On May 26th, Colombian singer J.Balvin will be in concert at the ING Arena in Brussels. The following month, another Colombian artist, Karol G, will fill Antwerp's Sportpaleis on June 29th. Colossal venues for Latin music stars who have gone global. And they are far from isolated cases.
“Des...pa...cito”. This Luis Fonsi song was originally intended to be a simple summer hit. But “Despacito” triggered a veritable reorganization of the mainstream music scene. Since that song, which resonated around the globe, Latin American music and artists became global. They have become the new norm.
In 2023, six Latin American singers ranked in the top 25 most listened-to artists on Spotify. Not only in Latin America. Not just in the United States, where the Latino audience now represents 20% of the population. Worldwide. Today, these artists - Bad Bunny, Karol G, Peso Pluma - fill stadiums all over the planet.
Yet Latin American music has long been part of popular culture. In the 70s, following protests by Latino populations in New York, the Grammys Awards created a category called “Latin Music”. In the 90s, the institution even created a separate ceremony, the Latin Grammys, where all the continent's musical genres were finally celebrated. This was the heyday of Tejano music, a popular style blending Mexican and US influences, with singer Selena at the top of the bill.
At the end of the 90s/beginning of the 2000s, Latin American artists who were making a name for themselves in the USA were finally making their mark in the great world of pop. Fast-moving, crowd-pleasing music. It's the golden age of Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias. But they all had to follow the same rule to make the crossover: sing in English and adapt to established pop sounds. Shakira even went so far as to dye her hair blonde, hiding all traces of her Colombian physique for her first album in English, “Laundry Service”.
Despacito, a textbook case
It wasn't until 2017 and the Despacito phenomenon that the planets of Latin music aligned. The video for this song holds the record for the most views on Youtube (8.5 billion at the time of writing) and is a condensed version of the shift that has taken place in Spanish-language music.
First of all, an extremely simple, catchy and universal rhythm. The fusion of pop and reggaeton, with the cult Daddy Yankee at the helm. The duet between Fonsi and the Puerto Rican artist is in itself significant. Today's best-selling Latin tracks are almost always collaborations between several artists. In the age of streaming, bringing together the audiences of two singers can double listenership.
Then there's the clip's success on Youtube. Latino audiences consume music not only on streaming platforms, but also on video. In 2023, 7 of the 10 most-viewed music videos in the world were songs in Spanish. A language that is gradually establishing itself as global. Since Despacito, Latin artists are no longer asked to translate their lyrics to sell out venues in the USA.
Nevertheless, the US market remains the necessary springboard for global success. And in this country, the figures are staggering. According to data from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), between 2019 and 2023, Latin music's share of overall US industry revenue rose from 5 to 7.9%, dethroning country music.
By 2023, this represents a market worth $1.4 billion. 98% of this revenue comes from streaming platforms. Mainly Spotify, but also 336 million from Youtube. Latin music is now a genre to be cherished. In May 2023, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek celebrated the success of these artists, who were “making music history”.
Miami Sound Machine
This new page in mainstream music is being written in Miami, the Mecca of Latin music. This is where the artists and producers of the genre meet, as well as the media environment. The three giants - Sony, Universal and Warner - are all headquartered in Miami. It's on the shores of Florida that Latin styles merge with the US sound.
This microcosm led to the professionalization of the genre and a more demanding approach to production. A diversification of styles too. It's interesting to note that, after years of reggaeton hegemony, the new heavy trend is that of Mexican regional with singers like Peso Pluma or groups like Grupo Frontera.
It's a real “grand écart”. From the synthetic rhythms, suggestive lyrics and auto-tuned vocals of reggaeton, to the opposite extreme of Mexican regional music, with instense lyrics, powerful vocals and an abundant instrumental base of guitars, tubas and trombones.
The genre is a hit in the United States. A few months ago, Peso Pluma even sang on Jimmy Fallon's late show, which now welcomes all fashionable Latino artists. While the style was considered old-fashioned just a few years ago, it is enjoying a revival, thanks in particular to a Latino community in the United States that is proud of its origins and increasingly integrated into the national community.
The ultimate proof of Latin music's integration into American popular culture came in February 2020. During half-time of the Superbowl final, the sporting event of the year, four Latinos - Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and J. Balvin - will get America dancing. Whereas they used to have to sing in English, it's now the English-speaking singers who want their share of this juicy market and are taking up Spanish lessons. Nicky Minaj, Drake, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, the Black Eyed Peas, ... all have recently collaborated with artists from the Latino new generation.
Global success
Freed from the barriers of language, access and preconceived ideas, Latin American artists are devouring the planet. The advent of streaming has enabled them to reach new audiences. The strike force of reggaeton artists permeates the entire industry, across all genres. Collaborations galore introduce listeners to new, emerging artists. The omnipresence of the Spanish language familiarizes ears ready to venture into new genres.
Next month, in Belgium, two huge pop stars will be making the ING Arena and Sportpaleis dance. But a few months ago, it was Mexico's Julieta Venegas who sang at the Madeleine, and on June 22 it's Juanes' turn at Antwerp's Roma. Artists who are now filling major Belgian venues. Concerts that bring together a Latino diaspora present all over the planet and identifiable thanks to streaming platforms, as well as a global audience of the curious who no longer confine the Spanish language to traditional summer hits.
For Tomas Cookman, founder of Nacional Records, the label of legendary artists such as Manu Chao, Aterciopelados, Fabulosos Cadillacs and Ana Tijoux, “Latin music is here to stay, as a phenomenon similar to hip-hop in the 70s, which was born as a street expression and became a part of popular culture”. With reggaeton and Miami as locomotives, Latin music has emerged from Florida and is now being exported in all styles. In the space of just a few years, the artists of this new generation have become emblems of mainstream culture: they now walk on the MET Gala carpet, make the cover of Vogue, sing at Coachella. And in Belgium, they fill 20,000-person concert halls.
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