The rise of Latin music on Spotify in 2023
Each December, Spotify brings us Spotify Wrapped. For each of us, it is a representation of our musical taste, and for many of us, Wrapped is filled with Latin American music.
This may come as no surprise; not only is Latin America a huge continent, but the musical genres coming from that continent have started a rise in popularity a few years back. Ever since 2016, music from this part of the world has grown exponentially. In fact, since 2019, the market share of Latin music styles has grown by a staggering 216%.
For the first time, revenue generated by Latin music genres exceeded USD 1bn in 2022. The past year, 2023, was by far the most successful year for Latin music ever on Spotify.
Big names from the past, such as Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony are nowadays accompanied by rising stars as Bad Bunny and Karol G. The upcoming artists are causing a true Latin music revolution.
The different genres of Latin music
The term ‘Latin music’ comes from genres of music originating from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, and The United States. It is common in all of South America, with Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as one of the strongholds.
Corrido
Corrido is a subgenre originating from pop music, or Latin pop. It comes from the Iberian people (Spain) in Medieval times. It is one of the oldest genres of Latin American music.
Reggaeton
The reggaeton genre kickstarted in 2004 with the release of Daddy Yankee’s album Barrio Fino. His collaboration with Luis Fonsi was a huge hit shortly after his first album. It is modern Latin music; a mixture of beats, rhythm, reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, Latin and Puerto Rican influences.
Norteno
Named after its birthplace (Northern Mexico), it is a genre with rural and traditional influences. Mostly played by bands that include an accordion, a bajo sexto, bass, drums and a vocalist.
The traditional Norteno genre still has influences in many modern-day releases in South America.
Musica Mexicana
Musica Mexicana is the collective name for several regional Mexican music genres (such as Corrido, Rancheros, Cumbia, and Mariachi). It involves brass instruments, guitars and several vocalists per band. This traditional kind of Mexican music has influenced many modern-day artists and can be heard in the biggest Spotify playlists today.
The Peso Pluma effect
One of the biggest artists of 2023 is Peso Pluma. He is the driving force behind the growth of the Latin music genre. His album Genesis accumulated over 3bn streams last year.
Peso Pluma’s real name is Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija. Hassan attended high school in Texas but spent most of his youth in his family home in Guadalajara, Mexico. Music-wise he is influenced by reggaeton, hip-hop, dance, trap and traditional Mexican folk songs (Corridos).
His popularity has been rising since 2020 and his versatile music productions are hailed by millions of people worldwide, not only in Latin America. By combining many genres, eventually, the Musica Mexicana genres were modernized by Peso Pluma’s influences. Traditionally, the Musica Mexicana genres (Corrido, Norteno, Banda) were considered regional music styles. By blending sounds and genres, the image of these Mexicana genres is now very different compared to years ago.
“He looks like a rocker; maybe he could be a rapper. The last thing he looks like is a regional Mexican singer” his manager George Prajin says.
According to many, the impact Peso Pluma has on the popular music industry is called a cultural movement. Gen Z artists have embraced and revived the Latin dance genre, including female and LBGTQ artists such as Conexion, Divina, Michelle BI and Michelle Maciel.
These artists have taken traditional music and used modern-day influences to renew the genre. Artists such as Natanael Cano and Carin Leon are very important in this movement.
Peso Pluma has been releasing music since 2020. He also started a record label called Double P, together with his manager George Prajin. Peso Pluma is the head A&R of the label.
His song Ella Baila Sola was his biggest hit of 2023.
Big record labels such as Warner Music and Interscope have recognized the enormous potential of the genre. Warner recently strengthened its Musica Mexicana division by adding new label heads in its Los Angeles office. Interscope signed a 19-year-old Latin music artist called Ivan Cornejo, with a major record deal. Cornejo is famous for putting pop-rock sierreño on the map.
The past year was the biggest year for Latin music on Spotify. Over 8 number 1 hits come from Latin America, and Bad Bunny comes in second (after Taylor Swift) in most streamed artists of 2023. In fact, his album ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’, which was released in 2022, was the best-streamed album of 2023. A sign that his music is here to stay.
Peso Pluma, Bad Bunny and many others have paved the way for emerging artists from Latin America. In the coming years, the rise will continue. Many visitors to Peso Pluma’s concerts don’t even speak Spanish, which is a sign of the globalisation of the musical style. These youngsters are making a cultural movement, and the Spotify Wrapped of 2024 will for sure be filled with Latin Music. Again.
