Latin Grammy Nominee Fito Blanko Talks Toronto’s First Latin Music Heritage
Written by SOURCE on October 26, 2021
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October is Latin Heritage Month in Canada, and Latin Music Block Chain (LMBC) is making history in Toronto with the city’s first-ever Latin music showcase.
LMBC is a collective of executives focused on the development of the Hispanic creative arts and entertainment industry in Canada, and their showcase will take place on Oct. 28 to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanics to Canada’s culture. The event will spotlight up-and-coming Latin artists, with performances from Bunlo, Justideas X St4r, Bebeboy, Gilbert Suarez X Rojas, Looch Bodega X, Skrillaghad, Ghaby Boy, Eber, and Benanthony LaVoz X Lucho De Sedas. Executive music producer Miguel Anthony and music influencer Baby Linda will host the event, and Latin Grammy nominee Fito Blanko and multi-platinum producer Sensei Musica will make special appearances.
We caught up with Fito Blanko to discuss the event and his hopes for its impact on Canada’s Latin music scene.
This will be the first ever Latin Music Heritage showcase in the city of Toronto—what does this mean to the Latin community and Latin musicians? Why is this so important?
The LMBC team discussed the importance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month during a think tank and the idea took off from there. Everyone involved in the showcase has always wanted an event like this to happen for the city. It’s amazing to see promoters, DJs, managers, producers and executives coming together in support of the event.
“That’s the beauty of this project; so many people from different walks of life coming together, it embodies the experience of being Latinx in North America.”
It’s important to send a message of artistic unity in our community for the world to take notice. All proceeds from this event will be used towards the marketing and promotion of this initiative.
How did this event come together? Tell us a bit about the showcase and what you’re excited about for it.
We thought it would be cool to honor Hispanic Heritage month by showcasing new artists with a fresh sound. The night will be co-hosted Miguel Anthony and Baby Linda with appearances by Sensei Musica, Carlos Brito (Toronto Barrio) and myself. Alex Narvaez is the keynote speaker kicking off the festivities before introducing a stacked line up of talent. Performances by Bunlo, Magic Seis x Just Ideas x St4r, Bebe Boy, Looch Bodega x Skillaghad, Gaby Boy, Eber, Ben Anothony & more will turn this into a night to remember. I’m really excited for the live performances, Latin acts always bring hunger and dope energy. I’m looking forward to congratulating them for their hard work. It’s important to give emerging artists their flowers!
The participating artists plus a few others will be featured on an album together—tell us your thoughts on the importance of an album like this and Latin artists coming together to create something so special.
The Toronto Barrio Vol1 album will be the first of its kind in Toronto. The final tracklist was carefully selected from a pool of about 60 original songs from over 40 artists, ninr of which made the album. The project was curated to flow cohesively front to back using various musical genres to tell each artist’s story. The undeniable influence of Toronto’s multicultural makeup will have any non-Hispanic listener forget they are listening to music in a foreign language. That’s the beauty of this project; so many people from different walks of life coming together, it embodies the experience of being Latinx in North America. I want to thank all the artists that submitted and also their respective teams for their collaboration [on] this project!
How do you hope this event will impact the Latin music scene in Canada?
The objective is to build unity through activity. The more activities we have, the more memories we create, the more bonds we develop, the stronger we become. It’s important for us to realize the power we have as a community and the impact we can make, but it requires engagement. I encourage collaboration, and creation among all those who attend, if this event inspires more music and more art, we’ve succeeded as a collective!
The Latin Heritage Music Showcase takes place Oct. 28 at La Liga (1107 Finch Ave. W). Grab tickets here.
