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Panamanian singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer Sech arrived on the reggaeton and dancehall scenes in 2018 with his slinky, seductive Rich Music World debut single "Little Miss Lonely" (featuring Justin Quiles and De la Ghetto). Seemingly out of nowhere, the urbano had established his roots as part of Panama's El Combo de Oro production stable before going solo, and within a few short years, he was the most visible, media-savvy artist on Panama's music scene. Sech's canny rhythmic and lyrical intelligence was evidenced by singles such as "¡Que Más Pues!" (featuring Justin Quiles), which racked up over 63 million views in its first three months, and "Otro Trago" (featuring Darell), with almost 133 million views in a month. Both songs were included on his 2019 debut album, Sueños, which entered his country's charts in the top slot. All this established Sech as Panama's best-selling musician and a sensation in the world of Latin music in general, paving the way for his sophomore album, 2020's 1 of 1, which hit number four on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and spawned the Latin Grammy-nominated hit "Si Te Vas" with Ozuna. He again reached the Latin top ten with 2021's 42, scored a hit with "Foto en Panty" off 2022's Ya Casi Vienen EP, and returned in 2024 with his fourth full-length, Tranki, Todo Pasa.

Sech was born Carlos Isaías Morales Williams in Rio Abajo, Panama, in December 1993. As a member of a devout evangelical Christian family (many of his relatives are pastors), he spent his formative years singing in church and learning to play piano, guitar, and bass, as well as other instruments. At 13, he and his brother formed a band that played original songs, but his family initially discouraged secular material. A year later, he began entering singing and songwriting competitions and won several, along with his family's support for his God-given talent. Sech learned production skills and earned a spot in the legendary Panamanian El Combo de Oro stable next to his mentor Rafita; he learned to record, write, sing, rap, and produce everything from salsa and son to bachata and reggaeton.

In 2015, Sech made his first video/single, "El Kbreo de Tu Pollo," with collaborators R.D. Maravilla, Real Phantom, Mr. Fox, and Robinho; it scored a considerable amount of radio play as well as a decent view count on YouTube. A few months later, he released the music video single "Sentimientos de Papel" (featuring El Blopa and El Tachi). The video racked up over six million views in three years. Its initial reception was good enough to not only encourage Sech but to pique his imagination. In November of that year, he issued the now-famous "El Grammy" video single (featuring Robinho and El Blopa), with production from El Combo de Oro. These three tracks created the demand for Sech's breakthrough single in 2016. In all, he delivered four that year, with high-ranking accompanying videos for the tracks "El Error," "X 4 Días," "Ella Es," and "Admítelo," all produced by El Combo de Oro. Early the following year, Sech released "Tocó Mentir" and his first non-El Combo de Oro production, "Mintiendo y Enamorando" (featuring Jhon El Divertido), produced by Rikemusic.

Over the next two and a half years, Sech was ubiquitous, not only releasing ten singles of his own -- all of which charted -- but appearing as a featured collaborator with everyone from Maluma and Dalex to Bad Bunny, Anuel AA, and Karol G. In 2019, Sech issued the video and streaming singles "Solita" (featuring Farruko and Zion & Lennox), "Falsas Promesas," and "Tiene Novio" (featuring Manuel Turizo). The remix for his version of "Little Miss Lonely" did as well as the original. In March 2019, Sueños was issued by Rich Music World and entered the urban streaming charts at number one. In August, the single "Otro Trago" (featuring Darell), peaked in the top spot on the Hot Latin Songs chart, Latin Streaming Songs, and Latin Digital Song Sales charts. A remix of the cut, which also featured Anuel AA, garnered five million streams during its first week and became an urbano summertime anthem.

Sech continued the frenetic activity in 2020. He and Bad Bunny delivered the single and video for "Ignorantes" in February. The latter racked up 150 million views and placed inside the Top 50 of the Hot 100, while the single "Sigues con Él" with Arcángel also made the list. In May 2020, Sech released his sophomore long-player, 1 of 1. It peaked at number four on the Top Latin Albums chart and earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Reggaeton Performance for the song "Si Te Vas" with Ozuna.

The musician's third solo set, 42, arrived in 2021, led by the single "911" and featuring collaborations with Arcángel, Wisin & Yandel, Nicky Jam, and Rauw Alejandro. It became Sech's third album to reach the U.S. Latin Top Ten. "Noche de Teteo" appeared in 2022, with the EP Ya Casi Vienen, which included the hit "Foto En Panty," arriving later that year.

Following song collaborations with Tainy and J Balvin, he delivered his fourth full-length, 2024's Tranki, Todo Pasa, which again found him expanding his Reggaetón and Afrobeat stylings. Included on the album were the tracks "Picasso" and "Casa de Miami," as well as guest spots from Elena Rose, Beéle, and others. ~ Thom Jurek

Smooth reggaeton specialist Jhay Cortez (aka Jhayco) has built on years of background work to become one of the most commercially successful artists on the Universal Music Latino roster. Shortly after he debuted as a headlining artist, the singer, rapper, and songwriter scored a Top Ten hit on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart with a remix of "No Me Conoce" (2019), the same year he released his long-lasting debut album Famouz. That album reached number five on the Top Latin Albums chart and was followed by a string of successful singles and collaborations, including a guest appearance on Bad Bunny's 2021 Latin Grammy-nominated hit "Dákiti." Cortez again reached the Latin Top Five with both 2021's Timelezz and 2024's Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X).

Based in New Jersey and originally from Puerto Rico -- his roots are in Rio Piedras and Carolina -- Jesús Manuel Nieves Cortes started to write and record at the age of 11. He was still a teenager when he worked on his first major releases, namely Zion & Lennox's Los Verdaderos and Tito El Bambino's El Patrón: Invencible. The latter won the 2011 Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Tropical Album. Cortez co-wrote dozens of songs for other artists over the ensuing years, and in 2018 reached a new level as a contributor to Cardi B's "I Like It," Anuel AA's "Amanece," and Bad Bunny's "RLNDT." Cortez signed a deal with Universal Music Latino during this hot streak and made his solo debut with the Eyez on Me EP. Early in 2019, he appeared on Sky's "Bajo Cero," which raised his profile ahead of his full-length Famouz. The album was highlighted by a remix of "No Me Conoce" featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny. The track quickly pierced Hot Latin Songs and eventually broke into the chart's Top Ten.

In 2020, Cortez followed Famouz with Famouz Reloaded, a digital-only series of album remixes that included a host of collaborations with artists Cortez admired. They included "Somos Iguales" (ft. Zion & Lennox), "Deséame Suerte" (ft. Karol G y Haze), "Imaginaste Remix" (ft. Wisin & Yandel), and "Easy Remix" (ft. Ozuna). The remix collection propelled Famouz to a Top Five peak and a 52-week run on the Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

In early 2021, Cortez teamed up with Myke Towers for the single "Los Bo" and scored a solo hit with the track "Christian Dior." Both tracks paved the way for his sophomore full-length, Timelezz, which arrived in September 2021 hitting number two on the Top Latin Albums chart. Also featured on the album were guest spots by Skrillex, Anuel AA, Buscabulla, and others. By the end of the year, he had topped the Hot Latin Songs chart with his appearance on Bad Bunny's "Dákiti," which also picked up a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Urban Song.

In March 2022, Cortez (now going under the stage name Jhayco) released the single "Sensual Bebé." More songs followed, including "Holanda" and "Ex-Special" (with Peso Pluma), all leading up to the release of his third studio album, Le Clique: Vida Rockstar (X), which arrived in September 2024. Along with Pluma, the album featured guest spots from DJ Khaled, Eladio Carrión, Omar Courtz, Kapo, Bryant Myers, and Quevedo. It topped the Spanish Albums chart and reached number three on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. ~ Andy Kellman & Thom Jurek