San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
8 must-see acts at Napa’s Festival La Onda
The first-ever Festival La Onda is set to take over Napa Valley on June 1-2, celebrating Latin music and culture with a diverse lineup that spans genres from reggaetón to cumbia. Here are the acts you shouldn’t miss:
Maná
Formed in 1981, the group currently consists of vocalistguitarist Fher Olversa, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros. The band has earned four Grammy Awards and eight Latin Grammy Awards over the years, and it is one of the best-selling Latin music acts.
Maná are also among the headliners for BottleRock Napa Valley, which takes place the weekend prior to Festival La Onda. If you missed Maná at SAP Center in San Jose and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento in September, now’s the time to catch these Latin pop rock giants.
8:15 p.m. Sunday, June 2. La Onda Stage
Farruko
Hailing from Puerto Rico, the singer and rapper, known off stage as Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado, initially rose to fame as a collaborator with artists such as Daddy Yankee, J Balvin and Don Omar. His first solo album, “El Talento del Bloque” (2010), along with internet hype, established him as a staple reggaeton artist. Recently, his music has taken a feel-good turn, laying off lyrics about drugs and partying and transitioning toward more positive messaging.
6:45 p.m. Saturday, June 1. La Onda Stage
Los Ángeles Azules
Melding cumbia music with accordions and synthesizers,
the cumbia sonidera group was formed in the early 1980s by siblings of the Mejía Avante family — Elías, Alfrado, José Hilario, Jorge, Cristina and Guadalupe. The Mexican band has performed with the Mexico City Symphony Orchestra, collaborated with artists like Natalia Lafourcade and Miguel Bosé, and released more than 20 albums over the years.
The family band was honored with a lifetime achievement award at last year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards.
6:55 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Verizon Stage
Danna Paola
The Mexican pop singer got her start as a child, acting in a number of children’s shows before starring as Elphaba in the first Spanish-language production of the musical “Wicked” in Mexico City in
2013. She starred for three seasons in Netflix’s Spanish teen thriller series “Élite” before quitting to focus on her music career. Now she has seven albums to her name
Her latest, “Childstar,” was released earlier this year and delves into the challenges of growing up in the spotlight. Here, the Latin Grammy Award nominee leaves behind the bubblegum pop of her earlier work for a more electronic and house-inspired sound.
5:15 p.m. Saturday, June 1. La Onda Stage
Fuerza Regida
Straight out of San Bernardino, the regional Mexican group formed in 2015 as a cover band. It broke into the mainstream in 2023 with the single “Bebe Dame” with Texas-based regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera. Fuerza
Regida consists of lead vocalist Jesús Ortíz Paz, backing vocalist and guitarist Samuel Jaimez, rhythm guitarist Khrystian Ramos, sousaphone player José “Pelón” García and tololoche player Moisés López. The group has collaborated with American producer and DJ Marshmello and Mexican singer Peso Pluma over the years.
8:15 p.m. Sunday, June 2. Verizon Stage
Mon Laferte
The best-selling Chilean artist of the 21st century, Laferte combines a range of genres in her music, from pop and rock to cumbia and salsa. Her music career began in 2003, when she was known as Monserrat Bustamante, with her debut album “La Chica de Rojo.” Living in Mexico City for more than 15 years, she’s developed the melodramatic sound and stage persona Mon Laferte as a way to embody a new beginning for herself. The Grammy Award nominee has put out nine genre-bending studio albums over the course of her decades-long career.
5:15 p.m. Sunday, June 2. La Onda Stage
Alex Fernández
Ahead of his superstar father Alejandro’s headlining performance at La Onda, this budding mariachi singer is slated to hit the stage on June 1. Fernández’s grandfather, Vicente Fernández Gómez, was a cherished ranchera singer, actor and film producer. Father Alejandro, lovingly nicknamed “El Potrillo” by fans, is among the best-selling Latin music artists, with over 20 million records sold worldwide. Following in their footsteps, 30-year-old Alex has been releasing his own music since he was 19, exposing a younger generation to mariachi music.
11:40 a.m. Saturday, June 1. Verizon Stage
Silvana Estrada
The Latin Grammy winner is regarded as a key voice in shaping the Latin alternative music genre over the past decade. Estrada, who studied jazz at the University of Veracruz in Xalapa, Mexico, cites jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan and folk singers such as Chavela Vargas and Violeta Parra as musical influences. She became the first Latin American artist signed to American label Glassnote Records in 2020, and in 2022 she released her debut solo album “Marchita,” which was met with critical acclaim.
2:05 p.m. Sunday, June 2. Verizon Stage