The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporate the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Due to its highly syncretic nature, Latin American music encompasses a wide variety of styles, including influential genres such as cumbia, bachata, bossa nova, merengue, rumba, salsa, samba, son, and tango. During the 20th century, many styles were influenced by the music of the United States giving rise to genres such as Latin pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, and reggaeton.
The music of Argentina includes a variety of traditional, classical and popular genres. One of the country's most significant cultural contributions is the tango, which originated in Buenos Aires and its surroundings during the end of the 19th century and underwent profound changes throughout the 20th century. Folk music was particularly popular during the 20th century, experiencing a "boom" in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s thanks to artists such as Atahualpa Yupanqui and Mercedes Sosa, prominent figures of the Nuevo cancionero movement. In the mid-to-late 1960s, the countercultural scene of Buenos Aires originated Argentine rock, considered the earliest incarnation of Spanish-language rock for having an autochthonous identity that differed from that of England or the United States. It was widely embraced by the youth and since then has become part of the country's musical identity as much as traditional music. According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, Argentina also "has one of the richest art music traditions and perhaps the most active contemporary musical life.
The music of Mexico is highly diverse, featuring a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, primarily deriving from Europeans, Indigenous, and Africans. Music became an expression of Mexican nationalism starting in the nineteenth century.
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in many indigenous languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl and Purépecha. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she primarily studied at the Institute of Arts by Oaxaca and briefly attended the University of Minnesota, before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the traditional music scene of Oaxaca City.
María Natalia Lafourcade Silva is a Mexican singer and songwriter who performs in such genres as pop rock, jazz and folk music. Since her debut in 2002, she has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized as a lyric soprano.
Cumbia villera is a subgenre of cumbia music originating in Argentina in the late 1990s and popularized all over Latin America and Latin communities abroad.
Mexican cumbia is a type of cumbia, a music which originated in Colombia but was later reinvented and adapted in Mexico.
Banda is a subgenre of regional Mexican music and type of ensemble in which wind and percussion instruments are performed.
Regional styles of Mexican music vary greatly from state to state. Norteño, banda, duranguense, Son mexicano and other Mexican country music genres are often known as regional Mexican music because each state produces different musical sounds and lyrics.
Leonor Gonzalez Mina is a prominent Afro-Colombian musician and actress, known as "la Negra Grande de Colombia". She is known for her work in several genres of Colombian music, including bolero, pasillo, bambuco, and especially cumbia. She is known for songs such as "Mi Buenaventura", "Navidad Negra", and "Yo Me Llamo Cumbia".
Residente o Visitante is the second studio album by Puerto Rican urban/hip hop band Calle 13, released on April 24, 2007, by Sony BMG. Recorded in various countries while on tour in promotion of the duo's debut album Calle 13, Residente o Visitante marked an evolution in the band's musical and lyrical style. While writing the album, the duo took a trip to South America to explore areas populated by Latin America's indigenous and African-descended minorities, a journey that greatly influenced the music on Residente o Visitante. The album features six guest artists and delves into genres such as tango, bossa nova, cumbia, and electronica.
Grupera is a subgenre of regional Mexican music. It reached the height of its popularity in the 1990s, especially in rural areas. The music has roots in the rock groups of the 1960s, but today generally consists of four or more musicians using electric guitars, keyboards and drums. The music increased in popularity in the 1980s and became commercially viable, and is now recognized in some Latin music awards ceremonies such as Lo Nuestro and The Latin Grammy Awards. Grupero artists typically perform rancheras, corridos, cumbias, charangas, ballads, boleros and huapangos.
Tropical music is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean coastal regions of Colombia and Venezuela.
The New Chilean Cumbia also known as New Chilean Cumbia Rock is a subgenre of cumbia music that originated in Chile in the early 2000s and that largely surfaced in mainstream media in 2009 and 2010. In contrast to older cumbias the lyrics of New Chilean Cumbia deals more with urban life and combines aspects of rock, hip hop and a wide variety of Latin American genres like Andean music, salsa, the son, reggae, boleros, ska, Latin-African music, diablada and even folklore from the Balkans, like the Klezmer, and Gipsy music.
Making Movies is an international rock n' roll band known for its Latino activism in the United States and abroad. Formed in Kansas City, MO in 2009, their music includes elements of rock, cumbia, psychedelia, American roots, son cubano, and spoken word.
Banda Conmoción are a Chilean ensemble band who mix cumbia and gypsy music with genres such as ska and cha-cha-cha. They are part of the new Latin-American fusion movement and emerged in the early nineties along with groups like Chico Trujillo and La Floripondio. They are also considered part of the New Chilean Cumbia movement.
The band La Santa Cecilia released the song El Hielo (ICE) from their album Treinta Dias in early April 2013. El Hielo (ICE) provides an insight perspective of the problems of illegal immigration to the United States through the lives of three characters. The video demonstrates the struggles of the undocumented trying to provide a secure life for themselves and their families. The music video was shot in Los Angeles, California in March and the cast included people from Los Angeles and Arizona. ICE El Hielo has been mentioned as being “something of an anthem for immigration reform.” In just nine days after the video's release, the official music video collected over 315,000 views on YouTube. The video gained notice by mainstream media for its conveyed messages on immigration and critiques of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Alt.Latino is a radio show and podcast about Latin alternative music and Latinx culture on National Public Radio. The show launched in 2010 and is hosted by Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre. It features music as well as interviews with Latino musicians, actors, film makers and writers.
Monsieur Periné is a Bogotá-based musical ensemble from Colombia with an Afro-Colombian sound that mixes Latin and European flavors. Lead singer Catalina García sings in a mixture of Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese. Other members include Santiago Prieto, who plays the charango, violin, and guitar; Eva Peroni on the bass; Jairo Alfonso on the winds ; Abstin Caviedes on the trombone and bugle; Miguel Guerra on percussion; and Darwin Paez on the drumset. Their style mixes elements of cumbia, tango, danzón, bolero and pop music, according to the San Diego Union Tribune. At the Latin Grammy Awards, the ensemble was named best new artist of 2015. Their debut album in 2012 won Colombia's national gold album award. The group was formed in 2008.
Jenny and the Mexicats, previously known as Pachucos y la Princesa, is a multicultural band composed of English trumpeter and singer Jenny Ball, Spanish percussionist David González Bernardos, and the Mexican brothers Pantera Mexicat on guitar and Icho Mexicat on double bass. Their style blends elements of flamenco, jazz, folk, and cumbia, with lyrics in both English and Spanish. The band is considered independent, and it does not have a contract with any record company.
