WELCOME! LEARN SALSA & BACHATA!
  • Welcome!
  • Bachata & Salsa Classes!
    • Rice Village Area!
    • The Woodlands Area!
  • Dance At Your Pace!
  • Latin Lab: Levels
  • Private Lessons
    • Pay for your private here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Parties
  • SE Salsa / Bachata Bootcamp
    • Pay Here For your Workshop
    • Pay Here For your Bootcamp
  • SALSAEDDY MUSIC
  • SALSAEDDY Tv
  • SE Blog
  • SE Gallery
  • Group Lessons: General Questions
  • Product

12/20/2011

Latin Music Artist – A Definition: How to define a Latin music artist?

1 Comment

Read Now
 
Trying to define a Latin music artist can be as complex as trying to define Latin music itself. Considering today's popularity of crossover styles and Latin music awards given to artists who simply have some Latin background, this definition becomes even more complicated. In spite of this, there are three basic elements that can help us to define a Latin music artist.

The Meaning of Latin

As an adjective, Latin is commonly used to make a reference to people coming from Latin America. The reason why Latin America is named like this has much to do with the European powers that dominated the region after Columbus. Spain and Portugal were, in fact, considered Latin because of their languages, which developed from the original Latin language of the Roman Empire. Because of this, the concept of Latin music extends to artists with Spanish and Portuguese backgrounds. Recently, an Italian background is sometimes treated as an element that relates to Latin music.

Defining A Latin Music Artist

To be considered a Latin music artist, an individual or group must have at least one of the following three features:
  • Rhythm: Play musical genres that are original from Latin America or a Latin European country.
  • Cultural background: Have a cultural background related to Latin America or a Latin European country.
  • Language: Play melodies either in Spanish and/or Portuguese.
When an artist has all the features mentioned above, it is easy to place that artist into the Latin music world. Let's consider an artist like Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, who falls into this category. Celia Cruz was a Cuban artist (cultural background) who used to sing Salsa (rhythm) in Spanish (language).

Most Latin music artists fall into this category. However, the problem arises with the increasing crossover trends and the confusion created by recent award nominations to artists who barely meet any of the elements previously discussed.

Crossover Artists

Recently, there is so much buzz about crossover artists who combine different rhythms into their music. However, from a historical perspective, Latin music is the result of a never ending crossover style that reflects the cultural diversity of the region.

Let's look at someone like Shakira, a crossover artist whose only fixed Latin music feature is her cultural background. If you think about a song like "She Wolf," the only feature she meets is her cultural background because the rhythm of the melody does not belong to Latin music and the language is English. However, if we take her song "Loca," she meets all the features: A Colombian artist (background) singing in Spanish (language) a song, which is based on a Merengue beat (rhythm).

Latin Music Awards

Lately, the most famous Latin music awards have created some sort of confusion about the concept behind a Latin music artist. How do you explain, for example, that Lady Gaga has been nominated to a Billboard Latin Music Award? The reason is because of Gaga's Italian origins. The same situation happens to Italian singer Laura Pausini who, unlike Gaga, has built a significant portion of her career singing in Spanish.

Something similar happens with other artists like Nelly Furtado and Christina Aguilera. In a way, the inclusion of these artists within the Latin music world is good because it brings attention to Latin music. However, it would not be good for Latin music to increase the amount of awards given to artists whose only relation to Latin music is a distant ancestry related to the Latin world. A good balance in this way will surely help to define in a better way the concept that surrounds a Latin music artist. In the meantime, we could use the elements exposed in this article to make more sense of a definition dealing with a Latin music artist.

Share

1 Comment
beat maker program link
9/13/2012 09:17:14 pm

Hi, I actually added your post in the list of my favorites. Looking forward for further updates on the same. Great Job, Keep it up.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Author...

    ... I would like to share you about certain things that might interest you.

    Archives...

    June 2014
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Categories...

    All
    Adalberto Santiago
    African History
    African Slaves
    Afro Cuban All Stars
    Andean Music
    Anthony 'El Mayimbe' Santos
    Aventura
    Bachata
    Bachata Heightz
    Bachateros
    Back Street Boys
    Bado
    Benny More
    Beyonce
    Billboard Latin Music Awards
    Bio Ritmo
    Bitterness
    Bossa Nova
    Bronx High School
    Cachao
    Calle 13
    Carlos Y Alejandra
    Celia Cruz
    Cheo Feliciano
    Chico Buarque De Hollanda
    Cold War Period
    Cousin Max
    Criminality
    Cultural Encounter
    Daddy Yankee
    Dictatorships
    Dominican History
    Dominican Music
    Don Omar
    Drug Trafficking
    Educational
    El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico
    Elvis Martinez
    Entren Los Que Quieran
    Excellence
    Fan Favorites
    Fitting Backdrop
    Franchise
    Frank Reyes
    Frazer Harrison
    Getty Images
    Global Appeal
    Greatest Salsa Songs
    Grupo Aventura
    Grupo Niche
    Hector Acosta
    Hector Lavoe
    Hip Hop
    Hispanics
    History Of Latin America
    History Of Spanish Music
    Identities
    Ismael Rivera
    Jairo Varela
    Jazz History
    Joe Veras
    Jose Calderon
    Jose Manuel Calderon
    Juan Luis Guerra
    La Mala Rodriguez
    La Pollera Colora
    Latin American Music
    Latin Boogaloo
    Latin Grammy Award
    Latin Grammy Awards
    Latin Music
    Latin Party Music
    Latin Party Music - Top 50
    Latin Rock
    Latin Urban Music
    La Verdad
    Living In Squalor
    Los Tigres Del Norte
    Los Toros Band
    Luis Vargas
    Machito
    Mambo
    Mana
    Marlins
    Meaningful Experience
    Merengue
    Musical Expressions
    Musical Producer
    National Identities
    Obama
    Orishas
    Oscar D'Leon
    Pete
    Political Oppression
    Portuguese Languages
    Prince Royce
    Professional Career
    Racial Discrimination
    Rafael Trujillo
    Rap
    Rap And Hip Hop
    Rappin Hood
    Rap Singer
    Raulin Rodriguez
    Reggaeton
    Regional
    Resurrection
    Rica Y Apretadita
    Rita Indiana
    Romeo Santos
    Ruben Blades
    Sad Memories
    Salsa
    Salsa Music
    Salsa Songs
    September 9
    Septiembre 9
    Shakira
    Social Backgrounds
    Spanish Conquerors
    Stan Getz
    Teenage Bands
    Tego Calderon
    Tito Rodriguez
    Toby Love
    Traditional Latin Music
    Traditional Rhythms
    Tu Pum Pum
    Unsuccessful Romance
    Urban Music Artists
    Viernes Septiembre
    Wyclef Jean
    Xtreme
    Yoskar Sarante
    Zacarias Ferreira

    RSS Feed

Picture

Copyright © since 2000: SalsaEddy.com. All rights reserved.
  • Welcome!
  • Bachata & Salsa Classes!
    • Rice Village Area!
    • The Woodlands Area!
  • Dance At Your Pace!
  • Latin Lab: Levels
  • Private Lessons
    • Pay for your private here!
  • Bachata & Salsa Parties
  • SE Salsa / Bachata Bootcamp
    • Pay Here For your Workshop
    • Pay Here For your Bootcamp
  • SALSAEDDY MUSIC
  • SALSAEDDY Tv
  • SE Blog
  • SE Gallery
  • Group Lessons: General Questions
  • Product