 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2025) |
| Latin pop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1970s,Latin America andSpain |
| Derivative forms | |
| Fusion genres | |
Latin pop (Spanish:pop latino), also referred to asSpanish-language pop (Spanish:pop en español), is a subgenre of popular music defined primarily as pop music performed in Spanish.[1] While its foundation lies in the structural and commercial conventions of internationalpop music—memorable melodies, rhythmic regularity, electric instrumentation, and broad appeal—it is often enriched by stylistic influences fromLatin American andIberian musical traditions.[2]
Emerging from Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin pop remains distinct from other Latin genres such asrock en español,tropical,reggaeton, anddance, though it may incorporate elements of these styles.[3] In this sense, the fusion with Latin or Hispanic folk genres is characteristic but secondary to its central definition as pop music in Spanish.[4]
Latin pop first reached a global audience through the work of bandleaderSergio Mendes in the mid-1960s,[5] although artists likeCarmen Miranda popularized Latinsamba music in Hollywood decades before this. In later decades, it was defined by theromantic ballads that legendary artists such asJulio Iglesias orRoberto Carlos produced in the 1970s.[6]
Latin pop is one of the most popularLatin musicgenres today. Popular artists includeLos del Río,Alejandro Sanz,Thalía,Luis Miguel,Selena,Paulina Rubio,Shakira,Carlos Vives,Ricky Martin,Gloria Trevi andEnrique Iglesias. Ricky Martin is considered to be the King of Latin Pop.[7]
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Latin pop became the most popular form of Latin music in theUnited States during the 1980s and 1990s, with acts such as Puerto Rican boy bandMenudo, even achieving massive crossover success among non-Latino listeners during the late 1990s. While not restricted to America by any means, Latin pop was profoundly affected by production techniques and otherstyles of music – both Latin and otherwise – that originated primarily in the United States.Tejano music, centered inTexas and theUnited States/Mexico border region, had begun to introducesynthesizers, slickerproduction, and a more urban sensibility to formerly root styles likenorteño and conjunto.
Moreover,New York andMiami were home to thriving Latin club scenes, which during the 1980s led to the rise ofLatin freestyle, a club-orienteddance music that was rooted in Latin rhythms but relied on synthesizers anddrum machines for most of itsarrangements. Both of these sounds influenced the rise of Latin pop, which retained Latinrhythms in itsuptempo numbers but relied more on mainstream pop for its melodic sense.
Latin pop's first majorcrossover star wasGloria Estefan, who scored a succession of non-club-oriented dance-pop hits during the mid- to late 1980s, but eventually became known more as anadult contemporary diva with an affinity for sweepingballads. This blend of Latinized dance-pop and adult contemporary balladeering dominated Latin pop through the 1990s. Most of its artists sang in Spanish for Latino audiences, although Latin pop's similarity to the mainstream helped several performers score crossover hits when they chose to record in English.Jon Secada landed several pop hits during the mid-1990s, and Tejano pop starSelena's albumDreaming of You actually debuted posthumously at number one on the album charts upon its 1995 release.[2]
The late '90s and early 2000s saw Latin artists such asRicky Martin,Enrique Iglesias,Shakira,Jennifer Lopez and ex-husbandMarc Anthony,Paulina Rubio,Jade Esteban Estrada,Thalía, among others, achieve crossover mainstream success. Other traditionally pop artists also made forays into Latin pop either finding success experimenting with the sound, such asDebelah Morgan and98 Degrees, or recording Spanish versions of their songs or albums, such asChristina Aguilera andJessica Simpson, to name a few.[8][9]
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