
LATIN LONDONER #24 - Baldo Verdu - band leader
Once described as 'a Latin-swing-coup-d’état by a guy who was clearly out of his mind', this songwriter, guitarist and percussionist hails from one of Venezuela’s most illustrious Afro-folk musical families. Baldo’s…
Do Bad Bunny Music Videos Spell the Future?
Officially the world’s most popular artist: 26-year-old Puerto Rican vocalist Bad Bunny, streamed more than 8.3bn times this year on Spotify alone. With 3 chart-topping, history-making albums in 2020 alone, Bad Bunny is on track…
Reggaeton Revolution: 20 years of UK Urban Latin Culture
Back in 2004, when the UK music industry was ignoring reggaetón and Maluma was in nappies, LatinoLife produced the UK’s first ever Reggaetón and Latin Hiphop Festival, giving a platform to young UK-Latin kids bursting to show…
Clementina, Where Are You?
In Brazil, Cinderella has a different name - Clementina. Clementina de Jesus worked for decades as a maid before being discovered, at the age of 62, by a record producer and composer named Herminio Bello de Carvalho. With the…
Reggaeton artists to host virtual shows amidst coronavirus crisis
As the virus crisis continues to deepen, social gatherings and live events have been forced to be cancelled or postponed...
Girl on a Mission
Old soul, 90s style Hip-Hop and modern Trap, all shaped by the band of an Argentine alternative-rock legend? Intriguing to say the least. And that is precisely the way you can describe the shape-shifting 25-year-old, Argentine-…
Things You Should Know About...Zeca Padoginho
The fiesta front man with a Rio samba inspired sound, Zeca Pagodinho is one of Brazil’s best loved artists, embodying the free, easy-going Carioca spirit. “Probably the only one who didn't sell for cheesy samba,"…
The Brit-Latin Underground
Photographer Alicia Colarusso delves into the underground Latin music scene in London to capture the essence of five up-and-coming artists - Fluffy, Luisa Santiago, Guala, A Nahomy and P Man – all born or bred in the capital or…
Arcangel's Latest Album: Los Favoritos 2.5
The legendary Arcangel does it once again with this latest album Los Favoritos 2.5 filled with 15 songs. This album is not one to sleep on! It gives you the old school reggaeton vibes mixed with a few tracks with he new school…
‘Cumbia was a means of liberation’ - An Interview with Sonora Dinamita
About to celebrate it’s 60th birthday, Sonora Dinamita was making Cumbia before the hipsters of Europe and Asia, who embraced the genre, were an apple in the eye of music marketeers. The Cartagena Cumbia group, who then moved to…
Things we love about....El Sistema
El Sistema is a Venezuelan musical organisation that has inspired many from the poorest neighborhoods of the Andean Region. The system watches over Venezuela's 125 youth orchestras and is a voluntary group. Some 370,000…
Remembering Lalo Rodriguez
"Lalo" Rodríguez was one of salsa’s great prodigies. The talk of the town in his native Puerto Rico in the early 70s when, at the age of 15, he was a discovered by Eddie Palmieri, the phenomenal force in Latin music at…
Luis Enrique Tunes That Rock the Dance Floor
The most famous Nicaraguan singer ever (and one of our all time favourites here at LatinoLife) Luis Enrique surprised the Latin world when in the late 80s he became a major hit-maker across Latin America. Dubbed ‘the Prince of…
Maná Ignites Wembley With An Electrifying Performance
Mana performed in London for the first time ever, closing its European tour with a sold-out event at Ovo Arena charming fans from all over Latin America and Europe.
'La Llorona' Chavela Vargas (Milan records)
A finely curated “best of” and a great introduction to the world of the iconic ranchera singer.
Things That Matter to...Yilian Cañizares
With two acclaimed albums, 2013's self-produced 'Ochumare' and 2015's 'Invocación', Yilian Cañizares is considered one of the most exciting and innovative jazz musicians of her generation. This young…
Our Favourite Latin Christmas Songs
Christmas is a universal celebration, but the feelings it generates is different for every culture and every country, by the music we listen to, the food we eat, our idiosyncratic festive habits. Every December in the UK, when…
Things That Matter to...La Chica
Uniting Paris Belleville and Merida, Sophie Fustec was born in Paris to a French father and Venezuelan mother. Between visits to Merida, Sophie studied violin and then piano, for 13 years in the conservatory and then sound…
Sonora Ponceña Tunes that Rock the Dance Floor
Over 50 years of trajectory and more than 30 albums, la Sonora Ponceña is a Salsa institution. Led by piano virtuoso Papo Lucca, the legendary Puerto Rican orchestra has been also the home of some of the best Salsa singers from…
ARMANDO MANZANERO : LIGHTS GO OUT FOR MEXICO'S SMOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN
Armando Manzanero was one of Mexico’s greatest romantic composers, whose ballads were performed by the likes of Elvis Presley and Christina Aguilera and, most famously, provided the tunes for Luis Miguel's best selling…
Los Babasonicos @ The Dome, Tufnell Park, 27th October
A lack-lustre performance from the classic Argentine band, lacking its fans' enthusiasm for an Argentine night to remember in the classic North London msuic venue
Uncovering B.Léza - Cesaria Evora’s songwriter
Few people had heard of Cabo Verde, an arc of islands off the coast of Senegal, until Cesária Évora put them on the map. B. Leza is one of the most important composers in the history of Cabo Verde, and anyone who knows Cesária…
Things That Matter to…David Bisbal
My earliest memory was music, it's more of a feeling than a particular event, a love for music whenever it was played, my love for singing.
J Balvin: 'Colores' Review
Bright, bold and vivacious? Yep, that's J Balvin for you. Well him AND his brand new album 'Colores', the 10 track Album that brings hope and colour in times of uncertainty. Here's our song-by-song review...
Mariah
Women in the urban genre are now playing a big role in the Latin Music industry, one of these great promises of female urban music is named Mariah, "La Princesa de Miami" (Miami's Princess).
The Juanes Mash Up
The Colombian music landscape has transformed dramatically over the last 10 years, with reggaetón becoming the new pop, but one Medellín rockero has transcended all trends and remains as relevant today doing the music he loves.…
Reclaiming Tango: an interview with Maia Castro
Quality and passion never go out of fashion and the wonder of tango is that, though one of the most traditional music genres in Latin America, it keeps evolving and producing new and exciting singers. One of those is singer-…
Things That Matter To...Flavia Coelho
From the morros of Rio de Janeiro where she was born to the paved streets of Paris, where she now resides, Flavia Coelho has travelled the world and is at home where her music feels welcome. Needless to say, the Brazilian has…
'AS YOU SEE ME NOW' by The Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra with José Feliciano
A stunning 14-track collaboration between Puerto Rican guitar legend and Grammy Award winner José Feliciano and Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, you can really feel how these musicians enjoyed making these…
Cano Estremera Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
Cano Estremera, Puerto Rico's unique albino Salsa star, was one of those rare talents that probably deserved more recognition that he got. A controversial figure he was, still incredibly talented when it came to the dying…
THE POWER OF NOW: An Interview with Cultura Profética
Cultura Profética is one of Puerto Rico's most influential bands. Formed in 1996, the group came to encapsulate what it is to be Latin Caribbean with its unique fusion of Caribbean reggae and Latin genres such as bossa nova…
The Modern Face of Fado
With a recent sold out performance at Cadogan Hall and fans including Mick Jagger and Caetano Veloso, public demand has already booked Ana Moura's return to the Barbican in September. Latinolife talks to Portugal's new…
Historic Beat Battle: Tainy Vs. Luny
As the government’s guidelines to quarantine are extended, creatives all around the globe have taken their hidden and not-so-hidden talents to the gram.
Brazilian Strings: Interview with Cellist Tania Lisboa
Corina Poore interviews Brazilian cellist Tania Lisboa, who celebrates 30 years based in the UK with a charity concert playing the sublime music of Villa- Lobos, Debussy, Guarnieri and Bridge with Scottish pianist Elizabeth Mucha…
10 Love Songs to play your Valentine
To be honest, we could make a hundred lists of Latino love songs, indeed we have, so this year we decided to put it out to the public. Here is what we got for the Valentine's Playlist 2023!