Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas Welcomes Juanes to the "MTV Unplugged" Stage

USA - English

• Latin America - español

MIAMI, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas, the bilingual/bicultural entertainment destination for Latinos in the US, announced today that it's set to welcome Colombian Superstar Juanes to the legendary MTV Unplugged stage.  Heralded as a "soulful poet" (New York Times) and "one of the most influential artists of the decade" (NPR) for his ability to fuse traditional Latin rhythms with rock muscle and pop craftsmanship, Juanes will bring a further twist to his biggest hits and specially composed new songs by collaborating with Latin Music's creative "maestro" Juan Luis Guerra – whom Juanes has personally asked to act as the project's music director and album producer.  With the support of the City of Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the Juanes MTV Unplugged special and album is set to record at the Frank Gehry designed New World Center in Miami Beach in February 2012.

"This means everything to me - it's going back to my core, the basics, the essence and rawness of my music," says Juanes on his excitement to record in the stripped down acoustic format. Juan Luis Guerra is likewise looking forward to the special event, saying: "Juanes' vocals and performances are better than ever! The Unplugged stage will be the perfect space to discover the intimacy of his music." 

"Juanes is an amazing artist, advocate and human being…we have thought about working with him on an unplugged for a while now," said Jose Tillan, GM & EVP of Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas. "His repertoire of great songs is as strong as his musicianship, which is the perfect combination for a great show." 

Jose Tillan and Charlie Singer will serve as Executive Producers and Marc Zimet as Executive in Charge of Music Talent for Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas. Ivan Dudynsky will serve as Director alongside Production Designer Anton Goss and Lighting Director Tom Kenny. 

About Juanes
With five solo albums to his credit and multi-platinum sales of over 15 million albums, Juanes is the world's leading all-Spanish language rock artist. Named Latin Music's "Star of The Decade" by Billboard, Juanes is both a GRAMMY and 17-time LATIN GRAMMY winner who has garnered more Top-5 hits (17) on the "Latin Pop Airplay" chart than any other artist since his chart bow in 2001.  Juanes is also frequently recognized as one of the Spanish-speaking world's leading social media voices with an online following of over 7 1/2 Million fans.  The Colombian superstar's dedication as a global activist also extends far beyond his passionate lyrics and is seen in his wide ranging charitable work for his own Mi Sangre Foundation and as a co-founder of the "Paz sin Fronteras" (Peace Without Borders) organization - which utilizes music to unite populaces regardless of political or geographic divides and advocate that all people are entitled to the basic human right of peace.

About the New World Center
Built in the heart of Miami Beach, the New World Center, campus of the New World Symphony, is an innovative facility with state-of-the-art technical capabilities for music education and performances. The design for the campus' program-focused building, conceived to be at the intersection of music and architecture, emerged from a long and close collaboration between two American artistic icons, Michael Tilson Thomas and Frank Gehry. Led by founder and Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas, the New World Symphony, America's Orchestral Academy, is dedicated to the artistic, personal and professional development of the next generation of classical musicians, preparing gifted young graduates of major music schools to assume leading roles in orchestras and ensembles worldwide.

About Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas
Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas, owned and operated by Viacom International Media Networks- The Americas, a unit of Viacom Inc. (Nasdaq: VIA, VIA.B), reaches 6.1 million Hispanic TV households (45% of US Hispanic Total TV HH) and 34 million total TV households. The network's programming embraces the trilogy of cultures that represents Latino life – Latin American plus American equals US Latino - through original productions, key acquisitions, and content from MTV Networks' portfolio of entertainment brands. Tr3s embraces the key lifestyle aspects of Latino identity -- milestones, making it and music -- as well as social responsibility through its initiative "Agentes de Cambio", which tackles issues that affect Latinos today. The network also taps into the growing number of Latinos that are digitally connected through www.tr3s.com.

SOURCE Tr3s: MTV, Musica y Mas