Photo Credits: @kablito, @yendry, @manuelmedrano
The success and popularity of Hispanic music is no news to us, the global music landscape has always been characterised by their lyricism and catchy rhythm. Since the days of Daddy Yankee and Don Omar and to this day with the growing success of Bad Bunny.
However, Hispanic songs aren’t exclusive to this genre, with the evolution of various artists in these past years we have increasingly become aware of the expansive talent that diversifies it. A new generation of talent that has reached audiences across the world with hits in the pop charts and beyond.
Here is a selection of our current favourite Hispanic artists to add to your music radar.
C.Tangana
C. Tangana, previously known as Crema, has been marking Spanish music since 2006 with his hybrid take on Spanish melodies and culture. The Madrid born and raised artist presents us with his romantic affinity with music through the combination of his passion for Spanish folklore and modern rap. The result of which are incredible songs like ‘Tú me dejaste de querer’ and ‘Nunca estoy’ that have transported his fame to the international scene.
His forthcoming album ‘El Madrileño’, about to be released on the 26th of February, will continue to nourish C.Tangana’s artistic evolution. His music, visuals and narrative, will continue to honour the heritage of Spanish music through the surprising collaborations with artists that, like him, have had a strong impact on the history of Hispanic music. Artists like Andres Calamaro and the Gypsy Kings will help him create new and contrasting sounds born through the appreciation of traditional ones.
This upcoming project will undoubtedly showcase C.Tangana’s talent and maybe even beat his own record of best debut in Spanish history with ‘Tú me dejaste de querer’ and 1.6 million Spotify views in only 24hours.
Kablito
Kablito, aka Karen Freire, is an Ecuadorian artist now residing in Los Angeles that made it to our music radar with her smooth R&B sounds and relatable lyricism.
As she explains her music is a contemporary mix of inspiration gathered from all her favourite R&B artists from Prince to Jack Swing, and her musical take of South American culture and its distinct elements like drama soap operas.
It’s not a common combination nor source of inspiration for a musician but it is one that is worth our time. With her EP Telenovela and multiple hits such as “Vete de Aquí” and “Yo Nunca Te Quise” Kablito entered an industry (the Latinx music industry) that was often considered only for its traditional dancing hits and recentred the international listeners’ attention to the contemporary music that enriches it.
She’s an urban voice representing change and becoming her own representative figure in the music industry with evolving sounds and incredible collaborations.
Bad Bunny
If you don’t know Bad Bunny by now you’re not listening to the right music…But, if you’re like us and love him and everything he does we’re here to talk about him once again.
The Puerto Rican artist known due to his eccentric take on Latin music, genre versatility and joyful personality is one of the key figures in the revitalisation and appreciation of modern Latin music. Not only he creates songs that immediately boost your mood and make you want to forget about everything else, like “Dàkiti”, but he also challenges everything that is outdated and embraces change and innovation, as done in the music video of “Yo perreo sola” by becoming his own muse.
His latest and unexpected album “El Último Tour del Mundo” demonstrated the different sides of Bad Bunny’s music; his ability to work on any genre and come up with diverse songs that always represent his artistic essence. The music video for one of our favourite songs of the album, ‘La Noche de Anoche’ featuring Rosalía has just been released, it’s a visual serenade that lets us appreciate the chemistry of these two artists accompanied by the complexity of their lyrics and beautiful imagery.
In the case that video wasn’t enough and leaves you wanting more, don’t worry, we will get more of Bad Bunny in this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live.
Sebastian Cortes
Sebastián Cortés is making his way into the world of music as a singer, composer and producer. Focused on creating something different that expands the possibilities of niche-music and artists in the Spanish scene.
The Madrid born and raised artist has crafted a style of his own, which fits in with Lofi-pop and Indie sounds that resonate with us as an audience due to the quality of his unprecedented style and the catch of his lyricism.
It’s not a further extension of commercial pop or another standardised version of indie music, it’s something more. His raw voice, meaningful stories and even laid-back production provide us with a genuine alternative to Spanish pop and allows us to sit back and enjoy Sebastián Cortés hit songs like “Dos x Tres” and “T la sudo”.
He may not be the most mainstream of artists but his releases have reached a wide audience exceeding 100,000 listeners on Spotify across different genres, and all by his merit without the support of any label but due to his art. We believe he is an artist to keep up with and cannot wait to see what he has in store for us and the Hispanic music landscape.
Nathy Peluso
Nathy Peluso, an artist criticised for her daring approach to music but loved by us for it.
The Argentinian artist has carved her path in the Latinx music industry by breaking boundaries and exploring musical aspects that many have been afraid to do until now.
We became familiar with her work back in 2017 following the release of her hit single ‘Corashe’ and have been keeping up with her incredible trajectory ever since. Her music has everything that we, Voir, love; upbeat sounds, strong lyrics, impactful voice and eccentric style. Something that we had the chance to admire even more in her third album “Calambre” with songs such as “Buenos Aires” and “Delito”. The latter which has just taken a visual form with the recent release of its official music video and gained international recognition by artists such as Cardi B.
Yendry
YENDRY is a Dominican-born singer who uses her music as a mirror to reflect the realities she faced while travelling the world and adapting to two different cultures.
We came across YENDRY’s work in her performance for the COLORS show but her career took off much earlier, the 27 years singer and songwriter gained popularity in 2012 after participating in the Italian X-Factor. The participation in the Italian talent show became acclaimed due to her strong vocals and particular musical choices which were further appreciated in 2014 when she became the leading voice of Materianera and was part of their first EP “Supernova”.
YENDRY’s music evolved with the years and so did our appreciation of it. Her hit singles “Barrio” and “Nena” are the ones that caught our attention, these, to us, are the ones that encompass her path into finding her niche and that represent her will to include and represent her roots and culture through her music.
As you will be able to appreciate when listening to her different releases the young artist doesn’t solely sing in Spanish but tries to communicate her message and style using the combination of various languages, therefore creating a particular characteristic in her craft.
A characteristic that also translates into her influences, taking equal inspiration from Bachata to R&B and including her favourite elements of both to create her trail.
If you want to find out more about her music don’t miss out on the opportunity and go listen to “Se Acabó”, her latest release featuring Dominican rapper Mozart La Para.
Louta
Louta cannot be described exclusively as a singer. The young Argentinian artist is a singer, songwriter, performer and music producer… but most importantly his artist that likes to communicate with this audience, he’s a stage bug and many call him.
Louta doesn’t just perform his music, he makes an artistic proposition out of his songs, one that his viewers are obliged to listen to and take the time to interact with. His songs are a dialogue with the public that goes beyond the entertaining role of music, they’re a discussion accompanied by innovative music.
Why innovative you may ask… Louta is a multifaceted artist that has succeeded in incorporating diverse genres into his projects, from electronic music to traditional cumbia and many more. But this music as catchy as it is by itself is always presented alongside a specific choice of visuals and shows that surpass our acoustic expectations.
He’s not the most known artist in the Hispanic music industry, however, he’s one that will change your perception of Latin music and will make you fall in love with his intimate songs like “Media hora” and the more chaotic ones like “Alto visto”.
Manuel Medrano
Romanticism in soothing Latin pop, this is how we would describe Manuel Medrano’s music to the ones that aren’t familiar with it. The Colombian singer and songwriter has built himself an impressive career following the classic and rather traditional beauty of Latin pop music.
His most popular songs, that also happen to be our favourite ones too, “Bajo el agua”, “Si pudiera”, and “Una y otra vez” have attracted over 4.5 monthly million listeners over the world on platforms such as Spotify. The simplicity in his music is what makes it so pleasant, his laid-back approach allows us to directly focus on his incredible vocal talent and minimal acoustic sounds, letting the music speak for itself.
Unlike other Latin artists of the moment that try to include as many elements as possible in their projects Manuel Medrano’s style relies on the quality of his sounds and the impact of his voice. Something that is becoming underappreciated nowadays but that is always captivating to see, especially by a renown artist like him.
Rosalía
Rosalía, the singer who transformed the sound of Spanish music throughout the world. The acclaimed artist who has now become a sought-after collaborator in the music industry has brought to light her passion for Flamenco in the incorporation of contemporary pop music.
We have yet to meet someone who doesn’t appreciate Rosalía’s talent or straight up isn’t obsessing over he music, and fairly so. The Catalan singer owns her originality in every sense, she presented to the world one of the most traditional aspects of Spanish culture in everything but a traditional way. This originality is centred in her music, through the never-ending reinvention of current sounds and visual stimuli she became one of our favourite personalities in the global music industry.
It is no wonder why so many artists have opted to collaborate with the Catalan singer, from Bad Bunny to James Blake, proving the reach of her sounds to every imaginable audience from every part of the world. Check out one of our favourite projects of hers below.
Words by Chiara Ferrari, Graphics by Victoria Zhao
