My Divo

Juan Gabriel is about to play the biggest concert in the U.S. in his career. But then, one by one, his divas all start backing out of the concert under pressure from Mexican TV titan Televisa. What unfolds is a story about an artist at odds with the most powerful media conglomerate in Latin America. In this episode, Maria passes the mic to producer Lili Ruiz, who tells us how JuanGa’s iconic Rose Bowl performance not only shaped her own childhood and impacted her Oaxacan family, but also Latino families all over the U.S. who yearn for a path back home.My Divo is an Apple Original podcast produced by Futuro Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.http://apple.co/MyDivo

JuanGa could get a little messy with politics. He had friends in high places, infamously hated paying taxes, and found himself in some cringey entanglements with powerful figures. But to understand JuanGa’s political life, Maria has to understand modern Mexico’s journey from an idealistic revolution to corruption and untangle the truth behind violent lore in her own family’s revolutionary history.My Divo is an Apple Original podcast produced by Futuro Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.http://apple.co/MyDivo

Juan Gabriel sends shock waves across the highbrow art world by performing in Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes. Cultural elites are not thrilled to have a “popular” music artist perform at this temple of opera and ballet. But when JuanGa emerges onstage during the concert wearing sequins and gold fringe, he sends a statement about what’s possible—and gives a legendary performance that’s ritually and religiously rewatched to this day by millions. Maria is one of those millions, and as she follows Juan Gabriel’s footsteps in a gentrifying Mexico City, the journey makes Maria question her place in the city as a Mexican-American.My Divo is an Apple Original podcast produced by Futuro Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.http://apple.co/MyDivo

It’s the mid-1980s and loving Juan Gabriel is like a religion. He reaches the highest levels of superstardom with the release of his hit “Querida.” Then an explosive book aimed at outing him as gay unleashes a media obsession that would go on for decades. But the divo doesn’t let the gossip shows make a spectacle of his sexuality. On stage, he is free. It’s that kind of freedom Maria seeks now as she wrestles with how to truly come out to her extended Mexican family—and her inquisitive pool guy.My Divo is an Apple Original podcast produced by Futuro Studios. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.http://apple.co/MyDivo