
Tito Nieves Tunes that Rock The Dance Floor
"El Pavarotti de la Salsa" as he is also known, Tito Nieves is one of the best voices of Salsa, no doubt. With a fantastic career that started in the late ’70s, Tito has managed to stay relevant and active, keeping his…
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's biggest money spinner. In this…
Lease of Life: an interview with Draco Rosa
Having made Ricky Martin's global career with the songs "Livin' La Vida Loca," "She Bangs" and "Shake Your Bon-Bon," Bobby Draco Rosa is considered Latin American music royalty. The two…
Top Ten Latin Music Hits of June
Latino Life comes to show you which tropical songs have the highest popularity during June.
Rebel Spirit
Ana Tijoux is well known for her strong lyrics that question the status quo, whether social, political, religious, cultural or economic. In the best tradition of Latin American cantaurores, the Chilean-French hip-hop singer…
Things That Matter to...Anderson, lead singer of Afro-Reggae
Anderson, 29, was born and raised in Vigário Geral, one of Rio de Janeiro’s most violent favelas. His mum is a dinner lady and his dad, a tax-driver. Anderson’s first jobs involved doing small favours for criminals like wrapping…
Chaos with a Purpose
From New York to Puerto Rico, Buscabulla is an electronic music duo formed by Luis Alfredo Del Valle and Raquel Berrios, both Puerto Rico-born musicians who lived in Brooklyn until 2017. That year, Puerto Rico was destroyed by…
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…
Reclaiming The Streets
Ryan Castro is the latest in a string of Medellin music sensations to reach global fame, with hits such as Jordan, Wasa Wasa, Malory and Mujeriego. Just as Colombia’s ‘City of Eternal Spring’ has come to be known as the new…
Spotlight on...Brytiago
Brytiago has become a platinum-selling Puerto Rican singer and songwriter well-known for his many own singles and featured collaborations. He has been an important figure on both reggaeton and trap scenes since his landing on…
Things That Matter to…Susana Baca
Three-time Latin Grammy winner, Susana Baca is Peru’s most internationally renowned artist, who shone a light on the previously little known world of Afro-Peruvian rythmns. In 2021, she marked the 50th year of her career with the…
La Reina del Sur
What happens when South London Girl meets Telenovela Queen? You get Sasha Keable, whose passion-infused, full-bodied soul has been resonating with fans and raising eyebrows in the music industry for all the right reasons.…
"I couldn't have made this film if I wasn't Latino"
In the 1950s, when the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a Belgian colony, a generation of Congolese musicians fused traditional African rhythms with Afro-Cuban music to create the electrifying beat of Congolese rumba - a beat…
From Reggaetón to Urban Latin: What Happened after the Boom?
Five years ago Reggaetón exploded onto the US music scene with NORE’s Oye Mi Canto. Fresh out of the streets of Puerto Rico and Panama, Latino kids, the US’s fastest rising demographic, were going crazy for it in every major city…
Venezuela’s Rich Musical Tapestry
Professor T.M. Scruggs, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Iowa, has spent six years specializing in Venezuelan music and culture. In this interview he paints a fascinating portrait of a musical heritage that is one of…
Things That Matter… Jards Macalé
Having worked with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, including Joao Donato, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and more, Jards Macalé has garnered status as one of the most influential samba and tropicalia artists. Macalé’s…
The Essence of Salsa Aristocracy: why we love Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez
Of all the legendary crooners of salsa’s golden era, Fania founder Pacheco always claimed that Pete 'El Conde' Rodriguez was his favourite singer. And you only need to listen to his songs to see why: the understated…
WHAT MEXICO IS
Often accused of glorifying violence, Norteño legends Los Tigres del Norte have caused controversy and divided opinion with their musical “story-telling”. Yet there is no denying the huge impact that this highly influential…
LATIN LONDONER #23 Mike Kalle - Urban Latin Artist
Born in London to Colombian parents, Mike Kalle is the leading light of the young, creative Latino community. Referred to as the godfather of UK Latin Hip Hop, Mike won a LUKAS two years running as Urban Latin Act of the Year.…
MAGIC MAJO
Joining the cast of Cirque Du Soleil's latest show - inspired by her native Mexico - is a dream come true, singer Majo Cornejo tells Elizabeth Mistry
Things That Matter to...Alfredo Rodríguez
Widely considered to be one of the most gifted and exciting jazz pianists of his generation, Alfredo Rodríguez’s high-octane, warm and joyous musicianship won him at first the mentorship of Quincy Jones then a Grammy nomination.…
THE OCTOBER REGGAETON RECAP
It’s hard to tell what’s dropping faster, the leaves from the trees or the singles and albums from these reggaeton stars. This month is all about the opposites as a formidable new duo discuss the ultimate love while another…
Things That Matter to...Luiz Gabriel Lopes
Luiz Gabriel Lopes is a singer-songwriter from Minas Gerais, the fertile territory that spawned the incredible Clube da Esquina generation of Milton Nascimento, Lo Borges, Toninho Horta et al. Echoing these illustrious…
Let The Juice Loose!
Hailed as the most exciting new face in Latin music, Cuban singer, composer and producer, Cimafunk offers a subtle and bold mix of funk with Cuban music and African rhythms. Jose Luis Seijas talks to Cuba’s latest cool cat to…
A Talent Show Star with a Difference
Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017 (with the highest ever score to date) and giving Portugal its first-ever win in the contest, Salvador Sobral has proved to be much more than just a talent contest winner. The jazz…
Reggaeton Soul
At the age of 19, Manuel Turizo is fast becoming the latest Colombian sensation to explode in the world of Reggaetón. His first hit 'Una Lady Como Tú' received over 1.3 billion YouTube views, while 'Vaina Loca…
Finding Freedom
After a decade as one of the most sought-after salsa musicians in Europe, Rene Alvarez is embarking on a long-life dream of fusing his Afro-Cuban heritage with his love of North American funk. His new band, Alvarez Funk, departs…
LATIN LONDONER #21.....Omar Puente - Jazz Musician
Jazz violinist and 2017 LUKAS winner, Omar Puente, has performed to audiences worldwide. First violinist at the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra before leaving Cuba in 1997, he toured with Buena Vista’s Ruben Gonzales all over…
In Praise of Chavela Vargas 1919-2012
A tribute to one of Latin America's most iconic female role models.
Top 10 Noughties Reggaeton Tracks
From Tego to Daddy Yankee here are the top 10 Noughties Reggaeton hits from our freinds at Reggaeton.co.uk! From early to mid 00's this may even be a younger generations "old school" list.
HEARTSONGS
Lila Downs is back – with not one but Dos Corazones – a new song which she will be debuting live in London this this month. She tells Elizabeth Mistry how her first UK visit in eight years will be an opportunity to talk about…
Surrogate Latina #5: Sara Mc Guinness, Pianist and Bandleader
In 2018, Sara Mc Guinness was the first non-Latinx to win the LUKAS Musician of the Year. So respected and revered is Sara amongst Latin musicians in the UK that, will very little self-promotion, she garnered the most votes in…
Street Elegance
L-Gante is one of the most exciting, original and successful urban artists to emerge from Latin America in recent years. Emerging from the working-class suburbs of Buenos Aires, the boy from el barrio came out of nowhere and…
Maluma @ Wembley Arena
London's Latinas got their fix of Latin America's hottest pop property at Wembley on September 24th
Alí Primera’s ‘Necessary Song’
Ali Primera, Venezuela’s own Silvio Rodriguez, was long-discarded to the official cultural sin-bin. But his popularity never waned and now his voice is being resurrected by the establishment that once scorned him.