Latin pop

Latin pop
Stylistic origins	Latin music Pop rock
Cultural origins	Italy · Spain · Portugal · France · Romania • Latin America • Latin Asia(Philippines).
Typical instruments	Spanish guitar · Accordion • Bass · Drums, keyboard, trumpet · trombone · piano · claves · cowbell · timbales · conga
Mainstream popularity	Latin America · Spain · Italy • Portugal · France · Romania · USA · Canada · United Kingdom • Latin Asia(Philippines)
Derivative forms	Tropipop
Fusion genres
Chicano rock · Rock en Español
Regional scenes
Americas: Brazilian pop · Mexican pop · US pop Europe: Italian music • Portuguese music • Spanish music · French music · Romanian music Latin Asia(the Philippines): Spanish music • Hispano Filipino pop • Italian music
Other topics
Pop culture

Latin pop (Pop Latino, in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Pop Latine in French) generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence. Geographically, it could refer to pop music from Latin America or sung by Latin Americans, generally regarded as Hispanics in the United States. Occasionally, the definition extends to Latin Europe, primarily Spain and Portugal, though Italy is often included. Latin Asia(specifically the Philippines) should also be considered as well. Latin pop music is usually sung in Spanish or other Romance languages, although English and other languages are not uncommon. In addition, many international artists from France and Italy often sing in Spanish for Spanish language audiences. Major Latin pop songwriters include Leonel García, Gian Marco, Estefano, Kike Santander, Juan Luis Guerra, Mario Domm, Rudy Pérez and Robi Draco Rosa.

Popular Latin pop artists

Some of the most successful artists are Luis Miguel, Selena, Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Carlos Santana, Thalia Sodi, La India, Marc Anthony, Juanes and Miami Sound Machine.

• Shakira's particularly with the most successful songs in the twenty-first century to date, "Whenever Wherever", "Waka Waka and "Hips Don't Lie". She has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, and has been Golden Globe-nominated. She is also the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time,and the most successful female Latin singer having sold 72 million albums worldwide, according to BMI. Additionally, she is the only artist from South America to reach the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, Canadian Hot 100, the Australian ARIA chart, and the UK Singles Chart. She was to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, but turned the offer down citing that she did not want to be considered a star of Hollywood.

• Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish singer, songwriter. Iglesias started his musical career with Mexican label Fonovisa, which helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Latino market in the United States, selling more Spanish language albums than any other artist in that decade. By 1999 he made a successful crossover into anglophone market signing a deal with Universal Music who released his English first single "Bailamos" which rode the front wave of the Latin Pop movement of that year, he released his first English album later in the year. His second English album Escape was his most successful and featured what would become Iglesias's signature ballad "Hero". With the release of Quizás he became the first Latin artist to reach a million spins of US radio. Iglesias would continue to release albums in both languages until 2010 when he released his first bilingual album Euphoria with a 50/50 mix of original songs which popular singles such as "I Like It" and "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)". Iglesias has sold over 100 million records worldwide, won a Grammy and Latin Grammy and has had two Billboard Hot 100 #1s,one #3, and two #4 and holds the record for producing 22 number #1 singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks, and 9 #1s Hot Dance Club Songs. In addition he is the best selling Latin artist in the UK and the best selling international artist of all time in India.

• Selena is a Grammy Award winning Tejano singer, sang Tejano music and all sorts of Latin genres as well. After bypassing all the Tejano berriors she quickly earned the title "Queen of Tejano Music." Selena became the first Latin artist to have ever had 4 number ones in one year back in 1994. The four were Donde Quiera Que Estés, Amor Prohibido, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and No Me Queda Mas. After her success in Spanish and even had a Grammy Award on her resume, Selena decided to work on her very first album in English. Unfortunately, Selena was murdered back in March 1995. Selena only recorded 4 songs for her crossover album and was schedule to have 13 songs in English for her album. The crossover album titled Dreaming of You was released in the summer of 1995. It quickly became an International Success. Selena's songs Dreaming of You and I Could Fall In Love quickly became Mainstream hits and the album became among the "Top ten best-selling debuts of all time" along with being the "best-selling debuts for a female artist" and Selena became the first Latin Artist male or female to have ever debuted at No. 1.

• Luis Miguel is the best known Mexican singer of the last two decades, and the most popular Latin American singer of the 1990s. He is known in Latin America and Spain as "El Sol de México" (The Sun of Mexico). He has won four Latin Grammy Awards and five Grammy Awards. His Amarte Es Un Placer Tour had a length of 8 months and run through Mexico, USA, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil and Spain between 1999 and 2000. It was the highest-grossing tour ever made by a Latin artist, as well as the most extended. These two records were broken by his 2005 Tour. Luis Miguel is praised for his extraordinary vocals and for having performed successfully several genres like latin pop, bolero, ballads and mariachi. He has refused to crossover and records his music only in Spanish. Luis Miguel has been dubbed "The Latin Frank Sinatra".

Form

There are two main variants. The first one is regular pop performed in the Spanish, Spanglish, Portuguese or English for international audiences. The second one mixes pop with a wide variety of Latin American or Iberian rhythms such as salsa, samba, norteña, merengue, banda, tex-mex, flamenco, tango, reggaeton, vallenato, and reggae.

History

Latin pop is usually marked by polished productions while incorporating unobtrusive Latin rhythms and instrumentation into tracks. Latin pop first reached a global audience through the work of vocalist Ritchie Valens in the late 1950s; in later decades, crooner Julio Iglesias, the versatile Gloria Estefan, and the revolving-door teen idol group Menudo carried the style forward. This genre includes Tejano -- an urbanized form of the accordion-driven, Polka-inspired style known as north Mexican Conjunto that's plugged itself in, bought a few synthesizers and electric guitars, and moved its bouncy feel into the present day. Tejano crossover musicians include the popular L.A. outfit Los Lobos, who retain the genre's basics while adorning them mightily with pop/rock stylings, and the late diva Selena, a Spanish-singing Texan who achieved pop stardom while remaining true to her Tejano roots. Since the late 1990s, Latin pop and songs with significant Latin pop influences have achieved mainstream success in the United States and worldwide.

Latin pop crossover artists

1980s crossover acts

Gloria Estefan is the most successful crossover performer in Latin music to date. Began crossing over to english music in 1984. Estefan at the time was with the Miami Sound Machine. Their more successful follow-up album Primitive Love was released in 1985 launching three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Conga" (U.S. #10), "Words Get In The Way” (U.S. #5), and "Bad Boy" (U.S. #8) became follow up hits in the U.S. and around the world. "Words Get In The Way" reached #1 on the US Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, establishing that the group could perform pop ballads as successfully as dance tunes. The song "Hot Summer Nights" was also released that year and was part of the blockbuster movie Top Gun. Since then Estefan has bridge between both the English and Latin world for the mid to late 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

1990s crossover acts

In the mid '90s, Selena was gaining prominence within the Hispanic music world. Primarily marketed as a Tejano music artist, Selena's success was met with rhythmic Cumbia recordings. After bypassing several barriers within the Tejano industry, she quickly superseded other Latin artist acts and earned the title "Queen of Tejano Music." After being presented with a Grammy for Selena Live!, Selena became the first Latin artist to release four number ones singles, in 1994. With a meteoric rise in popularity, Selena was presented with the opportunity to record an English-crossover album.

Unfortunately, months before the release of her English album, Selena was murdered by her fan club president, on March 31, 1995, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Selena's incomplete album, titled Dreaming of You, was released in July 1995, topping the Billboard 200. Selena's songs Dreaming of You and I Could Fall In Love quickly became mainstream hits, and the album became among the "Top ten best-selling debuts of all time" along with being among the "best-selling debuts for a female artist". Selena became the first Latin Artist, male or female, to have ever debuted with a No. 1 album, partially in Spanish.

Despite, and perhaps fueled by, Selena's death and crossover success, the "Latin explosion" continued in the late '90s as a handful of rising stars who shared a Latin heritage — like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez, who rendered a Golden Globe performance as Selena on film--were touted as proof that sounds from Latin countries were infiltrating the pop mainstream. Like Estefan and Selena, many of these artists, including some who recorded in English after gaining fame singing in Spanish, had been influenced at least as much by American music and culture.

Ricky Martin gained success with "La Copa de la Vida", which Martin made a major hit in an English version when he was chosen to sing the anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. "The Cup of Life"/"La Copa de la Vida" reached number one on the charts in 60 countries and here in the states the English version went No. 45 on the Hot 100 charts. The song went Platinum in France, Sweden and in Australia, where it ultimately became the number one single of the year. The song was awarded "Pop Song of the Year" at the 1999 Premio Lo Nuestro awards. Martin at the Grammy Awards was booked to sing on the show's live TV broadcast. The now-legendary performance of "The Cup of Life" stopped the show, earning Martin an unexpected standing ovation and introducing the star to the mainstream American audience. Martin capped off the evening by winning the award for Best Latin Pop Performance. Vuelve became Martin's first Top 40 album on Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in the U.S., where it was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album notably went to #1 in Norway for three weeks, going on to sell eight million copies worldwide.

Martin prepared his first English album in 1999, as the first and most prominent single was "Livin' la Vida Loca", which reached number one in many countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and South Africa. He followed up with the hit "She's All I Ever Had" which peaked at #2 on The Billboard Hot 100. This album became one of the top-selling albums of 1999, and was certified 7 times platinum, selling over 22 million copies worldwide to date.

Also in 1999, attempting to emulate the crossover success of Gloria Estefan, Selena and Ricky Martin in the anglophone market, Marc Anthony, released an English-language Latin Pop self titled album with the US Top 5 hit single "I Need to Know", and the Spanish version "Dímelo". Other hits include "When I Dream At Night" and "My Baby You". His song "You Sang To Me", was featured in Runaway Bride. The successful dance version was re-mixed by Dutch producer Rene Van Verseveld. The foray was considered a mixed success, partly because it alienated his traditional salsa fans, though "Da La Vuelta" (not a Spanish version of any of the songs) was a salsa song and was a hit. Another note is that the song "That's Okay" has more of a salsa tune than pop.

Enrique Iglesias had begun a successful crossover career into the English language music market. Thanks to other successful crossover acts, Latino artists and music had a great surge in popularity in mainstream music. Iglesias' contribution to the soundtrack of Will Smith's movie Wild Wild West, "Bailamos" became a number one hit in the US. After the success of "Bailamos", several mainstream record labels were eager to sign Enrique. Signing a multi-album deal after weeks of negotiations with Interscope, Iglesias recorded and released his first full CD in English, Enrique. The pop album, with some Latin influences, took two months to complete and contained a duet with Whitney Houston called "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Sad Eyes". The album's third single, "Be With You", became his second number one.

Jennifer Lopez's debut album On the 6, a reference to the 6 subway line she used to take growing up in Castle Hill was released on June 1, 1999, and reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. The album featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one lead single, "If You Had My Love", as well as the top ten hit "Waiting for Tonight" and even the Spanish version of the song "Una Noche Mas" became a hit as well. The album also featured a Spanish language, Latin-flavored duet "No Me Ames" with Marc Anthony who later would become her husband. Though "No Me Ames" never had a commercial release, it reached number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Tracks.

2000s crossover acts

After the '90s, it had very few crossover acts that became successful in the 2000s. The only ones who proved successful was Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera. Although Aguilera started at first in English and then turned to Spanish. Both Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias retained their roles as one of the most successful crossover artists this decade.

Columbian singer Shakira who had been successful in the Latin world in the late '90s, began working on an English crossover album in 2001. Thanks to other successful crossover acts in the 1990s, the crossover of Spanish artists to the English market had a great surge of popularity in mainstream music and it was the next logical step to Shakira and her label for her career and Shakira worked for over a year on new material for the album. "Whenever, Wherever" ("Suerte" in Spanish countries) was released as the first and lead single from Shakira's first English album and third studio album throughout the period of August 2001 and February 2002. The song took heavy influence from Andean music, including the charango and panpipes in its instrumentation. The track was produced by Shakira, and it was an international success by reaching number one in most countries. It was also her first success in the U.S., by reaching number six on the Hot 100.

Shakira's third studio album and first English language album Laundry Service (Servicio De Lavanderia in Latin America and Spain) was released on November 13, 2001. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart selling over 200,000 records in its first week. Laundry Service was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA in June 2004 as well and thus helped to establish Shakira's musical presence in the mainstream North American market. Seven songs from the album became international singles and hit mainstream as well: "Whenever, Wherever" / "Suerte", "Underneath Your Clothes", "Objection (Tango)" / "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)", "The One", "Te Dejo Madrid", "Que Me Quedes Tú" and "Poem To A Horse", with four of the singles becoming largely successful.

Because the album was created for the English language market, the rock and Spanish dance-influenced album gained mild critical success with some critics claimed that her English skills were too weak for her to write songs for it with Rolling Stone stating "she sounds downright silly" or "Shakira's magic is lost in translation." Shakira also was criticized by her Latin fans for seemingly abandoning her folk and rock roots in favor of contemporary American pop music. Despite this fact, the album became the best-selling album of 2002, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and became the most successful album of her career to date.

After that success, Shakira's second English studio album, Oral Fixation Vol. 2 was released on November 29, 2005. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, selling 128,000 copies in its first week. The album has gone on to sell 1.8 million records in the U.S., earning a Platinum certification from the RIAA. Oddly enough, the album didn't fare as well as its Spanish counterpart in the U.S., selling a few hundred thousand less records overall. Oral Fixation Vol. 2 has also gone on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide. The album, went on to spawn two more singles. "Hips Don't Lie", featuring Wyclef Jean, was released as the album's second single in February 2006. The song went on to become the highest selling single of the 21st century and became Shakira's first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, in addition to reaching number one in over fifty-five countries. Shakira and Wyclef Jean also recorded a Bamboo version of the song to serve as the official theme of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In early 2007, Shakira worked with American R&B singer Beyoncé for the track "Beautiful Liar", which was released as the second single from the deluxe edition of Knowles' B'Day. In April 2007, the single jumped ninety-one positions, from ninety-four to three, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting the record for the largest upward movement in the history of the chart at the time.

After that success, She Wolf was released in October 2009 internationally and then on November 23, 2009 in the U.S. The album received mainly positive reviews from critics, but only managed to sell 89,000 copies in its first week in the U.S., earning the number fifteen spot on the Billboard 200. It has gone on to sell only 300,000 records in the U.S., becoming her least successful album there. However, the album has been moderately successful worldwide, having been certified Gold in Russia, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, France, Argentina, Greece, and Hungary, Platinum in Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, 2x Platinum in Colombia and Mexico, and 3x Platinum in Taiwan. To date the album has sold 3 million copies worldwide, becoming Shakira's least successful studio album to date in terms of sales. The lead single, "She Wolf" and "Loba" were successful worldwide, reaching number one in Latin America, number two in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Estonia and Spain, number three in Switzerland and Austria, number four in the UK, France and Greece, number five in Canada and Belgium, number six in Finland, number nine in Japan, and number eleven in the U.S.

Christina Aguilera had been very successful in English, as in 2000, Aguilera began recording her first Spanish-language album with producer Rudy Pérez in Miami. Later in 2000, Aguilera, first emphasized her Latin heritage by releasing her first Spanish album, Mi Reflejo on September 12, 2000. This album contained Spanish versions of songs from her English debut as well as new Spanish tracks. Though some criticized Aguilera for trying to cash in on the Latin music boom at the time. According to Pérez, Aguilera was only semi-fluent, while recording. She understood the language, because she has grown up with her father, who is a native of Ecuador. He added "Her Latin roots are undeniable". The album peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 and went number one on the Billboard Latin Charts for a record 20 weeks. In 2001, it won Aguilera a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. The album went Gold in the U.S. She also won the World Music Award as the best selling Latin artist that year.

Jennifer Lopez officially released her first full Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer, in March 2007. Her husband, singer Marc Anthony, produced the album with Estefano, except for "Qué Hiciste", which Anthony co-produced with Julio Reyes. The album peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, number one on the U.S. Top Latin Albums for four straight weeks and on the U.S. Latin Pop Albums for seven straight weeks. The album did well in Europe peaking at number three on the albums chart, mainly due to the big success in countries like Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Austria, and Portugal. On July 24, 2007 Billboard magazine reported that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline" a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey on September 29. Tickets went on sale August 10. The tour was a mix of her current music, older tunes and Spanish music. In a later press release, Lopez announced a detailed itinerary. The tour launched September 28, 2007 at the Mark G. Etess Arena and ended on November 7, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The lead single, "Qué Hiciste," was officially released to radio stations in January 2007. Since then, it has peaked at 86 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Latin Songs and the Hot Dance Club Play. It also went top ten on the European chart. The video for the song was the first Spanish-language video to peak at number one on MTV's Total Request Live daily countdown. Lopez won an American Music Award as the Favorite Latin Artist in 2007. With Como Ama Una Mujer, Jennifer Lopez is one of the few performers to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with a Spanish album.

2010s crossover acts

Shakira,and Enrique Iglesias have retained their roles as some of the most successful crossover artists this decade.

Shakira collaborated with the South African group Freshlyground to create the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", which is based on a traditional Cameroonian soldiers' Fang song named "Zangalewa" by the group Zangalewa or Golden Sounds. The song was made popular in her native Colombia in 1987 through west African DJs in Colombia. The single later reached the top 20 in Europe, South America and Africa and the top 40 in the U.S. and was performed by Shakira at the World Cup kick-off and closing. Also the Spanish version was successful as well.

Shakira's Sale el Sol will be released as Shakira's seventh studio album on October 19, 2010. It will have both English and Spanish songs.

See also

• Pop music
• Latin American music
• Latin Pop Albums
• List of best-selling Latin albums in the United States
• Latin Pop Airplay
• Regional Latin pop scenes
• All-Time top Latin songs
• List of honorific titles in popular music

External links

• Univision musica (Univision musica)
• RITMOSON MUSIC NEWS