Thank you for following my blog throughout this semester. This post marks the end of this blog, for now at least. The good thing is that I have covered the majority of the genres that I listen to and believe are important in Latin culture. I shared modern genres as well as traditional genres. All these genres have huge influences and make up the playlists that you will hear at parties and get-togethers.

 

This post will not cover a genre as the other posts did. This genre will also not cover a specific song and analyze its meaning. We have already discussed the history of genres. We have discussed how many Latin genres consist of European, Indigenous, and African mixtures. We have already discussed how some genres are meant to be more romantic whereas others tell stories. We have not covered every Latin genre. For example, I left out Vallenato which is popular in Colombia, Tango which is popular in Argentina, and Ranchera which is popular in Mexico (and you may be familiar with it because mariachi bands play this type of music). However, I will not discuss those either.

Courtesy of ThoughtCo

 

This post will not discuss what we already know but rather what is yet to be known. The future of Latin music cannot be known, but there are definetely positive trends.

 

The most important thing about music is the influence it can have. Music can connect people and encourage positivity. In the past, Latin music has not had a huge influence in the world. Music has been dominated by English speaking artists, especially those who find success in the United States. This has spread American influence around the world.

 

Now, Latin American artists are trying to do the same thing. The current stars want to have a global influence and are making efforts to be heard around the world. The plan most of the artists have right now is to hit the radios in the United States and then go from there. Such happened with Despacito. It became popular in the United States, thanks to the collaboration with Justin Beiber, and the became a worldwide sensation. The song Mi Gente by J Balvin similarly became a popular song worldwide and Obama claimed that is was his favorite song.

Courtesy of Billboard

This is a very good thing for the Latin community. By spreading the culture, more people can become accepting of the Latin community and embrace Latin traditions. This can remove the negative stigma that exists with Latinos and the Latin community can be admired for its music and beautiful culture.

 

The only problem Latin music has right now is the language. If Latin artists really want to spread to America they need to understand that non-Spanish speakers will struggle to appreciate music they don’t understand. Despacito hit because Justin Bieber did a collaboration and there was an English part to the song. A few years ago, the song Bailando by Enrique Iglesias and Gente the Zona reached the American radios. This song was a hit but its lyrics were slightly changed to include more English. Most recently, Cardi B came out with the song “I Like it” which was top charts and had two Latin American singers in it: Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny and Colombian artist J Balvin.

Courtesy of Billboard

 

It will take more collaborations and translations to fully make Latin music appealing to an American audience. Even though the language barrier exists, Latin music is still gaining popularity beyond just Latin American countries and it is possible that it will continue to gain popularity and become more influential. Soon, you may commonly hear Latin songs on the radio. 

 

I hope you found this blog entertaining and learned more about Latin music and Latin culture. If you want suggestions on where to find more Latin music I highly recommend the Latin playlists on Spotify- they really include some of the recent hits that are being heard in Latin America. I hope I have expanded your music taste and influenced you with some Latin flavor. This may be my last post about Latin music, but the music plays on. Enjoy it and embrace it!