Why Argentina can be the next Latin music powerhouse
Latin artists are on a rise and it’s not slowing down. Countries like Colombia and Puerto Rico have become major centers of talent for reggaetón and trap/hip hop. Mexico’s regional music is expanding barriers through names like Grupo Frontera and Peso Pluma.
But which Latin American country will be next to have its moment in the spotlight?
At first glance, it might make sense to think of Brazil. The numbers and perspectives look good: the country returned to the top 10 of the world’s largest music markets in 2022, and its funk music has proved immense viral potential with hits like “Tubarão Te Amo”, “Parado no Bailão”; not to mention Anitta’s rise.
But while there’s no doubting Brazil’s immense potential and appeal, the music sung in Portuguese might make it a bit harder to hook its Spanish-speaking Latin American partners. There are plenty Brazilian artists with more than enough star quality to achieve global success by singing in Portuguese, but it might take a little more time for that to happen.
If we are to look for something more likely on the verge of happening, it makes sense that the next Latin music powerhouse should be a country that not only generates world-class tailored stars but also offers something different in terms of sound and style.
And that’s exactly what’s going on in the southernmost point of Latin America.
Where does Argentina stand in the Latin music market?
Argentina is a bit detached from its tropical Latin American counterparts in how its weather, culture, and even Spanish accent are quite unique.
But this special combination of features is exactly what might make Argentina an interesting case.
The country had produced prolific rock music in the 1980s (such as Fito Paez and Soda Stereo) and exported the IPs behind the main Latin teen pop phenomena of the 1990s and 2000s (Chiquititas, Rebelde Way, Floricienta, and others found major success in its Brazilian and Mexican versions).
Now, in the post-Despacito era of Latin music, Argentina is not falling behind in talent.
Argentina has an impressive roster of stars
Argentina has been making a name for itself in the Latin music industry for some time. Artists like Bizarrap and Paulo Lontra made huge waves on global charts in 2022. TINI has found success not only in Latin America but also in Europe. Additionally, other names such as María Becerra, Tiago PZK, Nicki Nicole, Emilia, and Cazzu who are popular in many Spanish-speaking countries as well.
Some Argentinian artists are catching the attention of bigger Latin popstars like Camila Cabello (who collaborated with María Becerra on a song and even jumped on one of her tour stops, in Brazil), and worldwide producers like Steve Aoki (who released a song with TINI and Argentinian rising star La Joaqui).
However, Argentina’s potential goes beyond just a sum of individual talents.
Argentina is creating something unique
From the streets of Buenos Aires comes RKT, a genre that combines cumbia, reggaetón, dembow and rap. Aesthetic and performance-wise, RKT occupies the same space that reggaetón does in the streets of Puerto Rico, hip hop in the U.S., or funk in Brazil.
Made of raw cumbia snares, strong kicks, and DJs and singers’ vignettes, RKT is a fascinating display of how one genre can progress into something completely different when merging with the language of the streets.
Cumbia is, originally and foremost, a ballroom type of dance (the genre was not born in Argentina, but the country had embraced it and crafted variants such as cumbia villera). But RKT makes it possible to dance it all by yourself and to even rap over it. The sound even informs an accompanying dance style called “baile turro”. Some say “turreo” would be a variant of RKT.
Apart from RKT, you’ll also find purer versions of Argentinian cumbia and of reggaetón, or even synthpop versions of these genres’ beat patterns, among current Argentinian popular songs.
The music videos are an important part of these tracks’ appeal.
Not much is needed in terms of scenery and visual effects; the appeal lies in the fashion and charisma of the artists. Their rap and melodies are very close to a spoken style, and they often appear drinking Fernet and Coke in a plastic bottle cut in half.
They’re from and for the Argentinian audience — but while these urban genres speak very closely to Argentinians, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they gained fans beyond the country (that’s already happening on Argentina’s Southern Cone/Platin America neighbors such as Uruguay and Paraguay).
Could Argentinian genres such as cumbia villera and RKT take the world?
Much can be said about how reggaetón or other Latin genres only conquered the world after “pandering” to English-speaking audiences, or the mainstream idea of “pop” music. “Despacito”, after all, had its boom after Justin Bieber jumped on a remix.
But it’s also true that the most organic hits and underdog stories in popular culture happen when the creators are doing something genuine and having the most fun without caring too much about the outcome.
That’s even a part of how countries gain projection and soft power: by displaying their genuine culture to the world and holding on to what’s most unique about them.
Spite many economic problems, Argentina is rich in music and talent. That cultural color and the Argentinian pride shine through in the performances and music videos of the many RKT, turreo, cumbia, and hip hop Argentinian artists today. It may be only a matter of time until the rest of the world is captivated by that.
See and listen for yourself!
Here are some of my favorite things coming from Argentina right now:
- Producers: Alan Gomez, DJ TAO, DJ Alex, Bizarrap. Some of them collaborate with artists in what they call “Sessions” or “Missiones”. My favorites are Alan Gomez’ “Mission 08” with La Joaqui (love the rhapsodic-beat/genre switches, and the cumbia guitar hooks) and “Mission 10” with Callejero Fino (perfect match of flow & beat; almost impossible to sit still listening to this)
- La Joaqui: she has presence, swag, and the type of voice that you can’t define if it’s cute or irritating; you’ll be hooked anyway. Amazing flow and rhythm too (she used to a battle MC, so it doesn’t come as surprise).
- Callejero Fino: his flow just does not miss!
- Emilia: leans more towards reggaetón pop. She’s sooo ready for the Latin music mainstream.
- TINI: already a huge star but there’s potential for so much more. She might actually be the best positioned Argentinian star to make Spanish-sung music break in Brazil, and I can see her going even further places too. TINI has the training (she’s a former Disney star), the stage presence, the vocals, the songwriting skills. Also, she occasionally inserts Argentinian genres like tango in her music; she can do hip hop, cumbia, reggaetón, EDM, everything.
I’m an independent music writer, critic, and cool hunter with articles and reviews published in PopMatters, Rolling Stone Korea, The Line of Best Fit, Remezcla, Sounds and Colours, Tenho Mais Discos que Amigos, Consequence of Sound, and more.
This blog is not monetized, though.
The reviews and articles posted in this blog are original and have not been published on any of the websites I write for.
