Leila Cobo dedicates her career to elevating Latin music at Billboard
Cobo not only grew up in a musical city but also in a musical family. Her brother is a classical guitarist, her father was a great music lover and Cobo, like her mother, is a classically trained pianist. She earned a journalism degree from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, then moved to New York, where she studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music. She then found herself performing live in various cities in Colombia and New York, but decided to find a way to merge both her love of writing and music. She earned a master's degree in communication management from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California and began landing jobs in television and radio. Her real introduction to music journalism was a job she landed at the LA Times. They were looking for a bilingual Spanish copy editor and before she knew it, Cobo was covering Latin music concerts, albums and artists. One of his earliest reviews was for a concert by Luis Miguel. Cobo finally found a role doing what she felt she was meant to do. But the column she wrote and titled Nuestro Tiempo will eventually be suppressed following budget cuts and layoffs.
Cobo was rehired as a subway reporter, but eventually got pregnant and had to quit. She then landed a job as press officer for the then city councillor. Then, in 1998, she and her husband moved to Miami, where she landed a job at the Miami Herald. Little did she know that this was the job that would allow her to play an important role at Billboard. Cobo covered Billboard Latin Music Week while at the Miami Herald and eventually applied for a role at Billboard. "The title was called Caribbean and Latin Bureau Chief. What a weird title, right? At work, I had a story that I wrote for the column a week. That's all I got. done. That was cool," Cobo says. "It was in the magazine. That's when the magazine came out every week. It came out with my little ID photo and it was called Latin Nota. It must have been 2000 and Latin music was was really happening at the time. It was when Ricky Martin and Shakira were coming out. It was the period of the Latin explosion, and I think that was really crucial because it was a brand that measured Latin music, so it was very forward-thinking in that sense. But I also thought that all of these things are happening now, we need to do more."
Although the music was measured, the mainstream media coverage surrounding it was minimal to non-existent. Cobo immediately saw an opportunity. "I remember the first time I put something Latin on the cover and it was with Marc Anthony. We had these co...
Cobo not only grew up in a musical city but also in a musical family. Her brother is a classical guitarist, her father was a great music lover and Cobo, like her mother, is a classically trained pianist. She earned a journalism degree from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, then moved to New York, where she studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music. She then found herself performing live in various cities in Colombia and New York, but decided to find a way to merge both her love of writing and music. She earned a master's degree in communication management from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California and began landing jobs in television and radio. Her real introduction to music journalism was a job she landed at the LA Times. They were looking for a bilingual Spanish copy editor and before she knew it, Cobo was covering Latin music concerts, albums and artists. One of his earliest reviews was for a concert by Luis Miguel. Cobo finally found a role doing what she felt she was meant to do. But the column she wrote and titled Nuestro Tiempo will eventually be suppressed following budget cuts and layoffs.
Cobo was rehired as a subway reporter, but eventually got pregnant and had to quit. She then landed a job as press officer for the then city councillor. Then, in 1998, she and her husband moved to Miami, where she landed a job at the Miami Herald. Little did she know that this was the job that would allow her to play an important role at Billboard. Cobo covered Billboard Latin Music Week while at the Miami Herald and eventually applied for a role at Billboard. "The title was called Caribbean and Latin Bureau Chief. What a weird title, right? At work, I had a story that I wrote for the column a week. That's all I got. done. That was cool," Cobo says. "It was in the magazine. That's when the magazine came out every week. It came out with my little ID photo and it was called Latin Nota. It must have been 2000 and Latin music was was really happening at the time. It was when Ricky Martin and Shakira were coming out. It was the period of the Latin explosion, and I think that was really crucial because it was a brand that measured Latin music, so it was very forward-thinking in that sense. But I also thought that all of these things are happening now, we need to do more."
Although the music was measured, the mainstream media coverage surrounding it was minimal to non-existent. Cobo immediately saw an opportunity. "I remember the first time I put something Latin on the cover and it was with Marc Anthony. We had these co...
What's Your Reaction?
