How Venesti’s Relentless Drive Took Him from Guapi, Colombia to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts

Venesti was only 11 years old when he realized he loved music — after writing love letters to his school crush and discovering Don Omar for the first time. 

“I thought to myself, ‘Why not sing about the things I write about?’” he tells Billboard. “I had already become a poet trying to win over this girl. That was when I got the curiosity to turn those poems into melody and want to make songs. That’s how I discovered that this was my passion and that I vibe with music.” 

At 14, the artist born Faiber Stiven Caicedo Castro (his artistic name is a play on words of his middle name) made the brave decision to move from his native Guapi, Cauca (located in the Pacific of Colombia) to Cali — a.k.a. the world capital of salsa — to learn music. There, he became the vocalist of a salsa orchestra and even tested the waters as a bachata singer, before finding his own sound in 2018, at the age of 22. 

“I began to look not for what people like as such, but for what I like and that can identify me as an artist,” he explains. “I started to explore the music of my roots, African and Pacific, and found a nice middle point that’s a fresh Caribbean sound with Colombian fusions and African flow.” 

Venesti recalls working on about 20 songs at home before deciding to knock on doors. Once he felt confident enough in his project — and backed by the support of his mother and older brother — he traveled to Medellīn, where the music industry has a strong presence. Along the way, he came across producers and artists who gave him his first opportunities, but also music executives who turned out to be scammers. He admits that although he invested more than $15,000 and had many debts, he refused to give up on his dream. 

And it was then, in a leap of faith in 2022, that his feel-good Afro-Colombian tunes got to the ears of music business mogul Pablo Casal. In 2023, he signed his first record label deal with AP Global Music.

“He’s one of the people who has helped my music reach another level. He has a very nice way of teaching,” Venesti says of Casal. “I’ve perfected my art, partially, thanks to him. Because he has put a lot of effort into it, and we’ve had a very cool connection from the beginning.” 

The Colombian newcomer has since charted with four songs across the Billboard charts, including “Umaye,” his first No. 1 ever on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart, and most recently with “No Es Normal” (in collaboration with Nacho and Maffio), which topped the Latin Pop Airplay for seven weeks. 

“That has been my greatest achievement…to find a team that is a family,” he notes. “I am very lucky. I feel that with them, I’m going to go very far and achieve all the goals I set myself.” 

Below, learn more about February’s Latin Artist on the Rise:

Name: Faiber Stiven Caicedo Castro

Age: 28

Recommended Song: “No Es Normal” (Venesti, Nacho & Maffio)

Major Accomplishment: Up to now, Venesti says that his three career highlights are being nominated at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro for best urban song (the award went to Feid and Young Miko’s “Classy 101”), having multiple Billboard chart entries and finding a solid work team who is honest and believes in his vision.

What’s Next: “[I’m going to] continue working on the album,” he assures. “I feel that it’s very fresh and has everything for people to identify with, wonderful songs and stories. Continue sharing all my music on stage — and you can expect a lot of music from Venesti, because I’m working for that every day.”