The release of Zayn Malik's debut solo single marks the official start of the post–One Direction world which means the throne for America's biggest boy band is ready for the taking. Cue CNCO: Simon Cowell's new boy band--created via another reality show, La Banda on Univision--is concocted by the American Idol/X Factor mastermind to be the next Latin sensation.
Made up of five young men from five different countries, CNCO consists of Christopher Velez (from Ecuador), Richard Camacho (Dominican Republic), Joel Pimentel (Mexico), Erick Brian Colon (Cuba), and Zabdiel de Jesus (Puerto Rico). Each member was voted through to the competition by at least two of La Banda's superstar judges, consisting of Latin superstars Alejandro Sanz, Laura Pausini and Ricky Martin, a former boy band member himself. Viewers voted the boys through each week based on their group and solo performances.
Upon revealing the final lineup of CNCO, the guys performed their first song "Devuélveme Mi Corazón" on the stage; the showcase seemed to not only have the audience shrieking, but boasted a sound that was as catchy as any boy-band banger while utilizing trendy sounds in Latin pop.
The question is now whether CNCO can land even a smidgen of One Direction's success as they release their debut single "Tan Fácil" around the world today.
The big X factor here (pun intended) will be Simon Cowell: The music/TV exec essentially brought back the boy band and girl group trend by leading 1D, and Fifth Harmony, to massive success. Having an expertly crafted boy band for yet another lane of the music industry seems like the next obvious step in Cowell land.
Plus, having the massive American Spanish-language broadcast network of Univision will guarantee the group big promo slots. Case in point: The group performed in Times Square as part of Univision's New Year's Eve show, without even a proper single released.
And good, accessible music will be key to breaking this group past Univision viewers. "Devuélveme Mi Corazón" hinted at big things, and "Tan Fácil" confirms that the group will focus on trends in Latin music with both tracks utilizing the once-again-super-hot reggaeton sound that J. Balvin is boasting and earned a Billboard Hot 100 hit with earlier this summer. So far, it seems to be working, as "Tan Fácil" instantly topped the U.S. iTunes Latino charts upon release and is even charting within the Top 200 songs overall on iTunes—the only Spanish song there.
Take a listen below.
