7 Things We Learned at Sueños Music Festival in Chicago

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Some artists just show up to work and sing, and there are others that show up and entertain. El Alfa is an entertainer. No other artist hyped up the crowd quite like El Jefe. He commanded the crowd with ease, having them jumping up and down and showing off their different Latin American flags to the tune of some of his biggest viral hits like “La Mamá de la Mamá,” “Gogo Dance,” and even “La Romana.” 

Moreover, you know you’re in the presence of a legend when they open their set with a PowerPoint presentation on their achievements. To kick off his performance, El Alfa featured a video that showcased his biggest performances, hits, and a highlight reel on the top moments of his career. El Alfa has broken down so many barriers for dembow artists that it had to be celebrated, and his set at Sueños showed just how he got there.  

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On day one of the festival, Remezcla got the chance to kick it with Dominican rapper Messiah at Buchanan’s Pineapple VIP experience. “I’m Dominican, so those who know me know I’m not lying. I love Buchanan’s. Buchanan’s with apple juice,  Buchanan’s with coconut water,” he says as he raises his glass of Buchanan’s Pineapple whiskey with coconut water. “It’s amazing.”

Since he wasn’t there to perform but to participate in the brand’s pop-up and hang out, we asked him what his favorite thing about being at Sueños was. “Checho is a legend,” he says as Corleone sings his set in the background. “I love his tone of voice. Seeing him, Nicky Jam, Arcangel, Myke Towers, I’m just here for the vibes.” He also shouts out Feid as the artist he’s been listening to lately. Like many other fans, wearing a green T-shirt, he recommends listening to his new song with Nicky Jam, “69.”

On what’s next, he let us into a little secret. “I just shot the video for my next record. My single with Myke Towers; it’s called ‘Touchdown,’” he says. This would mark the second time they work together after 2017’s “Inverso.” “It’s something my fans kept asking me since that time. ‘Yo, when’s the next Myke Towers record?’ So it’s something me and my label have been very interested in, and we finally did it. So stay tuned for that.” 

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Homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny are rampant in every music genre, and reggeaton and regional Mexican are no different. That’s why it’s so important to have representation from the LGBTQ community in these fields. The newer generation of artists is breaking gender norms just by taking up space in Latine music festivals. At Sueños, Young Miko and Jhonny Caz from Grupo Firme didn’t just take up space, but they made it theirs. 

Young Miko serenaded fans with many of her unapologetically queer anthems like “Lisa,” “Putero,” and “Classy 101.” And though her mic was cut off before she could perform “Riri,” fans couldn’t get enough of the Puerto Rican rapper. From the crowd, her supporters proudly displayed rainbow flags or hybrid Mexican flags with rainbow colors. By the end of her set, Young Miko grabbed one and put it around her neck. She was also gifted a bouquet of flowers whilst female fans screamed “Kiss me!” at her.

For his part, Caz proudly displayed the rainbow flag’s colors on his flag and sported an edgier, more-fashion-forward ensemble than his group mates or even peers in the banda genre.

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Inglewood native Becky G has had a rough 2023. Good thing she has a hearty selection of empowering and dolida anthems in her repertoire. Because of what she’s been going through in her personal life, songs like “MAMIII” and “Chanel” have been hitting extra hard, and her performances of these hits at Sueños were no different. At one point, a fan in the audience gifter Becky a bouquet of flowers. The singer happily took them and said the gesture was very nice, especially when you were mending a broken heart. This, of course, made the crown break out in cheers of support and a “Becky! Becky!” chant. Nothing else had to be said, for everyone understood what she meant, and the cheers were of encouragement and empathy.

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Technical difficulties are bound to happen during a festival of this scale. Unfortunately, Ivy Queen’s set was plagued by wardrobe and sound problems, including cutting out her music. After trying to play it off while singing and asking people to fix it, she took matters into her own hands and went a cappella. Not letting the mishaps take away from the crowd’s experience, Ivy Queen improvised on the spot and rolled with it, proving little to nothing stops her. 

Travel and accommodations were provided to the author by Diageo for the purpose of writing this story.