The article I chose this week is, Despacito’ Owned the Summer. What’s Next for Latin Pop?  The article discusses how Despacito was number one on the charts from May -October 2017. The hit brought together two Puerto Rican artists from varying genres and an American teen idol. This strange combination of artists has opened up a door (so to speak) for Latin pop breakout songs like this. The article goes on to explain the positive outcome this song has created. Since it became so popular and grabbed audiences’ attention, artists have started to combine languages and musical styles more so than before.  The cross-pollination of Latin genres has expanded and brought together various audiences. The article states how new artists have a unique experience by spending their lives in two different cultures. (United States and Latin locations) This creates a hybrid and new sound.The article goes on by referencing new remixes and collaborations between different artists and the use of two languages (Ex: Enrique Iglesias and Shakira) songs. This article foreshadows new music we can expect to see due to the success of intermingling of cultures, languages, genres, and artists.

Latinos are described as talented and revolutionary musicians in this article. They are creating a new style of music that incorporated different languages and it is becoming extremely popular. This could be a start to a completely new genre and way of expressing one’s identity. I think fans and audiences can relate to this cross cultural music due to their own backgrounds.

This article connects to our course themes specifically by focusing on musical identity and encounters with Latin culture. I chose this article due to this week’s focus. The article shows the interaction between Latin music and western/pop music. It also sheds light on how some artists (ex: Fonsi) were born in the U.S and have U.S influences on their music, as well as their original Latin culture. I think a lot of students can relate to this dynamic of being apart of two different cultures. I also think its important to note the positive impact of intertwining the two cultures, genres, and artists.