Spanish musicians are growing increasingly popular worldwide. From Jennifer Lopez of Latin American icon status, to Fher Olvera of Mexican rock band Mana’s Fher Olvera who brings ska, reggae and classical styles that appeal to people of diverse musical tastes.
Alejandro Sanz, another well-known singer, is best known for his ballads. Additionally, he combines styles like pop, rock, funk and flamenco in his compositions.
1. David Bisbal
David Bisbal was born June 5, 1979 in Almeria – an eastern Spanish region boasting beautiful seascapes and sandy beaches. He was raised by his parents, Jose (former professional boxer) and Maria Ferre Montoya; they share one brother and one sister respectively.
After graduating high school, David embarked on his musical career by joining Orchestra Expressions – a local band in his home city – singing. Soon thereafter he made it onto Operacion Triunfo reality TV show as a finalist, coming in second place; this gave him immense popularity.
Corazon Latino was released by Vale Music record label and quickly reached number one on Spain’s charts and broke records for debut LP releases by new artists. Ave Maria became his signature song.
Buleria was his follow-up album to Corazon Latino and quickly became a smashing success throughout Spain and Latin America, garnering him multiple awards and earning diamond certification. He has performed at such iconic venues and theaters as the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) in Madrid as well as London’s Royal Albert Hall.
2. Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz, also known as “La Guarachera de Cuba” (Carnival Queen of Cuba), is one of the best-known singers throughout Latin America and beyond. Her distinctive attire and ability to engage with audiences made her a beloved icon among female artists worldwide.
She began her career with Sonora Matancera in 1950, quickly finding success with rhythms such as Cao cao mani picao and Burundanga. In 1957 she made her US debut and won gold record award for Burundanga song.
After performing in Mexico in 1960, Cruz and her band members made headlines by publicly denouncing Fidel Castro’s regime and were exiled from Cuba. She settled in New Jersey where she married Pedro Knight – first trumpet player for Sonora Matancera – before beginning a solo career of her own.
She recorded 75 albums during her life, 23 of which went gold. Her fame extended beyond her Afro-Cuban and pan-Latin identities to attract audiences both mainstream and marginalized groups. In 1993 President Bill Clinton honored her with an honorary doctorate.
3. Juan Luis Guerra ’82 ’09H
Juan Luis Guerra’s music draws its foundation in traditional merengue and bachata rhythms, yet often addresses social issues like poverty or healthcare. For instance, his song “Niagara en Bicicleta” highlights the impossibility of traversing Niagara Falls via bicycle (Kugel).
Guerra began his musical career aspiring to be a jazz musician after studying at Berklee. However, soon after switching gears he focused on Dominican themes and sounds and found great success as one of the pioneers of merging merengue music with other forms such as rock, reggae, jazz and Mambo.
Guerra and his band 4.40 released Bachata Rosa (Romantic Bachata) in 1990 to introduce a whole new audience to this genre of music. Since then, his music has received many honors such as Premios Casandra awards. Guerra is widely considered one of the most important and influential musicians in Latin America with over five million records sold globally and creating some unforgettable love songs that Latin America has ever experienced.
4. Juan Luis Guerra ’82 ’09H
Guerra was an invaluable contributor to merengue. He popularized its form outside its native Dominican Republic through songs that combined merengue forms with jazz, pop, r&b or whatever musical styles caught his fancy at any given time. His voice had an alluring combination of smoothness with some rough edges while his poetic lyrics created vivid images in listeners’ minds.
With his album Bachata Rosa (1993), Guerra popularized an obscure country style known as bachata with its clever, sensual lyrics. On Fogarate! (1994), he blended another obscure Dominican musical genre known as perico ripiao with African soukous music for an exciting album experience. While love songs make up much of his repertoire, Guerra often uses his music to comment on social issues; one song entitled El Costo de La Vida from 1992 was particularly daring in doing this task by its criticism of double standards among first world nations.
Guerra remains one of the most respected artists in Latin music while remaining relatively independent, releasing albums irregularly and opting out of publicity circuits.