Tag: latin music

Who Will Win the Latin Grammy Awards? Here’s What Our Streaming Data Says

November 14, 2018

Honoring the biggest stars in Latin music, the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 15 are just around the corner, and the lucky winners are anyone’s guess. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun projecting which talented artists will take home the coveted gold gramophones.

First, let’s look at what we know for sure. The breakout hitmakers topping the charts lead the pack of this year’s Latin Grammy hopefuls, including Colombian reggaeton sensation J Balvin, who racked up eight nominations. Flamenco fusion standout Rosalía isn’t far behind, with five nominations total, a testament to the Barcelona native’s sizzling sophomore album. Meanwhile, Afro-Colombian gypsy jazz ensemble Monsieur Periné is riding the worldwide Latin music wave to what could be the band’s second Latin Grammy win in just three years (the group won the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2015). Taking home the 2018 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Award will be Maná. The iconic six-time Latin Grammy-winning and four-time Grammy-winning Mexican rock-pop superstars will receive the coveted award for the group’s outstanding contributions to the Latin music community and for its dedication to environmental preservation and support for human rights.

Maná, the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Award

Now, just for fun, let’s gaze into our data-driven crystal ball. Drawing on Spotify’s own statistics—based on what the listeners are streaming—we put together projections for the leading hopefuls in four top Latin Grammy Award categories. Since we rooted our predictions in Spotify user behavior, our listeners are in the future-gazing driver seat. So, based on the total plays on Spotify in the past month (drumroll, please), the potential winners are:

Record of the Year

“X” – Nicky Jam & J Balvin, 17 million streams in the last month

“Mi Gente” – J Balvin con Willy William, 15.2 million streams in the last month

“Malamente” – Rosalía, 5.6 million streams in the last month

Album of the Year

“Vibras” – J Balvin, 45 million streams in the last month

“Prometo” – Pablo Alborán, 9.4 million streams in the last month

“¡México Por Siempre!” – Luis Miguel, 5.4 million streams in the last month

Song of the Year

“Robarte Un Beso” – Mauricio Rengifo, Andrés Torres, Carlos Vives & Sebastian Yatra, songwriters (Carlos Vives & Sebastian Yatra), 7.3 million streams in the last month

“Malamente” – Antón Alvarez Alfaro, Pablo Diaz–Reixa & Rosalía, songwriters (Rosalía), 5.6 million streams in the last month

“Bailar Contigo” – Monsieur Periné & Mauricio Rengifo, songwriters (Monsieur Periné), 1.7 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist

Karol G, 83 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Karol G

Christian Nodal, 26 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Christian Nodal

Angela Aguilar, 18 million streams in the last month

Best New Artist Nominee Angela Aguilar

Don’t forget to tune in to see where our predictions land. The 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards air live Thursday, November, 15th on Univision at 8 p.m. EST/PT.

Get pumped for the big show with our 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards playlist, packed with 127 songs from nominees spanning several Latin music genres—pop, salsa, banda, cumbia, and more.

Let the Music Play Forever: Spotify Honors the Legacies of Legendary Artists on Día de los Muertos

October 29, 2018

Music carries messages across generations, and that’s especially true on Día de los Muertos. To celebrate the traditional holiday, Spotify is honoring some of Mexican music’s most-beloved deceased icons and their lasting impact on the world of Latin music and culture—and helping music fans connect to the special day.

On the Latin music hub, fans can explore a number of original Día de los Muertos playlists that highlight the music of current and past Mexican and Mexican-American artists. What’s more, they’re all decorated with images of the artists or symbols of Día de los Muertos, such as papel picados, or cut paper banners. Music lovers can embrace the holiday’s musical traditions, stream original artist covers, and honor the legacies of stars past with our dedicated playlists.

First up, our eclectic Día de los Muertos playlist features songs from contemporary and legendary Mexican and Mexican-American greats, and includes a few covers of moving, traditional songs by late musicians. We worked with three current artists to cover those legendary hits—Mexican-American singer-songwriter Becky G lends her soulful voice to a moving take of “Por Un Amor, Cucurrucucu Paloma,” Joss Favela performs a gripping rendition of “Eso y Más,” and indie musician Silvana Estrada brings new life to “Amor Eterno.”

These rising stars also spoke to Spotify about the meaning of the holiday and the impact covering one of their legends had on them.

“For Mexicans, Día de los Muertos is a moment with our loved ones who are no longer with us,” explained Joss Favela. “My idols are no longer alive but they live in their music. This song we are recording is our offering.”

Silvana Estrada noted, “It’s a beautiful opportunity to get in touch with my musical predecessors.”

“This Día de los Muertos, I am honoring Jenni Rivera,” explains Becky G. “When I think of her, I think of my mom—I think of my grandmothers. She embodies the voice of women everywhere.”

Jenni Rivera’s music still has a particular hold on listeners across both Mexico and the U.S. To help fans celebrate her life, we proudly honored her musical legacy at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s 19th annual Día de los Muertos festival in Los Angeles on October 27. Los Angeles was Rivera’s home, and the city where many of her family members, friends, and fans still reside.

“It is an incredible honor for our family that Spotify chose to commemorate my mother’s legacy during the Dia de los Muertos festival in Los Angeles,” said Chiquis Rivera, daughter of Jenni Rivera. “Her music had such an incredible impact on our culture, and to be able to celebrate her life alongside her fans is an experience we will never forget.”

At the festival, fans visited an ofrenda to Jenni Rivera, an Aztec marigold-adorned Día de los Muertos memorial bridge to remember the late artist and celebrate her life. The offering, designed by Mexican ofrenda artist Ricardo Soltero, displayed colorful sugar skulls (a common decoration and traditional holiday gift for children), candles and butterfly symbols on an altar dedicated to her memory. The shrine also featured some of the fiery-voiced “Mariposa de Barrio’s” favorite foods, as well as sugar skulls and papel picados with images of Jenni and the names of some of her most-streamed tracks on Spotify.

Craving more Día de los Muertos music? Stream themed hits from playlists such as A Mover el Esqueleto, a Halloween party with Latin rock ’n’ roll; Mujerones, which honors female Mexican singers across generations; and Calaveritas, which pays homage to Latin and non-Latin musicians who have passed.