From the catchy rhythms of Reggaeton to the heartfelt feeling you get when listening to Ranchera music, Latino music has been enjoyed worldwide, making people’s bodies move and telling a story within every song. In 2024, a total of 12 Latin artists made it into the global top 50 most-streamed artists, regardless of their location or language, as people stream these songs worldwide.
Latino music has a mix of many different styles of rhythms and melodies. It is rooted in the blending of Indigenous, African, and European musical traditions in the Americas, especially during the Spanish and Portuguese colonization.
Along with the different types of music, like Latin pop, reggaeton, salsa, banda, and bachata, some dances go with them, like flamenco, that originated in Spain in the city of Seville, bachata, that comes from the Dominican Republic, as well as merengue, and cumbia that comes from Colombia.
There are many Latino singers, but one of the most listened to at the moment is Bad Bunny. He was born and raised in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. At the start of his career, he would record music on Songcloud and post it for people to listen to. After this, he started gaining recognition and fame in 2016 with the release of his song, “Diles.” Later, in 2024, he became one of the most listened to artists, according to Spotify, placing third behind Taylor Swift and The Weeknd. This made him the most listened to Latin singer worldwide. From there, he began to collaborate with other big singers like J Balvin and Becky G.
As there has been a growing population not just in Clinton but in the United States, with about 20% of the population being identified as Hispanic or Latino in America, Latin music has become more popular in America, and you hear it more and more, whether it is in stores while you shop or at restaurants. According to the Los Angeles Times, the genre of Latin had about 51 billion streams this past year. At Morgan, there is a growing population of Spanish-speaking students, with nearly 356 enrolled in the Clinton Public Schools district, and many of them only listen to music in Spanish.
Sofia Barrientos is a Spanish-speaking junior student at Morgan. She was born and raised in Colombia, so all of her life she has been exposed to all the different types of Latino music and dances. She is really familiar with the top artists and enjoys listening to all of their latest songs.
“Almost all of the songs I listen to are in Spanish. I am attracted to the rhythms, and I love dancing to the music, especially when I’m partying with my friends,” said Barrientos.
Concerts can be a very exciting event that many attend, where they get to attend a public music performance of their favorite artists and be with others who are also interested in the same type of music as them. Brithany Herrera is a sophomore here at the Morgan school, and she was born and raised in Ecuador. She was exposed to music from a very young age, and she has always loved to listen to it as well as dance to it, so concerts for her are a way for her to express her
Latina side.
“I love going to concerts, almost all of my favorite artists are Latin singers, so I know almost all of their songs, and whenever I go to a concert, I get to dance and enjoy time with my friends and people who are into the same type of music as me,” said Herrera.
Herrera remembers the rush that ran through her body when one of her favorite singers came on stage. “The opening act was amazing, I remember seeing Jbalvin coming out of the car and screaming with my friend, I was so excited when I heard that he was opening up the show with my favorite song,” said Herrera.
Latino music can be for anyone; you don’t have to understand the language in order to listen to it. Many people listen to it for the rhythms, or many just listen to it because they enjoy dancing to the songs.