Last November, when Carín León announced a series of shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas — a coveted venue where he is set to become the first Latin artist to headline — the regional Mexican singer-songwriter and his manager, Jorge Juárez, finally unveiled a secret that had been kept under wraps for a year, and an idea that had started even earlier.
“We thought of it three years before we announced it,” Juárez says. “We said, ‘Okay, maybe we won’t be ready next year, but in two years we definitely will be.’”
Thinking and planning ahead has been a strategy and a mindset that has proved successful for the power duo. Since signing with Juárez in December 2022 — and becoming his business partner in the Socios Music indie label — León has become one of the biggest Latin stars of his generation. In 2023, he landed on Billboard’s 10 highest-grossing Latin tours list with his Colmillo de Leche Tour and also was one of Billboard’s Top Latin Artists on the year-end charts. In 2024, León and Juárez signed a joint global deal with Virgin Music Group and Island Records, through which both companies distribute and market León’s product under Socios Music.
Among other milestones, the uber-versatile León — known for seamlessly blending música mexicana with any genre, from country and blues to salsa and reggaetón — has won four Latin Grammy and two Grammy Awards; debuted at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry; played festivals including Coachella and Stagecoach; and opened for the Rolling Stones in Glendale, Ariz.
Ahead of his seven sold-out shows at the Sphere this September, León held his own music festival this spring in his native Hermosillo, Sonora, called La Cura Fest, with an eclectic lineup including Midland, Alejandro Sanz, Kany García and Grupo Frontera, and an attendance of 70,000 people over two days, according to the local government. He also embarked on his North America Tour 2026 on May 20 and is set to play for the first time in Japan, at the Summer Sonic Festival, in August.
“Reaching these goals is like building a skyscraper: you can’t put 20 stories on a building if you don’t lay a solid foundation,” Juárez says. “So, we have very clear objectives; we are planning two to four years ahead in Carín’s career — mapping out which collaborations, venues and festivals to pursue, which countries to conquer, and how to take Mexican music to the world.”
Carín León
Mike Miller/Socios Music
Juárez’s scope, however, goes beyond his work with León. As CEO of Westwood Entertainment — the management and booking company he founded in Mexico in 2000 with David West — he manages a wide array of mostly Mexican pop acts, including Carlos Rivera, Reik and Camila. Through Westwood’s concert promotion division, he has also promoted large-scale shows in Mexico, including by Karol G and Bad Bunny, as well as tours for artists such as Sin Bandera, Reik and Rivera across the United States and Latin America — something he continues to do through his company Enso Music.
“The connection I’ve shared with Jorge Juárez is incredibly important,” León says. “When a manager stops focusing solely on the money and the accolades and begins to think a bit more empathetically — even prioritizing the music itself and weighing in on opinions and production from a place of true expertise — that is when I truly grasp just how vital a manager’s support and connection are to your project.”
Jesús Navarro from Mexican pop band Reik adds: “I believe we have grown together — first learning to adapt to what existed, and now learning to leverage this ever-changing industry and all the opportunities it presents. I am very proud of him and grateful for his support and companionship on this journey.”
Juárez expands on his achievements of the last year, his strategy with León and why the Mexican star is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
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In the last few years, you have had major milestones with Carín León, but the Sphere shows feel truly historic. What does this mean to you?
It is something that very few artists manage to achieve — let alone Latin artists — because the Sphere has a limited number of available dates, and there are many iconic artists worldwide who could potentially perform there. The most difficult part is securing the dates. Secondly, getting approval for the actual content you intend to present there; you simply cannot go in and put on a show that falls short of the standard set by acts like the Backstreet Boys or Phish. Then there are the logistics and the costs involved, because every time you perform the show, you have to completely dismantle the entire production to make way for film screenings.
We have actually been working on the production and the visuals for a full year now. This isn’t the kind of show you can just set up quickly and perform; it is a truly unique undertaking. It is going to be an impressive spectacle — a production worthy of immense pride, representing not just a Latin artist, but any artist performing at that venue. To be honest, we are incredibly excited about it. We feel that this will mark a major turning point in Carín’s career. For me, this is a significant cultural moment: Carín becoming the first Spanish-speaking artist to perform at what is currently the most challenging venue in the world to book — securing that space and bringing this specific production to life. From this point forward, a new phase begins for Carín.
When did you say, “We want the Sphere,” and how did you make it happen?
Three years before we announced it. We had already reached the necessary ticket sales volume, secured the collaborations and performed at both Coachella and Stagecoach in the same year [2024]. We felt it was the perfect opportunity to transform the audience experience. Carín and I discussed a concept I firmly believe in: that nowadays, people have grown tired of simply buying tickets to attend a show; what they really want is an experience. We believe a Las Vegas residency offers an experience that fans won’t soon forget — and not just because of the show itself. The experience actually begins 100 days before the concerts, during which we’ll gradually roll out details: how people should dress, which songs he’s going to perform, challenges we’ll be hosting, and more.
The Sphere is a venue where securing dates is somewhat tricky due to the high demand; consequently, I assembled a team of professionals from within the American industry — people who have supported me throughout my global touring endeavors. I enlisted the help of Rich Schaefer, president of touring at AEG Presents; my legal counsel — one attorney specializing in the U.S. market and another in the Latin American sector — as well as a designer renowned for creating massive-scale productions. I wanted to arrive backed by a fully prepared team to present my proposal. We developed a comprehensive project showcasing exactly how Carín would look and perform inside the Sphere, a video presentation accompanied by a storyboard detailing every aspect of our planned production. But it wasn’t just about the visuals; we devised an entire strategic plan — one outlining the specific setlist we would perform there, and another detailing exactly how we would launch the Sphere announcement to the public, as we were determined to avoid doing what everyone else does.
We presented our proposal; they congratulated us and informed us, “It’s not possible next year, but we can make it happen two years from now.” At that moment, we said to ourselves, “Perfect. We did it.” And for an entire year, we kept that secret completely under wraps.
How did you reframe the strategy for Carín once you booked Sphere?
We stopped touring in the U.S. and began undertaking a data-driven effort that few others attempt: a study to determine how many people across Nevada, California, Arizona — the key markets surrounding Las Vegas — had previously attended a Carín concert. We discovered that the number stood at 80,000. Our initial concept called for just three dates at Sphere. Consequently, we leveraged our data to craft a communication strategy targeting all of Carín’s fans for the announcement, but we didn’t stop there. I wanted to make a monumental announcement — one that would resonate across the entire globe.
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We have numerous partners in various countries who serve as our local promoters. I executed an NDA with each of them and told them, “In one week, I am going to unveil Carín’s Sphere engagement. I need each of you to join in by submitting a plan within three days so that every country can make the announcement simultaneously.” Everyone got on board — [in addition to Mexico], Chile, Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Central America, the U.S. and Spain.
The announcement was so impactful that when we went on sale, we received 500,000 requests to purchase tickets. Based on that, we made the decision to add four more dates — all of which are now completely sold out — and we won’t be adding any dates beyond those initial seven for this leg of the tour. It’s not that we don’t want to add more — it’s simply that we want to preserve that special feeling: ensuring that the people who bought early enjoyed the exclusive benefit of securing their tickets right from the start and getting to experience the whole journey.
You also run your management company, Westwood Entertainment. How do you balance that with Socios and Carín’s career?
Ultimately, everything stems from a single core principle: building careers grounded in purpose, authenticity and a long-term vision. With Westwood Entertainment, we worked closely on the artistic and strategic development of talents such as Carlos Rivera, Reik, Sin Bandera and Camila. Meanwhile, with Socios Music, we have created a much broader platform that integrates management, publishing, strategy and global expansion.
Rather than viewing my time as divided between different companies or artists, I see them as complementary ecosystems — supported by a great team that brings together experience, relationships and vision to continue elevating Latin music on a global stage.
You mentioned that you and Carín are always thinking years ahead, planning for the future. Is Carín where you expected him to be at this stage?
He is exactly where we believed he needed to be. In other words, every step — the entire strategy — has worked. And one of the things I’ve observed is that, for a strategy to succeed, two things are essential: First, your leader — the artist — must be fully aligned with the strategy and motivated. Second, you need a team — because it’s not just me working alone, I have a great team and we are absolutely convinced that Carín is the greatest Mexican artist out there today. And finally, I have a team that works 24/7 that gets fired up and that, quite simply, never runs out of ideas.
And Carín and I share a special bond. I’ll wake up with an idea, give him a call and he’ll say, “That’s absolutely wild — let’s do it!” I mean, it’s never, “Nah, what a hassle,” or “Sorry, I can’t, I’ve got so-and-so’s First Communion.” For him, music comes first. It is, without a doubt, the greatest love of his life.
