For Maná, who has been rocking for almost 40 years, singing in Spanish is part of their resonance and resilience
Four decades into their journey as a band, Maná is still enjoying many firsts.
Last month, they became the first ever Spanish-language rock band to be nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
In September, they will kick off their Vivir Sin Aire Tour, which will take them to cities they've never played before, like Montreal, Canada.
In November, when they make their tour stops in Los Angeles, they will break a record currently held by Bruce Springsteen for most arena shows performed in Los Angeles history. (Their total of 44 will best Springsteen's 42.)
The Guadalajara-born band is well aware that this incredible success comes at a time of strife for the Latino community and migrants, amid constant news of immigration enforcement operations.
Fher Olvera, the band's lead vocalist, told CNN in a recent interview that a message of faith and hope is baked into the essense of the upcoming tour.
'Vivir sin Aire (is) about coming and telling them, 'We're here, don't be filled with fear,' he said. 'These are murky times, but everything passes, and this is a moment that will pass.'
Alex González, the band's drummer, added that they aim to bring 'a positive message about the importance of the Latin community in the United States,' particularly as an 'essential part of the economy.'
The tour will have Maná performing 30 shows in 21 cities. A portion of ticket sales will help establish a program formed in honor of Olvera's late mother. The Maná 'Latinas Luchonas' program 'will empower Latina women entrepreneurs through scholarships, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.'
Giving back to the Latino community comes naturally to the band, who said staying true to themselves has been key to their success.
'The act of singing in Spanish and only in Spanish is a revolutionary act,' Olvera said. 'We also did (sing exclusively in Spanish) because we wanted to connect not only with the music, but also through all the ideas, the sensations, the Mexican spirit, the Latin spirit that can't be separated from language. It's inherent, it goes hand in hand. So, people understand it, and in the end, they assimilate it as such.'
Guitarist Sergio Vallin recalled performing in Tel Aviv several years ago and seeing people singing in Spanish.
'We're very proud to bring our roots everywhere we go,' he said.
They're grateful to say those roots are now multi-generational.
'The kids who grew up when Maná started are now parents or even grandparents. And so, the music, the truth, is passed down,' González said. 'It's been incredible that it's been (passed on) from generation to generation.'
The Vivir Sin Aire Tour will run through April 2026. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be revealed in late April.
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Chicago Tribune
43 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Grant Park Music Festival opens with Latin dances and a multitasking conductor
Depending where you are, introducing oneself as American in Spanish — soy Americano — might set you up for some playful ribbing. To many, the descriptor is understood to refer to the Americas broadly, not the United States. On Wednesday, a very Americano opening night of the Grant Park Music Festival, led by guest conductor Andrew Litton, took that wide angle. Gabriela Lena Frank's 'Three Latin American Dances' references indigenous American and European sources alike, mixing — like so much Latin American music — in a fluid, unbroken tapestry. The Spanish dances in Manuel de Falla's 'The Three-Cornered Hat,' later in the program, hit home those Old World influences. Even 'Rhapsody in Blue,' the U.S.-of-American piece at the concert's heart, briefly shuffles atop Latin rhythms. Though studiously apolitical, the concert's Pan-American outlook took on added resonance this week amid demonstrations in Chicago and across the country over immigration raids targeting migrants from Latin America. Just a few short months ago, festival music director Giancarlo Guerrero — born in Nicaragua, raised in Costa Rica — placed 30-second ad spots for the festival on Spanish-language radio, a savvy marketing move for a city that is more than a fifth Spanish-speaking. But the festival has opened to a stark new political reality. Guerrero will arrive at the festival starting next week. In the meantime, Litton devised a sufficiently show-stopping opener by conducting and playing 'Rhapsody in Blue.' Doing double duty is doubtlessly a feat, but it's an entirely possible one, Litton told the audience: the solo piano part and orchestral backing more or less trade off throughout. There are about a million ways to tackle Gershwin's perennial, and local audiences have heard a few already in recent summers. On Wednesday, Litton and the Grant Parkers went for contrast: The orchestra's raucous, jazzy heft met the cool steel of Litton's primmer and ever-so-classical interpretation. Litton's necessary focus on the solo part often freed the Grant Park musicians — especially solo voices like clarinetist Trevor O'Riordan and trombonist Jeremy Moeller — to take inspiring interpretive risks. Likewise, Litton seemed more in his element than in the rest of the program. Lines ebbed and flowed with ease, and he briefly superimposed some swing on his cadenza halfway through the piece. However, Litton was less decisive when he recouped his baton. He appeared notably more reliant on the score to 'Dances,' written in 2004, than he did the Gershwin and de Falla's; unsurprisingly, a staid, mostly anonymous account followed. Grant Park's open-air setting is always a daunting container for atmospheric, hazily scored music like the opening of the second-movement 'Highland Harawi.' Here, though, it came off as detached rather than distant, draining the screeching-violin cataclysm a few minutes later of its drama. The lackadaisical tempo of the 'Mestizo Waltz' capper never reached liftoff, either. Overall, this was the rare Grant Park evening where the 21st century work got the short end of the stick. 'The Three-Cornered Hat' fared better. It still had its flat moments — the exposition felt a bit ushered along, as did the beginning of 'The Neighbors Dance' — but in this familiar repertoire, the ensemble did more to rise to the occasion. Cheeky pinprick staccatos from oboist Alex Liedtke and bassoonist Eric Hall enlivened the 'Dance of the Miller's Wife.' Later, the 'Jota' finale thrived in the delightful juxtaposition of grandiosity and mischief, represented by pulsing low voices and tiptoeing woodwinds. It tends to take a program or two for the Grant Parkers to readjust to playing together in the Pavilion. Wednesday was no exception, with several scattered moments. But this ever-flexible orchestra course-corrects quickly: It only took a bar or so for violins to brush themselves off after some disagreement at the top of Frank's 'Dances,' and again in harried moments in 'The Three-Cornered Hat.' But its sound was always gleaming and well-rounded, the instrumental balance impeccable all evening. From the curtain-raising 'Star-Spangled Banner' to the de Falla's hair-raising Jota, this was a banner night for the Grant Park brass in particular. Trombones converged cleanly and mightily for their soli in 'Rhapsody in Blue'; so did trumpets at the flamenco-y start of the 'Mestizo Waltz.' In an uncertain, ugly summer, what a gift it is to have Grant Park. The Grant Park Music Festival continues this Friday at 6:30 p.m. with Holst's 'The Planets,' conducted by festival chorus director Christopher Bell in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.; free,
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Diddy trial live updates: Jane says she was sick over 2016 video of Diddy attacking Cassie
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend "Jane," who has pulls back the curtain on their allegedly volatile sexual relationship, is set to conclude her time on the stand in the high-profile criminal trial. The woman, who is testifying under a pseudonym in the sweeping federal sex-crimes case, returned to Manhattan court on June 12 to wrap up cross-examination. Attorneys for Combs have attempted to elicit testimony that indicates she freely participated in, and even encouraged, the sexual performances she took part in during her on-and-off romance with Combs. During cross-examination on June 11, Jane was asked to explain messages from the Grammy-winning rapper that appeared to give his then-girlfriend options when it came to their "hotel nights," or sexual encounters Combs allegedly orchestrated between Jane and various sex workers. "I was just adapting to my circumstances and my environment," and adjusting to "the pressures of my lover," Jane told the court, responding to messages where she'd agreed to sex acts. "I was going along with something I really didn't feel I could say no to." The online content creator, who previously said she still loves Combs to this day, admitted she also harbors negative feelings: "I resent him for all of it," she told Combs' attorney Teny Geragos. Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. After CNN published surveillance footage of Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura Fine at a Los Angeles hotel, Jane said she was lost her appetite and was sick. She said Combs had never laid a hand on her at that point in their relationship. 'That was just not the man that you knew?' Geragos asked. 'Right,' Jane friends told her to break up with him amid the public outcry over the video, but Jane said she wanted to support Combs at the time. 'You felt this was another example of how complicated he was?' Geragos said.'Like in his past?' Jane answered. 'Yes.' In the final hours of Jane's cross-examination, Combs' lawyers asked the anonymous witness about her relationship with the rapper after Ventura Fine filed a bombshell 2023 lawsuit accusing him of sweeping abuse. Geragos said Jane previously found Combs 'egotistical and cold,' but 'you felt much more love from him' after the lawsuit. 'You saw a positive change from him and that he could be much more apologetic.' He 'listened better,' 'spent more time at the house' and 'didn't disappear for days.' Jane agreed with all of these sentiments, responding 'yes' and 'right' to Geragos' comments. Geragos added that after Cassie's lawsuit, Combs changed the terminology of how he spoke about his relationship with Jane. While he used to say he was 'single and polyamorous,' he started saying 'we're in a relationship and you're my girlfriend.' Combs was 'more loving and made it seem more like a relationship.' Overall, 'I felt that I could assert myself a little bit more,' Jane said on the stand. 'I felt we had some growth in our relationship.' Jane finally took the stand on June 12 after a lengthy delay. In the morning, Judge Arun Subramanian the defense, prosecution and Jane's lawyer into his chambers for a private meeting that lasted nearly two hours. Afterward, Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifolo addressed the court in cryptic terms, alluding to an event that happened "behind closed doors" in a hotel room in January 2024. 'Many other people were there,' he said, adding that while the defense had agreed to the use of a pseudonym for Jane, they objected to some other names and events not being made 'fully public.' "Other people might have information about the event," Agnifolo said. "The public can do what it does in all issues of importance." It's not clear what Agnifilo meant, but remember that the public has provided some evidence in Combs' trial. For example, one of Combs' former assistants, who testified using the pseudonym Mia, made a birthday video for him, and it was used in her cross-examination. The defense may therefore, be trying to call on the public to potentially corroborate whatever this mystery event is. Mia, who worked for Combs from 2009 to 2017, testified on May 29 that he sexually assaulted her on "more than one" occasion. The former assistant alleged the first time Combs assaulted her was at the Plaza Hotel in New York City when they were celebrating his 40th birthday in 2009. Mia recalled having two shots that were affecting her much more than alcohol typically impacted her memory and balance. She said Combs approached her in a penthouse suite and sexually assaulted her, and she woke up sitting on a chair in the morning. In later years, Combs allegedly assaulted her several additional times, including at his Los Angeles home and on a private plane. Federal prosecutors on June 5 referred to Combs' former staffer Kristina Khorram as "an agent and co-conspirator" of Combs. That doesn't mean she's about to face charges: Instead, it indicates she's likely reached an agreement with prosecutors and will testify. Combs previously called Khorram his "right hand" in business ventures. The designation also comes as prosecutors submitted a text from Ventura Fine to Khorram about the alleged balcony incident in which Combs attacked Bongolan. The message read Combs "went at Bana, choked her, dangled her feet off the balcony. This is crazy. I have to get away." In emotional testimony during the first week of trial, Combs' ex-girlfriend Ventura Fine told jurors Combs physically and emotionally abused her throughout their tumultuous 11-year relationship and raped her shortly after they broke up for good. Ventura Fine, a pop and R&B singer, said she participated in alleged drug-fueled freak offs because she feared Combs would release sex tapes of her if she didn't, but also because she loved him. Friends and associates of Combs and Ventura have testified about Combs' alleged abuse, describing Combs as a domineering figure who relied on bodyguards and associates to enable his alleged crimes and keep victims in line. A team of experienced lawyers is helping Combs defend himself against sex crimes charges. Nicole Westmoreland of Westmoreland Law LLC, filed a notice of attorney appearance with the court last month. Combs' defense team was already being led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Geragos. Agnifilo is a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and, according to the firm's website, has tried more than 200 cases in his 30-year career. He is a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney. Geragos is also a founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater and is "particularly experienced in defending and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct," according to the firm's website. Reports have emerged that the prosecution is moving to have a juror removed. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey told Judge Arun Subramanian there "appeared to be a lack of candor with the court" from Juror No. 6, according to CNN and NBC News. Alexandra Shapiro from Combs' team reportedly accused the prosecution of trying to get a Black juror dismissed. Both sides are expected to file letters detailing their respective arguments. The issue was first brought to the judge's attention while court was in session on June 10. Diddy has seven children, six of whom are biological. Diddy had his first biological son, Justin Combs, with fashion designer and stylist Misa Hylton. Diddy adopted Quincy Brown, the son of ex-girlfriend and model Kimberly Porter, who died in 2018 after a battle with pneumonia. The former couple also shared three other children: son Christian "King" Combs and twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie Combs. Diddy has another daughter, Chance Combs, whom he shares with businesswoman Sarah Chapman. His seventh and last child, daughter Love Sean Combs, was born in October 2022 with model and cybersecurity specialist Dana Tran. As Geragos presented more texts between Jane and Combs from 2023 during the June 11 hearing, the witness was visibly emotional and started crying on the stand. "The feeling you are the reason for my child's joy" means more than she could explain, one of Jane's messages read. She'd added, "You are my friend, my lover, my boyfriend — even though you don't like that word — LOL but you are LOL." It was during the reading of this message that Jane began crying, with Geragos going on to read more of Jane's texts that expressed her affection for the music mogul. Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more Reviewing a text exchange between Jane and Combs ahead of their 2023 "sobriety party" — a "hotel night" at L'Ermitage Beverly Hills that allegedly lasted 12 to 18 hours and involved having sex with three escorts — Geragos asked whether she'd agreed to do this. "Unfortunately, yes," Jane testified. Geragos replied, "You keep saying 'Unfortunately', but didn't you agree to it?" to which Jane clarified, "I resent him for knowing how much I loved him and knowing I couldn't say no to him." Asked whether she regrets doing that freak off, Jane said, "I believe resent and regret lie in the same feelings." Jane told the court she was jealous of Yung Miami, a rapper Combs started dating around the same time he was seeing Jane. She said Combs took Yung Miami on her "dream vacation" to Turks and Caicos, days after Jane had spent her birthday having an alleged "freak off." "I think after being made to have sex with three men on my birthday," it was "very hurtful" to see him taking a "beautiful" trip with another woman, Jane said. "I was extremely heartbroken." In a message Jane read aloud in court, she alleged she was forced to participate in the sexual performance. "I didn't wanna do all that on my birthday. I was tired and put on a good face," she said. Jane previously testified that she recruited sex worker Sly Williams to join their alleged hotel nights after watching him in adult films. During the June 10 hearing, she explained that she and Combs watched Williams on a pornography site in October 2021. When Jane messaged Williams, Combs was "surprised and really happy because he had never had a girl pick the guy before," she said. Jane also found another sex worker named Anton through the same site. She alleged Williams later threatened to sell a tape of the two of them having sex and extorted her not to release it. Jane said Combs was "livid" and told her to call the police, but she didn't out of fear. On June 10, Jane said she, Combs and one of the escorts they allegedly hired used the nickname "trifecta" when they had sex. Jane claimed she was Kobe Bryant; Paul, the entertainer, was Shaquille O'Neal; and Combs was Michael Jordan. Jane said she frequently called Paul, the escort, her "boyfriend" and called Paul and Combs her "boys." Despite videos circulating online, which appear to show artificially generated court sketches of Eddie Murphy testifying at the Combs trial, the actor hasn't been in the courtroom and isn't expected to be called as a witness. While a specter of celebrity hangs heavy over the proceedings, many of the big names roped in have merely been name-drops from the standby lesser-known witnesses from Combs' inner circle. The only true "celebrities" to testify thus far have been Ventura Fine and Kid Cudi. Ventura Fine alleged that Combs physically, sexually and psychologically abused her for years of their relationship. Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, old the court that Combs allegedly broke into his home and locked his dog in a bathroom when he found out his fellow rapper was dating Ventura Fine. He also alleged Combs was behind an explosion that destroyed his car around the same time. You may have seen major celebs like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio named during Combs' trial. But the A-list actors aren't accused of anything — they've only been mentioned in the background of events Combs attended. For example, trial witness "Mia" alleged that she witnessed a 2012 discussion between Combs and Ventura Fine escalate at the premiere of a Pitt film during the Cannes Film Festival in France. She claimed she saw Combs grit his teeth while digging his nails into Ventura Fine's arm, and he eventually insisted that Ventura Fine leave. Mia also referenced a high-stakes poker game between Combs and DiCaprio in texts she sent him around 2020. In one message, she wrote that Combs said, while cursing: "That 'Titanic' (guy) doesn't know (anything). He won $10,000, I won $650,000." BET Awards host Kevin Hart alluded to the music mogul during his opening monologue as he joked about why the show was happening on a Monday night. Hart called for "no afterparties" on a work night and said those are were things get "slippery, at them god damn afterparties." After dropping the reference to Combs' propensity for baby oil, Hart added, "We're learning a lot about people, ain't we?" 50 Cent is looking to give President Donald Trump his two cents about Combs. In an Instagram post on May 30, the "In da Club" emcee said he would reach out to Trump after the president said he would "look at the facts" in Combs' case, suggesting a pardon could be on the table. The rapper shared a clip of the president's comments in his post and wrote that Combs "said some really bad things about Trump," adding that he will "reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy." Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of. The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy trial live updates: Jane sick over video of Diddy beating Cassie
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Springsteen calls Trump ‘treasonous' while performing at famous site of 1936 Berlin Olympics
Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen doesn't appear to be winding down his war of words with President Donald Trump. The "Born To Run" singer condemned Trump again this week during a performance at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, a venue built for the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. "The America that I love, the America that I sung to you about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration," he told the crowd during his set with his iconic E Street Band on Wednesday. Springsteen also urged the crowd to stand up with him against "authoritarianism." "Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring," he said as the crowd cheered. He added a hopeful message: "The America that I've sung to you about for the past 50 years of my life is real. And regardless of its many faults, it's a great country with great people. And we will survive this moment." Springsteen made the same speech against Trump during his show in Manchester last month. He also told the crowd at the time, "There's some very weird, strange and dangerous s--- going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction and abandoning the world's poorest children to sickness and death." He also said, "They're removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now. A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American." The musician's Manchester comments caught Trump's attention, prompting him to return fire on his social media platform, Truth Social. "I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States," he wrote. "Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he's not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country." When asked about some of Springsteen's comments late last month, White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital, "When this loser Springsteen comes back home to his own City of Ruins in his head, he'll realize his Glory Days are behind him and his fans have left him Out in the Street, putting him in a Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out because he has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain."
