The Rising Latin Music Artists to Watch

Latin music has gone global. The world’s biggest pop stars, like Bad Bunny, Shakira, Peso Pluma, Karol G, Feid and more, are singing in Spanish and bringing new rhythms to the mainstream. Even if listeners don’t fully understand the language, they connect with the sounds and heart of their music more than ever.

Bad Bunny continues to proudly represent his native Puerto Rico as he brings reggaeton and Latin trap music to the masses. For his debut at the MTV Video Music Awards last week, Rauw Alejandro also celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage by performing “Diluvio” with bomba musicians and dancers. After some time away with his family, Colombian superstar J Balvin returned with his latest album Beam last month. After turning their hometown of Medellín into a hotbed of reggaeton music, Karol G and Feid have become two of the most streamed artists in the world. Colombian pop icon Shakira also returned with a vengeance this year with her Women are not planning to go album.

After helping to take música Mexicana to the world last year, Peso Pluma continues to fly the flag for Mexico with his main stage performances at Coachella and an arena tour across the U.S. Now that Hispanic Heritage Month is here, Uproxx is spotlighting 10 more Latin music acts to watch not just now, but all year long. These are the artists poised to make the next waves.

Xavi

Xavi started the year at No. 1 on Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart with his breakthrough single “La Diabla” for multiple weeks. While other música Mexicana acts thrive on collaborations, the Mexican-American singer has shined solo with other hits like “La Víctima” and “Corazón De Piedra.” After conquering the world with his romantic corridos, Xavi is working on his debut album with Interscope Records.

Kenya Ox

Kenia Os is bringing Latin pop music back to the mainstream. After going viral on TikTok last year with the flirty “Malas Decisiones,” the rising Mexican star parlayed that success into over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Os has continued to embrace pop, shining a spotlight on the rising reggaeton Mexa wave on her latest album Pink AuraAhead of Os’ US tour in November, Peso Pluma tapped her for the sultry number “Tommy & Pamela.”

The Malilla

Reggaeton Mexa is the name of the reggaeton movement that is emerging in Mexico. One artist leading this new wave is El Malilla from Valle de Chalco, which is on the outskirts of Mexico City. While he proudly jugs (Mexican slang for “bad boys”), he brought plenty of Mexican swagger and slang to the genre in hits like “Dime” and “Rebote.” El Malilla’s debut album Ñerostars features the remix of “B De Bellako” featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneers Jowell and Randy.

FloyyMenor

A new reggaeton scene is also emerging in Chile. One artist leading the movement is FloyyMenor, who scored one of the year’s biggest hits with “Gata Only” featuring fellow Chilean singer Cris MJ. FloyyMenor, who has already racked up over a billion streams on Spotify with the seductive reggaeton banger, released his debut EP The beginning and the joint project MJ (Mala Junta) with Cris MJ.

Ela Taubert

After the release of her debut EP Who said it would be easy? Last year, Ela Taubert’s breakthrough hit was on the horizon. The Colombian singer-songwriter channeled her heartbreak into the angsty anthem “¿Cómo Pasó?,” which has more than 90 million streams on Spotify. Taubert has continued to translate her confessional lyrics into power-pop bangers like the country-infused “¿Para Qué?”

Lismar

After Bizarrap’s collaborations with Shakira, Peso Pluma and Young Miko, everyone wants to do a “BZRP Music Session” with him. For “BZRP Music Sessions #60”, the Argentinian producer enlisted rising Dominican rapper Lismar, who unleashed her fierce flow and knockout bars in Spanish. After their second collaboration, the fiery “Subió La Temperatura”, the future of Latin hip-hop looks bright in Lismar’s hands.

Latin Mafia

After a sold-out arena tour in Mexico last year, Latin Mafia made their U.S. debut at Coachella this past April. Mexican brothers Mike, Emilio and Milton De La Rosa push Latin music to new places with hits like the symphonic pop of “Patadas De Ahogado” featuring Humbe, the trap-infused R&B of “No Digas Nada” and the explosive reggaeton of “Julietota.” After signing with Rimas Entertainment, home of Bad Bunny, in July, Latin Mafia is at work on their long-awaited debut album.

Borja

While co-writing songs for acts like Reik, Lasso and Nicole Zignago, Borja spent two years working independently on his debut album. The Spanish singer-songwriter brought romance back to Latin pop with Rimas Del Verbo Amarincluding the breathtaking ballad “Aire” and earned him a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist last November. Shortly after the release of the feel-good “Mallorca” in July, Karol G invited Borja to open for one of her concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid.

Juan Duque

Medellín, Colombia is home to J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, Feid and Ryan Castro and in a neighboring city, a new rising star is on the rise. Marinilla native Juan Duque is winning hearts with his romantic twist on reggaeton in his EP When are you live?Following hits like the “Maria” remix featuring Castro, Duque continues to charm listeners with his Colombian bravado on the nostalgic “Lejos De Mis Ojos” and the bachata-infused “Ni Con Él, Ni Conmigo” featuring Andy Rivera.

Elena Roos

After co-writing hits for the likes of Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Karol G and Becky G, Elena Rose has carved out a place for herself as a ray of light in Latin pop. The Venezuelan-American singer has released powerful anthems like “Caracas En El 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di and was featured on Boza’s global smash “Orion.” Now, Rose continues to channel her incandescent spirit on the soulful “Me Lo Merezco,” which borrows lyrics from Paula Cole’s iconic “I Don’t Want To Wait.”