Miami native “Cuban Cowboy” Orlando Mendez is coming home for the Country Bay Music Festival

MIAMI. Miami native Orlando Mendes was an aspiring actor when the pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020. But the hiatus gave Mendes a chance to indulge his love of country music and reinvent himself as a “Cuban cowboy.”

After COVID-19 shut down the world, Mendes said he turned to YouTube and taught himself to play guitar. After the restrictions began to be lifted, the 28-year-old said he put together a band and began playing concerts in South Florida and other parts of the state.

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

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

“I grew up listening to country music in Miami, where the country scene wasn’t as big, and just to see it grow in this city and in this market to the point where we’re able to put on a massive country festival has been really exciting for me . Mendez said.

Headliners scheduled for the event include Zac Brown Band, Carrie Underwood, Dustin Lynch, Diplo presents Thomas Wesley, Chase Rice and Chris Janson. Other artists include Nico Moon, Gabby Barrett, Chase Beckham, Parmelee, Chase Matthews, Redferrin, Owen Rigling, Willie Jones, RVSHVD and DJ Silver.

After more than a year of performing in Florida, Mendes got a big break when he appeared on “The Voice” in 2022. He 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. Mendes, a graduate of the University of Florida School of Drama, credits his acting experience with developing his stage presence.

Mendes didn’t win, but the experience prompted him to move to Nashville. Earlier this year, he released a single called “Motherland” about his experiences as a Cuban-American, and a five-song EP was released last month.

Mendes attended last year’s County Bay and is looking forward to this year.

“It’s been an incredible festival with a lot of great attractions and an incredible atmosphere, and this year I expect them to take it a step further,” Mendes said.

Miami is already considered a hub for Latin, hip-hop and electronic music, but Country Bay organizer Nelson Albareda, CEO of Loud and Live, said the success of last year’s event proves there’s room for country and maybe even other genres. And a few more successful years could bring County Bay a permanent place on the Miami music scene alongside Rolling Loud and Ultra Music Festival.

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

About half of last year’s crowd was from out of town, but the other half was from the Miami area, which is about 70 percent Hispanic. Albareda said more than a third of all country music fans in the U.S. identify as Latino.

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

Country Bay backs to Miami Marine Stadium, enjoying views across Biscayne Bay to the Miami skyline. Last year, the festival drew more than 20,000 people over two days, and Albareda said he expects a similar crowd this year. And like last year, the festival also sold mooring passes that allowed fans to attend the event by boat or yacht.

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

“While the festival was going on, we were getting messages from agents saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know what you’ve done, but my artists are messaging me and everyone loves the festival,'” Albareda said.

One of the new artists this year 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 to do with South Florida or anything Florida in general is a no-brainer for me,” Rice said. “And it’s late in the year, man. It’s cold here. I’m ready to go down in 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 rides.

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