Hispanic Heritage Month: The Latine Artists That Shaped Us

With Hispanic Heritage Month coming to an end, Latinxe members of the Afterglow Editorial Staff take a trip down memory lane and reflect on their childhood classics.

Written by Afterglow Editorial Staff

Illustrated by Darrina Green

Things were a little different this Hispanic Heritage Month, due to COVID-19 and minimal gatherings — but that’s no reason not to celebrate. From your parents’ corny ‘80s Luis Miguel and Menudo CDs to the abuelitas in the neighborhood blasting Rocío Dúrcal with their Sunday cafecito, there are countless Latine and Hispanic artists to reminisce about this Heritage Month and beyond. Time to dust off those accordion-style CD books and indulge in all the ‘90s and 2000s nostalgia.

NATALIA LAFOURCADE

Today, we know Natalia Lafourcade as the sage Veracruzana with beautiful interpretations of “La Llorona,” “El Triste,” and “Ya No Vivo por Vivir” who also produced masterful baladas folklóricas and boleros “Mexicana Hermosa,” “Mi Tierra Veracruzana,” and “Soledad y el Mar.” Regarded as one of the most successful and beloved artists of Latin America, Lafourcade has come into her own within the alternative rock and folk genres, deriving influence from her Mexican roots and heritage. Though she’s widely acclaimed across America del Sur, the Veracruz native has found widespread popularity in the US as well, performing at ACL last year, and singing and composing 2017 Coco’s “Remember Me.” Most recently, the singer has been featured in chart-topping podcast “Forgotten: Women of Juarez” with her “Un Derecho de Nacimiento,” a fitting tribute for a singer who’s considered “The 21st Century's Guardian Of Cultural Memory.” Mexico’s sweetheart’s current brand of music wasn’t always the música dedicatoria that it is today.

With a brief debut to music in the 1998 girl group Twist, Lafourcade later went solo with her 2002 self-titled album Natalia Lafourcade, featuring quirky rock and youthful lyricism — this was my introduction to Natalia Lafourcade. Coming home from school, my aunts and I would dance around in our sweat-dripped uniforms while watching +23’s “Top Ten” (remember music video channels?) and taking turns sitting in front of the fan. We’d dance to the tune of Belanova, Julieta Venegas, Oreja de Van Gogh, and Natalia Lafourcade. From the rockera anthem of “En el 2000” to the silly and playful bossanova “Un Pato,” and later with her ethereal and lighthearted “Azul” in 2009, Lafourcade encapsulated my youth. Dropping her boot stompers and heavy liner for braids and traditional garb, the “Nunca es Suficiente” singer has come to embrace her sentimental and classic sound over the years. And despite how trite it may sound (and she being roughly a decade older), I feel that I’ve matured with her as I’ve come into my own womanhood and embraced my Latinidad. Natalia Lafourcade sings about her Mexico querida with a tenderness that reminds all Latinxs why we’re so proud of our roots. — Samantha Paradiso

SELENA

Selena Quintanilla is considered a Hispanic icon by both zoomers and their parent’s generation alike. She was one of the first women to break into the male-dominated Tejano genre, and was a transnational superstar in both America and Mexico. My dad has told me stories about him and his friends in college listening to Selena’s music, dancing along to her songs at Tejano clubs, and seeing her perform live. He has also expressed to me the impact that she had on her young Hispanic fans and how her tragic death affected them. In recent years, I have found myself relating to Selena in more ways than one. I relate to her background, the environment she was raised in, and her personal struggles. I also relate to her passion for music and performing and consider her songs “Fotos Y Recuerdos,” “Amor Prohibido,” and “El Chico Del Apartamento 512” to be my personal favorites. Overall, my love for Selena seems to grow over time, and I constantly look to her for inspiration in my style and art. — Gabriela Ruiz

AVENTURA

Because my mom has been a fan since their “Tinellers'' era, listening to Aventura in my childhood home was mandatory. Known internationally as the Kings of Bachata, Aventura are the key innovators of the modern bachata we hear today. I remember when they broke mainstream charts with their song “Obsesión,'' featuring Judy Santos from their second album We Broke the Rules — my mom would play it on repeat. Even as a three year old, I could distinguish their mature Latin styles from their use of heavy lyrics and distortion of guitars. After that, the rest was history. Aventura became a hit making machine — from romantic ballads like “Un Beso'' to powerful lyrical tunes such as “Deja Vu.”

The most heartbreaking event that has ever happened to my mom was the release of Aventura’s final full length album The Last. We remained loyal fans and followed Romeo and Henry’s solo careers along with Lenny and Max’s new bachata band Vena. Aventura literally ‘broke the rules' of Bachata by playing with electric-acoustic guitars and writing their songs with Spanglish lyricism. After purchasing front row seats for my mom to Aventura’s reunion tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album, Aventura always hits my nostalgic soft spot with their beautiful fusion of Domincan-derived Bachata and their R&B and rock qualities. — Keylee Paz

SHAKIRA

From Wilfrido Vargas to El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, my family has an old-school taste in Latin music. But no one — not even my churchgoing abuelitas — could resist the undeniable catchiness of Shakira’s music. Shakira soundtracked my native Bogotána mother’s young adult angst, and she became an important part of my own childhood. Growing up, I had little contact with my family because many of them lived in Colombia, and I have only visited the country once in my lifetime. Shakira inserted a piece of my heritage into my daily life, helping me navigate the world as a fellow Latina with Colombian and Lebanese ancestry. From belting out the Arabic chants of “Ojos Así” in gibberish to secretly crying along to “Antología” and “Moscas en la Casa,” I have always had a profound connection to her music. The singer’s earlier albums ¿Donde Éstan los Ladrones? and Pies Descalzos taught me about the power of storytelling, inspiring me to analyze lyrics as a writer. Moreover, her exploration of her own multiculturality in her music production has encouraged me to listen to artists from other cultures, particularly the Middle East. In many ways, Shakira helped catalyze my love for world music and journalism. And most importantly, she taught me the universal truth that hips don’t lie. — C.S. Harper

WISIN Y YANDEL

Everyone was into Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderon, but my family were major Wisin y Yandel stans. The duo originates from the projects of Cayey, a tough neighborhood in Puerto Rico, and their personal experiences in the hood greatly influenced their earlier songwriting. Hearing “Rakata” from my mom’s boombox was iconic, and it was incredible to hear the once unfamiliar reggaetonero sound we know and love today. My mom collected all their albums, and because I had nothing else to listen to, I would jam out with her. This routine continued with hit after hit until they announced a short hiatus to work on solo projects in 2012.

The duo reunited in 2018 with comeback album Los Campeones del Pueblo, which featured vivid tracks with new-style Latin artists Maluma, Ozuna, and Farruko. My mom was unaware of the comeback, so I secretly purchased her tickets to their comeback tour, and she freaked. Wisin y Yandel, along with other notable reggaetoneros, set the new standards of reggaeton by evolving the Jamaican-originated Dembow ‘riddim’ with heavy percussion and and a fast-paced rhythm. Besides their music, what made them so memorable in my childhood is their signature black-tinted glasses, creative wardrobe, and my mom’s incessant drooling over Yandel. ‘El Duo de la Historia’ definitely left their mark in the Latin music world, and they will continue to create visionary hits with their upcoming album La Gerencia set for release in late 2020. — Keylee Paz

CALLE 13

A step to the left from the typical amorosos y lujuriosos of the 2000s reggaeton scene like RKM & Ken-Y and Tito El Bambino, Calle 13’s brand of the already scandalous genre kicked it up 666 notches. Labeled as “musica del diablo” by your tías presumidas, the Residente and Visitante duo were best left for clandestine listening. The Puerto Rican group’s clever wordplay and biting lyricism touch on all the usual groserias and cochinadas and more, from U.S. foreign invasion to dictatorships and class solidarity. As a six year old, I’d try to roll my hips in the same fashion as those elusive dancers in “Atrévete-Te-Te” while stealthily flipping between Tele7 and SERTV channels on the off chance my grandmother would pass by. Calle 13 was unlike other reggaetoneros in the genre, in music but also in appearance. Donning white muscle shirts and baggy jeans, the bicycle-riding Residente was lackluster compared to the flashy shades, gaudy hats, and opulent chains of his fellow artists within the genre. Often performing shirtless with baggy pants, Residente’s homely appearance is not what has garnered the duo 24 Latin Grammys, the most any artist has ever won. Calle 13 sings with such grit, inciting the rebelde within with their provocative rhythms and revolutionary lyrics. — Samantha Paradiso

JUAN LUIS GUERRA

As the king of Latin Fusion, Juan Luis Guerra provided the soundtrack to this Colombiana-Dominicana’s childhood. His unique mix of bachata, salsa, rock, and everything in between was the glue that kept my diverse family together. From six-hour road trip playlists to our Saturday merengue dance nights, Juan Luis Guerra was a staple of my formative years. His music is tied to countless childhood memories: “Amapola” was the first song my dad dedicated to me, “El Niagara en Bicicleta” was the first music video I ever watched, and I learned to dance merengue to classics like “La Bilirrubina.” Breathtaking slow tracks like “Burbujas de Amor” and “Si Tu No Bailas Conmigo” taught me to appreciate love songs, while “La Guagua” and “La Llave de Mi Corazón” taught me to get loose and have fun at family get-togethers. The “Bachata en Fukuoka” singer established my lifelong love for salsa, merengue, and Afro-Latin music, which has been central to my Latinidad. I still listen to his music from time to time, because whenever it feels difficult to navigate the world as a Latina and second-generation immigrant, it reminds me about why I feel proud of my culture and heritage. — C..S Harper

JULIETA VENEGAS

The stereotypical trope of Hispanic families cleaning on an early morning weekend was definitely my reality growing up. My dad would pop in a VHS tape of music videos to popular songs he loved; he’d wake me up to the tunes of Reik and Menudo and Bomba Estereo, and I’d eat some barbacoa and help him clean (disclaimer: I would mainly just sit on the couch and eat while he cleaned). On that VHS tape was the quirky music video for “Eres Para Mi” by the Mexican-American Tijuana native Julieta Venegas. We used to watch her strut down la calle and copy her dance routine together, over and over again. That song alone inspired my love for singing, and her musical legacy encouraged me to become a multi-instrumentalist myself, eventually joining both the mariachi and salsa bands at my high school. To this day, her 2006 album Limon Y Sal remains one of my all-time favorites because of the happy memories that each charming song carries. Over 28 years in the music industry, she’s explored a plethora of genres — from pop to trip hop and indietronica to ranchera — paving the way for other female artists on this list, like Natalia Lafourcade. Besides my love for her Grammy Award-winning music, Julieta Venegas was also an inspiration growing up because of our shared experiences. We are both from border towns, and she made sure that Mexican-American girls like me knew that it was okay to embrace that — to speak both languages and to mix both cultures. — Micaela Garza

MANÁ

It seems like everyone’s parents have a story about Maná, whether it was a wild concert or a 20-something-year-old memory securely attached to “Oye Mi Amor.” If your dad was a young papasote (potentially with Maruchan hair and golden earrings) in the ‘90s, there’s a good chance he once sported long, billowing locks just like the band did (and there’s also a good chance that Maná is the reason we all have a love for men with long hair now). The iconic Mexican band has won Grammys and numerous other awards, topped charts, dabbled in nearly every genre, and remains a beloved staple in the music repertoires of Hispanic households all over the world. The music they make has withstood the test of time and is just as much the music of the younger generation as it is our parents’ generation, with bachata hits like “Mariposa Traicionera” and “Bendita Tu Luz” creating jaded, hopeless romantics out of us all as we stared out the car window in the early 2000s. One thing is for certain: I will be happily dancing to “Eres Mi Religion” at my wedding someday, and that is the day I will know that love is real. — Micaela Garza

Rebelde (RBD)

Photo courtesy of El Mañana de Nuevo Laredo

Move over, Miley — the band is getting back together! In a podcast interview on Oct. 4, band singer Anahí opened up about Rebelde getting back together beyond their reunion for RBD World Day. Prior to this exciting news, RBD’s entire discography was made available on digital streaming platforms on Sept. 4 — for the first time ever. Previously, fans had to resort to intense YouTube searching for 480p quality videos of their songs and cringy Windows Media Movie Player music videos, leaving us with a unified sense of frustration. A remake of the original Argentinian “Rebelde Way,” Mexico’s telenovela “Rebelde” was a household favorite in homes across US and Latin America. Forget “Alegrijes y Rebujos” or “Carita de Angel” — every day after school, I’d run from the bus stop to my apartment and patiently wait for the iconic “Televisa Presenta” after “El Gordo Y La Flaca”’s 3 p.m. time slot. The mother of all private school novelas, “Rebelde” perfectly captured the drama of teenage angst, all while wearing heavy eyeliner and inappropriate school uniforms.

Reaching far-wide success from their fictitious band in the novela, the main cast went on to form Rebelde, produce several albums, and tour worldwide — making them one of the first to successfully crossover from television to music. Seamlessly shifting from genre to genre, covering alt rock, reggaeton, ballads, and pop, the band also produced music in Spanish and Portuguese. From the lovestruck “Solo Quedate en Silencio,” to Anahí’s heart-wrenching last performance of “Sálvame" in their Tour del Adiós, I watched these performances over and over, long after the show’s run. RBD stickers invaded my school materials, and I may have learned my theatrics from Roberta and Diego’s melodramatic love affair and Mia and Miguel’s class-stricken relationship. Though the novela only aired for two years, the band left its mark on Gen-Z Latinxs, and it’s no question what our 2020 Spotify Replay will be looking like. — Samantha Paradiso

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Afterglow ATXOctober 15, 2020samantha paradiso, gabriela ruiz, keylee paz, C.S. Harper, micaela garza, C.S. Hayter