In a surprising turn of events, the confirmation of Peso Pluma's performance at the upcoming 2024 Viña del Mar International Festival has sparked a heated debate in Chile. The controversy has taken a political twist, with Juan Antonio Coloma, the president of the Senate in Chile, expressing concern over the potential normalization of narco culture amidst the country's ongoing struggles with security issues.
Coloma minced no words in his official press release on January 15, asserting, "I want to be very clear; the performance of Peso Pluma in Vina is a normalization of the narcoculture in our country, and it is unacceptable. The country cannot remain indifferent. What would happen if a singer who raises xenophobia, homophobia? There is no doubt that, with all reason, his performance would have been prevented because it would mean normalizing a behavior. Why, then, is narcoculture normalized? That is what really cannot be explained."
Despite the call for reconsideration, festival organizers stood firm, issuing an official press release on January 11 affirming Peso Pluma's participation in the festival. The statement emphasized the festival's commitment to not censoring or discriminating against artists and confirmed that Pluma's performance would proceed as scheduled.
The controversy originated from a letter written by Viña del Mar council member René Lues, urging the cancellation of Peso Pluma's performance. Lues raised concerns about the musician's association with narco culture, pointing to the explicit glorification of violence, crime, and drug-related themes in the genre of corridos tumbados.
In response, festival organizers defended their decision, stating that the Viña del Mar International Festival celebrates the diversity of all artists and embraces the universal nature of music, which reflects various realities. They also highlighted Peso Pluma's recent achievements, including winning Artist of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in October.
The festival, scheduled from February 25 to March 1 in Viña del Mar, Chile, is the longest-running in the Spanish-speaking world. Despite the controversy, Peso Pluma is slated to be the closing act, promising a diverse and talent-filled event that recognizes and appreciates the evolving landscape of Latin music.
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