Latin Music Artists by Genre: Who to Start With

How do you tell the genres apart?

• Reggaetón runs on the dembow beat, a "boom-ch-boom-chick" pattern you feel in your chest.
• Latin pop sounds like mainstream pop, in Spanish or a mix of Spanish and English.
• Regional Mexican covers banda, norteño and corridos tumbados, with guitars, horns or accordion and storytelling lyrics.

Reggaetón and party artists

The foundation:

• Daddy Yankee: "Gasolina"
• Don Omar: "Danza Kuduro"
• Ivy Queen: "Quiero Saber." The Queen of Reggaetón belongs in any starter set.

The new school:

• Bad Bunny: "Tití Me Preguntó," playful
• Karol G: "Provenza," melodic
• Rauw Alejandro: "Todo de Ti," disco-tinged
• Farruko: "Pepas," the bridge between reggaetón and festival EDM that goes off even when half the crowd doesn't speak Spanish

Latin pop for mainstream pop fans

Start with artists who already live in both languages:

• Shakira: "Hips Don't Lie," with full Spanish albums behind it
• Karol G: "Provenza"
• Manuel Turizo: "La Bachata," a radio-friendly slow burn
• Rauw Alejandro and Camilo: melodies that carry you even if your Spanish is rusty

The trick: pick songs with a hook you can hum before you understand every word.

Regional Mexican: the current boom

Peso Pluma leads the corridos tumbados wave. "Ella Baila Sola," his song with Eslabon Armado, became the first regional Mexican song in the Hot 100's top 10. Then try "La Bebé (Remix)" with Yng Lvcas.

Junior H brings a younger, guitar-forward take on the tumbado sound. Try "Y Lloro."

Fuerza Regida, from San Bernardino, is rougher and more party-driven. Queue "Bebe Dame" and "Sabor Fresa."

For banda, Banda MS is the reliable classic: start with "El Color de Tus Ojos."

For the roots, Los Tigres del Norte's "La Jaula de Oro" shows where a lot of this began.

The legends today's hits build on

Salsa and merengue. Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón and Celia Cruz built the salsa canon; their horns and call-and-response choruses still shape modern salsa. Juan Luis Guerra brought merengue and bachata to the world. See our best salsa songs for where to start.

Bachata. Aventura and Romeo Santos took bachata from a Dominican guitar style to a chart force, layering R&B melodies over the bongó and lead guitar.

Pop pioneers. Juan Gabriel, Luis Miguel and Selena proved Spanish-language pop could fill arenas in the US. See The Best Latin Pop Albums of All Time.

A starter list for complete newcomers

• Reggaetón: Bad Bunny, "Tití Me Preguntó"
• Bachata: Romeo Santos, "Propuesta Indecente"
• Salsa: Héctor Lavoe, "Periódico de Ayer"
• Latin pop: Karol G, "Provenza"
• Merengue: Juan Luis Guerra, "Ojalá Que Llueva Café"
• Everyone knows it: Daddy Yankee, "Gasolina"
• Dembow energy: El Alfa or Tokischa, at gym volume

The test: a good starter list survives shuffle. If a newcomer can drive, cook and host a party off the same ten songs without touching skip, you picked right.

How do new artists break through?

Billboard's Latin charts combine streams, radio play and sales. Streams count the moment fans press play, while radio takes weeks to build, so an artist who blows up on streaming and social media can chart before radio catches on. That's how newer acts leapfrog established names.

How can you hear these artists without building playlists?

Spanglish Radio has live Reggaetón, Regional Mexican, Bachata, Salsa and Latin Pop stations, next to hip-hop, R&B and pop, in both languages, nonstop. Try Pro free for 3 days, then $2.99/month. Pro removes ads and DJ talk.

It's live radio, so you can't pick a specific artist or song. To queue Bad Bunny next to a specific bachata deep cut, use an on-demand app.

FAQ

Who was Spotify's most-streamed artist three years in a row?

Bad Bunny, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the first artist to do it three years running.

What's the easiest Latin genre to dance to at a party?

Merengue. Its simple marching step follows the beat, so most people pick it up in one song. Reggaetón works too, since you don't need set steps. Bachata and salsa take a little practice.

Do I need to speak Spanish to enjoy these artists?

No. Crowds everywhere sing along to "Gasolina," "Danza Kuduro" and "Pepas" without knowing every word. Hooks carry the song.

What's the difference between bachata and reggaetón?

Bachata is guitar-led and romantic, with bongó and güira, usually about heartbreak. Reggaetón runs on the electronic dembow beat, made for the dance floor. Play "Propuesta Indecente" next to "Tití Me Preguntó" and you'll hear it in a minute.

What is regional Mexican music?

An umbrella for styles like banda, norteño and corridos tumbados, built on guitars, horns or accordion. It's had a huge streaming boom in recent years, led by artists like Peso Pluma.