The reign of Latin music

You only have to turn on the radio to realize that reggaeton, Latin trap and other Latin-influenced derivatives are at the heart of popular music. While the Fuego Fuego festival is in full swing, interest in artists singing in Spanish is also evident indoors: in the coming weeks, Feid, Peso Pluma and Aventura will all grace the stage of Montreal’s largest amphitheater, the Bell Center , while Pitbull will perform at Parc Jean-Drapeau. We give you some keys to understanding the rise of Latin music.

Turning Despacito

Plusieurs artistes aux influences latines ont ouvert la voie aux Maluma, J Balvin ou Rosalía, les vedettes de l’heure. On se souvient de la popularité mondiale qu’ont connue Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez et Shakira au tournant du millénaire. Et vers 2005, « on a eu Daddy Yankee et un courant “pop urbano”, qui ont mis la table [au succès] of Despacito », recalls Ons Barnat, professor in the music department of the University of Quebec in Montreal. Released in 2017, the song by Puerto Ricans Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, to which Justin Bieber later lent his voice, became the first song in the Spanish language since the Macarena to rise to the top of the rankings Billboard. ” With Despacito, the last barriers fell and we started listening to this music everywhere,” says Audray Johnson, responsible for programming at evenko for the Fuego Fuego festival. Then came the Puerto Rican Bad Bunny, whose album Un verano sin ti (his fourth) was the first opus completely sung in Spanish to reach the top of the top 200 of Billboard American, in 2022. “If we feel here, in Quebec, that the Latino wave has arrived, it’s because it has really reached everywhere,” says Alberto Maduro, who hosts the show Latino Gang on Lévis radio, where he broadcasts Latin music and invites artists to the microphone. “I’ve been here 14 years and I’ve never felt it so strongly. »

Extract of Tití Me Preguntó, of Bad Bunny

Bringing the codes together

The meteoric rise of Latin-influenced music in pop is no coincidence. “Bad Bunny, Maluma and J Balvin rode the reggaeton wave, but also internationalized it, using codes and clichés from hip-hop music and especially pop,” describes Ons Bernat. The choruses are catchy and the pop mixes with the “Latin flavor”, in terms of sounds and themes, he adds. “Spanish has become the second most spoken language in popular music. And at the same time we see headliners doing more and more songs in English, which is a big change compared to 10 years ago. » Collaborations have also multiplied in recent years, merging cultures and giving wings to Latin music. Bad Bunny and J Balvin, for example, team up with rapper Cardi B for success I Like It, in 2018, a piece inspired by trap and salsa. Maluma and The Weeknd, J Balvin and Beyoncé, Bad Bunny with Tainy and Dua Lipa… According to the entertainment industry data and analysis agency Luminate, 1 in 4 Latin music songs among the 10,000 most listened to is a collaboration.

Excerpt fromHawaiiby Maluma and The Weeknd

Networks and streaming

If music crosses borders more easily than ever, it is thanks to online listening platforms and social networks. “We can no longer avoid this. We are in a world where we are so interconnected, says Ons Barnat. Today, artists are forced to enter these marketing spheres to make sure their music is heard. » In 2022, Latin music saw a 33% increase in listening on online platforms, according to Luminate. Thanks to Spotify and company, it’s easier than ever to discover new music. Karol G (49 million monthly listeners on Spotify), Peso Pluma (50 million), Ozuna (41 million), Rauw Alejandro (45 million) are just a few examples of these hyperactive online Latin music artists whose recent success was brilliant.

Extract of Tuya, of Rosalia

A genre for everyone

Demographically, Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries weigh heavily in favor of music with Latin influences. Spanish is also the second most spoken language in the United States, where popular music trends often emerge. “We can clearly see the interest in the shows when we announce them: the community is there,” describes Audray Johnson, specifying that Montreal has the largest Latin community in Canada. The Quebec public is also responding to the call, especially since there is a link between Quebec and certain American countries, where Quebecers travel a lot. “More and more, in events [de musique latine], I see people coming from everywhere. People listen to the percussion and the melodies and it makes them feel good,” says Alberto Maduro. How long will we hear reggaeton, Latin trap, flamenco-pop, corridos tumbados at festivals and on the radio? “We may have reached the peak for Latin-influenced music, because it has continued to rise,” says Ons Barnat. There is music that resonates with listeners who do not necessarily have the same cultures or come from the same places. That’s what’s magical. »

Latin music artists expected this year

Bell Center

• Feid, the 1^er June
• Peso Pluma, June 4
• Aventura, June 8
• Jennifer Lopez, August 5
• Chayanne, November 15
• Shakira, December 10

Jean-Drapeau Park

Place Bell

• Sean Paul, August 30
• Grupo Frontera, September 4
• Christian Nodal, October 23
• Ana Gabriel, November 24

Plains of Abraham in Quebec

• J Balvin and Ivan Cornejo, July 13, as part of the Quebec Summer Festival

Learn more

• 55.29%

  Increase in consumption of Latin music albums between 2020 and 2022 in the United States

  Source: Luminate

  1.1 billion

  Annual revenue from Latin music in 2022 (in US dollars)

  source : variety