Leila Cobo is a Colombian journalist, writer, novelist, pianist and television show host. She is noted for her coverage of Latin music for Billboard where she is currently the Chief Content Officer for Latin Music and Español, overseeing the brand's coverage and development of Latin music across all its platforms. These include billboard.com and billboardespanol.com, which Cobo launched, podcasts and video. A Fulbright Scholar with degrees in music and communications, Cobo also contributes frequently to other publications and speaks frequently at conferences and universities around the world. She also an acclaimed author and novelist who has published five books, including two novels and most recently, a history of Latin music, "Decoding Despacito," which was selected as a New York Times Summer Read pick. Prior to Billboard, she was the pop music critic for the Miami Herald and a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Also known for her lifestyle writing, Cobo also served as director of content for Nexos, American Airlines' Spanish and Portuguese in-flight magazine. As an author, Cobo has published two novels ("Tell Me Something True" and "The Second Time We Met," both on Grand Central Books/Hatchette). Her most recent book, "Decoding Despacito: An Oral History of Latin Music" (Penguin), published in English and Spanish, has been widely acclaimed as an essential guide to the history of Latin music. She also published a musical biography on the late Jenni Rivera, also in English and Spanish ("La Increible Historia de Una Mariposa Guerrera" (n Penguin) and a book on the Latin music industry ("Apunta a las estrellas,") also on Penguin. She also collaborated with Puerto Rican star Ednita Nazario in her memoir "Una Vida," which was published in 2017 by Penguin. Personal life and music career Cobo was born in Cali, Colombia and is of Lebanese descent. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Bogota's Javeriana University. She got her second degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music in New York City and concertized extensively. Cobo had an active career as a classical pianist in her home country, performing as a soloist with Colombia's Symphony Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfonica de Colombia), Orquesta Sinfonica de Antioquia in Medellin and Orquesta Sinfonica del Valle in Cali, among others. She was also featured multiple times in Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango's concert series, performing as a soloist and in chamber groups. Cobo's last performance as a soloist was performing Prokofiev's Piano