‘More Friends, Less Business’: Kenia Os & La Joaqui Explain the Power of Friendship at Billboard Latin Music Week

Unity, camaraderie and constant collaboration among Argentine artists have become a fundamental contribution to their success and globalization.

On Monday (Oct. 14) at Billboard Latin Music Week 2024, Argentine rapper and singer La Joaqui and Mexican star Kenia Os discussed the importance of friendship and support among colleagues within the industry, particularly for women.

La Joaqui and Kenia Os, who have released two collaborations together this year — “Kitty” and “San Turrona RMX” — participated in the “Entre Amigas” panel, moderated by Flor Mauro, editorial content director of Billboard Argentina.

“We are in an industry where, especially if you are a woman, media wants you to treat each other as competition — ‘Such female artist surpassed another female artist’ — when both surpassed 10 male artists,” La Joaqui said. “However, many women are making noise.”

“It brought me a lot of relief when I collaborated with Kenia,” she added, mentioning that she was already her “No. 1 fan” when she wrote to her hoping to meet, and the Mexican artist replied that she was in the studio recording an album and immediately invited her to collaborate in it. “She opened the doors of her kingdom to me, let me enter this world so new to me. I was very afraid of these kinds of connections, but […] it was a genuine connection, that’s why I think we did so well.”

or Kenia, who also declared herself a fan of La Joaqui, collaborating with another woman was something refreshing because it doesn’t happen often among female artists in Mexico, where “the media pits women against each other a lot,” she said.

“My first collaboration was with La Joaqui […] and from day one it was a beautiful connection. It was incredible,” she said, noting that it not only gave her entry into a difficult market for Mexicans like Argentina, but led to new opportunities to collaborate, including with Mexican artists like Peso Pluma, with whom she recorded the hit “Tommy & Pamela.”

For both, authenticity is a priority in their careers. “It’s super important for artists who are starting out,” said Kenia Os, recalling that it took her a while to find her own voice because she started young in the business, going from teenager to adulthood in the public eye and being influenced by other people’s opinions. La Joaqui, who started as a rapper, said she found her authentic place in RKT, a subgenre of cumbia villera characterized by its influences from cumbia villera, reggaeton, and electronic music.

To sum up the importance of friendship in music, La Joaqui said it is “crucial” in a world where artists are constantly mistreated on social media, and called for “more friends and less business.”

“We move in an environment where there is impunity,” said the Argentine star. “Where it’s normal for people to tweet: ‘Your music is crap… I hope you die.’ It’s no longer an opinion, it’s abuse. And you are simply getting up and doing something you like.”

“There are times you pretend so much madness that you become mad and you need a friend to simply ask you, ‘How are you? Are you okay? How do you feel?'” she continued. “Most of the time I’m not okay, I cry once a week, and having friends in the industry has allowed me to cry in private. I recommend making real friendships to make songs. That integrated feeling is a sure hit.”

Over the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the one, steady foundation of Latin music in this country, becoming the single most important — and biggest — gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Initially named Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event traces back to 1990, where it kicked off as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and awards show.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.