peermusic Signs Christian Alicea

Global independent music publishing company, Peermusic, has signed Billboard “Latin Artist on the Rise”, Christian Alicea, to a worldwide music publishing deal as announced today by Elizabeth Rodda, President, US Latin, Latin America and Global Society Relations, peermusic and Julio Bagué, Vice President LatinDivision, East Coast & Puerto Rico, peermusic. The deal was signed via a creative joint venture with DJ Buddah. The peermusic deal also includes also includes the signing of Christian Alicea with Peermusic Neighbouring Rights to collect worldwide (ex-U.S.) for his neighbouring rights. 

Alicea kicked off his music career in 2019, first testing the waters in urban music and later focusing on salsa music. After going viral on social media with his own version of Pedro Capó’s “Calma,” the Puerto Rican artist debuted on the Billboard charts in 2022 with “Cobarde” entering the Tropical Airplay chart in March. He’s since placed seven titles including “Es Un Secreto” with DJ Buddha, which peaked at No. 6 and also landed on the Latin Airplay chart in September. 

Most recently, Christian, who recently signed to Bad Bunny’s Rimas Entertainment, released his album Swingkete Vol. 1 – Maratón with featured collaborators Jowell & Randy, J Álvarez, Frabian Eli and Eliot “El Mago D Oz”. Earlier this month the album was named Top 10 on Billboard’s “The 25 Best Latin Albums of 2025 So Far (Staff Picks)”. The first single, “Hello, What’s Up” was produced by DJ Buddha and Elliot and co-written with peermusic writer Jorge Luis Chacín and hit #8 on Billboard Tropical Airplay charts.  

Christian Alicea has been nominated for numerous awards including Best Salsa Album at the 2024 Latin GRAMMY Awards; Tropical Collaboration of the Year with “Vamos A Ser Feliz” - Olga Tañón & Christian Alicea and Tropical Album of the Year for Yo Deluxe at Premio Lo Nuestro 2025; Best Tropical Album Yo at Premio Juventud 2024; and iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Latin Artist in 2025. Christian was also named Billboard’s “Latin Artist on the Rise” in December 2024. 

 Elizabeth Rodda commented: "The moment I heard Christian's music, it was clear that he belonged with Peermusic. His infectious energy and modern take on a classic genre set him apart and creates a truly unique sound. He possesses the kind of forward-thinking artistry we're proud to champion at Peermusic. We are thrilled to welcome him to our roster and help craft this exciting next chapter in his career." 

Julio Bagué commented: “Christian has such a unique delivery as far as salsa music is concerned. His youthful and modern take makes him a really special artist/writer, and he’s also a great percussionist. He has a lot of charisma. I set him up to write with Chacín and they came up with “Hello, What’s Up”, the single from his first album with Rimas, which has become an incredible career moment for Christian. Tropical Music has been looking for artists that can help move the genre forward and Christian is definitely one of them.” 

Christian Alicea commented: "Being part of the Peermusic family, for a dreamer and creative artist, is truly a beautiful opportunity. It also feels great to know that this family has supported my project from the very beginning—understanding the style, what we want to share, and how we create. All of this adds value and is a true blessing for growth, both as an artist and as a human being. For myself and my team--Urales “Dj Buddha” Vargas, Eliot “El Mago D Oz” Feliciano, Jay Dary Castillo & Carlos Palacios--we are grateful for the opportunity for being part of such an amazing family like Peermusic.”

Prior to becoming a breakthrough recording artist, Alicea dedicated himself to saving lives as a firefighter on Puerto Rico. Alicea also comes from a musical family, with his father and two brothers being musicians. He grew up with a hybrid of tropical music, and names his musical inspriations as Elvis Crespo, Hector Lavoe, Toño Rosario, Marc Anthony, La India, Juan Luis Guerra, Carlos Vives, and Romeo Santos. 

Christian is represented by attorney Angie Martinez and is signed to Nelson Albareda’s Loud and Live touring company [Nelson is President & CEO at Loud And Live].

With a 98+ year history, Peermusic is widely considered the first music publishing company to travel across geographical borders publishing the important works of Latin music composers such as Consuelo Velazquez (“Besame Mucho” in 1941); Agustin Lara (“Solamente Una Vez” in 1941); Perez Prado (“Mambo #5” in 1945); Jose Alfredo Jimenez (“Sin Nos Dejan” in 1968); and Beny Moré (“Como Fue” in 1952). Peermusic further brought this rich musical culture to the world by building a creative team and a fortress for Latin songwriters, with the vision to see Latin music not just as a genre, but as a whole industry, which was unprecedented in its time. 

Pictured (left to right): Kenny Cordova (Recording Academy Senior Executive Director Florida Chapter); Marcos Sanchez (Recording Academy Governing Board Florida Chapter); D.J. Buddha (Manager/Producer); Christian Alicea; Julio Bagué (VP Peermusic); Kassandra Martinez de la Vega (Label Manager Rimas Music); Damien Bastar (Loud and Live); Jose Alvarez (A&R Rimas Music); and Isabel Garcia, Esq. (Legal Affairs Counsel Rimas Entertainment).

ABOUT PEERMUSIC:
Founded by Ralph S. Peer in 1928, Peermusic is the world’s largest global independent music publishing and neighbouring rights company and operates 39 offices in 32 countries. With well over a million titles in the company’s catalogue, and songs that vary from country, blues, jazz and pop to Latin, concert and rock‘n’roll, Peermusic is the largest privately owned company of its kind in the world. For further information about Peermusic, go to www.peermusic.com. For breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos, follow @Peermusic on Instagram and Snapchat.