New to Latin Music? Here’s What You Need to Know (Part 1)

If you’re new to Latin music, there’s a lot to digest. The term “Latin” music itself is incredibly broad. It can be a bit overwhelming at first.

This will be the first blog in a series to help you understand the genre as a whole and the culture that surrounds it. Today’s focus will be the sub-genres of Latin music and some of their history. Buckle up, there’s a lot.

Reggaeton

The most popular type of Latin music on the market today. Stemming from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the genre began as a type of underground movement. Dancehall beats mixed with hip hop influences helped to create this new genre. Reggaeton’s first crossover hit was Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina from his 2004 album Barrio Fino. Yankee brought the genre to previously unthought of levels when he joined Luis Fonsi for his 2017 record-breaking song Despacito. (We’ll do a more in depth breakdown of reggaeton in the near future).

Artists to know:

• J Balvin
• Daddy Yankee
• Nicky Jam

Trap Latino

The newest genre on this list. Taking it’s influences from Southern Trap and blending elements of reggaeton, this genre has skyrocketed over the last few years. With lyrics that are usually more violent, sexual, and explicit than most mainstream Latin music, this genre and its stars have often been controversial.

Artists you need to know:

• Bad Bunny
• Anuel AA
• Ozuna

Salsa

Originating as a blend between Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban beats, salsa is one of the most popular genres of Latin music. This genre is particularly popular in the Caribbean as well as Colombia. Generally a quicker tempo and made for dancing,

Artists to know:

• Marc Anthony
• Hector Lavoe
• Celia Cruz

Bachata

Originating in the Dominican Republic, this genre was long associated with the rural and poor populations of the Caribbean island. Lyrics often follow in the traditions of bolero (our next category) but tend to skew more explicit and occasionally crude. The genre exploded in the 1990s and its stars remain amongst the most well-known and popular in the Spanish speaking world.

Artists you need to know:

• Romeo Santos
• Prince Royce
• Juan Luis Guerra

Bolero

One of the oldest genres of Latin music, with its origins dating back as far as the late 1700s. These songs tend to focus on romance and broken hearts. As one of the oldest genres of Latin music, it has been foundational to nearly every other type of Latin music.

Artists to know:

• Julio Iglesias
• Luis Miguel
• Juan Gabriel

Regional Mexican

This is a very broad category. Regional Mexican can apply to genres such as mariachi, norteño, and ranchera. Each type has it’s own regional flavor which gives this category a gigantic amount of variety.

Artists to know:

• Vicente Fernandez
• Christian Nodal
• Los Tigres del Norte

Merengue

Another genre originating in the Dominican Republic. Merengue songs tend to be very fast with dancing resembling marching. Another common hallmark of the genre is the adaptation of hits from other genres into merengue. This process is known as fusilamiento.

Artists to know:

• Elvis Crespo
• Olga Tañón
• Groupo Mania

Rock Latino

Generally speaking, Rock Latino combines American rock and roll with Latin beats. Rock Latino tends to be heavier on acoustic sounds than its American counterpart. Rock Latino tends to be far more prevalent in South America, in countries like Brazil and Mexico, than in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world.

Artists to know:

• Juanes
• Soda Stereo
• Mana

Latin Pop

Similar to American pop, this genre represents the most mainstream songs in Latin music. Most the artists in this genre are seen as “crossover” stars who are generally bilingual and can bridge the gap between Spanish speakers and English speakers. The height of this genre came in 1999 when Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, and Marc Anthony all released albums that were mostly (if not entirely) in English to great success.

Artists to know:

• Ricky Martin
• Jennifer Lopez
• Enrique Iglesias

The lines between these subgenres is often blended with even more niche genres like salsaton (a mix of reggaeton and salsa) emerging from time to time.

We’ll be back soon for Part 2 of our series, next time with how to dance to Spanish music.