In the wake of the crossover mania that characterized the Latin music industry at the end of the 90s Ricky Martin Shakira Paulina Rubio Thala -- all of whom released English-language albums around this time came Juanes a Latin artist so great he didn…

One of the most gifted and accomplished -- and certainly one of the most respected -- artists in the Latin music sphere during the late 90s and into the next century Julieta Venegas enjoyed enormous acclaim during her run and though commercial succes…

Mexican rockers Cafe Tacuba are generally regarded as being at the forefront of the Rock En Espanol movement, alongside Mana, Aterciopelados, et al. However, there's considerably less of the pan-Latin rhythmic sensibility (and a greater eclecticism) …

An exceptionally well-regarded Spanish poprock band La Oreja de Van Gogh are also one of the most commercially successful with each of their albums selling around a million copies worldwide Driven by electric guitar and keyboard their music is easily…

This photogenic Colombian singer began her recording career at the tender age of 13. It wasn't long before her eclectic brand of Latin pop became a sensation in numerous Spanish-speaking countries. In 1998, without making the concession of singing in…

b. 18 December 1968, Madrid, Spain. Balladeer and pop singer Alejandro Sanz began recording for WEA Latina in 1991 with Viviendo Deprisa. His fourth long player, 1997's Más, emerged as the success story of 1997 in Spain. Indeed, the album is widely a…

In 1995 Jaguares was formed out of the skeleton of Califanes a Mexico City rock group The name change was due to a dream had by lead singer Saul Hernandez who dreamt that he was playing inside a Jaguars mouth Shortly after the name change Jaguares to…

Colombian pop star Carlos Vives combines the traditional acoustic sounds of cumbia and vallenato (including heavy reliance on accordion and flute) with contemporary pop and rock sounds. Though he gained fame as a soap-opera actor, he's earned a signi…

b. Elmer Figueroa de Arce, 28 June 1968, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Chayanne is one of the leading figures in contemporary Latin music, receiving numerous gold and platinum awards and selling millions of records around the world. He first started sing…

b. Paulina Rubio Dosamantes, 17 June 1971, Mexico City, Mexico. The daughter of Mexican film and soap opera actress Susana Dosamantes, Rubio's music career has followed a similar course to another Latin star of the new millennium, Colombian singer Sh…

Blessed with a melodic touch that made them a sensation right out of the gate Sin Bandera enjoyed enormous acclaim and commercial success with their self-titled debut in 2002 and continued to record superlative romantic Latin pop in the years that fo…

The Latin rock group Jarabe de Palo strictly translated as wood syrup in English was formed in Barcelona in the early 90s by vocalist and guitarist Pau Dons with guitarist Jordi Mena drummer Alex Tenas percussionist Dani Forcada and bassist Joan Gen …

In 1987 ex-Aparato Raro member Rodrigo Aboitiz ex-Paraiso Perdido member Andrs Bobe and ex-Nadie member Shia Arbulu formed a techno-pop ensemble called la Ley After issuing an EP Aboitiz and Arbulu left the band to get involved in different projects …

This Miami, Florida, USA-based Latin alternative pop band was formed in the mid-90s by University of Miami students Jorge Villamizar (b. Colombia; vocals/guitar), André Lopes (b. Brazil; bass), and José Javier Freire (b. Puerto Rico; percussion). Des…

The late-'90s commercial uprising of such Latin male pop stars/sex symbols as Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias can be attributed to Marc Anthony's earlier success. By mixing salsa sounds with elements of dance and pop, Anthony scored a massive hit w…

b. 19 January 1964, Antigua, Guatemala. This singer-songwriter broke into the upper regions of the Latin American charts in the late 90s with a series of well received and often controversial albums. Arjona was born and raised in rural Guatemala, and…

By 2004 roughly a decade after she made her recording debut at the age of 18 Laura Pausini had sold over 25 million albums worldwide quite an impressive feat for someone whod never really broken into the lucrative English-language market The Italian …

Italian Euro-pop vocalist Nek b Filippo Neviani began playing guitar and drums at the age of nine and studied music for several years in the early 80s By the later half of the decade he had begun singing professionally and two of his early singles Wi…

b. Luis Miguel Gallegos, 19 April 1970, Puerto Rico. Undoubtedly the most successful Latin star of the 90s, singer Luis Miguel has won four Grammys and sold over 36 million records worldwide. Born in Puerto Rico, but raised in Spain and Mexico, Migue…