Leila Cobo

A Fulbright scholar from Cali, Colombia, Leila Cobo is a classical pianist, novelist, TV host and executive Editor for Latin Content and Programming for Billboard.

Ms. Cobo is considered one of the country’s leading experts in Latin music and under her tenure, Billboard has expanded its coverage of Latin Music to unprecedented levels both on its print and digital platforms. Ms. Cobo also works closely with broadcast partner Telemundo on the Billboard Latin Music Awards and programs the yearly Billboard Latin Music Conference, the largest gathering of the Latin music industry in the U.S., and hosts its renown exclusive “Q&A’s” with Latin music's biggest stars, which have included Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias. Under her leadership, Billboard also launched its Spanish-language website, Billboardenespanol.com.

Ms. Cobo is also host and executive producer of “Estudio Billboard,” the acclaimed TV show that features in-depth interviews with artists like Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Laura Pausini, José Feliciano and Maná, among many others.

Ms. Cobo has published two novels with Grand Central Publishing/Hatchette which have been translated to German and Italian and have won multiple awards, leading Ms. Cobo to be named one of the Top Latino Writers to Watch in the United States.

Most recently, her 2012 novel The Second Time We Met won this year’s Latino Book Award for Best Popular Fiction. The book was selected by MSN and Latina as one of its top summer reads.

Ms. Cobo's biography on the late Jenni Rivera, published by Penguin, remained among the top 10 most-sold books in Spanish in the United States for over 25 consecutive weeks. The book was named a top-read by publications like Latina and People en Español.

Ms. Cobo's latest book, "Apunta a las Estrellas," a guide for rising artists, was published by Penguin in March of 2014.

Ms. Cobo was named a 2012 Hispanic Woman of Distinction in South Florida and one of the top 25 Latin Women in Media by Latina Magazine. She has also been named “one of the most influential people in Latin music” in publications such as Gatopardo, Revista Fuchsia and Ocean Drive Magazine, which named her one of its “Power Brokers” in 2008. She won the Nielsen President’s Award for Excellence and in 2007, she was the recipient of the journalistic excellence award from Premios Orquidea, which honors Colombians abroad.

She has served as jury of renowned international music competitions including the Viña del Mar Music Festival in Chile and Objetivo Fama in Mexico.

Ms. Cobo holds dual bachelor degrees in journalism (from Bogota's Universidad Javeriana) and in piano performance (from Manhattan School of Music in New York). She concertized extensively before getting her master’s degree in Communication management from the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California.

Prior to Billboard, she wrote for the Los Angeles Times and was later the pop music critic at the Miami Herald. She’s written liner notes for Ricky Martin, Shakira, Julio Iglesias and Selena among others, and collaborates closely with Grammy in the Schools and Teach for America, among other projects.

Ms. Cobo is also one of the authors of the Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music and a guest writer on the anthology “Quinceañera.” Show less