically.

Luis Guillermo the friend

Mr. Rangel describes himself as an extremely loyal friend who always tries to be consistent and never forgets his loved ones. He also revisits his friendships with Chelique Sarabia, Toco Gómez and Rudy Márquez, whom he met when he was just a 10 or 11year-old boy.

I have a very broad concept of friendship, but very specific. A friend is not just for the good times or when you are in a good position, but for any moment. A friend can even help prevent you from saying a phrase that could be misinterpreted and lead you to serious problems” said Mr. Rangel, who also defined friendship as ”the conceptual confinement of a human being” and the importance of loving people as such.

Navidad Criolla by Rangel — Cover of the album ”Navidad Criolla” by Luis Guillermo Rangel

Luis Guillermo Rangel as a father

Mr. Rangel has four amazing children who unfortunately are abroad due to the current situation in Venezuela, which he assures us has affected him much not to having them close to him.

He learned the importance of keeping the family together from his own, but also from Cherry and Carlos Navarro’s family, which always faced adversity without separating from each other. For him, the Navarro family was also his family, so much so that he even remembers on one occasion their mother made a shirt and gave it to him, a gesture that he still remembers fondly.

”This is my life”

Recalling that Mr. Rangel told us ”this is my life” as soon as we saw his collection of instruments and records in the living room, we wanted him to give us an explanation of why it is, he replied that the contents of his home include the things he loves the most. His guitars, instruments, sound equipment and microphones are among the most valuable things he has because that is how people know him.

”I want to show people that my love for others is not only sentimental, but also musical, which translates into meetings I hold at my house, where we share, sing and play music. I remember one day Chelique Sarabia, Miguel Angel Landa, Henry Salvat, Toco Gomez and I affectionately baptized our group as ‘Junta Directiva’, since we were all directors. And the one who coordinated our meetings was journalist Aquilino José Mata,” he told us.

Transition from conservative to modern

Mr. Rangel claims that he has a lot of respect for music in general, but that there are some modern genres that have caused him a lot of rejection and one of them is reggaeton, which he can not stand since it is strident, rude and vulgar music whose lyrics he does not like in the slightest.

In fact, both he and Augusto agreed that the aforementioned urban genre can be defined as ”music without music” since its exponents do not know what music is.

Rangel and his harp — Luis Guillermo Rangel and his Kravik harp or lyre

Luis Guillermo the collector

One thing Augusto and I noticed was the huge amount of records and instruments he had in his home, so we wanted him to tell us a little about his facet as a collector, to which he wanted to clarify that he does not define himself that way. That is, he simply value the things according to the people who, at the time, gave them to him. In fact, each of his guitars is marked with the name of the person who sent it to him.

The instrument that most caught our attention is the Kravik harp or lyre designed by a luthier in Africa, but unfortunately, Mr. Rangel has not yet been able to figure out how to tune it. The artist thinks that it must have some harmonic key that he has not yet been able to discover, but he supposes that it is a romantic instrument due to the sweetness of its sounds. It was a gift from the Vice Consul of Venezuela, Mauricio Portañoro, and it draws the attention of all visitors because of its peculiar appearance compared to other instruments.

He also showed us a Chinese violin, which was also a gift from a diplomatic friend of his and only has two strings, which makes it so special and different from the rest of his collection.

What Luis Guillermo is doing today

Although he is very happy with the result he got, he also pointed out that the costs have made it very difficult for him to continue with the process to the point that he has not been able to get certain things done such as mastering. This has been one of the biggest obstacles he has faced in his career, although it has not stopped him from continuing to work with what he has.

The muse for Luis Guillermo

Every composer always requires certain conditions to be able to get inspired and write, and that is the case with Mr. Rangel, who needs to be completely relaxed prior to create music. According to his own words, ”I have to be fresh in soul, spirit, heart and mind so that everything flows better. I always prefer to be calm in any life situation and everyone close to me knows that”.

He also told us that, because of the things he is going living, he has not been able to focus on finishing the song he has been composing for some weeks now. Calmness and lightness are fundamental for him to writing a song, verse, article or whatever comes to mind.

From 1967 to 2024

When asked for a summary of his life in all areas from 1967 to 2024, he wanted to give thanks for what he has been able to sustain from that year until now, especially with his health. He feels he has achieved a set of things that make him very happy and he continues to reflect on all those things.

”I feel I have achieved what I’ve ever looked for, which is love, peace, tranquility and the possibility of creating and giving to others. I’ve tried to be the best I could be in life and I believe I’ve done it” Mr. Rangel concluded on the subject.

Rangel and his violin — Luis Guillermo Rangel and his Chinese violin

Luis Guillermo the spiritualist

Although Mr. Rangel can sometimes be arrogant and have a strong character in his own words, he also thinks he is a very spiritual person and, most of the time, very cheerful. That is exactly why his loved ones always want him around.

He says when he is unable to share with friends for some reason, they always tell him how much they miss him for his smile to cheer them up. He thanks God, to whom he is always devoted, for everything, including his way of being.

What did you think of the interview?

We were very curious about what Mr. Rangel thought of our interview, to which he replied that it was not like any other he has given in the past.

He told us that, throughout his career, he has given about 15 interviews, but in none of them had he felt the sensitivity, warmth and familiarity he found in us.

Among the many well-known media outlets that have had the opportunity to speak with Luis Guillermo Rangel, International Salsa Magazine has stood out for the closeness it has had to the artist and the interest in knowing the person behind the musical and professional field.

Therefore, the interview ends with the following words from Luis Gullermo Rangel to us: ”I want to thank Karina and Augusto for being here in my house and I hope you both feel comfortable here. I also hope they get to know my musical and instrumental side, but also my human side” And sure enough we did!

Sessions from La Loma brings together salsa fans from all over the world in Puerto Rico

On October 5, 2024, we witnessed the third edition of Sessions from La Loma, which is meeting for the second time at the Dorado Agrotourism Park. The annual activity has already become a massive concert, on par with the great salsa productions worldwide. With just five years of launching the concept and two concerts before what was an unforgettable Saturday, Nor-Bert achieved a balanced production between veteran and new artists. The following were brought together on the La Loma stage: Luva, Juan Vélez, Manolito Rodríguez, Jota Ruiz, Jorge Yadiel Santos, Carlos García, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Víctor Manuelle and José Alberto “El Canario”, at the invitation of Nor-Bert, who also gave way to Michelle Brava during her performance.

To enjoy the salsa party, hosted by the charismatic Norberto Vélez, whom the music scene calls Nor-Bert, fans came from Panama, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Spain, Canada and Switzerland, to name a few. It is a source of satisfaction and encouragement to see how salsa is still current, despite the changes that the music scene has undergone.

Within the framework of the changes, it is striking that the successful event has taken off with the forcefulness with which it has called us all without the direct support or visibility of the radio stations that program salsa within Puerto Rican territory. That, from the objective perspective of the salsa fan, gives more merit to the production team that Nor-Bert has surrounded himself with.

We take advantage and congratulate him, attesting to his desire to do without delegating what he feels is his responsibility. We note the international presence, stating that in this third edition the concert was filled to capacity with the rotation of the concept through YouTube and social networks. What would have sounded like madness years ago is a success story that feeds the salsa scene in a varied way without limiting itself to what could become routine.

The public that follows the salsa sound already trusts Nor-Bert and his musical management. Regarding his power to attract people, the leader and manager of La Loma tells us: “currently we have a responsibility and we are committed to continuing with this project. What began as a hobby is now an obligation that we carry out with great pride and with much love. We do it from the heart, because we receive the support of the people. We feel the affection of the people. That can be seen here, in each video that we upload and in each post.”

Nor-Bert is a multifaceted singer-songwriter. He grew and polished his musical talent in NG2. His discipline has allowed him to continue growing, when the general consensus is that the salsa scene is too difficult for singers. Nor-Bert proves that being a soloist can be difficult although possible. His success makes salsa look good. He is living proof that salsa lives on. He says: «I decided to make music. I decided to believe in myself and in my project. I decided to believe in my career. I don’t expect anyone to do anything for me. I decided that my success is in self-management. Today that faith has given me the possibility to grow, along with my team. In other words, the one who stays at home and complains that he is not working is because he is staying at home. I go out on the street, and with the boys we go to work. We go to look for something to do and that is what has given us results. Regardless of whether the radio sounds good to you or not, we continue making music. I looked for my own platform. That is what we did, that is how sessions from La Loma was born and here we are.»

«I continue making my music, I help the boys who are close to me so that they can also expose their talent, with the hope that this will be a springboard for many people to get to know us. The idea is that those who want to continue doing their individual projects,” he says as he says goodbye to continue moving the production. Certainly, as a collaborator of his peers and colleagues, a few months ago we saw how Nor-Bert supported Karla Mari when she was presenting her show inspired by the Queen of Guaracha, Mirta Silva, at the Teatro Tapia in San Juan.

Nor-Bert not only produces, promotes, promotes and interprets. He also makes sure that others sound at the same time that he also sounds. As you can see, he is a unique artist. We wish him good health and prosperity so that he can successfully carry out all the projects that are presented to him.

Also Read: Metamorphosis: from music to photojournalism, a reinvention without limits

Ronald Borjas is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela with an international projection that grows every year.

He is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer, born in Maracaibo, the capital of the state of Zulia, on November 19, 1981.

Ronald Borjas is a Venezuelan singer, musician and composer

At the age of 10, his love for the timbal was born, a few years later, at the age of 14, he began singing as a soloist in the Bochinche Orchestra. Throughout his adolescence he stood out as a soloist in bands such as: Caribe, Asterisco, VHG and Bacanos.

He completed higher education at the Cecilio Acosta University (UNICA) where he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Music – Musical Education in 2002. In the same year he went on stage with the Venezuelan Super Band GUACO, where he debuted as a soloist and composer with the song “Te vas” from the album “El Sonido de Venezuela”.

Not only did he develop as a composer, Ronald also plays other percussion instruments such as the bass, the guitar and also the trumpet.

After 11 years as one of the main voices of Guaco, in 2014, Ronald decided to take another path and that is when the great project of his life began, developing his career as a soloist in genres such as Salsa, Bachata and Pop.

Ronald debuted as a soloist with the song “Te Doy Mi Voz” dedicated to his fans, with which he received the nomination for the Latin Grammy for “Best Tropical Song”. That same year, his musical godfather, Salsa legend Oscar D´ León invited him to his show at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he introduced him to thousands of people and baptized him as his “godson”.

That same year, he released “Te Encuentraré” a song that reached #1 on the Venezuelan radio charts Record Report and its video clip, filmed in New York, managed to enter the ranking of the most viewed videos on the HTV channel.

In 2015 he began his musical expansion to other borders, achieving success in countries such as Ecuador and Colombia where his third single titled “Dame Tu Amor” was positioned in the first places of the radio stations as well as in his native Venezuela, while in Peru, it was named the “tropical song of the summer”.

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela with an international projection.

At the end of that year he officially released his first album “Da Capo” with an event that brought together in Caracas, Venezuela a hundred figures of the national show, as well as the press, radio and TV of the country in an unprecedented event. This release in its first weeks, managed to accumulate more than 10,000 digital downloads on his official website www.ronaldborjas.com.

“Da Capo” had valuable collaborations and a first featuring with his godfather Oscar D´León, with whom he recorded “La Quiero Para Mi”. In addition, this album has songs by Amaury Gutierrez, Robert Vilera and his uncle Neguito Borjas, among others.

In 2016 he began releasing his song “Cántalo” which quickly became an anthem of joy and managed to position itself in the first place on Venezuelan radio. That year he won several national awards of great importance such as “Mara de Oro Internacional”, “Cacique De Oro”, Explosión Creativa and Supremacy, all of which recognized him as the “Salsa Singer of the Year”.

That same year he signed a contract with Sony Music as an artist from the Andean Region and embarked on his first international concert tour entitled “Da Capo tour” with which he visited Aruba, Panama and several cities in the United States.

In 2018, he released “Loco por Volverte a Ver” a song he wrote with Nacho Mendoza, Cáceres and Sharo Torres. He also made his second featuring with the “Caballero de la Salsa” Gilberto Santarosa with whom he released “Ellas te van lleva” the first collaboration with an international artist that also managed to position itself as number one on the radio charts.

Ronald Borjas is currently considered one of the greatest exponents of salsa in Venezuela

Shortly after, in 2019, he received a double nomination for “Album of the Year” with the song “Lo que pase aquí” as one of the songs on Tonny Succar’s album titled “Más de Mi” and “Salsa of the Year” with the song “No Queda Nada”. In addition to the collaboration he did with “Quintero´s Salsa Proyect” which was nominated for “Salsa Album of the Year”.

Also in 2019 he released his second album entitled “Bailamos Otra Vez” where he recorded songs of his own, as well as those of Servando Primera, Oscarcito and Amaury Gutiérrez. From this album come hits such as “Amor Demente” “Estoy Dispuesto” “Tu y Yo Tenemos” “Te Quiero para Mi” among others.

Shortly after he announced his collaboration with another former Guaco partner, Nelson Arrieta with whom he released the song “Sobran Los Momentos” which also gives name to the tour they would do together where they traveled through countries such as Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Peru, Panama and the United States achieving great acceptance by the public.

He started the year 2020 with several collaborative releases. “Para Ustedes” from the album origenes where he participated as a guest and achieved #1 on the radio in Venezuela, then he released the song “Juegos Eróticos” with Victor Muñoz and promoted it in his country with great acceptance.

The “pandemic” stage begins and confinement did not stop him. In March he releases the version of the song “María Antonia” by the Venezuelan singer Gualberto Ibarreto, in April he releases “Aunque Parezca Extraño” with Manuel Petit who invites him to this collaboration. In May, together with his uncle Neguito Borjas, Jorge Luis Chacín and Nelson Arrieta they join in a project entitled “Los Mágicos”. In June “Ahora Me Llama” comes out, a song he had recorded for Rumberos del Callejón.

As if that were not enough, in July he records an intimate concert where he invites Victor Muñoz, his uncle Neguito Borjas and Nelson Arrieta to release it as a gift to his fans through his YouTube channel.

He closes the last months of 2020 with the song “Mía” written by Ronald and Salvador Solano that became the anthem of the ´Zumba´ reaching several places in the world. After this, he released one of his songs, “Ya Lo Decidí,” with which he again achieved first place on the radio and was accepted by the entire public.

He started 2021 as a special guest at Gilberto Santarosa’s concert at the Filmore Theater in Miami, where they performed the song “Ellas Te Van Llevando” together. Months later, he released the song he recorded as a duet with José Alberto “El Canario” entitled “A Mi Me Gusta” which quickly managed to position itself on the main playlists of digital platforms in the world. He closed that year with the song “Dime Cómo Hago” which he recorded with Nelson Arrieta and Oscarcito, a salsa that took over the public’s taste and today is one of the most chanted in his concerts.

2022 started with another important collaboration with Motiff, a song titled “Me Descontrola” which quickly entered the top spots on radio billboards and digital platform listings, and was also the song chosen by the renowned company Zumba to use as the official song at its world events.

In 2022, he also launched a very ambitious musical project that he carried out with his friends and fellow countrymen Adelmo Gauna and Nando De La Gente called “Los Pikis” with which they released a series of videos where they compiled erotic salsa hits from the 80s and 90s. Such was the success that in just two months they achieved more than a million views on YouTube.

In May 2022, the live concert titled “Sobran Los Momentos” premieres where Nelson Arrieta and Ronald Borjas invite the founder and lead voice of Guaco, Gustavo Aguado, and together perform several of the hits of the Venezuelan super band, such as “Vivo” “Pídeme” “Eres Más” and “Lo Eres Todo”. Oscarcito was also there performing his hit “Si Tu Me Besas” and the one he has with Arrieta and Borjas “Dime Cómo Hago”. All this incredible material can be enjoyed on the official YouTube channel of Ronald Borjas and Nelson Arrieta.

To close the year, he released the song “Se prende el Parampampan” with his musical friend, Acosta, a fun salsa that unites their musical styles, which together with a video recorded in Puerto Rico, managed to enter the public’s taste, turning this song into an anthem for Venezuelan parties. For his part, Ronald Borjas released a solo single titled “Los Vecinos” which is accompanied by a humorous video directed by Alex Galán.

2023 began for Ronald Borjas with his third featuring with an international artist, this time with the Puerto Rican legend, Tito Nieves. A romantic salsa titled “Te Busqué” that was accompanied by a video where the two singers can be seen in a performance and story. The video currently has more than half a million views on Ronald’s official YouTube channel.

Months later, Ronald reunited with his cousin Luis Fernando Borjas and recorded the song “Cuestión de Tiempo”, which was widely accepted by the public, surpassing two and a half million views of the video and positioned itself as one of the most listened to songs by “Lo Borjas” on digital platforms. This name gave rise to a joint tour with which they have traveled to the main cities of Venezuela, achieving sold out in each one of them.

He closed the year with a great concert “Live in Miami” where he reunited several of his musical colleagues and friends, such as Oscarcito, Victor Muñoz, Motiff, Los Pikis and for the first time since their separation, Toto and Beet from the group Caibo joined together with Ronald, performing the hits “La Despedida” and “La Promesa”. This great reunion of artists can be found on Borjas’ YouTube channel and has also surpassed more than 600,000 views in less than a year.

2024 began with his fourth song in a duet with an international artist, this time with the Nicaraguan, “the prince of salsa” Luis Enrique with whom he recorded “Y Si Mañana”. A great launch was made through the media in Venezuela and it has been a song that quickly became the favorite of the public of both singers and in a few weeks it was positioned in the main salsa lists on Spotify.

After this success, Ronald begins his “Tour LATAM 2024” through Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Panama and Uruguay, countries where he managed to sell out all his performances and reunite with his public after several years. The success of this tour will soon take him to Europe where he will be performing several shows in Spain and other countries that have not yet been announced.

Also Read: Tribute to Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez Jr. His first recording was professionally with Tito Puente in 1964 and was titled “Exciting Rhythm of Tito Puente”