2010s Latin Essentials

2010s Latin Essentials

Latin music isn’t just a genre but a multifaceted culture that knows no boundaries, and the 2010s reflect how its wide-ranging styles branch out globally. The decade began with the electro-cumbia craze going strong, led by Bomba Estéreo’s tropical dance movement. In Chile, Javiera Mena’s unapologetic synth stabs sparked a disco-pop reverie across the southern continent. Meanwhile, Carla Morrison’s wounded pop and Natalia Lafourcade’s bolero brilliance elevated the romanticism of the singer-songwriter even higher. And lest anyone forget, the Mexican cumbia virtuosity of Los Ángeles Azules and Maná’s stadium pop-rock kept those well-established genres thriving. But the biggest success story of the decade was reggaetón’s second awakening, fronted by the likes of J Balvin, Ozuna and Maluma, who catapulted the genre to worldwide prominence. The urbano movement—the trap, hip-hop and new reggaetón now synonymous with Latin pop—disrupted the music industry with “Despacito”, which changed the entire game when it became the most streamed-song in internet history.

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