Latin music has gone global. The biggest pop stars in the world today like Bad Bunny, Shakira, Peso Pluma, Karol G, Feid, and more sing in Spanish while bringing new rhythms into the mainstream. Even if listeners don’t fully understand the language, they’re connecting with the sounds and heart of their music more than ever.
Bad Bunny continues to proudly represent his homeland of Puerto Rico while bringing reggaeton and Latin trap music to the masses. For his debut at the MTV Video Music Awards last week, Rauw Alejandro also celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage while performing “Diluvio” with bomba musicians and dancers. Following some time off with his family, Colombian superstar J Balvin returned with latest album Rayo last month. After making their hometown of Medellín another hotbed for reggaeton music, Karol G and Feid have since become two of the most-streamed artists in the world. Colombian pop icon Shakira also came back with a vengeance this year with her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran album.
After helping música Mexicana go global last year, Peso Pluma has continued to hold the flag of Mexico up high with his performances on the Coachella mainstage and his arena tour of the US. With Hispanic Heritage Month here, Uproxx is highlighting 10 more Latin music acts to check out not just now, but all year round. These are artists who are poised to make waves next.
Xavi
Xavi started out the year at No. 1 on Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart with his breakthrough single “La Diabla” for multiple weeks. While other música Mexicana acts are thriving off of collaborations, the Mexican-American singer has shined solo with his other hits like “La Víctima” and “Corazón De Piedra.” After conquering with his romantic corridos, Xavi is working on his debut album with Interscope Records.
Kenia Os
Kenia Os is bringing Latin pop music back into the mainstream. After going viral on TikTok last year with the flirty “Malas Decisiones,” the rising Mexican star translated that success into over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Os continued to embrace pop while putting a spotlight on the emerging reggaeton Mexa wave on her latest album Pink Aura. Ahead of Os’ US tour in November, Peso Pluma tapped her for the sultry track “Tommy & Pamela.”
El Malilla
Reggaeton Mexa is the name of the reggaeton movement that’s bubbling up in Mexico. An artist leading that new wave is El Malilla from Valle de Chalco, which is on the outskirts of Mexico City. While proudly representing chacales (Mexican slang for “bad boys”), he has injected the genre with plenty of Mexican swagger and slang in his hits like “Dime” and “Rebote.” El Malilla’s debut album Ñerostars includes the remix of “B De Bellako” featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneers Jowell y Randy.
FloyyMenor
A new reggaeton scene is also emerging in Chile. An artist leading that movement is FloyyMenor, who has scored one of the year’s biggest hits with “Gata Only” featuring fellow Chilean singer Cris MJ. Hot off amassing over a billion streams on Spotify with the alluring reggaeton banger, FloyyMenor released his debut EP El Comienzo and the joint project MJ (Mala Junta) with Cris MJ.
Ela Taubert
After releasing her debut EP ¿Quién Dijo Que Era Fácil? last year, Ela Taubert’s breakthrough hit was on the horizon. The Colombian singer-songwriter channeled her pain from heartbreak into the angsty anthem “¿Cómo Pasó?,” which has over 90 million streams on Spotify. Taubert has continued to translate her confessional lyrics into power pop bangers like the country-infused “¿Para Qué?”
Lismar
After Bizarrap’s collaborations with Shakira, Peso Pluma, and Young Miko, everyone wants to do a “BZRP Music Session” with him. For “BZRP Music Sessions #60,” the Argentine producer tapped rising Dominican rapper Lismar, who unleashed her fierce flow and knockout bars in Spanish. Following their second collaboration, the fiery “Subió La Temperatura,” the future of Latin hip-hop is bright in Lismar’s hands.
Latin Mafia
Following a sold-out arena tour of Mexico last year, Latin Mafia made its US debut at Coachella last April. Mexican brothers Mike, Emilio, and Milton De La Rosa are pushing Latin music to new places with their hits like the symphonic pop of “Patadas De Ahogado” featuring Humbe, the trap-infused R&B of “No Digas Nada,” and the explosive reggaeton of “Julietota.” After signing with Rimas Entertainment, the home of Bad Bunny, in July, Latin Mafia is working on its highly anticipated debut album.
Borja
While co-writing songs for acts like Reik, Lasso, and Nicole Zignago, Borja was independently working on his debut album for two years. The Spanish singer-songwriter brought romance back to Latin pop with Rimas Del Verbo Amar, which included the breathtaking ballad “Aire” and earned him a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist last November. Freshly after releasing the feel-good “Mallorca” in July, Karol G invited Borja to open for one of her concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
Juan Duque
Medellín, Colombia is the home of J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, Feid, and Ryan Castro and in a neighboring town, a new rising star is emerging. Marinilla native Juan Duque is capturing hearts with his romantic spin on reggaeton in his EP Qué Momento Pa’ Estar Vivo. Following his hits like the “Maria” remix featuring Castro, Duque is continuing to charm listeners with his Colombian swagger in the nostalgic “Lejos De Mis Ojos” and the bachata-infused “Ni Con Él, Ni Conmigo” with Andy Rivera.
Elena Rose
After co-writing hits for artists like Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Karol G, and Becky G, Elena Rose has carved out a space for herself as a beam of light in Latin pop. The Venezuelan-American singer has released empowering anthems like “Caracas En El 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di and featured on Boza’s global hit “Orion.” Now Rose is continuing to channel her glowing spirit in the soulful “Me Lo Merezco,” which includes a lyric from Paula Cole’s iconic “I Don’t Want To Wait.”