Today’s song of the day is from Columbian electronic rock / “psychedelic cumbia” band Bomba Estéreo, teamed with Basque singer Manu Chao. Bomba Estéreo draw from musical styles across the Caribbean. They’ve also paired with my adored Bad Bunny for a recent song from his Un Verano Sin Ti album:
They’re playing in Detroit tonight!
OK, we can’t talk about Brazil without talking about their biggest current star, Anitta. I wanted to show this video because I love Bahia, but also because I think it gives really interesting insight into how Anitta wants to present Brazil to the rest of the world – and make a cross-over to Spanish speaking Latin America and the U.S.
Another VERY popular genre in Brazil is forró (or musica sertaneja): the music of Brazil’s arid ranching regions. Lots of harmonizing, accordion, and fiddle.
For more of a bossa nova vibe, check out Bebel Gilberto:
And some Brazilian rock!
Yahritza y Su Esencia are a great example of the the strength of Latino music in the US, and the way regional Latin American musical styles are being re-imagined by U.S. Latino communities. And they are a good example of how social media can sometimes allow talented artists to gain national attention: Yahritza e Su Esencia were first discovered when a song cover they recorded went viral on TikTok.
The band is comprised of a trio of siblings from Yakima, Washington: Yahritza (the singer) is 15. Their family migrated from Michoacán, Mexico to work in the fruit farms of Washington State. Yahritza and her brothers grew up listening to their father and uncles’ Mexican music. They use instruments like bajoloche and 12-string guitar to create beautiful ballads that highlight the emotions of youth: first love, breakups, and friendship.
Dr. Shaya let me pick this Friday’s song of the day, so I immediately decided to focus on Puerto Rican / global superstar Bad Bunny’s performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. Bad Bunny has been the most streamed artist on Spotify for the past two years.
Bad Bunny broadcast this performance live from his show at Yankee Stadium, and then Carmelo Anthony presented him with the award for Artist of the Year. BB’s gave his acceptance speech entirely in Spanish, a first for the awards show.
Foregrounding his Puerto Rican identity is central to Bad Bunny’s work as an artist. He is best know for reggaetón, but experiments with rock, merengue, cumbia and bossa nova.
I hope you enjoy this performance!