Latin American music began to cross over more in the 1980s.  The most famous Latin American musician during this time was Gloria Estefan. She, originally from Cuba, created one of the early bridges to American pop culture which began in 1984. There album Primitive Love was released in 1985 and resulted in three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. These hits were: #10 "Conga", #5 "Words Get in the Way", and #8 "Bad Boy". After an accident, Estefan bounced back to win a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album in 1993. Estefan embraced her Latin heritage even more with her release of two fully Spanish-language albums. These include: Alma Carribena in 2000 and 90 Millas in 2007.  Gloria Estefan is a well-known name for being the top leading Latin artist for a period time and one of the first to make a large impact of American culture. 

The influence of Latin Music began to pick up in the 1990s as more artists began to reach the top of the American Pop charts.  Some of these include Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez. Ricky Martin gained success with "La Copa de la Vida", which Martin began a major hit when he sang the anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. "La Copa de la Vida" reached number one on the charts in 60 countries and the English version went No. 45 on the Hot 100 charts in America.  Martin then went on to perform his big hit at the Grammys where his performance received a standing ovation. He then went on the produce his first English album in 1999. He greatest single on the album is the famous “Living La Vida Loca” which reached Number 1 in many countries including the United States.  Ricky Martin’s success has continued to grow over the years.  The Puerto Rican artist has released ten studio albums, eight compilation albums, two live albums, one soundtrack album and four box sets. He released his latest album called “A Quien Quiera Escuchar” in 2015 and has been a guest judge on both The Voice Australia and on Dancing with the Stars. These examples barely begin to scratch the surface of Ricky Martin’s worldwide fame and influence on pop-culture. 

Enrique Iglesias, widely known as the King of Latin Pop”, also got his start in the 90s. His first album, which was released in 1995, sold more than a million copies in three months. It earned him his first gold record in Portugal in a mere seven days and has sold more than six million worldwide to today.  In 1996, he won the Grammy for Best Latin Performer and Billboard Artist of the Year.  He went on a tour and sang backup for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, and played to sold-out audiences in sixteen countries. In 2001, Iglesias released his second English language album Escape which is his biggest commercial success to date. Over the next couple of years, he alternated between releasing Spanish and English albums, each reaching the tops of the charts in many countries including the United States. Enrique Iglesias has released ten studio albums and gone on many tours. He has won more than 200 awards from various ceremony including 23 Billboard Music Awards, 36 Billboard Latin Music Awards,  7 American Music Awards, 1 Grammy, and 5 Latin Grammy.  He is the most well-known Latin American artist to break into pop culture and while continuing to leave his mark on the future of music.

What is the Flamenco?
Much of what is known about the long history of flamenco music has come from stories. Flamenco is made up of four parts, Cante-Voice, Baile-Dance, Toque-Guitar, and the Jaleo involves the handclapping, foot stomping, and shouting.  The Jaleo is performed by the audience as well as the artist to add to the rhythm and experience of the music.  The palmeros and the zapateado (tap dance style of footwork) show of the skill of the dancer as well as create the beat that you will keep tapping after the song is over.  Another important part of flamenco is duende. Duende is unable to truly be explained, but it is roughly the feeling of the dark tones of flamenco music that takes over a musicians or anyone’s spirit that is open to it. 

Flamenco clubs called Café Cantantes began to open in most of the main cities, and the most famous was the café Silverio’s in Seville.  This period of the cafes, from 1850- 1910, is known as the Golden Age even though the form cante jondo began to decline. Gypsies, who believe that song must be spontaneous and from the sprit, refused to perform in these environments.  By the 1920s, flamenco had already changed so much that very few of these cantante cafés survived. In 1922, the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca, the composer Manuel de Falla, and a few others, decided to hold a competition to bring back cante jondo. There were two winners of the competition, El Tenazas from Puente Genil, Cordoba, and a twelve-year-old phenomenon by the name of Manuel Ortega, who would go on to be one of the greaterst flamenco singers in history.  The competition did not save cante jondo and the flamenco continued to lose recognition in the next 20 years as the World Wars destroyed the country. 

By 1959, the concurso in Cordoba was became more famous, and in this year produced another two of flamencos most renowned singers, Juan Talega, and the undisputed queen of the soleá, La Fernanda de Utrera. During this time, flamenco was becoming an important part in Spanish culture once again. These competitions were one of the reasons that flamenco began to influence pop culture more. Instead of just being a tradition of the past, it is an significant part of every aspect of the Spanish culture.  Much of its rhythm can be found in much of the music of the Latin Invasion of the 1980s and 90s. 

Shakira is one of the greatest crossover. She is known by many honorific names such as "The Queen Of Latin Pop" and "The Undisputed Queen Of Dance". Shakira released her first English language album, Laundry Service, in 2001 and though her English was greatly criticized, the album was still a big hit selling 12 million copies worldwide and her most successful album of her career.  Shakira’s second English album “Oral Fixation Vol II”  was released in 2005, and sold over 1.8 million records in the U.S., earning a Platinum certification and the number five spot on the Billboard list.  This album included her greatest hit “Hips Don’t Lie”.  Shakira has won many awards over the years, such as 8 American Music Awards and 12 Grammy and Latin Grammys.  She is known all over the years which is evident in her involvement in three songs for the World Cup. Everyone in America knows the amazing music and dance of Shakira which shows how much she as influenced the world around her.

Another important Latin Artists during this time is Jennifer Lopez.  Lopez released her first full Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer, in March 2007. The album reached number ten on the Billboard 200, and stayed number one on the U.S. Top Latin Albums for four weeks, and on the U.S. Latin Pop Albums for seven weeks. In September 2007, Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline" a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey and ending in November. The tour was a mix of her current music, older tunes and Spanish music. 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. Jennifer Lopez  Lopez’s music and tour influenced other artists to focus on their Latin American heritage and bring it into the spotlight of the pop culture. It has so much to offer and Lopez helped make it popular.

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