Reservoir acquires rights to catalog of miami Sound Machine co-founder & lead songwriter Enrique “Kiki” Garcia

26 May 2023 - Press release

 

Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR), an award-winning independent music company, today announced a new deal with songwriter Enrique “Kiki” Garcia to acquire rights to his full catalog, including the international hit song “Conga” performed by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine.  

Born in Cuba, Garcia emigrated to America and made a name for himself, founding the Miami Latin Boys alongside Emilio Estefan Jr. and several other Cuban-born American musicians. In 1977, the band was renamed Miami Sound Machine and went on to create a worldwide sensation with their intoxicating rhythms and catchy melodies. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the group released 11 studio albums and earned worldwide acclaim. Garcia solely penned some of the band’s most successful tracks, including their 1984 breakout “Dr. Beat” and their 1985 global hit “Conga.” “Conga” was an international Top 10 hit, including #1 in the U.S., was certified Gold in the U.S., and is widely recognized as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s signature song. 

Garcia also co-wrote several tracks alongside 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Gloria Estefan, including “1-2-3,” “Give It Up,” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” for the group’s final album, Let it Loose. The 3x-Platinum selling album became Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s most successful album, reaching #6 on the Billboard 200 and launching a massive world tour by the group. After leaving the band, Garcia continued his musical success working with top Latin artists like Chayenne, El Puma, Julio Iglesias and many others, earning a Grammy nomination and winning a CLIO Award for his work on the 1992 Rock the Vote campaign. He ran successful production and publishing companies, and had a record label distributed by BMG at the time. Throughout his career, Garcia has proven himself as both a creative and industry expert.

Garcia commented, “You never write a song thinking you’re creating an anthem that will be loved around the world. ‘Conga’ is just that. I’m really excited that Reservoir will be taking the lead with my music and elevating it to the level it’s always deserved.”

Golnar Khosrowshahi, Reservoir’s Founder & CEO, added, “Kiki has contributed so much to the face of modern music as we know it. His collaborations with the Miami Sound Machine brought Latin music to mainstream audiences.” She added, “Embarking on this deal with Kiki marks a notable expansion of our rights in Latin American music and is an exciting opportunity to further diversify our catalog while maintaining our focus on acquiring the rights to evergreen hits.”