The Rise of Latin American Music
How Latin American music took over the world with cultural pride and global connections.

When Camila Cabello opened the 2019 Grammy Awards with a scintillating performance of her hit song, Havana, she became the first Latina to do so. It was a statement of arrival by the Latin American music industry. The performance itself was a true depiction of the glitz and glam of Latin music. She had an entire Cuban block on stage and everyone came to the party. It was fun, exciting, and iconic.

The first Grammy opening was in 2019, but Latin American music has been around for much longer. In this article, I’m walking down memory lane to see how we got here. Join me as I explore the history and evolution, the numbers, and some notable names of the Latin American music push.

Let’s do it…

In the beginning…

Even before colonization, South America was full of cultures and traditions. When the Spanish and Portuguese settlers arrived, a beautiful blend emerged from the melee. This happened way before the gramophone so we won’t go that far. The first time a Latino artist broke into the American mainstream scene was in 1950. Perez Prado was a sensation in South America who became a hit with American audiences too.

As the Hispanic population of the United States grew, the music followed. Some Latino artists had decent fanbases in the US that were almost exclusively Hispanic. In the 1990s, labels noticed a rising love for Latin music and dove into action. Ricky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, and several others broke the wall to become global stars.

Finally accepted by the mainstream, Latin music thrived. Collaborations poured in and the flames burned even higher. As these headliners entered the twilight of their careers, the Latino fever slowed with them. In 2017, however, Latin music soared to the top of world music again.

When Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee dropped Despacito in 2017, it was the beginning of a new era. The song was already doing numbers, but one collaboration sent it into the stratosphere. Justin Bieber joined the two Latinos with the remix and Despacito became an anthem all over the world.

Two years later, Camila Cabello lit the Grammy stage with that electric performance. She was joined by Ricky Martin from the first generation as well in that historic performance. It was the arrival of Latin music not just as an accepted genre but as a mainstream genre.

The first generation of Latino stars had to “Americanize” their music. It was Latino, but also American. This new generation of artists couldn’t care less. Today, we have the likes of J Balvin, Rosalia, Karol G, and many others making music entirely in Spanish but still receiving love from fans all over the world. A popular saying about Latino music says “You don’t have to understand it, you only have to enjoy it”.

We’re enjoying it, you bet.

What do the numbers say?

If you need any more convincing that Latin music is booming, let’s talk about the numbers. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti was the most streamed album on Spotify in 2022 and 2023. For context, no Latino song ever finished in Spotify’s top 100 before 2013. Since then, its popularity has grown by almost 1000%. Yes, that’s one thousand percent.

This popularity is evident in the financials too. In 2022, revenue from Latin music was $1.1 billion, and that grew to $1.4 billion in 2023. The genre contributed to just under 8% of the global music revenue. Latin music isn’t playing around.

My Top Three

Now let’s talk about some top names in the Latin music industry.

Bad Bunny

Nobody is doing the kind of numbers Bad Bunny has been doing. The Puerto Rican went from bagging groceries in 2016 to topping Spotify’s album charts two years in a row. His last album, Un Verano Sin Ti, has been more than a success. The dominance started in 2020 with the album YHLQMDLG. A fellow Latina artist, Olivia Rodrigo interrupted his run in 2021 with Sour, but he came back with Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022. Nobody was able to dethrone the album in 2023.

The album racked up over 600 million streams within the first week and has since gone on to be the most streamed album of all time on Spotify with over 15 billion streams.

J Balvin

Popularly called the “Prince of Reggaeton”, J Balvin is another huge Latino artist. He has released five solo albums, one with Bad Bunny, and one with Ed Sheeran that dropped this year. He became the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2018. He has since hit billions of streams. On Apple Music, he was even the first Latino to hit a billion streams.

J Balvin may not have Bad Bunny’s popularity, but he’s one of the more senior Latin artists who have helped set the stage for younger artists.

Rosalia

Rosalia released her debut album, Los Angeles, in 2017 and went straight to the top. She earned herself a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Her second album took her to the main Grammys. She has since won eleven Latin Grammys and two Grammys. Her last album came in 2022 and we’re all hoping for something new sooner than later.

Final Thoughts

Latin American music has become a massive industry and it will only grow bigger. One of the biggest catalysts of this growth has been the massive US-based Latino population. The more these artists identified with their roots, the more popular the music grew. Artists like Selena Gomez and Camila Cabello have all played different parts.

If you're a Latin American artist, this is one of the best times to push for the stars. The world is more receptive to Latin American music than ever before. If you're not Latin American, you can still collaborate with one. It's never a bad idea to have some exotic spice in your music if that's your style.

On a final note, you don't have to be a Latin American artist to succeed in 2024. The best thing about this era is that the doors are open to people from all around the world. Latin American music is an example of this.

So the ball is now in your court. The doors are open, will you take the step?