By: Isabel Chang, Siheon Lee, and Aumrita Savdharia
Latin America has been a capital for rich and empowering music for centuries. Using complex rhythms and unique timbres, this style of music exhibits a unique flair that exudes dancing and celebration. Latin American music origins come from a unique blend of the indigenous tribes, Spanish settlers, and all that came after. In recent years, we’ve seen a shift towards Hispanic music becoming one of the most celebrated genres in the world. Being a culmination of many unique genres like reggaeton, salsa, bossa nova, and bachata, Latin music is the most exciting and fun of all the genres.
Reggaeton influences are everywhere in top hits today. For example, “Woman” by Doja Cat, and "Hips Don’t Lie" by Shakira, both incorporate reggaeton into their beat and lyrics. Reggaeton emerged in the 1980s and stems from Jamaican reggae and hip-hop. It uses synth sounds and percussion to create songs for dancing and partying. In 2020, 11 of Spotify’s Top 50 artists worldwide were Spanish-speaking artists, who produced music in a Latin American genre called reggaeton (Noe). Some distinctly reggaeton music you may know is “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, and “La Droga” by Bad Bunny.
Salsa music is fast-paced and upbeat, meant for dancing. It uses conga drums, bass, trumpet, and maracas. Salsa music originated in Cuba but rose in popularity in New York during the 1950s. This music was used for salsa dance and focused on fast footwork. A popular salsa music we recommend is “Toro Mata” by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco.
Mainstream Latin music has combined the traditional Latino sound with popular genres such as trap, EDM, and hip hop, edited with autotune, synth, and other modern tools, to appeal to a broader demographic. This has resulted in immense success: Latin music hit its peak revenue of $627 million for the first half of 2023. Spanish is now the second most popular language of music in the US, with an estimated 23% market share (Garcia).
However, some of the best Latin music that America has heard comes from the past, incorporating traditional instruments from both worlds: from the Latin side comes the conga, macarena, bongo drums, guitar, timbale, and claves, which are then combined with Western instruments like the piano, strings, and trumpet. The rhythms employed by many of these songs also take root from tradition: the cha-cha, songo, bomba, cumbia, bolero, and guaracha–many come from local dances, all with fun syncopation and accentuation. We see the mambo sound used in the timeless “Mambo No. 5” by Pérez Prado and the Chicano beat in Ritchie Valens’s rendition of “La Bamba.” Some other timeless oldies we suggest include “Bonito y Sabroso” by Benny Moré and “Mas Que Nada” by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.
Past and present, Latin music continues to embody the spirit of Latino culture and people. Now it is finding a wider audience than ever before, and already flourishing beyond ethnic lines around the world. In California, Hispanics and Latinos form 40.3% of the population, creating and leading the popular culture. If you haven’t already, listen to these beautiful tunes and enjoy exploring the world of Latin music.
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