Spanish is now the second most-consumed language for music around the world, and experts say that’s driven by a growing pride in Latin and Hispanic media and representation.
Last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, Latin music revenues hit a record-breaking $1.4 billion. And experts at Livenation say Latin music fans all over the world are driving the growth of live music events for genres like salsa, reggaeton and bachata.
“You can find probably its roots in the fact that we are very social. Latinos are very social,” said Patty Ramirez Pinckney, a spokesperson for the Latino Donor Collective. “We have historically, over indexed in spending in the movies, and that, of course, transfers into music as well. Because music is a huge part of our culture.”
“Growing up, we had family cookouts. Listening to Hector Lavoe as like a little kid — and realizing that I shouldn’t probably be listening to everything that he’s singing once I learned what he was saying,” said vocalist Brisa Guzman-Sanchez. “But I felt everything that he was singing, feeling the same thing as my abuela across the floor. You know? It’s good music. It feels good.”
Guzman-Sanchez is the lead vocalist of The Rhythm Tribe, a neo soul and Latin fusion rock band started with her brother and father — a family of musicians who go back over four generations.
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“My father was a guitarist. My grandfather was a guitarist. This is something that has uniquely continued on,” said Brisa’s father, as well as the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Thomas Guzman-Sanchez. “And so in bringing that, it’s just it’s really magical how we’ve been able to blend certain things from traditions.”
The Rhythm’s Tribe’s sound combines class Latin genres like salsa, cumbia and flamenco with rock, jazz, R&B, and experimental meditative sounds and they describe their concerts as emotional, cross-generational celebrations of the Latin experience.
“We just we just finished a concert at the Roxy Theater,” said Thomas Guzman-Sanchez. “And that was such an amazing experience with the audience experiencing what we were presenting.”
“It was a really amazing show, an amazing experience,” said Mason Guzman-Sanchez. “And honestly, with each show gets even better.”
A report from the non-partisan Latino Donor Collective found that a “growing cultural confidence” could be attributed to Gen Z and younger millennials, many of which are streaming Latin music at a faster pace than ever before according to researchers at the organization.
“They are very vocal, and very proud to be Latinos,” said Ramirez Pinckney. “They feel the permission and the pride to be who they are.”
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