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The Wonderful World of Tim Maia
Back in the 1970s the deep velvety voice of Tim Maia sparked a revolution in Brazilian mainstream culture that went well beyond music, igniting the rise of the Black Rio movement. His bassy tone, resembling that of his funk and…
Bebel Gilberto: Mother of Bossa Electronica
Being daughter to the legendary Joao Gilberto was quite a shadow to step out of. But over a remarkable 40-year career of her own, the multi-Grammy nominated and winning singer Bebel Gilberto became her own star with compositions…
Ten Reasons to Love Juan Gabriel
The songs of Juan Gabriel, one of Latin America’s most important singer-songwriters who died this week, have become anthems, re-recorded by the biggest current and former pop stars, such as Marc Anthony, Rocio Durcal, Juanes and…
El Gran Combo Tracks That Rock the Dance Floor
We pay homage to El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, arguably the world's most popular Latin band ever. Filling dance floors around the globe for almost 60 years, It's is much more than a salsa band, but a cultural…
Remembering Rafael Escalona, composer (1927 - 2009)
Rafael Escalona was one of Colombia's most important musical lyricists and composers, revolutionising Colombia's vallenato tradition, modernizing the music's rough, accordion-based sound via the addition of vividly…
Things That Matter to...Chucho Merchán
Colombian born Chucho Merchán is one of British rock’s most successful bass guitarists. After studying at Cambridge University, he spent two decades playing and touring with The Eurythmics, The Pretenders, George Harrison, Pete…
Should we Boycott Narcocorridos?
Sarah Quarmby delves into the gory culture that surrounds increasingly popular Mexican drug ballads.
Latinolife's Baile Funk Playlist
With what has become known simply as Funk (or Funke as they pronounce it in Brazil). the rich tapestry of Brazilian music is nowhere more evident in the world of dance floor bangers Forget James Brown and Sly and the Family…
Congaheads: Martin Cohen and Salsa's Jewish Connection
Like with Jazz, American Jews have had an almost century-long love affair with Latin music, dating as far back as the 1940s when immigrants arrived simultaneously from post-war Europe and the Latin Caribbean, sharing a common…
Frankie Ruiz Tunes that Rock the Dancefloor
Making this list we couldn’t stop saying…. ‘this music is SO f#@•ing good!” We can truly say that Frankie Ruiz is one of our all time favourites…few vocalists can boast the level of success of "El Papá de la Salsa.” One of…
Passage of Time: an Interview with Paco Peña
As guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor Paco Peña has transformed perceptions of Flamenco since his arrival in the UK in the late 1960s. Fusing his own Andalusian heritage with London influences, there is…
Jhay Cortez
Topping the charts now under his name, this 27-year-old went from being a songwriter and headlining artist for J Balvin at his Vibras Tour (2018), to then featuring with him on bangers like Medusa (also ft. Anuel AA) and No Me…
Joe Arroyo Tunes That Rock the Dancefloor
One of the most important male vocalist of Colombian music, from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Joe Arroyo was a real Titan of Salsa. He brought the flavour of Africa to the forefront in Colombian music; a showman and sonero,…
Spotlight on... Catalyna
With her distinctive voice, Catalyna is a singer-songwriter from Puerto Rico who has not been on our radar yet until today. the 21-year-old has dropped back-to-back bangers. such as “Alma Desnuda Remix,” featuring Colombian…
Luisa Santiago, Singer-Song Writer
Luisa Santiago is a Colombian-born, London-bred singer pianist who calls on the best of both worlds: her roots in Salsa and Latin music and a love of UK Soul and R&B. Luisa’s songwriting, piano playing and sweet vocals, honed…
Mariza, Interpreter of Life
Born in Mozambique to a Portuguese father and Mozambican mother and brought up in Mouraria, one of the traditional Fado neighbourhoods of Lisbon, Mariza has become one of Portugal’s most charismatic performers and eloquent…
Spotlight on...Mariah Angeliq
The talented Dominican and Puerto Rican rapper and singer has been climbing up the Latin music scene as are her songs in the charts!
UK Colombian Music Artists to be Proud Of
We’re Celebrating Colombian Independence by shining a light on the amazing Colombian talent here in the UK. First off music..from salsa, vallenato and gaita to urban, hip hop and folk here are artists who have brought not only…
LATIN LONDONER #27 - Juanita Euka - Singer-Songwriter
Juanita Euka is a LUKAS award-winning singer-songwriter. Niece of Congolese rumba legend Franco Luambo, she grew up in Buenos Aires before arriving on UK shores. Known for her work with Wara, London Afrobeat Collective and…
Pixinguinha: The Demiurge of Brazilian Music
‘If you have 15 volumes to talk about all of Brazilian popular music, rest assured it’s too little. But if you only have the space for a word, you are saved. Write quickly: Pixinguinha.’ Though this quotation by Ary Vasconcelos,…
Me and my namesake, Vinicius de Moraes
Vinicius de Carvalho, appointed Director of King's Brazil Institute, pays tribute to the man he was named after, Vinicius de Moraes, one of the most important figures in modern Brazilian music. As a poet, he wrote lyrics for…
Diaspora Music: Venezuela
In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk of the global domination of Latin Music. A big contributor to this phenomenon has been the Latin diaspora - artists making music outside their countries. In this first feature of our…
Spotlight on...Fuego!
The Dominican star has been in the game for over 10 years, and has gained even more popularity over the last couple of years.
Top 10 Central American Pop and Rock and Bands
Have you ever heard of the phrase by famous Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, "Si la patria es pequeña, uno grande la sueña." This describes the beauty and the talent of the Central America region. A region that may be small…
HOLA London @ The 02
Summer Showers Couldn’t Rain on Hola! London’s Parade of Latin Stars including Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, David Bisbal and Sebastián Yatra
Spotlight on... Gigolo & La Exce
Ronald Rafael Tejeda Santos and Jean Carlos Ferreira Suero, artistically known as Gigolo and La Exce formed the reggaeton, trap and urban music duo from San Juan, Puerto Rico, famous for the singles such as "Nasty,"…
Reggaeton Legend: Julio Voltio
Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Julio Ramos (Julio Voltio), became of the most well-known reggaeton artists of the mid-2000s, Voltio worked his way up the ranks for many years, expanding his reach with his successful releases.
REMEMBERING SELENA
I'm willing to bet that you've seen a few Jennifer Lopez films. But have you seen her best one? The one where she plays another musical star - who was even bigger than ‘Jenny from the Block’ would go on to be.…
SALSA IS BACK! (But it Never Went Away)
Over the past few months, the world has seen its biggest reggaetón artists, Bad Bunny and Rauw Alejandro, go back to their roots with salsa releases, in a nod to the Puerto Rican legends that made them. Despite the rise of…
Remembering Luiz Melodia
A Carioca God of music, Brazil's black Orpheus, a master of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB); Luiz Melodia was like a rhapsode, always absorbing what was happening in the universe of music at that moment condensing rock,…
In Praise of Jairo Varela
A tribute to the founder and band leader of Grupo Niche, who put Colombian salsa on the global music map and helped make Cali the renowned capital of Salsa that it is known as today.
JORGE SPITERI - Musician (1951 - 2020)
The Venezuelan composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, vocalist and much- loved friend, died on Sunday May 24th 2020, from cancer in North Carolina, USA. Jorge was a pioneer of Latin rock and funk mixed…
Bad Bunny surprises fans on Instagram Live
Last Saturday, the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny gave an entertaining mini-concert, where he streamed his entire album and revealed some tracks that had never been published and may not be.
Salsa Hits of the 1960s
As we gear up for LatinoLife in the Park 2025 where we'll be celebrating one of Latin music's greatest contributions to the world, we bring you the story of Salsa through the years in our special ‘Salsa is Back’ series…
TIEMPOS DE GLORIA
From revolution, exile, immigration and hardship to becoming the world’s first ever mainstream Latina pop star. Gloria Estefan recounts her life to Amaranta Wright in an intimate interview that reveals the ecstasies, agonies and…
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