Bad Bunny, J. Balvin and Karol G are all Hispanic artists who are now household names across the globe.
The growth of these artists’ popularity has been a massive accomplishment for the Hispanic/Latinx community, but isn’t surprising considering the recent surge of Spanish-speaking music breaking into the mainstream music scene.
All of these artists made their mark on the music industry during the last year, according to Billboard’s top Latino artists of 2020 list.
Most notably, Bad Bunny who is known for his Latin trap and reggaetón music, was on the Billboard’s top 100 artists of
2020 list.
Not only was he a part of the top 20 artists but Bad Bunny was also the most streamed Spotify artist in 2020 with 8.3 billion streams globally, according to a report from the streaming platform.
Sociology senior Carolina Magallanes is a massive fan of Spanish-speaking music and said it’s an enormous part of her life.
“Now that I am thinking about it, I guess I was shaped only in Spanish music,” Magallanes said during a Zoom interview. “There is just a whole bunch of different genres.”
She said her love for music in Spanish started when she was younger.
Magallanes grew up with her mom listening to Los Bukis, a Mexican Grupera band. According to an abstract on Oxford Music Online, Grupera music usually involves an ensemble of electric guitars, synthesized instruments and a lead vocalist.
Eventually, she started listening to the music her older sister listened to and familiarized herself with different Hispanic artists such as Juanes, a Colombian musician who’s known for his song “La Camisa Negra.”
When she was old enough to listen to music of her choice, she fell in love with artists including Shakira, Don Omar and Daddy Yankee, two Puerto Rican reggaetóneros.
While Magallanes has plenty of artists to choose from today, her favorite artist is a no-brainer.
“I think [my favorite artist] would have to be Bad Bunny,” Magallanes said. “I love the person that he is. I love his vibe. I love his music. He’s very attractive, period!”
Estevan Azcona, assistant professor for the department of Chicana and Chicano studies, said the rise of Spanish-speaking music can be credited to cultural shifts.
“I would say that it’s probably reflecting a few different shifts that are taking place,” Azcona said in a Zoom call. “We are seeing artists from Chicana, Chicano, Chicanx, Latinx communities all across the nation including Puerto Rico, that are doing their art and music in a whole wide variety of styles.”
He also said the industry is picking up on the buzz around Spanish-speaking music.
“The popularity of this music is being picked up on by the major industries,” Azcona said. “I still get a kick out of seeing Bad Bunny on those Snoop Dog, Corona beer TV adverts.”
Graduate student mentor Mitzi Garcia Hernandez also attributes the popularity of Spanish-speaking music to the significant presence of Hispanic people in the U.S.
There are about 328,239,523 Hispanics in the country today who make up about 19% of the population, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The number of Hispanics in the U.S. will increase to about 35% in 2045, according to a Sept. 6, 2018 Brookings Institution analysis of the bureau’s census data. While one third of the growth will be because of immigration, the majority will be from a natural increase of more births compared to deaths.
This increase causes mainstream English-speaking artists to collaborate with Latinx artists to reach larger audiences.
“We [Hispanics] already have such a big population so that has something to do with it, but the fact that these artists like
Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, you know, like, Migos, like, all of them. They are all trying to collab with these Latin artists.” Hernandez said.
Latin artists and Spanish-speaking music have evolved throughout the decades, but the current era we are living in will change the game forever.
“This is the second-largest ethnic group in the country and it’s not shrinking and so Spanish language is going to be even more a part of American society and that is not a bad thing,’’ Azcona said. “That will be reflected in music and I think we’ll hopefully see this in other genres of popular culture too.”
As for the future of Spanish-speaking music, Magallanes and Hernandez can’t wait to see what is coming next. For now, they’re looking forward to seeing Bad Bunny in concert in 2022.
