In 2015, musician Roberto Carlos launched Boleros de Noche, an annual concert series held in Los Angeles that aimed at preserving and showcasing the Latin American bolero music genre.<\/p>\n
This year, the event is celebrating its 10th anniversary<\/a> with performances at the Ford on Aug. 1 by Puerto Rican singer and former Calle 13 member iLe<\/a> and L.A.-based bolero trio Voz Bohemia <\/p>\n On Friday, the city of L.A. honored the series\u2019 decade-long run and legacy of uplifting bolero music by declaring Aug.1 \u201cD\u00eda del Bolero.\u201d<\/p>\n Boleros are ballads noted for their slow tempo and romantic lyrics accompanied by a crooning vocal style. Though the genre originated in Cuba, it quickly gained popularity across Latin America, with each culture putting their own spin on it. In the early 20th century, the evolving sound of boleros was shaped by the Cuban group Trio Matamoros, Mexican composer Agust\u00edn Lara, Puerto Rican artist Rafael Hern\u00e1ndez and Ecuadorian singer Julio Jaramillo. <\/p>\n The genre saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s and \u201890s when famed Mexican artists Juan Gabriel and Luis Miguel embraced the bolero sound. In recent years, the bolero movement has been modernized and electrified by artists such as Mon Laferte, Romeo Santos, Adrian Quesada and Kali Uchis. In the last five years, Quesada has released two bolero albums, \u201cBoleros Psicod\u00e9licos<\/a>\u201d and \u201cBoleros Psicod\u00e9licos II<\/a>,\u201d that mix the genre\u2019s classic sounds with elements of psychedelic rock.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past decade, Boleros de Noche has presented numerous concerts featuring both local and international artists, has brought together thousands of people across the city to bask in the lush orchestration of this music,\u201d said City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who presented Carlos with the honor. \u201cFor so many in the Latino community and beyond, this isn\u2019t just music, it\u2019s memory, it\u2019s home, and perhaps most importantly, it\u2019s heritage being carried forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Raised in L.A. County by parents who immigrated from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, Carlos says he first fell in love with live performance and bolero music in his midteens, when he would frequent the now-defunct Teatro los Pinos<\/a> in South Gate.<\/p>\n He yearned for that same level of comfort and awe at music and wanted to share that with a larger audience. The first iteration of Boleros de Noche took place in 2015 at an art gallery in Echo Park.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the years, I have heard countless stories from audience members who tell me how this music reminds them of their parents, grandparents, first loves and family traditions,\u201d Carlos said Friday at City Hall. \u201cTen years ago, bolero was rarely part of our city\u2019s cultural conversation, and today bolero programming can be found across Los Angeles, and I\u2019m honored that Boleros de Noche has been a driving force behind its growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Boleros de Noche has sold out shows at the Ford over the last few years and has featured artists such as Gaby Moreno<\/a>, Marisoul<\/a> and the legendary trio Los Panchos. In 2025, the event made its debut at Chicago\u2019s historic Symphony Center.<\/p>\n The bolero genre\u2019s popularity and cultural significance has been spotlighted outside of L.A. in recent years as well. <\/p>\n On Dec. 5, 2023, UNESCO, the United Nation\u2019s agency aimed at safeguarding social and cultural foundations, recognized the musical genre as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. <\/p>\n As part of Friday\u2019s ceremony, Carlos and his bolero group Los Rebeldes Rom\u00e1nticos performed several tunes, including the Mexican bolero classic \u201cSabor a M\u00ed.\u201d<\/p>\n