Times have changed. Latin music is here to stay.

There was a time when Latin Artists needed to sing in English or “crossover” to achieve success in the American pop music market.

Now, that is no longer the case.

Times have changed since 1999. For many in music, this time was known as the “Latin Explosion.” This progressive movement was initiated by Ricky Martin and others such as Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira followed suit by recording albums in English with a Latin flare and found incredible mainstream success.

Marc Anthony in Concert “Creative Commons Marc” by gisele13 under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

Enrique Iglesias Performing Live in Concert
T. (2013, February 18). Enrique Iglesias 5 [Photograph]. Flickr.

“Creative Commons Jennifer Lopez” by Urbanworld Film Festival under CC BY-ND 2.0 license

Shakira’s First English Album Laundry Service “Creative Commons shakira” by wwphotos under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

Since then, these artist continue to have success in the English market. However, the majority of their hits are still recorded in Spanish.

The explosion in popularity of the reggaeton and trap sound in Latin Music has extended to American pop music.

No longer do Latin artists need to record in English to have hits in the states. This is evident by the string of Latin hits that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, which included the global smashes Despacito and Mi Gente.

J Balvin and Maluma are two of the most popular artists in the world who sing predominately in Spanish. In a world where the number of followers dictates your popularity, Maluma has proven to be very popular, with more followers on Instagram than any other Latin artist.

“Creative Commons J BALVIN ARTISTA CARTEL LOS40 MUSIC AWARDS – BCN – 1 DIC” by Prisa Radio under CC BY-NC 2.0 license

Maluma
“Creative Commons
CENA DE NOMINADOS – LOS40 MUSIC AWARDS 2017 -MADRID- (Por @NataliaRfoto)” by YourWay Magazine under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license

Currently, Maluma is on an extensive arena tour, selling out venues like Madison Square Garden and the Forum in Los Angeles.

Romeo Santos just finished the U.S. leg of his Golden tour, which has been incredibly successful.

“Creative Commons Romeo Santos en Total Acceso” by Lunchbox LP under CC BY 2.0

With Latin artists selling a high volume of tickets in American venues, it has become increasingly hard to deny the fascination for Latin Music and it does not appear it will slow down any time soon.

For a deeper look at this post check out Latinos en Music on Soundcloud.

As checkout this amazing profile piece by Billboard on Shakira and Maluma on how the desire for Latin music is changing mainstream pop.