Beginning Sept. 15 and spanning until Oct.15 is National Hispanic Heritage month. Since 1988, the month-long celebration has been dedicated to honoring both Hispanic and Latinx Americans’ cultures and contributions. Latinx musicians have helped create and impact contemporary popular genres of music in the U.S. for centuries, influencing jazz, rhythm & blues, and introducing salsa and Latin pop to the western entertainment industry.
Latin music has been breaking records in the music industry and is quickly becoming one of the most popular genres in the United States. According to a Billboard report, Latin Music rose 55.29% in album consumption. With such a tremendous impact on the music industry, it’s only fitting to showcase some of the prominent Latinx artists who are on the rise or are established performers in the industry. Here are a couple of artists to add to your Spotify playlist!
1. CNCO
While CNCO officially announced their break up in 2022, the group’s music lives on in the hearts of Gen Zers (being a fangirl of this particular group, I had to add them to the list). CNCO is a Latin boy band based in Miami, Florida. The group formed as a result of Ricky Martin and Simon Cowell’s first season of the survival competition show, La Banda, in 2015. Members of the group include Erick Brian Colón, Christopher Vélez and Zabdiel De Jesús, and Joel Pimentel (who left the group in 2021).
The group’s music delves into Reggaeton and Latin Pop styles. They’ve also collaborated with several renowned bands such as PrettyMuch on the song, “Me Necesita,” and Little Mix on a remixed version of the track “Reggaeton Lento.” The band has won over 75 awards, including seven Billboard Latin Music Awards. If you’re interested in the band, I highly recommend listening to “Hey DJ” from their self-titled album, CNCO.
2. Dannylux
At only 19 years old, Danny Lux is already creating waves in the music industry. Dannylux is a Mexican-American musician who experiments with traditional Mexican folk music and an alternative Sierreño sound. Sierreño is folk music derived from Mexico that incorporates traditional instruments (such as acoustic guitars like a bajo sexto, requinto, and bajo quinto) with ballad sounds to produce a low-tempo and, frequently, an emotive feel.
In an interview, DannyLux stated that he was “star-struck with the guitar” after his father handed him a second-hand guitar that he found in a garbage can. The guitar is prominently used in DannyLux’s style and gives a majority of his songs a serene, warm, and tranquil sound. DannyLux is quickly rising to stardom in the music industry, with over 5.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. I recommend listening to “Soledad” from his 2022 album, Perdido En Ti, as well as his single “Amor” with the group Atla Elegancia.
3. Conexión Divina
Conexion Divina is the first Gen- Z female trio group to come to the spotlight with a Sierreño sound. The members of the group are from all over the country, with Liz hailing from L.A, Ashlee from Arizona, and Sandra from Dallas. They met in the most Gen Z way possible—on social media — and began uploading covers of songs on TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube.
The group takes pride in writing their own songs and playing their own instruments, with Ashlee on requinto guitar, Sandra on bass guitar, and Liz on lead vocals. The group’s name is derived from the feminine perspective and expresses their desire for young musicians to create a lively new musical style. I recommend listening to their song “Odio,” which is about falling in love
4. Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis is not new in the music industry, but she is an artist who deserves to be recognized for her contributions to Latin music. The Hispanic Heritage Awards even recognized the Columbian-American singer-songwriter in 2021 for her second studio album, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), which was her first all-Spanish release.
Uchis’ album debuted at number #1 on Billboard’s “Top Latin Albums” chart, and her single off of the album “Telepatía,” reached nearly one billion streams on Spotify. Uchis’ music is continually shifting as she explores soul, r&b, pop, and alternative sounds. “Your Teeth In My Neck” and “Dead To Me” are two of my favorite tracks on her Isolation album.
5. Bella Dose
Bella Dose is a Latin Bilingual pop group made up of Melany Rivera, Brianna Leah, Jenni Hernandez, and Thais Rodriguez. Vicky Curiel, musician Dani Leigh’s mother, founded the group in 2017 for her entertainment company, International Hub Records. Curiel was looking for vocalists across the United States to construct the first international multilingual Latin pop girl group when she came across the girls. L-pop, Bella Dose’s debut album, will be released on Sept. 14! The group has a pop and trap style, and their song “Suelta” is definitely worth a listen.