
Are Brazilians sleepwalking into disaster?
Jan Rocha assesses the potential scenario of a Bolsonero government as the run-off between Bolsonaro and Haddad on 28 October will provide the answer
The Sum of Tribes
What happens when three friends get together in a hut on a beach to jam? A best-selling album of course. Well, perhaps only if you are already best-selling superstars. Felipe Botelho Correa talks to Marisa Monte, Arnaldo Antunes…
Carlos Gallardo: From Mariachi to Zombie
‘An actor first and a producer second.’ Latino Life catches up with Carlos Gallardo, who first appeared in the now classic film El Mariachi in1992. Fast forward to 2017 and he returns as producer of RedCon1. BUt it was his…
The Heart of Brazil
Brazil’s definitive fiesta front man, Zeca Pagodinho, is one of the country’s most loved artists. Embodying the free, easy-going Carioca spirit and representing the tradition of sambas de raiz (grassroot sambas), Zeca…
Things you should know about...Samba Dancing
It is widely thought that the Samba dance originated in Bahia, where enslaved Africans would gather after long days of labour to perform their religious rituals of Candomblé, Capoeira and Samba dancing in a circle (Samba de Roda…
This Latino Week
LoLa Mc makes it’s mark, Medellin Miracle Madonna, Building Bridges with Collaborations
Here Come the Reggaetoneras
The crude origins of Reggaeton, from videos verging on soft porn and misogynistic lyrics, have been toned down in recent years in the industry's quest to make the genre moe commercial. At the same time, female Reggaeton…
The Girl Who Stole the Show
EIZA GONZALEZ REYNA in ‘Baby Driver (2017)’ won us over completely, says Latinolife film critic Corina Poore who was impressed by the rising Mexican star at the end of the summer's Pop up screens.
Composing History
There are few bands in the world that can claim a life at the top for almost 40 years: the Rolling Stones, Cuba’s Van Van, Venezuela’s Guaco. And Grupo Niche is another one of them - a household name in Colombia and among Salsa…
Carlos Vives’ Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need, to get you through those times of despair? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway, Carlos Vives, one of the most emblematic…
Voice in Residence
In the often vacuous world of Reggaeton, Residente has stood out as one of its most outspoken artists. Even at the Grammy Awards, where he has, perhaps surprisingly, won more than any other Latin artist, the former Calle 13…
The Real Girl from Ipanema
With an urban pop repertoire that glides through Portuguese, Spanish and English, and the looks, moves and charisma to match, it’s no wonder that Anitta is pipped to be the next global female superstar and dubbed as the next…
Chocolate, Politics and Peace-Building
An Ethnography of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, Colombia by Gwen Burnyeat
The People's Salsero
At first dismissed for his wordy complexity, Rubén Blades - composer, singer, salsero, lyricist, narrator, poet, social conscience and political activist - soon proved to be Fania Record's biggest money spinner and Latin…
Top Ten Latin Hits of May 2017
Party season is upon us and here is what's hot in the clubs right now. Enjoy these summertime jams...
Top 10 Hollywood Tunes composed by Latinos
With Latin American directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Sebastian Lelio, Pablo Larrain and Alfonso Cuaron sweeping the Oscars in recent years - - it seems that it was always that way. And, in the world of music, it kind of was…
Four Bullets: For Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia and Impunity
The assassinaton of Brazilian human rights activist Marielle Franco has had huge repercussions not only in Brazil but for human rights workers all over the world. Jan Rocha places her death in context and considers the…
Marielle: She Inspired Us All
Black Lives Matter in Brazil too, where of the thousands that die every year at the hands of police, 75% are black. Marielle Franco defended those who had no voice, she gave voice to the hopes of favela dwellers, black people,…
Latin Flare
Love is really all that matters when it comes to relationships, so it is with great ‘Flare’ that the BFI brings a sizzling new selection of movies, including from Latin America, to celebrate Gay, Lesbian and Trans film-making.…
Costa Rica: Religious Extremism Becomes Election Favourite
The April 4 runoff vote for president is likely to be won by an evangelical singer
The Latin Momentum: the Story of The LUKAS
The Latin UK Awards, known affectionately as the LUKAS, was launched 7 years ago to recognize the impact of Latin culture in the UK. Today it is Europe’s only Latin Entertainment Awards ceremony and its widest-reaching Latin…
Ten Reasons to Love...Astor Piazzolla
Of all history’s great musicians and composers, there are only a few names that last the test of time and are passed down from generation to generation…Mozart, Bach, Elgar, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, to name a…
Guatemala: Indigenous Women take on Canada’s Mining Industry
Elena Choc Quib, a unilingual Q’eqchi’ speaker from a remote village in rural Guatemala, never imagined travelling outside her country, let alone boarding a plane to Toronto. But everything changed when she and 10 other women…
Two Beats One Soul, feat. Little Louie Vega
A beautiful tribute to bi-cultural ingenuity as Little Louie Vega heads up this latest gem in a long tradition of Cuban-Nuyorican collaborations
We Ain't No Shithole
Just eight years after the Léogâne Earthquake, Trump was once again spewing garbage about Haiti calling it, among other predominantly non-white countries, a “shithole.” Of course, it is no such place as Antony Stewart, chair of…
Fearless Soul
Multi-instrumentalist and owner of a unique voice, Natalia Lafourcade has become one of Latin America’s the most successful artists. Ever since the young Mexican, daughter of a Chilean refugee, first broke into the charts in 2003…
Paisa Prince
Since the last time we talked to J Balvin (cover of 2016 autumn edition), the Medellin born artist has soared to new heights and become one of a handful of urban Latin artists who have conquered the world. Hits such as 'Mi…
Brazil: Court Upholds Lula's Conviction in The Trial of the Century
A Brazilian court has upheld the conviction of the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for corruption and money laundering, in a ruling that complicates his plans to run for a third term and marks an extraordinary change…
J Balvin's Fantasy Island Tracks
If you were stranded on a desert island, which tracks would you absolutely need, to get you through those times of despair? Man cannot live on sun and fish alone right? Our castaway, J Balvin, one of Latin America’s hottest urban…
London's Latin Culture Under Threat
Stefanie Alvarez, who grew up amidst the bustling 'Pueblito Paisa' market, where her mother works, in Seven Sisters, is set on defending the much-loved north London Latin hub from the designs of property developers who…
Top Ten Latin Bangers of 2017
No one can deny that this was the year of 'Despacito.' But more importantly, this was the year that Latin music conquered the world, topping the charts in almost every country on the planet. It was also an unprecedented…
Belo Horizonte gets a Land Reform Farmers Market
Brazil's Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) opens a rural market in Belo Horizonte city
Latinolife's Ultimate Reggaetón Top Ten of 2017
What a year its been for Reggaetón. Finally the unique Latin Caribbean beat we've been pioneering here at Latino Life and La Bomba for the last 15 years has broken the global charts over and over, showing there is no turning…
The Midas Touch
While the whole world (yes even Simon Cowell) seems to have caught the Reggaetón bug and new talents (and not-so talented) are battling for no.1 hits on a weekly basis, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has been riding on a high…
Colombia/Venezuela: How Petrol is Fuelling Instability on the Border
The smuggling of petrol and other products from Venezuela is part of daily life in Cúcuta