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Exploring The Latin Field Nominees

Go inside the nominations in the Latin Field categories for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the artists nominated in the Latin Field for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

This year's Latin Field includes first-time nominees such as Campo, Fonseca, Jesse Y Joy, Los Cojolites, Carla Morrison, Quetzal, Romeo Santos, and Sistema Bomb. Previous nominees looking for their GRAMMY include Lila Downs, Kany Garcia, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, Gerardo Ortiz, and Ana Tijoux. Veteran artists looking to add to their GRAMMY collection include Ricardo Arjona and Juanes.

Best Latin Pop Album

Ricardo Arjona, Independiente

Arjona is up for one nomination this year. He has four prior GRAMMY nominations and one win.

Fonseca, Ilusión

Fonseca is up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of his career.

Kany Garcia, Kany Garcia

Garcia is up for one nomination this year. She has one prior GRAMMY nomination.

Jesse Y Joy, ¿Con Quién Se Queda El Perro?

Jesse Y Joy are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Juanes, MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition

Juanes is up for one nomination this year. He has four prior GRAMMY nominations and one win.

Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album

Campo, Campo

Campo are up for one nomination this year, marking their first career GRAMMY nomination.

Carla Morrison, Déjenme Llorar

Morrison is up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of her career.

Quetzal, Imaginaries

Quetzal are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Sistema Bomb, Electro-Jarocho

Sistema Bomb are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Ana Tijoux, La Bala

Tijoux is up for one nomination this year. She has one prior GRAMMY nomination.

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

Lila Downs, Pecados Y Milagros

Downs is up for one nomination this year. She has one prior GRAMMY nomination.

Los Cojolites, Sembrando Flores

Los Cojolites are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Los Tucanes De Tijuana, 365 Días

 Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea, Oye

Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea are up for one nomination this year. They have three prior nominations and one GRAMMY win.

Gerardo Ortiz, El Primer Ministro

Ortiz is up for one nomination this year. He has one prior GRAMMY nomination.

Best Tropical Latin Album

Raúl Lara Y Sus Soneros, Cubano Soy

 

Raúl Lara Y Sus Soneros are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Eddie Montalvo, Desde Nueva York A Puerto Rico

Montalvo is up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of his career.

Marlow Rosado Y La Riqueña, Retro Marlow

Rosado Y La Riqueña are up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of their career.

Romeo Santos, Formula Vol. 1

Santos is up for one nomination this year, marking the first GRAMMY nomination of his career.

Who will take home the awards in the Latin Field categories? Tune in to the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10, 2013, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

(Note: The videos embedded reflect official videos available through official artist and record label channels.)

After 9 Years, Ana Tijoux Returns With Songs At The BPM Of Life
Ana Tijoux performs during the opening ceremony of the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games.

Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

feature

After 9 Years, Ana Tijoux Returns With Songs At The BPM Of Life

Rapper Ana Tijoux experienced a series of devastating personal losses, but released a danceable album that's a tribute to life. Ahead of her first U.S. tour since 2018, Tijoux speaks about her new album 'Vida,' and creating the record she needed to hear.

GRAMMYs/Mar 12, 2024 - 01:25 pm

Ana Tijoux’s first album in almost a decade is titled Vida, but it began as a meditation on death. 

The French Chilean rapper began writing the songs for her fifth album following a series of personal losses, including a beloved sister. "I wanted to talk about the fragility of life. What I didn’t know when we began was that the name of the album would be ‘Life,’" Tijoux recalls, speaking from her home in Barcelona. "I wanted to call it, ‘Duelo,’ which is the complete opposite." Translated from Spanish, duelo means mourning. 

This concept for the album evolved as the writing progressed. The first shift occurred when the musician began to write "Tania," which honors the sister she lost to cancer in 2019. "When I was thinking about her, I was thinking in a very happy way. It was not only with sadness," she tells GRAMMY.com. She couldn’t write a song, then, that was simply sad. "I think when you are confronted by death and someone’s passing, you are confronted by all that mixture of emotion and suddenly it moves, naturally," she theorizes. 

Tijoux let it move. Through such honest confrontations, Vida grew into an album full of complex emotions  about 10 years worth.

"Tania" is a profound and moving tribute that builds into a thumping dembow rhythm fit for the dancefloor. The song is all the more poignant for evoking a celebration. Dance was a vital part of grieving for Tijoux; to move from grief back toward life, she had to literally move. In connecting to her body, the most obvious reminder of being alive, the musician found a source of healing. 

"I feel I have this dissociation between my body, sometimes, and my brain," Tijoux muses. "I think we get this dissociation from our education, or perhaps we always feel that body movement is something superficial, but it’s interesting how the body responds to music, the tempo and the BPM."

This line of thinking — and Tijoux’s desire to dance — manifested on the album in a scintillating array of danceable sounds: tropical house, digital cumbia and Afro-Caribbean polyrhythms that interlock with boom-bap beats. 

The Spanish-language emcee's fifth full-length evolved through collaboration with her long-time producer Andrés Celis, as they wrote from their respective homes (Tijoux in Spain, where she relocated during the pandemic, and Celis in Santiago, Chile). "It was a dialogue. Sometimes, it was me bringing an idea and he was trying to translate that idea through melody. Other times, he had a melody and I would say, ‘Oh, this makes me feel like this, or that puts me in that mood," she says of the creative process. 

Through this back and forth during isolation, a lively, rhythmic album emerged from what was originally conceived of as a somber memorial. This is not to say that it’s a carefree album. In keeping with the rap pioneer’s previous work, Vida is driven by fight, in particular, the fight to preserve life and joy in the face of cruelty and death. 

Like Talib Kweli, who guests with De La Soul's Plug 1 on the album’s multilingual ode to hip-hop "Tue Sae," Tijoux has been a lyrical conscience in the world of rap since her debut. This album may be extremely personal, but it also finds her sharp as ever on political subjects, holding forth in her inimitable, rapid-fire flow. With "Óyeme," a song inspired by 2023 news reports that authorities in England planned to house hundreds of asylum seekers on a barge, Tijoux connects the racism that justified the transantlantic slave trade with the racism behind the violence inflicted on refugees and migrants. 

Because Tijoux’s new album is so emotionally intense, its moments of uplift and release hit with more power too. The title track, which features English soul singer Omar, is a funky jazz-hop love song to life itself and could not be more joyful. Its author is quick to point out that, even when the album is lighthearted, it isn’t meant to be escapist. 

"It’s not in a mood of ‘nothing is happening,’ because everything is happening right now. It’s because I feel that we need to continue to put hope in this world, because, if not, I don’t know how to raise my children," she explains.

Tijoux’s two children — Luciano, 18, and Emiliana, 10 — are present on the album in many ways. "Niñx" is a fiercely loving song expressing her aspirations for her daughter, mostly that she grows up brave and free, and never loses her laughter. Album opener "Millionaria" has a little bit of fun with the trope of the iced out rap star with stacks of money and designer clothes by rapping about how rich she is — in the love of friends and family. The song brings extreme mom energy in a way that the world badly needs right now. 

Ultimately, Tijoux made the album she herself needed to hear. "It was almost like an anthem for me to get my energy up and move, through vitality, through the BPM of life," she admits. That last phrase raises an interesting question: What is the BPM of life? Without having to think, Tijoux answers: "It’s every kind of BPM. It changes all the time. I guess it’s like emotion." Of course, it would be. Life’s tempo would be variable and elastic, like the breath, the heartbeat, or a J Dilla track. Varied as it is, Vida is a clear case of art imitating life. 

Inside Residente's 'Las Letras Ya No Importan': How His New Album Shows The Rapper In Transition

The Women of Música Mexicana: GRAMMY Nominees Talk Inspiration, Genre Representation & Making History
(From left) Flor De Toloache, Lupita Infante, Ana Bárbara, Lila Downs

Photos: Courtesy of the artist, HECTOR MOLINA; courtesy of Sony Music

interview

The Women of Música Mexicana: GRAMMY Nominees Talk Inspiration, Genre Representation & Making History

Women lead the nominations for Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) Category. GRAMMY.com spoke with Lupita Infante, Lila Downs, Ana Bárbara and Flor de Toloache about their nominations, women that inspired them, and representation in the genre.

GRAMMYs/Jan 29, 2024 - 02:15 pm

For decades, women have been the muse behind some of the most iconic songs in música Mexicana. The genre's greatest singers have sung about them, and women have often been the protagonists of stories that go from heartbreak to revenge. 

Despite being an inspiration, the música Mexicana genre has historically benefited male singers and bands, awarding them with media attention, placing them at the top of the charts, and centering them in headlining slots at festivals and concerts.

Even though representation is yet to be equal, female artists have fought hard to conquer these same spaces, breaking barriers and paving the way for future generations. Singers such as Selena Quintanilla, Jenni Rivera, Rocío Dúrcal, Paquita la del Barrio, Chavela Vargas, and Graciela Beltrán are mavericks and trailblazers in música Mexicana.

Mexican music underwent a renaissance in 2023, leading the charts and expanding its sound to a global stage. And even though female artists are still absent from the top lists, a new generation of singers is leading the way in the música Mexicana genre, and their achievements are inspiring. 

Angela Aguilar is one of the seven women to lead Billboard's Regional Mexican Airplay Chart; Yahritza Martínez, the frontwoman of Yahritza y Su Esencia, received the first Breakthrough Songwriter Of The Year at the 2023 SESAC Latina Music Awards. The Sierreño girl band Conexión Divina received its first Latin GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist in 2023.

Women have had a healthy representation in Mexican music categories at the GRAMMYs over the years, with Sheena Easton, Vikki Carr, Linda Ronstadt, and Selena taking home golden gramophones in various Mexican music category variations. In 2024, four out of five works nominated in the Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) are from female artists. Peso Pluma is the only male act who received a nod for his album GÉNESIS.

GRAMMY.com spoke with Lupita Infante, Lila Downs, Ana Bárbara, and Flor de Toloache about their nominations, the women in música Mexicana that have inspired them, and the representation in the música Mexicana industry. 

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Which woman in the música Mexicana has inspired you in your career?

Lupita Infante: [During] my formative years, I listened a lot to Lola Beltrán, Linda Ronstadt, all the classic women of the time, and Amalia Mendoza, who are more traditional. Selena, too, was like the ultimate. I think we have all had Selena's karaoke albums; we learned a lot and practiced a lot. Also, Jenni Rivera, I remember going to her concert, and maybe I didn't realize that she was breaking barriers as a woman. And I remember that concert opened by Sheila Dúrcal, a woman I admire greatly.

Ana Barbara: María de Lourdes, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán, and Amalia Mendoza "La Tariácuri" are some of the singers that I have listened to since I was a child, and in some way, they opened up this panorama of Mexican music — ranchera music performed by women — to me. I loved them, and I still like them. Later on, a singer of Mexican music and Juan Gabriel's music was Rocío Dúrcal, who also greatly impacted me with her way of interpreting Mexican music.

Lila Downs: Lucha Reyes was definitely the first. 

Mireya Ramos (Flor de Toloache): Aida Cuevas, Lila Downs, and Toña La Negra are some of the women who have inspired and influenced me in my musical career.

Shae Fiol (Flor de Toloache): Mireya Ramos. Although she wasn't widely known when we started the band, she was already a professional singer with roots in mariachi. She was making a living singing the songs she grew up listening to her father sing in his mariachi and at their family's restaurant. It's easy to focus on legends, but the people around us often impact us and our careers and influence us the most. 

After Mireya is Linda Ronstadt, whose album Canciones de mi Padre I remembered consuming as a young child without realizing the genre she was singing was mariachi, but I remembered the album cover. Lola Beltrán, in particular, her rendition of "La Chancla," I clung to that song for its empowering sentiment and her incredible vocal expression. 

What is a go-to album or song by a female artist in your favorite genre that brings inspiration or comfort?

Infante: It's been a lot of Lila Downs lately. I also like the song "Todo Todo" by Camila Fernández. There are many songs and songwriters I have seen who are recording them and coming out with beautiful songs as well.

Bárbara: There are several albums. There is one by Lola Beltrán (Joyas) where she sings "El Crucifijo de Piedra." I really liked that Linda Ronstadt recorded an incredible mariachi album [Canciones de mi Padre]. I also loved the Lucha Villa album that Juan Gabriel made.

Downs: I always have to listen to Mercedes Sosa again in her first recordings. 

Ramos: It really depends on the mood and the moment, but it can be from Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline, Jill Scott to Natalia La Fourcade, Mon Laferte, and Rosa Passos. They are women who master their instruments, whether with the voice or another instrument; the compositions and performances are memorable.

Fiol: If I want comfort, artists I may listen to are Erykah Badu, Sade, Amel Larrieux, Feist, Janelle Monáe, Sheryl Crow, Patsy Cline. For inspiration, I'll listen to any of those artists, plus Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy, Concha Buika, Little Simz, and Cleo Sol.

Women dominate the Best Música Mexicana Album nominations at the 2024 GRAMMYs. How do you feel about the increasing representation of women in the Mexican music industry?

Infante: The Recording Academy is reflecting the part that women are excelling [in the genre]. At the same time, I feel that each one has something very different to offer. I still see men dominating the Billboard Charts and the concerts, but I like that even here in [Recording Academy voting] membership, the members say this woman deserves this recognition.

Bárbara: I feel great, total, and absolute pride to see so many women in this category. It has taken us a lot of work to be there, but it is worth the effort. 

Downs: It gives me great pleasure to see that women have developed in an area that has been difficult for us historically because there has been a lot of prejudice about our ability to produce and compose and, of course, to lead in music.

Ramos: It fills us with pride and excitement to know that this is the direction we are going, that our work has contributed to this and that the next generation has the space to create freely without so many challenges. I am grateful to all the women who came before us who hand-carved their path, opening the doors for the next generations to celebrate this change, recognition, and celebration. What an honor to be able to be in this category representing.

What have you learned from the artists nominated with you in this category?

Infante: Each one has a very different essence. Ana Bárbara has a super long career; she is a power of femininity. I love her outfits, how she presents herself, how she sings. Her album has a song that fascinates me a lot [like the one] she did with Vicente Fernández [La Jugada]; I feel that it is the duet of the year. Lila Downs, I loved the album La Sánchez; it has inspired me a lot in my future productions because she takes its essence, takes Mexican music, and puts her twist and flavor on it. Flor de Toloache's Motherflower,  I love that album because I feel they are pushing the boundaries. They have incredible voices; some rancheras just blew me away. 

Peso Pluma has taken everything and has revolutionized the entire industry at a global level. We also owe him a particular way: a thank you for breaking those barriers and letting the others who come after him help us all.

Bárbara: From my colleagues, I have learned or admired that they are firm in their concept, and that is very important; no matter how the trends, it is the music of Mexico, the music of mariachi, it is our music. I love to see them firm with that conviction that we have to continue in what we love, in what we like, and for me, that is admirable.

Downs: Ana Bárbara is doing some exciting and good duets. [From] Lupita Infante I have loved her way of singing; it is very soft, and she also has that legendary timbre of her grandfather, Don Pedro Infante. The Flor de Toloache has always had my great admiration because they have been independent women and applied themselves to the mariachi tradition, the traditional music of Mexico, and, of course, Peso Pluma, which has been an influence and a reference for everyone, which comes from this musical movement of Sonora. It is a joy that it inspires Mexican music for the youth.

Ramos: I remember buying Lila Downs' album La Sandunga. These are the fusions that I love, and I remember dreaming of one day being able to create my arrangements with that intention. I still can't believe that I have had the pleasure of playing and singing with her. What a gift. 

Fiol: Lila Downs is a great inspiration for us, having witnessed her career over decades; she created her lane so vibrantly and was a great example for Flor de Toloache as we started out, inspiring us to do the same in creating our unique style. 

Why is it significant that your album has received a GRAMMY nomination?

Infante: I worked with several producers on the album that deserve this recognition. One is Carlos Álvarez, my mentor and a great teacher. Also, maestro José Hernández, the founder and director of Mariachi Sol de México, is one of the best mariachis in the world. Having three songs produced by him is very important to me. And there is also Carlos Junior Cabral, who also made Ana Bárbara's album. Luciano Luna was also a big part of this album; I feel he is also a phenomenon in Mexican music. I tried to grab that talent from everywhere for this album. 

I co-authored several of the songs. I worked with great songwriters, and they deserve that recognition. I learned a lot through this album, both in the songwriting, the productions, and the recordings. We made a whole visual art concept; I wanted to be inspired by my grandfather, Pedro Infante's era. I wanted [to have] something that moved us that recognized him. 

Bárbara: [Bordado a Mano] is an album in which all the songs are part of me, my life, my experiences, my shortcomings, and everything I have felt. It channels my emotions. It makes me very happy to have thought about the production of this album, to carry it out, to look for each of my arrangers, of my colleagues who did me the favor of capturing his talent in songs, and because it was born from the bottom of my heart. Seeing that it has come so far, having planned so many duets that it is not easy, each duet made was very complicated. So, seeing it nominated for a GRAMMY is an indescribable satisfaction, and I am very grateful.

Downs: La Sánchez is an album we made with the band that has been with me for a long time, my colleagues, and my musician brothers. We did a workshop here in Oaxaca, so it was conceived in the south [of Mexico]. This path began together with my husband, whom we lost last year. Being nominated for a GRAMMY after so much heartache and having cried a lot this year is a great honor. I am deeply grateful to my fellow musicians and professionals of the Recording Academy and this path of music.

Ramos: [Motherflower] is the most progressive and mariachi fusion album we have made, and all the songs are based on actual experiences. As an independent band and among many incredible artists who have chosen this album, it fills our hearts with pride. The nomination was a pleasant surprise, even more so that we are with so many beautiful queens and the great Peso Pluma, breaking it in his genre. 

We proudly use mariachi instruments in ways no other mariachi has dared to experiment with for fear of breaking from tradition. To have the creativity and vision of Flor de Toloache recognized is a beautiful accomplishment. It fills us with hope that space is opening up for expression, especially for women within the mariachi genre. We had to create something for ourselves since that platform or the support of the mariachi community did not exist. 

Additionally, this album's songs are written from a woman's perspective for women, something not very common in mariachi. Celebrating our "quinceañera" with this nomination is the best gift we could have received.

Fiol: Motherflower is the first album we have released in our 15 years as a band of all original music, composed primarily between Mireya and myself with beautiful contributions from Manu Jalil Soto, Victor Bodilla, Claudia Brandt, Julie Acosta, and Andres Ramos. Our vision was to share our stories with our fans and the world at large, painting a picture of us coming up as an all-women, mariachi-inspired indie band in New York City. These four elements are pillars of our creative expression, and for this album to be recognized by our peers in the academy is a huge honor because it is the most vulnerable we have been in our careers. It's a fusion of genres with mariachi at its core.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album Nominees: A 2024 GRAMMYs Roundtable
(L to R): Juanes, Natalia Lafourcade, Fito Paez, Eduardo Cabra and Juan Galeano of Diamante Eléctrico.

Mario Alzate; Mariano Regidor / Redferns via Getty Images; Val Musso; John Parra/Getty Images for LARAS; Denise Truscello / Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy

interview

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album Nominees: A 2024 GRAMMYs Roundtable

Nominees Natalia Lafourcade, Juanes, Cabra, Diamante Electrico and Fito Paez discuss the current state of the multifarious genres of Latin Rock and Alternative, and what keeps their creative fires burning.

GRAMMYs/Jan 24, 2024 - 04:29 pm

The five nominated works for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs underscore how incredibly pluralistic the genre has become. 

Recorded live on tape with a cadre of virtuoso players, Mexican songstress Natalia Lafourcade’s De Todas las Flores explores grief, impressionism and the healing power of love. Motivated by a deep marital crisis, Vida Cotidiana by Colombia’s Juanes is a middle-aged rocker’s message of hope — and it grooves like crazy. A collage of alternative sonics hand-crafted at his Puerto Rico home studio, MARTÍNEZ finds former Calle 13 founder Cabra delving into trance-inducing electro and slick Afrobeats. A cool, sophisticated affair, Diamante Eléctrico’s seventh album Leche de Tigre fuses Colombian rock with nocturnal vibes and cosmopolitan funk. In Argentina, Fito Páez lovingly reinvented his 1992 masterpiece El Amor Después del Amor on EADDA9223, populated by a gallery of iconic guest stars.

If the nominees at the 66th GRAMMY Awards are any indication, Latin rock and alternative are more than a sound. They signify a point of view, a credo, a way of doing things that spans countries.

With that in mind, GRAMMY.com organized a roundtable with this year’s nominees, who discussed their influences, the current state of the multifarious genre, and the dreams of future albums that keep their creative fires burning. 

Is rock 'n'roll eternal? Will its mystique continue to influence musicians for generations to come?

Natalia Lafourcade: It is eternal, yes. Rock is like life itself. It evolves and transforms in language and form — its tempests, energy and meaning. I would never have imagined my album being nominated in this category. But then I think about the idiosyncrasies of rock — a style spawned from broken places, the crevice where a flower can blossom   and it makes sense. I cherish the fact that rock can encompass so many different possibilities of singing about emotion.

Cabra: I understand rock’n’roll as an agent of change and attitude is already dead. In my work, I like using musical references from the past as I create in the present mode.

Juanes: Rock will be eternal to me for as long as I live. In my own universe, rock was the channel that allowed me to transform as a person and I find in it a very powerful energy. I hope future generations will learn to play instruments, form their own bands and write songs — even with the current avalanche of technology and AI.

Fito Páez: Rock is much more than just a genre. It represents an open minded, eccentric cultural reality that fears nothing and transcends the music itself.

Juan Galeano (vocalist and bassist, Diamante Eléctrico): Rock has evolved, just like music has. It will live on as long as it preserves its avant-garde qualities and continues to challenge the establishment.

Who were the rock artists who first inspired you?

Juanes: Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. Heavier stuff too: Slayer, Sepultura. Even Venom. [Laughs.] That was my path during the ‘80s here in Medellín. Before I discovered rock, the sounds of Latin American popular music that I heard during childhood defined my path as a musician as well.

Lafourcade: The works of women like Julieta Venegas, Joni Mitchell, Björk, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey and Erykah Badu, among many others. All of them acted as anchors on my artistic path. They offered guidance and illumination.

Páez: I was influenced by artists outside the confines of rock — people who played all kinds of music, like Charly García and Luis Alberto Spinetta. Is [Brazilian MPB icon] Chico Buarque rock? Sort of. You could say he’s part of the rock culture, much like [tango master] Astor Piazzolla was. 

There’s something really cool about the Alternative Field. It goes beyond the mainstream — there’s an extra serving of fun in it; it defies logic. An artist is truly alternative when he’s different from everyone else.

During the ‘70s, rock became exceedingly ambitious — incorporating elements of jazz and classical, folk and the avant-garde. I believe the same ethos informs the Latin Alternative today, a time when stylistic experimentation is accepted as the norm. Do you agree?

Cabra: I agree about 50 percent. I believe the experimental tendencies of the ‘70s and ‘80s signified the genre’s finest moment. Right now, there are artists who dare to innovate. At the same time, many defend the purity of various musical styles, and as a result, everything sounds the same.

Lafourcade: Rock will always be linked to that utmost freedom of expression. It’s connected to the soul, and it’s deeply spiritual. There is no strategy in it. It’s about seeking the disruptive, the unexpected — that which will surprise and shake us up. It allows you to scream, weep and laugh — to be silent following heartbreaking chaos.

Galeano: Something that we really enjoy about the last few years is the increasing blurring of genre boundaries. We’ve always believed that Diamante is much more than just a rock band. We borrow from different styles: funk, soul and cumbia; jazz and classical; Black music in general, and, of course, rock 'n' roll. I love that the younger generations don’t listen to any specific genres anymore — just good songs.

Are reggaetón and urbano the new rock? Could they coexist with the works of Soda Stereo or Café Tacvba?

Páez: No, they’re not. Clearly not. I’m writing a lengthy essay on the current state of the music scene. I think it will generate an interesting debate.

Juanes: I notice in artists like Bad Bunny the same kind of rebellious spirit and desire to provoke that was present in rock. That said, I think music will continue to evolve. It can never stagnate.

Cabra: Rock is a feeling, a lifestyle. That is why I believe it is dead.

Within a rock context, is there a fusion or experiment that you have yet to attempt? Is there a treasured album percolating in your soul, waiting to emerge?

Lafourcade: I’d love to return to the electric guitar at one point, and explore beyond the familiar limits. To navigate alternate possibilities that can continue to surprise me and make me feel like it’s the first time doing this.

Juanes: I’d like to record an album or EP focused on cumbias, slow and heavy. Haven’t found the time yet, but it’s something I would love to do at one point.

Páez: The music I desire the most is the one I have yet to record — that much is clear. The advantage of music over words is that the potential combinations are infinite. You just have to play, something I’ve been doing my entire life. Sometimes you have to push the new melodies away so that you don’t step on them when you get out of bed in the morning. At other times, you can’t find a single tune. It’s all about being adventurous, studying and researching — the kind of activities that are not in vogue at the moment.

Cabra: This year I’d love to make a record of complicated duets in different genres. Right now I’m dreaming of that album.

Galeano: We’d love to experiment with jazz, corridos tumbados, cumbia and Brazilian. Whenever we collaborate, we gravitate to artists who come from different worlds. I’d love to record a song with Carín León.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

2023 In Review: 5 Trends That Defined Latin Music
(From left) Usted Señalemelo, Juanes, Peso Pluma, Karol G and Nicki Nicole

Photos: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Latin Recording Academy; Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Latin Recording Academy; Patricia J. Garcinuno/WireImage; Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images

news

2023 In Review: 5 Trends That Defined Latin Music

2023 was a transformative year for Latin music: Música mexicana expanded globally; urbano music continued its dominance and innovative sounds broke boundaries. Read on for five trends showcasing the breadth of Latin music's influence.

GRAMMYs/Dec 18, 2023 - 02:51 pm

2022 was the year of Rosalía’s Motomami and Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti — two groundbreaking albums that expanded both the artistic scope and mainstream appeal of Latin music. How do you top that?

As it turns out, 2023 had a number of surprises in store: the emergence of música mexicana on an international scale, but also the further globalization of Latin sounds and new developments in urbano music, which continues to gain in influence and sophistication. It was also a particularly prolific year — with hundreds of singles, EPs and albums expanding the scope of Latin across genres and formats.

Here are some of the notable trends that emerged during the past 12 months.

Finally, Música Mexicana Gets The Chance To Shine

Reggaetón and urbano were at the forefront of the Latin music tsunami that began to take hold of the entire planet a good three years ago. During that time, many insiders pondered if the huge field of so-called regional Mexican music would ever enjoy such levels of exposure. Turns out there was nothing regional about it.

Far from stagnating, the genre evolved with the rise of the sparse, melancholy sound known as sad sierreño, and the swagger of hip-hop informing the zeitgeist of young artists like Natanael Cano and Junior H.

2023 will be forever remembered as the year when música mexicana connected with the world at large, and it happened mostly through one song: "Ella Baila Sola," the collaboration between Jalisco singer Peso Pluma and Cali group Eslabón Armado — a tune whose spiraling groove is so buoyant and infectious, it transcends borders. The subversive duet of Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera on mega-hit "un x100to" didn’t hurt either, and the movement gained strength with Peso Pluma’s excellent third LP, as well as the talents of young stars such as Fuerza Regida, Gabito Ballesteros and Yahritza y Su Esencia.

When It Comes To Latin Rock, Argentina Is Still At The Forefront

From Charly García and Luis Alberto Spinetta to Soda Stereo and Babasónicos, Argentina boasts a fierce tradition for generating legendary rock albums. Even though the South American nation has embraced the present with such urbano stars as Bizarrap, Duki and Nicki Nicole, there will always be a place of honor reserved for good old fashioned rock’n’roll in Argentina’s clubs and recording studios.

2023 was no exception. Hailing from the city of La Plata, Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado released Súper Terror. Their first full length album since 2017's La Síntesis O’Konor, the new LP includes atmospheric ballads like the gorgeous "Medalla de Oro." Another top contender is Tripolar, the third effort by Mendoza indie darlings Usted Señalemelo.

Also of note: Lo Más Cercano a Caer, the stunning debut by Nenagenix. Fronted by singer Martina Sampietro, the band has dreamed up a ferocious collection of songs with inspired touches of grunge and shoegaze.

Pop Stardom Is A Young Artist’s Game…

Popular music has always reflected the combustion and adrenaline of youth, but the immediacy of the digital era has heightened this fact. It seems that the transition from self-taught teens uploading their demos in TikTok to fully fledged stars performing at Coachella has become even more rapid.

Some of the most successful Latin artists climbing the 2023 charts have had only a couple of years to transition into pop icon status — and the vulnerability of their emotional state is often expressed in their music. From the reggaetón-fueled erotic narratives of 21 year-old Madrid rapper Quevedo ("PUNTO G") to the bachata-pop warmth of 19 year-old Mexican/American DannyLux ("MI HOGAR," with maye) and the confessional urbano narratives of 22-year-old Argentine vocalist Tiago PZK (the TINI duet "Me Enteré"), many young artists found the global platform where they could freely express their longings and dreams.

...But The Veterans Have Still Plenty To Say

Years of accolades have not dimmed the creative vision of veteran Latin artists. In the case of Juanes, a marital crisis during the pandemic inspired Vida Cotidiana — arguably the Colombian singer’s best album to date. Just listen to the gritty guitar textures of the majestic "Gris" and the spiraling Afro lines of "Cecilia," a sun-is-shining-again duet with Juan Luis Guerra. Vida Cotidiana is nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album alongside Cabra's MARTÍNEZ, Leche De Tigre by Diamante Eléctrico, Natalia Lafourcade's De Todas Las Flores and EADDA9223 by Fito Paez.

At 46, Shakira finds herself at the top of her game, with major pop culture moments like her Bizarrap collaboration — the most epic revenge song of the year and a Latin GRAMMY winner— and the jagged edges of "TQG," her duet with KAROL G.

Having developed a tradition of recording solo excursions in Paris, Zoé frontman León Larregui explored his hazy psychedelic mystique on PRISMARAMA, the Mexican singer’s excellent — and first self-produced — third outing.

The Urbano Groove May Never Run Out Of Steam

You may think that global audiences would have tired of the ubiquitous reggaetón beat. But the music of Puerto Rico — just like traditional salsa in the ‘70s – has a gravitas that rewards longer attention spans. Fittingly for a genre known for its prolific work ethic, some of the biggest names in urbano released albums in 2023, and none of them disappoint.

One listen to the refined melody of "MÓNACO" — like a reggaetón take on a James Bond theme — is enough to realize that Bad Bunny’s creative streak hasn’t slowed down since he reimagined the Latin pop atlas with Un Verano Sin Ti. Known for his honeyed dance hits, Ozuna put out an EP (Afro) and an album (Cosmo), including the synth-pop magic of "Vocation," with producer David Guetta.

Last but not least, KAROL G’s MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO demonstrates on luminous tracks like "PROVENZA" and "CAIRO" that her work with fellow Colombian producer Ovy on the Drums is one of the defining artistic partnerships of the decade. MAÑANA is nominated for Best Música Urbana Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside Rauw Alejandro's SATURNO and Tainy's DATA.

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