Explore Spanish music – from chart-topping pop hits to groundbreaking hip-hop – from its traditional rhythms and modern styles, all the way up to today’s most cutting-edge artists who are shaping and redefining it with their distinct sounds.
Paula Ribo, better known by her stage name SIMONA, is one of Spain’s acclaimed singers. Her music offers catharsis and emotional expression while providing fresh perspectives on issues facing women today in Spain.
ROSALIA
Rosalia stands out as an artist with an alluring appeal. A Catalonian singer who rose to fame by reinventing flamenco (a style she studied as a master’s student) by mixing hip-hop and classical elements, Rosalia is deeply embedded into Barcelona culture through her music.
She possesses both raw and liquid voices that blend easily from tenderness to anger longing, her songs being marked by deep emotional vulnerability known as duende – moments of nearly spiritual self-effacement that cannot be faked.
On her 2017 debut album, Los Angeles, she took traditional flamenco songs and reinvented them for modern times using Raul “Refree” Fernandez Miro’s fingerpicking made murky through distortion and tape delay, along with her own voice cutting through like late afternoon sunlight coming through storm clouds. The results felt both timeless and familiar – creating a soundscape which was simultaneously traditional yet urban; timeless yet contemporary.
Rels B
Rels B (real name Daniel Heredia Vidal) hailing from Palma de Mallorca has garnered large Latin American and European fan bases through the innovative use of social media. His mellow lyrical style encompasses influences as diverse as trap music, reggaeton, funky Latin soul music, Spanish folk styles and gritty rock & roll.
Rels B has collaborated with such artists as Micro TDH, Lenny Tavarez and Justin Quiles in creating chart-topping singles. His 2021 LP Smile Bix featuring “Se Me Olvido” became one of Spain and Mexico’s top three hits; while his 2022 project featuring “Energia” and “Culpable” will surely prove just as popular.
Rels B is well known for his distinctive, recognizable style that blends polished production with laid-back melodies. Following the release of 2014 EP Change or Die and 2015 album Player Hater, Rels B capitalized on this success with 2016 album Boys Don’t Cry.
Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny is one of the most successful Spanish-language artists of the streaming era and, by some measures, all time. His 2022 release Un Verano Sin Ti spent 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard 200 chart and won him a Grammy award for Best Latin Music Album.
He draws his musical influence from reggaeton and Latin trap artists such as Hector Lavoe and Daddy Yankee, though his approach differs significantly in style. Often switching between singing and rapping with elements from salsa, plena and even bossa nova blended in alongside Latin pop, reggaeton and hip hop music genres.
Born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, he began singing in his local Catholic church choir at age 13. As an audiovisual-communications student at Arecibo University he eventually turned his focus towards beat-making and free-styling; earning himself the moniker “Bad Bunny”. A photo from childhood depicting himself wearing a bunny suit with an unhappy expression led him to take up wrestling for WWE as an extra hobby while acting in Hollywood movies as well.
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias was born May 8, 1975 in Madrid, Spain to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and attended Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami where he quickly developed a passion for songwriting and participated in musical productions.
In 2001 Iglesias began dating Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova after she appeared in his music video for his song Escape. They kept their romance private until marrying secretly in 2016. Since then they have welcomed twin sons and one daughter.
He is widely recognized for songs such as Bailando, Rhythm Divine, Be With You and Hero. Iglesias has collaborated with artists like Pitbull, Whitney Houston and Lionel Richie – breaking chart records while earning multiple Grammys and Billboard Music Awards – becoming one of the most influential pop artists today with English/Latin crossover hits that continue to charm audiences worldwide. Iglesias continues to delight his audiences through electrifying performances and emotive melodies that never fail.