Day 14 - Favorite Latino Musician

This is such a hard post because there are so many musicians I haven't even explored! So I'll give 3 of my favorites in no particular order!

First of course - Marc Anthony. Let's be serious, my mother is Puerto Rican and my sister knows every single song ever by him. Growing up, I wasn't particularly interested in getting to know this salsa soul however, his album of hits dropped while I was in college "Desde un Principio" and one day at my aunt's house, they played the album straight through and it was like Marc Anthony took my hand guided me into the light. The 2 additional songs not in this album, "Palabras Del Alma" and "Tu Amor Me Hace Bien" are the other two songs that have an impact on me and serve as a pleasant reminder of two past relationships. Many of us associate songs with particularly people and these are 2 of mine. I owe Marc Anthony a lot since I learned a lot of Spanish through his songs, as did my sister when she was younger.

Second, though not in order, would have to be Juan Luis Guerra. Many of his songs were played throughout my childhood as my mother cleaned the house and cooked dinner. Even as I cook dinner, I find it helpful to have music playing and typically it ends up being Spanish music. The song the stands out the most for me probably the most mainstreamed, don't judge - "Burbujas de Amor." My family lives in the uptown side of Manhattan and the rest deep in Queens or near Bay Ridge Brooklyn so the drive on weekends to visit were long and boring to a 5 year old. I remember this song being my favorite because of the soft beat and soothing voice. Later on in life, it became one of my most listened to tracks when mellowing out or trying to fall asleep since I have a thing about sleeping with some type of background noise. Overall, he is a staple in our culture and I am happy he was introduced into my life.

Lastly, I will mentioned Shakira. Besides how gorgeous she is and how much of a unique voice she has - I am most inspired by her hit "La Tortura." Released in 2005, I remember when I first heard the song - the video played in MTV's early morning cycle of music videos and I was so confused as to what was happening. At this time, I was taking classes over the summer at Syracuse and was enveloped in my own bubble of academics and standing near a fan trying to escape the summer heat. A all Spanish song because played on mainstream media, reminiscent of Ricky Martin's "Living La Vida Loca" but not as Spanglish. It went on to become one of the most popular Spanish tracks in the world and obviously a milestone for our Latino musicians. It was a defining summer for me on many levels but this song was definitely a highlight and a significant moment in our history.

Whew! That was hard to limit.. maybe there will be a part 2...
Z