Tag: Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month on Spotify With Our ‘Estamos Ready’ Campaign

September 20, 2023

Latinx culture continues to set the tone around the world, as evidenced by the rise of genres like Música Mexicana, corridos, and urbano. September 15 through October 15 marks Latinx Heritage Month, and we’re celebrating with our “Estamos Ready” campaign, honoring the stories, the diversity, and the power of Latinx creators and fans. 

On our dedicated Latinx Heritage Month hub, listeners can discover top playlists, including Hyphenated, Mixto, Fuego, and Los Que Mandan, as well as podcasts, like I.E In Friends, Gay & Afraid with Eric Sedeño, The Super Secret Bestie Club, and Fool Coverage with Manny MUA and Laura Lee.

We also wanted to explore the impact of Latin music in the U.S., so we took a look at Spotify listener data from every U.S. state. We discovered that Peso Pluma and Bad Bunny are lighting up the Latin streaming charts, with each standing as the most popular artist in 31 states and 15 states, respectively. Meanwhile, Música Mexicana (26 states), Trap Latino (12 states), and urbano (10 states) represent the most popular genres.

Top 10 U.S. States With the Highest Percentage of Latin Music Streams on Spotify

(June 15–September 15)

  1. Texas
  2. California
  3. Florida
  4. Nevada
  5. Arizona
  6. New Mexico
  7. Illinois
  8. New Jersey
  9. Georgia
  10. Utah

Over the past few years, Latin music on Spotify has also seen rapid growth in some surprising states. Between September 2020 and September 2023, Latin music streams in North Dakota surged an impressive 370%, followed by a 284% bump in Minnesota and a 253% increase in Mississippi. Indiana, the home state of Latinx star Omar Apollo, has seen its Latin music streams grow by 182%.

In addition to our data discoveries, For the Record also chatted with Omar, along with artists Kali Uchis, DannyLux, Elena Rose, and Prince Royce, to find out more about their favorite aspects of Latinx culture. 

How does your culture bring joy to your music?

Prince Royce: I’ve been visiting the Dominican Republic since I was very young, and I think in general, there is a lot of life in the culture. They are always dancing, which comes with genres like merengue and bachata. Dominicans love to party. My family, for example, will come up with any excuse for a barbeque, a birthday party, a baby shower, or a get together, and that definitely reflects a lot in my music. 

Omar Apollo: When I first started doing shows, it was all really young Latino kids in the crowd. I was probably like 19 when I started touring. I am from Indiana, and there wasn’t much of a diaspora of Latino kids. Going around the world showed me there was somewhere that people can find community in the music, celebrate how we grew up, and share the same stories. It’s beautiful. 

Explain your Latinx accent in one sentence.

DannyLux: I think my accent is more of a Mexicali accent from Baja California, because I basically grew up there. Whenever I go to another part of Mexico they tell me that I have a different accent.

Prince Royce: Definitely a very New York/Spanglish accent.

Elena Rose: My accent in one sentence has to be: Caraqueña/Boriqua/Hialeah from Miami. Venezolana because of my parents, so Caracas is there. Puerto Rico because that is where I lived as a kid. And I stayed in Hialeah for almost six years so yeah, I have the Miami right there—the 305, baby!

What is one thing from your culture that you want to share with the rest of the world?

Kali Uchis: One thing I would share with everybody about my culture is definitely our food. I feel like everybody loves food, everybody should have a good arepa, a good Colombian hot dog. All of our snacks, the salty and the sweet combinations, everybody should try it!

Elena Rose: I really like burning palo santo wood. I think it’s been more popular in recent years. And I really like ginger, honey, and lemon tea. That just recently saved me from a very bad cold!

Omar Apollo: It would probably be chilaquiles because I love chilaquiles and I think everyone should have chilaquiles. I am not sure if other Latino communities make chilaquiles, but the ones that my mom makes . . . anyone would go crazy for them!

What’s your favorite Spanish word (or phrase) that’s original to your culture? 

Omar Apollo: It’s probably chambear, which means “to work.” You know, the girls are always working—they are clocked in, they’re ready to go. You can say “chambas,” “estamos en una chamba,” “ando chambeando,” whatever you want to say. That’s my favorite; I say it all the time. 

Kali Uchis: I think my favorite Latin phrases have always been “sin miedo,” but also “sana, sana, colita de rana.”

DannyLux: My favorite phrase is that “everything happens for a reason,” and I always live thinking about that, and I know it has a lot of truth.

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month by discovering the hottest sounds on our Fuego mixtape.

Celebrate Latinx Heritage Month With the Launch of Our New Playlist, De TODO

September 30, 2022

We are De TOTO cover art

Taking place in the U.S. between September 15 and October 15 each year, Latinx Heritage Month honors the many contributions this unique and vibrant culture has made to American society. This is why Spotify has launched a new campaign, “De TODO,” which highlights some of our listeners’ favorite voices from the Latinx community and shows what makes them 200% (100% American and 100% Latin). Serving to uplift rising Latinx artists, “De TODO” also demonstrates how the Latin community is made up of un poquito de todo—or a little bit of everything. 

Latin culture is incredibly rich and diverse, and the music and sounds emanating from it are as well. To further highlight the nuance and fluidity of Latinx identity—and to encourage listeners to discover these varied sounds—we’ve launched a new playlist with the same name. Spanning genres from Mexican music to indie rock, De TODO features artists such as Omar Apollo, Mariah Angeliq, The Marias, and Villano Antillano. Proving that Latinx culture is more than Reggaeton and Bachata, this playlist mixes the sounds, artists, and languages around the world that have inspired and influenced Latinx creators.

“De TODO showcases some of the most exciting Latin acts coming out of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and gives a nod to the ones who have paved the way,” said Antonio Vázquez, Head of U.S. Latin Editorial at Spotify. “In an effort to acknowledge the diversity and richness of Latin culture, we want to surprise listeners by encouraging them to discover new sounds they might not be exposed to regularly.”

As part of the campaign, Spotify is partnering with the 9AM Banger—a famous morning party that’s popping up in Miami for the first time—to offer giveaways, an artist performance featured in the De TODO Campaign, and branded moments. And to continue our mission of supporting the next generation of Latinx creators, Spotify has extended grants to community partners around the country including Education Through Music LA, Education Through Music NYC, Tocando, Yes We Can World Foundation, and Young Musicians Unite.

But even beyond Latinx Heritage Month, we’ll continue to work year-round to amplify the voices of the Latinx community. This includes globally—both on-platform and off-platform—through their RADAR programs, live events, and creator campaigns. So stay tuned for more exclusive content in the future.

Looking for the latest sounds from the top Latinx artists? Press play below to start streaming De TODO:

Spotify Is Celebrating the Triumphs of Latinx Artistry With the ‘Aquí Siempre’ Campaign

September 15, 2021

Today marks the start of Latinx Heritage Month, an annual appreciation of the diverse and dynamic Latinx communities around the world. In honor of this celebration, Spotify is launching Aquí Siempre, an awareness campaign to support our dynamic, bicultural Latinx community and the myriad of musical genres it continues to influence. Our goal is to amplify the voices shaping Latinx culture today, including those that challenge stereotypes, fight adversity, and uplift Latin American communities through their work.

As part of Aquí Siempre, which will continue through mid-October, Spotify is releasing three Spotify Singles on our revamped, genre-agnostic playlist Mixto, which spotlights artists across the Latinx diaspora, as well as working with renowned creators like photographer Camila Falquez and poet Yesika Salgado to share what the month and its theme mean to them. 

The Voices of Latinx Music 

At the center of Latinx Heritage Month is the Mixto playlist, which features a mixture of sounds, artists, and languages from various countries that aren’t easily labeled as a specific genre but share Latinx origins, in addition to non-Latinx artists that will resonate with listeners. The playlist serves as a destination for artists both in and adjacent to the Latinx space as a place to share music that exists outside of clearly defined labels. It also works to reflect the Latinx community’s multifaceted connection to music, which isn’t limited to any one genre, with a unique range of songs and artists curated to appeal not only to our U.S. Latinx listeners but to listeners of all cultural backgrounds around the world.

This Latinx Heritage Month will be the first time Spotify launches Spotify Singles in collaboration with the Mixto playlist—the latest in a series of collaborations between Spotify Singles and other flagship playlists including Are & Be, RapCaviar, mint, and more. Spotify asked rising Latinx artists Twin Shadow, Ambar Lucid, and Tokischa to add their voices to the catalog of over 600 Spotify Singles by recording a unique version of one of their own songs (Side A) and covers of songs of their choice (Side B). 

Twin Shadow, one of the three artists to record Mixto Spotify Singles, shared his view of the ever-evolving Latinx music scene with For the Record. “The future of Latin music is happening right now,” he said. “It’s seeped into everything. Everyone is taking from it, and it’s mainstream in the best way. I think it will continue to be relevant and affect people profoundly forever.”

Singer-songwriter Ambar Lucid’s Side A single is a fresh take on her song “Lizard” that offers an energetic and magnetic up-tempo rendition of the original. Her Side B single is a catchy Spanish-language interpolation of Billie Eilish’s “Billie Bossa Nova” called “Ambar Bossa Nova.” The Mexican Dominican artist makes the crooning number her own by infusing an underlying beat to accompany the English and Spanish lyrics. “I love Billie’s music, so adding my own lyrical twist to ‘Bossa Nova’ was lots of fun,” explained Ambar, adding, “There are so many bops in [the Mixto] playlist!”

Tokischa’s Side A release creatively reimagines her 2020 punchy reggaeton rap “El Rey De La Popola” into an acoustic single wracked with emotion. She also released her Side B rock cover of the 1967 salsa hit “La Tirana” by La Lupe, swapping the original’s brass accompaniment for a soulful electric guitar sound. The Dominican singer-songwriter and rapper explained her choice in songs, reflecting, “I identify with La Lupe and especially with what the song ‘La Tirana’ represents.” She elaborated on the importance of the genre-agnostic playlist, adding: “I think that Mixto is important for those artists who express their art through their voice and not a specific genre.”

Twin Shadow recorded a special version of his soothing acoustic single “Alemania” that moves listeners with a dance beat and the pep of a retro pop song for his Side A single. He also released a cover of Kali Uchis’s genre-blending “telepatía,” one of this year’s biggest hits by a Latinx female artist, for his Side B single. The Dominican American singer-songwriter explained his approach to recording his upbeat reinterpretation of “Telepatia,” sharing: “I set out to reinterpret the song as if it was on my most recent record. The hard part was following Kali’s vocal flow and the clever way she approaches the lyrics in Spanish, especially the way words melt into words and the speed of her melody against the relatively mellow track of the original…I love the song and am glad to have a new appreciation for something once I’ve dissected it and tried my best to make it my own.”

Seeing the Latinx Community 

To put a face to the mission of Aquí Siempre, renowned Latinx photographer Camila Falquez captured a series of powerful portraits that visualize Latinx performers, activists, and business owners with dignity and honesty. Some of her subjects include the owner of the Caribbean Social Club in New York City, Maria Antonia “Toñita” Cay; Dominican trans activist, organizer, former sex worker, and founder of nonprofit Bridges4Life Tahtianna Fermin; Mexican American artist, DJ, and community organizer Elíseo Equihua; and Mexican American filmmaker, multimedia artist, urban planner, and social worker Jose Richard Aviles.

The portraits are accompanied by self-recorded videos from Latinx creators like Kali Uchis, Chucky73, Cimafunk, Juleyka Lantigua of How to Talk to [Mamí & Papí] about Anything, Erick Galindo of WILD, and Edwin Covarrubias of Scary Story Podcast celebrating their cultural experiences and uplifting their communities. Camila’s work can be found both online on social media and on billboards in Times Square.

Celebrate the Rich Voices of Latinx Heritage Month With Spotify’s ‘Lo Nuestro es Arte’ Campaign

September 21, 2020

Latinx culture transcends borders and defies expectations. Just look at how musical genres like salsa and reggaeton have traversed the globe, or at the stories and conversations that Latinx individuals have spread in recent years through podcasts. So this Latinx Heritage Month, Spotify is launching Lo Nuestro es Arte, featuring creators in the music, podcast, and visual art space who will help reinforce and affirm Latinx culture—and the work of Latinx creators—as invaluable art.

We’ll spread this mantra of Lo Nuestro es Arte with the help of a plethora of creators, including Dascha Polanco, Myke Towers, Kali Uchis, Sebastian Yatra, and many more. Dive into our anthem video featuring artists and podcasters like Anthony Ramos, Prince Royce, Kali Uchis, Jenn Morel, and Walter Thompson Hernandez, who each proudly proclaim their culture and vocation as art.

Here’s what else you can look out for:

Mini film series on bicultural experience

Check out a series of social mini films featuring the voices of some of today’s most influential Latinx music artists and podcasters as they narrate their experiences as bicultural Latinos in the U.S. They’ll tell stories of race, gender, and creating spaces where they can finally see, heal, and celebrate themselves. 

Visual art inspired by music and podcasts

We’ve commissioned work inspired by different genres and podcasts from five visual artists from across the Latinx diaspora: Orly Anan, Cristina Martinez, Luisa Salas, Pedro Nekoi, and D’Ana Nunez. Their pieces will be featured throughout the campaign behind artists like Romeo Santos, Helado Negro, Ivy Queen, and Natanael Cano. You can catch the art on billboards in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, as well as a virtual art gallery accessible through Snapchat.

Our Latinx Heritage Month hub

Head to the Latinx Heritage Month hub for carefully curated playlist collections that amplify Latin culture and reinforce the bicultural identity of Latinx individuals through the sounds of Latin music legends and up-and-coming talent. The Sounds of LatinX playlist showcases the fluidity of genres and styles that define Latin music today, while The Future of Latin anoints the hottest artists on the rise in tropical, regional Mexican and everything in between. We Love our Icons celebrates the contributions of Celia Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Quintanilla, Daddy Yankee, and other beloved voices. Finally, through the Beyond the Music playlist collection, we’ll amplify the voices of the immigrant, Afro-Latinx, indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Lo Nuestro es Arte aims to celebrate the past, present, and future of the Latinx community, raise awareness of its biculturalism, and recognize its ongoing strength in the face of adversity.

Stream the art from Latinx communities across the world in our LatinX Forever playlist.