Latin American Artists and Actors Impact on the Entertainment Industry:

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Ford and Isabella looked at the significance and effect of a few influential Latin American and Spanish artists. They spent around 4 weeks researching, editing, and revising their work. Ms. Campos thanks both students for their contributions and dedication to this article. Please enjoy the first article they wrote as a team during our practice publication cycle at the start of the school year.

Images courtesy of Getty Images.

Historical Contributions of Latin American Artists

Every year, Latin artists keep appearing in headlines for breaking boundaries and topping charts. Even though Latin music became popular in the 2000s, there have been many other Latin entertainers such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mario Moreno. ‘Scope Productions’ of Iowa University states, “Like many genres, Latin music (in its entirety) has never stopped evolving. It only continues to innovate, paving the way for new sub-genres with eclectic compositions.”

Many early pioneers of Latin entertainment such as Dolores del Rio and Carmen Miranda paved the way for artists like Shakira, J.Lo, etc. Rio and Miranda starred in numerous movies as well as dancing and singing. They not only adapted to the demands of Hollywood, but they insisted on blending their culture into their arts. According to the National Museum of the American Latino “The queen of salsa ‘Cecilia Cruz’ helped bring salsa into the public eye.” This quote supports the idea that these early Latin artists paved the way for Latin entertainment in the industry.

The period between the 30’s and the 50’s is often called the golden age of Mexican cinema. These Latin actors and actresses not only gained recognition in America but all around the world. The success of these actors/actresses even reached the 1965 blockbuster film ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. These artists even went as far as to influence movies and music in the US and Mexico, and it is still incorporated in a lot of music today without you even knowing!

Global Influence in Latin music

Latin American music played a huge role in shaping current music trends. There are many popular styles of music you have probably heard of (like reggaetón, tango, and bachata) that have been incorporated in some of your favorite songs. Latin artists like Shakira, J.Lo, Bad Bunny, etc. have become global superstars. But even Latin American music doesn't plant all of its roots in Latin America, it is a fusion of many different cultures with African/European/Asian sounds.

In the 2000s Latin music skyrocketed in popularity. Ricky Martin’s performance of ‘La Copa de la Vida’ at the Grammy’s to Shakira’s hit songs like ‘Whenever, wherever’ introduced a new wave of Latin American music that demonstrated an unheard-of level of vibrancy, energy, and storytelling to music. Shows like ‘Dancing with the Stars’ regularly feature salsa, tango, reggaetón, etc.

In 2020, 11 of Spotify’s top 50 artists were Latin American/Spanish-speaking singers. Another example of Latin Americans being represented in pop culture is Anitta performing at the VMA’s on September 11th. The thirty-one-year-old Brazilian singer performed 3 of her top songs and received 3 VMA Nominations including Best Latin Video 2024, and Best Editing for a Video 2024. In addition to Anitta, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny also had an impact on current music trends and as some people call him “the King of Latin trap” as he is rightfully so. He has been nominated for many awards such as Best Latin Artist at the Grammys which he won and many other awards including the Latin Grammys, the VMAs, etc. And the first person you think of when someone says Latin artists are obviously gonna be Shakira and J.Lo. These pop icons shaped not only the Latin music industry but the music industry as a whole. Although these were the most prominent Latin artists, don't think that there weren’t other Latin artists such as Karol G., Rosalia, and Raul Alejandro. Next time you go on Spotify make sure to check out these Spanish singers.