MIAMI (AP) — Miami native Orlando Mendez He had been an aspiring actor when a pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020. But the hiatus gave Méndez the opportunity to embrace his love of county music and reinvent himself as the “Cuban cowboy.”

After COVID-19 locked down the world, Mendez said he turned to YouTube and taught himself how to play guitar. Once restrictions began to lift, the 28-year-old said he formed a band and began booking gigs in South Florida and other parts of the state.

“We brought country to a lot of bars that had never had country before, a lot of these bars that are staples here in Miami but never had a country act,” Mendez said. “We started playing country music and I think it was the right place and time. “I gained momentum and started building quickly.”

Méndez returns to Miami this month to perform at the Bay Country Music Festival scheduled for Nov. 9-10 at historic Miami Marine Stadium, just southeast of downtown on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay.

“I grew up listening to country in Miami, where the country scene wasn’t as prevalent, and to see it grow in this city and in this market to the point where we can have a major country festival was really exciting for me. ”Mendez said.

Headliners scheduled for the event are Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Dustin Lynch, Diplo presents Thomas Wesley, Chase Rice and Chris Janson. Other artists include Niko Moon, Gabby Barrett, Chayce Beckham, Parmalee, Chase Matthew, Redferrin, Owen Riegling, Willie Jones, RVSHVD and Dee Jay Silver.

After more than a year of performing at shows in Florida, Mendez got her big break when she appeared on “The Voice” in 2022. She wowed the judges with a cover of Luke Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart” and joined a team led by pop singer Camila Cabello, a native Cuban who grew up in Miami. Mendez, a graduate of the University of Florida’s school of theater, credits his experience as an actor with developing his stage presence.

Mendez didn’t win, but the experience prompted him to move to Nashville. He released a single called “Motherland” earlier this year about his experiences as a Cuban-American, and last month released an EP with five songs.

Mendez attended County Bay last year and is looking forward to it this year.

“It was an incredible festival with many wonderful views and an incredible atmosphere, and this year I hope they take it a step further,” Mendez said.

Miami is already considered a hub for Latin, hip-hop and electronic music, but Country Bay organizer Nelson Albareda, executive director of Loud and Live, said the success of last year’s event shows there is a place for country and possibly even for other genres. And a few more years of success could give County Bay a permanent place in the Miami music scene alongside rolling hard and ultra music festival.

“I believe that today’s city is a global city,” Albareda said. “And we’ve had all this influx of people and culture, you can’t compare Miami on a global map to where it was five or ten years ago.”

About half of last year’s crowd were people visiting from out of town, but the other half was from the Miami area, which is about 70% Hispanic. Albareda said more than a third of all country music fans in the United States identify as people of Latino descent.

“You could definitely see Miami representing at the festival,” Albareda said. “There were a lot of Hispanic faces.”

Country Bay returns to Miami Marine Stadium, taking advantage of the view of Biscayne Bay towards the Miami skyline. The festival attracted more than 20,000 people over two days last year, and Albareda said he expects a similar crowd this year. And like last year, the festival has also been selling anchorage access passes that allow fans to attend the event by boat or yacht.

Albareda said the success of last year’s festival, with artists and fans flooding social media with posts about the event, made it much easier to book artists this year.

“We got text messages from agents while the festival was going on saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know what you did, but my artists are texting me and everyone loves the festival,’” Albareda said.

One of this year’s new artists is Central Florida native Chase Rice, who recently released two albums, “Go Down Singin’” and “Fireside Sessions.”

“I was born in Daytona Beach, so anything from South Florida or anything from Florida in general is a no-brainer for me,” Rice said. “And it’s late in the year, man. It’s cold up here. “I’m ready to face the heat.”

In addition to hosting musical acts on two stages, the Country Bay Music Festival will include a country-themed bar, food and carnival attractions.

“The line dancing was such a success that we added a whole second stage with a full line dancing area,” Albareda said.

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