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Young Miko, Shakira, Carin Leon and Bad Bunny Joshua Rivera; Jaume de la Iguana; Jesus Fernando Espinoza; Eric Rojas

An unprecedented avalanche of Latin songs was released in the first six months of 2023, underscoring the music's booming popularity at a global scale, the speed of which is outpacing every other genre. While the year kicked off with Bad Bunny still entrenched as Latin music's top hitmaker, things quickly evolved to bring other genres into the fray - most notably Mexican music, which is currently the dominating Latin presence on the Hot 100 and which even fused with Bad Bunny in the Grupo Frontera/Bad Bunny hit "un X100to."

The result is an eclectic mix of 23 songs that span a wide array of genres. Música urbana continues to beat, but so does tropical, Mexican and, refreshingly, an increasing dose of pop and singer/songwriter driven fare. The versatility underscores and increasingly vast and eclectic Latin music fan base that is ready and willing to consume all styles of music. Predictably, several of the songs on the list fall under the regional Mexican, or música mexicana label, whose vast umbrella covers from corridos to romantic cumbias on this list.

By the same token, there are songs from icons like Juanes and Marc Anthony, who embrace their roots in rock and salsa, respectively. But there are also a slew of newcomers like Young Miko and María Becerra, who have demonstrated time and again that they are willing to push boundaries in their search for distinctive sounds. Although chart position was a consideration, our choices were guided by many factors, most importantly, memorable lyrics and standout melodies.

Enjoy!

From Bad Bunny's "Where She Goes" to Yahritza y Su Esencia and Grupo Frontera's first collaborative effort in "Frágil," see the list in alphabetical order by artist name, below.

Bad Bunny, "Where She Goes"

Last year, Bad Bunny told Billboard he was going to take it easy in 2023. "I'm taking a break. 2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements," he said. But that didn't stop him from dropping the certified club banger "Where She Goes," produced by MAG. Inspired by the Jersey Club beat (a hybrid of house and hip-hop), the track is a sensual song about chasing that person you like. On the Billboard charts, it peaked at No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs, No. 8 on the Hot 100, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, making Bunny the first soloist with as many as three No. 1s since the survey began in 2020. - JESSICA ROIZ

Carin Leon, "Primera Cita"

The Sonora-born Leon is a regional Mexican star through and through, but this song further proves his versatility and ability to thrive in other genres outside of música mexicana. The first single off Colmillo de Leche, this stripped-down R&B/soul track spotlights Leon's deep, raspy vocals, with pathos-filled lyrics about falling out of love, when the familiar becomes foreign. "From loving each other too much, we became two strangers," he sings poetically over the power ballad, an almost gospel-like song. - GRISELDA FLORES

Emilia, Ludmilla, Zecca, "No_se_ve.mp3"

Emilia, the Argentine pop singer and the self-proclaimed Queen of the Favelas, Ludmilla, are dynamite in "No_se_ve.mp3," an instant banger at first stream. The Portuguese/Spanish-language cut sees two femme fatales slicing through a Latin pop and baile funk reverie with boss-b-ch attitude, favela-style. "['No_se_ve.mp3'] is a party," Ludmilla told Billboard Español in April. "We mixed our two musical styles, Emilia with hers and I brought a little bit of funk from Brazil. It was a great combination." If this doesn't get you to hip thrust, then we don't know what will. - ISABELA RAYGOZA

Grupo Frontera x Bad Bunny, "un x100to"

2023 marked the year Bad Bunny dipped his toes further into the música mexicana realm (after hopping on the remix of Natanael Cano's 2019 "Soy El Diablo"). This time, he steered away from corridos tumbados and experimented with cumbia and norteño on Grupo Frontera's "un X100to." The wistful heartbreak track, co-produced by Edgar Barrera (the pop and Mexican music hitmaker who writes most Grupo Frontera fare) and MAG, narrates the emotions of someone calling their ex to beg for forgiveness, despite having only one percent phone battery left. "Un X100to" proved to be a memorable fusion of genres, and peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs. - J.R.

Juanes, "Gris"

A melancholic and introspective indie-rock song, "Gris" (which means Gray), from Juanes' new album Vida Cotidiana, was born in a time of desperation during the pandemic, when Juanes' relationship with wife Karen Cecilia Martínez was going through a rough patch. "The gray weather/ Knew how to get me further away from you," the Colombian star sings, capturing the sadness of that moment. "Sometimes I listen to it and I'm like, 'My God, I love this song, but I can't believe what I went through to make it'," he recently told Billboard Español. It's a beautiful yet haunting track that lingers and makes you yearn for love. - SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

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Bad Bunny, "Where She Goes"

Last year, Bad Bunny told Billboard he was going to take it easy in 2023. "I'm taking a break. 2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements," he said. But that didn't stop him from dropping the certified club banger "Where She Goes," produced by MAG. Inspired by the Jersey Club beat (a hybrid of house and hip-hop), the track is a sensual song about chasing that person you like. On the Billboard charts, it peaked at No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs, No. 8 on the Hot 100, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, making Bunny the first soloist with as many as three No. 1s since the survey began in 2020. - JESSICA ROIZ

Carin Leon, "Primera Cita"

The Sonora-born Leon is a regional Mexican star through and through, but this song further proves his versatility and ability to thrive in other genres outside of música mexicana. The first single off Colmillo de Leche, this stripped-down R&B/soul track spotlights Leon's deep, raspy vocals, with pathos-filled lyrics about falling out of love, when the familiar becomes foreign. "From loving each other too much, we became two strangers," he sings poetically over the power ballad, an almost gospel-like song. - GRISELDA FLORES

Emilia, Ludmilla, Zecca, "No_se_ve.mp3"

Emilia, the Argentine pop singer and the self-proclaimed Queen of the Favelas, Ludmilla, are dynamite in "No_se_ve.mp3," an instant banger at first stream. The Portuguese/Spanish-language cut sees two femme fatales slicing through a Latin pop and baile funk reverie with boss-b-ch attitude, favela-style. "['No_se_ve.mp3'] is a party," Ludmilla told Billboard Español in April. "We mixed our two musical styles, Emilia with hers and I brought a little bit of funk from Brazil. It was a great combination." If this doesn't get you to hip thrust, then we don't know what will. - ISABELA RAYGOZA

Grupo Frontera x Bad Bunny, "un x100to"

2023 marked the year Bad Bunny dipped his toes further into the música mexicana realm (after hopping on the remix of Natanael Cano's 2019 "Soy El Diablo"). This time, he steered away from corridos tumbados and experimented with cumbia and norteño on Grupo Frontera's "un X100to." The wistful heartbreak track, co-produced by Edgar Barrera (the pop and Mexican music hitmaker who writes most Grupo Frontera fare) and MAG, narrates the emotions of someone calling their ex to beg for forgiveness, despite having only one percent phone battery left. "Un X100to" proved to be a memorable fusion of genres, and peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs. - J.R.

Juanes, "Gris"

A melancholic and introspective indie-rock song, "Gris" (which means Gray), from Juanes' new album Vida Cotidiana, was born in a time of desperation during the pandemic, when Juanes' relationship with wife Karen Cecilia Martínez was going through a rough patch. "The gray weather/ Knew how to get me further away from you," the Colombian star sings, capturing the sadness of that moment. "Sometimes I listen to it and I'm like, 'My God, I love this song, but I can't believe what I went through to make it'," he recently told Billboard Español. It's a beautiful yet haunting track that lingers and makes you yearn for love. - SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

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The 23 Best Latin Songs of 2023 So Far: Staff Picks

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From Bad Bunny's "Where She Goes" to Yahritza y Su Esencia's "Frágil," Billboard editors highlight the best Latin songs of 2023, so far.

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El flamenco es un estilo de cante música y baile

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Esto tiene muchas canciones populares en español

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27 Best Spanish Songs of All Time (Top Picks) - Music Grotto

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Spanish music contains many distinct sounds and themes. Here’s our list of the absolute best Spanish songs of all time.

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Bachata dancing in Denver. The bachata scene in Denver is a passionate community of dancers. What we lack in numbers we make up for in a melting pot of rhythm..

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Romeo Santos se conoce como el "king of bachata"

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Romeo Santos - Propuesta Indecente (Official Video)

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El reggaeton tiene muchas canciones populares

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In May of this year Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" became the first Spanish-language hit to crack the No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts in some 20 years. By late July, it was the most streamed song of all time. Leaving aside the profound question of whether this pop-chart diversity could somehow be a counterweight to an emboldened nativist movement afoot in the streets, it has definitely been a shot in the arm for reggaeton, the Latin Caribbean's particular take on dancehall reggae. Mostly centered in Puerto Rico (and New York) the reggaeton sound has, for the most part, been bubbling along off the radar of pop culture since the last time Daddy Yankee cracked the charts circa 2005. What sort of side effects the shot will have remain to be seen but, if nothing else, let's take the ubiquity of "Despacito" as a good excuse for a brief history lesson of the sound and its essential tunes, not to mention the different dance cultures that have fed it, from Panama to Jamaica to, um, Bollywood.

Nando Boom, "Ellos Benia" a.k.a. "Dem Bow" (1989)
﻿Before there was reggaeton, there was reggae en Espanól - a wave of Panamanian records that, as the name implies, mainly translated Jamaican boom tunes directly into Spanish to create local hits. Though Panama has its own long tradition of Afro-diasporic dance music, the love for reggae is a relic of the massive labor force that migrated from Jamaica and other islands circa 1903 to construct the Panama Canal. One of these cover version/translations - of Shabba Ranks' homophobic/anti-colonialist "Dem Bow" - is so foundational that throughout the Latin Caribbean "dembow" has become the accepted name of the marching-tempo dancehall rhythm that anchors the genre. Recorded in Long Island's HC&F studios, Nando Boom (b. Fernando Brown) and his Jamaican-born producer Phillip Smart reverse engineered Steely & Clevie's original beat for Shabba into a minimal, timbales-heavy version of the dancehall track. The resulting composition "Ellos Benia" is best described as prehistoric reggaeton.

El General, "Te Ves Buena" (1990)
﻿If any artist besides El General can claim to be the godfather of reggaeton, it's his fellow Panamanian El General, born Edgardo Franco. Franco was the most prolific and original MC of reggae en Espanól in the late '80s and early '90s. "Teves Buena" ("You Look Good") - an improvised lyric over a Jamaican riddim created by Steelie & Clevie - was one of his biggest hits, and more or less established the template for reggaeton as an original art form (See also " Pu Tun Tun ").

El General, "Buduff Kun-Kun" (1989)
﻿A much more modest hit for El General, the untranslatable "Buduff Kun-Kun" is nevertheless a prime early example of how Panamanian dancehall could cease to be simply reggae en Espanól and become its own thing. New York-based Panamanian-American producer Michael Ellis created the spare rhythm track from an echoey synthesized horn loop that more naturally suggests an early '90s Nuyorican house track, but chopped up into a reggae pattern. Hip-hop and house were in fact secret ingredients of the reggaeton sound even before it had a name, a fusion that happened in New York as much as Panama or Puerto Rico (and in fact, another of El General's biggest hits is the house-tempo "Boriqua Anthem" - the official unofficial anthem of New York's Puerto Rican Day Parade).

Tego Calderon, "Pa Que Retozen" (2002)
﻿Spanish reggae was arguably introduced to the island of Puerto Rico by Ellis and the stable of Panamanian artists he worked with, who toured throughout Latin America. But reggaeton proper was really created by mixtape DJs like DJ Playero, DJ Negro, and DJ Nelson who chopped up a handful of reggae riddims including "Dem Bow" and "Fever Pitch" into their own homemade party breaks. Although he was not the first vocalist to rap over these beats, Tego Calderon was among the most lyrical and therefore most widely embraced in New York and beyond. With its more complex couplets and carnivalesque synths, "Pa Que Retozen" perfectly illustrates how translating the essence of those mixtape beats into original recordings brought in elements of cumbia, bomba y plena, salsa, and merengue that further transformed reggaeton. (See also "Dominicana.")

Ivy Queen, "Yo Quiero Bailar" (2002)
﻿The rare example of a Puerto Rican track that abandons the original dembow template borrowed from reggae circa 1989 for a newer dancehall feel, "Yo Quiero Bailar" incorporates large segments of Jeremy Harding's 2001 Liquid riddim (which also backed Elephant Man's "Log On" and Sean Paul & Ce'cile's "Can You Do the Wuk") into its dembow, notably on the harpsichord-laced intro. It was Ivy Queen's lyrical prowess, however, aided by her tough, throaty, androgynous vocal tone that made the track a standout both on New York radio and in the Caribbean.

Lorna, "Papi Chulo" (2003)
﻿A last gasp of sorts for the Panamanian wave, "Papi Chulo" was also a crossover dancefloor hit (especially in Europe) which shaped the direction of the emerging reggaeton sound in a faster, clubbier direction, with an accompany anything-goes, sampla-delic ethos. Exhibit A: the marriage of the dembow pattern to a hippie-chick bassline previously lifted from a Herbie Hancock record for Deee-Lite's "Groove Is in the Heart."

Daddy Yankee, "Gasolina" (2004)
﻿Generally recognized as the "King of Reggaeton," Yankee attained the throne not only via crossover success but through dues paid as well, making his rapping debut on a DJ Playero mixtape circa 1992. By the release of 2004's "Gasolina" he (and his producers DJ Nelson and Luny Tunes) had helped to craft a Puerto Rican sound that was anchored by reggae drums, but drew heavily from other Latin sounds, as exemplified by this mega-hit's dramatic Matador-inspired intro and merengue double-time tempo. All these elements are assembled into a framework as beholden to the Dirty South as Panama or Jamaica, right down to its Say Yes to Drugs chorus ("Gasolina" being slang for cocaine). It was also the biggest worldwide hit imaginable for a reggaeton track ... that is, until Yankee teamed up with Luis Fonsi for "Despacito" more than a decade later.

N.O.R.E. f. Nina Sky, "Oye Mi Canto" (2004)
﻿Although both Tego and Daddy Yankee had collaborated with New York rappers like Fat Joe and Nas, N.O.R.E. (formerly of the Queens duo Capone 'n' Noriega) was the first New York-bred artist to openly embrace the reggaeton explosion as part of his signature sound. Combining the new beat from Puerto Rico with his own gritty rap style and an R&B hook from fellow New Yorkers Nina Sky, the more accessible bilingual lyrics of "Oye Mi Canto" helped push it to No. 12 on the U.S. charts, a peak for reggaeton. To his credit N.O.R.E. promptly recruited both Tego and Yankee to contribute guest verses on a remix of the track, and took them along for the crossover ride.

Don Omar, "Dile" a.k.a. "Otra Noche" (2005)
﻿Along with Yankee and Tego, Don Omar can be credited for solidifying the sound of the mid-2000s "golden age" of reggaeton. With a more melodic style than either of those contemporaries (who started out as Spanish language rappers more than reggae artists) Don Omar paralleled their use of slower dembow beats with other elements (for instance the distinctive segunda guitar pattern of the intro, borrowed straight from Dominican bachata) but added a soaring call-and-response melody that guaranteed "Dile" would inspire revelers to sing along with the repeated phrase "Otra ...otra ... otra / ... Otra nochayyyy " from 2005 till infinity.

Daddy Yankee, "Mírame" (2005)
﻿Coming on the heels of "Gasolina" and its worldwide success, "Mírame" represented a departure for Daddy Yankee and a rehearsal of his versatility. It was also the signpost for a fresh source of inspiration for the entire genre - a fascination with South Asian and Middle Eastern sounds. The opening melodic hook, with its Hindi lyric, is lifted more or less wholesale from " Eli Re Eli," a song from the 2001 Bollywood film Yaadein. Sung by producer Luny Tunes' multilingual sister Deevani, the success of the fusion paved the way for a remix deal between Yankee's label Machete Music and U.K.-based Bhangra crew Tigerstyle and ushered in one of reggaeton's most interesting phases.

Wisin y Yandel, "Rakata" (2006)
﻿With crossover buzz in full effect, it's not surprising that some in the reggaeton scene began to look inward in the mid-2000s, stripping away outside influences for a rawer, tougher attack. "Rakata," with its stark, tightly compressed drum track and the shouted staccato of its chorus, was exactly what the sound needed in 2006, signaling that the genre had developed to the point of sustaining both a "hard core" scene and experiments in crossover fusion.

Baby Ranks f. Notch, "Verme" (2007)
﻿Though originally buried under Daddy Yankee hits on the 2005 compilation Mas Flow 2, "Verme" really didn't find its moment until the release of Notch's 2007 album Raised by the People. Born in the states to a father of both Jamaican and Afro-Cuban heritage, Notch represented something of a secret weapon in reggaeton's mid-2000s explosion. Able to sing in fluent Spanish or patois (as on organic dancehall hits like "Nuttin a Go So"), he also brought a more versatile sense of flow and tempo to reggaeton hits like "Hay Que Bueno." "Verme" added yet another level, transposing an atmospheric Afro-Latin hand drum into a faster ragga soca pattern to underscore a bilingual ballad that seems to foreshadow the more melodic afrobeats sound currently dominating many New York dancefloors.

Don Omar f. Lucenzo, "Danza Kuduro" (2010)
﻿Another innovative moment powered by an influx of outside influence, Don Omar's "Danza Kuduro" rode the same wave of Angolan Kuduro dance tracks that inspired Diplo, M.I.A., and Buraka Som Sistema circa 2007-8. Despite the title, however, the track's uptempo, accordion-driven groove sounds more like Kuduro's older French Antillean cousin Zouk than the raw drum machine snares and over-modulated bass of the Luandan Kuduro craze. Transposing the somewhat nostalgic carnival feel with an Afro-Latin club vocal, Omar took more than a note or two from Wyclef and Pitbull's success in distilling "world" sounds into radio crossover hits.

Doble T & El Crok, "Pepe" (2011)
﻿Even as the sound of Puerto Rico was exploding, another nascent scene was gearing up to do to reggaeton what it had done to the original Panamanian sound - take it and run with it. DJs and producers in the Dominican Republic also latched onto the dembow beat, treating those foundational 1990 reggae rhythms more the way that Baltimore Club does the "Think" break: speeding it up, stripping it down, and repeating it endlessly as a bed for club-friendly call-and-response shouts. Dominican dembow, as the variant is known, was born. Doble T & El Crok's huge 2011 club anthem "Pepe" is as strong an exemplar of the subgenre as you could ask for, but "Prendelo" by El Shick or "Yo Soy Jevito" by El Mayor Classico are also standard bearers of this faster, dirtier dembow sound.

Ceky Viciny, "Klok Con Klok" (2017)
﻿Even as "Despacito" has conquered airwaves (well, airstreams) with its, ahem, slower tempo and romantic melodic conceits - a sort of self-conscious backlash to the faster dembow trend - reggaeton has continued to change in a pace and trajectory set by Dominican dembow (although Cubaton also has its place). A faster, grimier rap style has evolved to match the faster tracks, as exemplified by Ceky Viciny's 2017 anthem "Klok Con Klok." Likewise a more self-conscious interpolation of club and ghetto house synths, basslines and snare claps augment what is still essentially a stuttery dancehall reggae beat. It's too soon to say where reggaeton will go from here, but if the current underground iteration of dembow impacts the mainstream the way its predecessors did, we may look back on the "Despacito" phenomenon as more of a throwback than a milestone.

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15 Essential Reggaeton Tracks That Are Not 'Despacito'

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"Despacito" is now one of the biggest songs of all time, and this guide to Reggaetón, the genre that birthed it, helps make sense of how that happened.

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Gasolina by Daddy Yankee era una canción popular en todo el mundo. Esta canción hizo del reggaeton algo grande en todo el mundo

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Top Reggaeton Playlist - Best Reggaeton Songs of All Time

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Top Reggaeton Playlist - Best Reggaeton Songs of All Time Find our playlist with these keywords: If you liked this playlist, we recommend you also listen to ...

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Esta son algunas de las mejores artistas de cumbia

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Browse the top cumbia artists to find new music. Scrobble songs to get recommendations on tracks you'll love.

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Best Cumbia Songs Playlist - Top Cumbia Hits of All Time

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Best Cumbia Songs Playlist - Top Cumbia Hits of All Time If you liked this playlist, we recommend you also listen to these music lists: 1. Top 100 Colombia S…

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La cumbia es música latina originaria de Colombia y tiene muchos estilos diferentes

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Cumbia Music Guide: Origins of Cumbia and Popular Artists - 2024 - MasterClass

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Cumbia is Latin American music with many different styles, though the genre is distinguished by being percussion-heavy, with a signature double beat.

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Hay muchas artists populares:

Bad Bunny

Daddy Yankee

Karol G

Shakira

Rosalia

Selina

Más Artistas están en el sitio web

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Ranking is based on an artist's chart performance on the Hot Latin Songs, Top Latin Albums and Boxscore touring revenue.

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As 2022 comes to a close, LATINA looks back on our favorite songs of the year by Latina musicians, as well as collaborations that they took to the next level. Karol G, Shakira, Becky G, and Anitta helped Latin music go global this year. Christina Aguilera and Camila Cabello embraced their Latina roots in their latest albums. New Latina stars also emerged this past year like Yahritza Martínez of Yahritza y Su Esencia, Snow Tha Product, and ChocQuibTown's Goyo.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the 20 best songs of the year by Latinas.
20. Julieta Venegas, "Mismo Amor"
Julieta Venegas returned this year with her album "Tu Historia." The dazzling highlight on the Mexican singer's LP was "Mismo Amor," her glorious disco-pop anthem. Álex Anwandter produced Venegas' ode to encountering mixed signals in a relationship. Instead of wallowing in uncertainty, she danced through the romantic drama like there was no tomorrow.
19. Latto and Mariah Carey, "Big Energy" (Remix)
Mariah Carey revived one of her classics this year through Latto's smash hit "Big Energy." Latto enlisted our favorite pop icon of Venezuelan descent for a dreamy remix of "Big Energy." She sampled the nineties hit "Fantasy" where Carey re-recorded her flirty lines and signature vocal runs. This seamless mash-up of "Big Energy" with "Fantasy" was everything we hoped for, and more.
18. Tokischa, Anuel AA, and Ñengo Flow, "Delincuente"
Following collaborations with Madonna and Rosalía, Tokischa continued to push dembow music into the mainstream. For the rising Dominican star's hottest song of the year, "Delincuente," she teamed up with reggaeton heavy-hitters Anuel AA and Ñengo Flow. In the raunchy dembow banger, Tokischa sang about wanting a bad boy in the bedroom for a criminally good time.
17. Rema and Selena Gomez, "Calm Down" (Remix)
Selena Gomez entered the world of Afrobeats in collaboration with Rema. The rising Nigerian star enlisted Gomez for a dreamy remix of his breakthrough hit "Calm Down." The Mexican-American pop star found her groove among the atmospheric production while giving the song a sultry and refreshing touch. This captivating collaboration was the best crossover between Afrobeats and pop music to happen this year.
16. Bad Bunny and Bomba Estéreo, "Ojitos Lindos"
Bad Bunny released the biggest album of the year with "Un Verano Sin Ti."The shimmering highlight on Puerto Rican superstar's LP was "Ojitos Lindos" featuring Bomba Estéreo. The Colombian band's lead singer Li Saumet made Bad Bunny's summery love song feel spiritual with her otherworldly vocals. Bad Bunny beautifully blended reggaeton beats with Bomba Estéreo's tropical sounds from Colombia's coastal region.
15. Carla Morrison, "Diamantes"
Carla Morrison experienced a musical rebirth with her album "El Renacimiento." The Mexican singer-songwriter let the light in for her uplifting LP. Morrison shined the brightest on her album in the radiant "Diamantes." She beautifully translated the rush of a euphoric romance into one of the year's most striking love songs.
14. Snow Tha Product and Lauren Jauregui, "Piña"
Snow Tha Product continued to break down boundaries for women and the LGBTQ+ community in the Latin rap scene. In one of the year's most alluring releases, "Piña," the Mexican-American rapper teamed up with Lauren Jauregui. The artists, who are both bisexual, sang about bringing all the women to the yard with appetizing pineapples. Snow Tha Product and Jauregui proved to be a dream Latina duo in this queer-positive club anthem.
13. Natti Nastasha, Daddy Yankee, and Wisin y Yandel, "Mayor Que Usted"
Natti Natasha teamed up with two of reggaeton music's most iconic acts for "Mayor Que Usted." She joined forces with Daddy Yankee and Wisin y Yandel, who both announced their impending retirements this year, for her explosive bachatón banger. Natasha captured the essence of classic reggaeton music alongside the OGs before they hung up their microphones for good.
12. Sofía Reyes and Maria Becerra, "Marte"
Sofía Reyes' "Mal De Amores" album was full of heartbreak and how to overcome that crappy feeling. The Mexican pop star teamed up with María Becerra for the "Marte," her Latina girl power anthem on kicking the heartache. In the otherworldly kiss-off track, Reyes lyrically cut her ex-lover down to size with Becerra as her celestial sister and wing-woman.
11. Anitta, "Envolver"
Though it was technically released in 2021, Anitta's "Envolver" became a global hit this year through TikTok. The Brazilian superstar had people around the world trying to imitate her twerking. Anitta's sexy choreography embodied her reggaeton romp's empowering message of taking control in the bedroom. She wasn't afraid to push buttons or boundaries with the alluring club banger.
10. Polimá Westcoast, Pailita, Paloma Mami, Feid, and De La Ghetto, "Ultra Solo" (Remix)
To take his hit to the next level, Polimá Westcoast enlisted the talent of another Chilean star for the remix of "Ultra Sola." Paloma Mami joined Westcoast and Pailita on the star-studded remix that also included Feid and De La Ghetto. Every artist had their moment to shine, but Mami stole the show. As the sole woman on the track, Mami made the single life sound good with her fierce and fabulous guest verses.
9. Danna Paola, "XT4S1S"
Danna Paola marked a new era in her career with "XT4S1S," stepping in as the track's co-writer and co-producer with her boyfriend Alex Hoyer. The Mexican pop star harnessed that freedom in creating her own music and channeled that in one of the year's most euphoric anthems. Paola sang about being on a constant high of a climax and we didn't want to come down.
8. Becky G and Karol G, "Mamiii"
Becky G continued to push Latin pop to new places with her album "Esquemas." The Mexican-American superstar teamed up with Karol G for the breakup anthem of the year, "Mamiii." Becky G blended influences of cumbia with reggaeton music while lyrically torching an ex-lover alongside Karol G. The Latina girl power behind the fiery kiss-off anthem made it an important pop culture moment.
7. Yahritza y Su Esencia, "Soy El Unico"
Yahritza y Su Esencia made history this year with their debut single "Soy El Unico." The Mexican-American trio's lead singer Yahritza Martínez became the youngest Latin artist to appear on Billboard's Hot 100 chart at 15-years-old. Not only was the soaring love song a win for regional Mexican music in the mainstream, but also an important moment for women in the male-dominated genre. With a voice beyond her years, Martínez sang from the soul and captured many hearts along the way.
6. Goyo, "Lo Conoces"
Gloria "Goyo" Martínez stepped away from ChocQuibTown momentarily to shine as a solo star with her debut album "En Letra De Otro." The Colombian singer and rapper re-imagined classics in Latin music with her Chocó-based flow. The standout was "Lo Conoces," where Goyo celebrated her Afro-Colombian roots to the sound of Tego Calderón's "Pa' Que Retozen." In knockout new verses, La Reina Del Combo let listeners know that her reign is not letting up anytime soon.
5. Camila Cabello and María Becerra, "Hasta Los Dientes"
Camila Cabello embraced her Cuban and Mexican roots in her first Latin album "Familia." The pop superstar teamed up with María Becerra for the LP's stellar standout, "Hasta Los Dientes." Cabello seamlessly blended her Latin and pop music side in the dazzling track. She trades verses with Becerra about hot-and-heavy romances that had their teeth chattering. This duet was a dreamy, Latin disco-pop fantasy come true.
4. Christina Aguilera, "La Reina"
After more than twenty years, Christina Aguilera released her second Latin album. As a reflection of her Ecuadorian roots, she named the LP "Aguilera." In the standout "La Reina," Aguilera embraced Mexican ranchera music. In a response to Vicente Fernández's classic "El Rey," she let him know that a king is not a king without a queen by his side. In an empowering performance, she asserted her queenly authority while showing there's no language barrier when it comes to her unparalleled vocal prowess.
3. Bizarrap and Villano Antillano, "BZRP Music Sessions #51"
Villano Antillano broke through this year with "BZRP Music Sessions #51" alongside Bizarrap. As a trans woman, the Puerto Rican rapper has become an empowering voice for femmes and the LGBTQ+ community in Latin rap. In "BZRP Music Sessions #51," Villano unleashed her versatile flow while firing off multiple lyrical punchlines. This fierce yet playful freestyle session was only a taste of what was to come with her debut album "La Sustancia X."
2. Shakira and Rauw Alejandro, "Te Felicito"
With "Te Felicito," Shakira appeared to hint at her breakup with Gerard Piqué that was to come following the track's release. As one of Latin music's most prolific and poetic songwriters, the Colombian icon seemingly and masterfully channeled that heartbreak into one of the year's most cutting kiss-off anthems. Like Rihanna in "Take a Bow," Shakira compared an ex-lover to an actor who played a part during their relationship. Shakira got her groove back with Rauw Alejandro while dismissing the subject of the song with a sarcastic congratulations.
1. Karol G, "Provenza"
#1 on our list is the hit song by Colombian rising superstar Karol G. Her single "Provenza" wasn't just one of the biggest songs of the year, but it was also a way of life. The Colombian superstar conjured up a musical experience with the alluring romp. Backed by an Afrobeats influence from her producer Ovy on the Drums, Karol G sings about getting lost with a lover in her hometown Medellín. She channeled her nostalgia into a euphoric anthem on freedom. The paradise of Provenza feels reachable wherever the song is played in the world.

Lucas Villa's weekly column, LATINA's New Music Picks, are published every Monday.

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As 2022 comes to a close, LATINA looks back on our favorite songs of the year by Latina musicians, as well as collaborations that they took to the next level. Karol G, Shakira, Becky G, and Anitta helped Latin music go global this year.

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La salsa se define por su ritmo

La salsa es originaria de Cuba y también tiene una mezcla de musica caribeña

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Marc Anthony - Vivir Mi Vida (Official Video)

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Periódico de Ayer by Mark Anthony

Vivir Mi Vida By Mark Anthony

Valió la Pena By Hector Lavoe

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La salsa también es un baile.

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Beginner's Guide: How To Salsa Dance (No Experience Needed)

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La bachata también es un baile muy popular. Se originó en Dominican Republic

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Bachata Beginner Basic Steps Tutorial - Demetrio & Nicole - Bachata Dance Academy

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Reggaetón: Origin and Evolution of a Genre

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As Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny has emerged as the top global artist of 2021, reggaetón is a genre that is on the rise. Through the immense popularity of 2017 hit "Despacito" by Puerto Rican musicians Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, and other recent collaborations between reggaetón artists and mainstream American singers, the genre should...

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El flamenco es de España. El flamenco es una gran parte de la cultura española

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flamenco, form of song, dance, and instrumental (mostly guitar) music commonly associated with the Andalusian Roma (Gypsies) of southern Spain. (There, the Roma people are called Gitanos.) The roots of flamenco, though somewhat mysterious, seem to lie in the Roma migration from Rajasthan (in northwest India) to Spain between the 9th and 14th centuries. These migrants brought with them musical instruments, such as tambourines, bells, and wooden castanets, and an extensive repertoire of songs and dances. In Spain they encountered the rich cultures of the Sephardic Jews and the Moors. Their centuries-long cultural intermingling produced the unique art form known as flamenco.

The cante, or song

The essence of flamenco is cante, or song. Flamenco songs fall into three categories: cante jondo ("profound song," or "deep song"), cante intermedio ("intermediate song," also called cante flamenco), and cante chico ("light song"). The cante jondo, whose structure usually is based on a complex 12-beat rhythm, is thought to be the oldest form. It is characterized by profound emotion and deals with themes of death, anguish, despair, or religious doubt. The cante intermedio is a hybrid form that incorporates elements of Spanish music styles, especially the fandango. The cante chico, which is generally simpler in rhythm than the other two forms, also requires considerable technical skill but much less emotional investment, dealing as it usually does with humour and subjects of love, the countryside, and gaiety. Each song style is distinguished by a characteristic rhythm and chord structure; yet several types of cante may share the same rhythm but individualize accentuation, subtleties, and emotional content.

The ancestry of many types of song is traceable. Thus, the serious soleares, a descendant of the much older cañas, gave rise to the light alegrías, from which developed other light-song types, such as the bulerías. The alboreás is traditionally sung only at weddings and is considered unlucky on other occasions. Other forms, such as the fandangos grandes, were adopted from Spanish folk song and dance, the fandangos becoming more serious in character than the original and begetting a series of descendants that includes the malagueñas and the Arab-influenced cartageneras. Latin American influence appears in later genres such as the rumbas gitanas and the colombianas. Most deeply associated with Gitano flamenco tradition are the cantes grandes, such as the siguiriyas gitanas; the saetas, adopted from Spanish religious processions; and the martinetes, an early song type created in the environment of the forge, in which the beat of the hammer against the anvil reflects the pain and sense of persecution felt by the perpetual outsider.

The baile, or dance

After the mid-19th century, flamenco song was usually accompanied by guitar music and a palo seco (Spanish: "dry stick," a stick that was beat on the floor to keep time) and a dancer performing a series of choreographed dance steps and improvised styles. Baile, or dance, has been the dominant element of flamenco since that time, though it is never performed without accompaniment.

As an accompanist to the dancer ( bailaor [male], bailaora [female]), the singer ( cantaor) relates the legends and stories of daily life that reflect the experiences of an outcast subculture within predominately white, Christian Spain. The dancer is the protagonist of the singer's narrative and its interpreter. The baile is a sensuous display of fluid motion, stylized and yet highly personal, involving movement of the arms ( braceo) and upper torso, hand and finger movement ( florea), footwork ( zapateado), and heelwork ( taconeo), which are often displayed in long solo passages ( solea). Male dancers usually perform intricate footwork, whereas female dancers, traditionally wearing elaborately ruffled dresses, emphasize the hands and upper torso. The guitarist ( tocoar) keeps the rhythm ( compás) necessary to the dancer's individual rhythmic cadences, accompanying (and, when the performance space is large, even following) the dancer.

A deeply musical dancer, after a 15- or 20-minute sequence, is said to fall into a duende, an intensely focused, trancelike state of transcendent emotion that Federico García Lorca in 1933 described as los sonidos negros ("the dark sounds") invading the performer's body. This extraordinary state is enhanced by rhythmic hand clapping and encouraging interjections ( jaleo) from the audience and fellow performers. Gitano flamenco performers regard the cante jondo as a form of prayer, and thus, in duende, the dancer communicates with both the audience and God. What may well reveal the ancient origins of flamenco are the gestures of the profound dance ( baile grande), in which the arm, hand, and foot movements closely resemble those of classical Hindu dance of the Indian subcontinent.

History

The golden age of flamenco is usually considered to be the period between roughly 1780 and 1845. Singing was then the primary aspect of flamenco, dancing and musical accompaniment being secondary. What had been an essentially outdoor, outsider, family-oriented activity that focused on cante was transformed beginning in 1842, when Silverio Franconetti founded the first café cantante, Café sin Nombre, in Sevilla (Seville). That establishment and the many others that sprang up in the major urban centres of Spain-notably Granada, Córdoba, and Sevilla-placed emphasis on the musicians and dancers, and it was in this period that the singer began to take a secondary role. Although these commercial interests afforded a living for many performers for the first time, they also brought about what many considered a bastardization of an authentic indigenous art form. Several intellectuals, including Lorca and composer Manuel de Falla, sought to restore the purity of flamenco, and in 1922 they instituted the first flamenco competition-calling for cante primitivo andaluz ("primitive Andalusian cante"). This timely attempt to prevent the further debasement of an authentic folk art effectively promoted flamenco to a sophisticated urban public and helped to further the thoughtful development of the art within a modern context.

Among the many great early 20th-century performers are La Argentina (Antonia Mercé), Vicente Escudero, Carmen Amaya, La Argentinita (Encarnación López), José Greco, and Pilar López, as well as the troupes of Antonio and Rosario (Antonio Ruiz Soler and Rosario Florencia Pérez Podilla) and Ximénez-Vargas (Roberto Ximénez and Manolo Vargas). Classically influenced flamenco artists Antonio Gades, Christina Hoyos, José Greco II, and Lola Greco have also pushed the boundaries of flamenco. Gades in particular, in his collaborations with the filmmaker Carlos Saura, introduced flamenco to an international audience, demonstrating through his ingenious choreographic direction the dimensions of flamenco as an expandable performance art.

Contemporary artists such as Eva la Yerbabuena, Joaquín Cortés, Antonio Canales, Belén Maya, and Juana Amaya are creating new rhythmic strategies in the studio and integrating them into longer narrative theatre pieces in which rhythm becomes the dominant element of the dance. In the last few decades of the 20th century, flamenco also was influenced by the general musical trend toward fusion of styles.
Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum

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Flamenco | Dance, Music, History, Artists, & Facts

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Flamenco, form of song, dance, and instrumental (mostly guitar) music commonly associated with the Andalusian Roma (Gypsies) of southern Spain. (There, the Roma people are called Gitanos.) The roots of flamenco, though somewhat mysterious, seem to lie in the Roma migration from Rajasthan (in

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Traditional Spanish Flamenco Music (Greatest Hits Full Album)