Colombia’s New Pop Wave: 5 Artists You Should Know
Colombia has given us many talented artists over the years: Shakira, Carlos Vives, J Balvin, Maluma to name a few. While Reggaeton is still at the forefront for Latin music worldwide, we want to highlight this Latin Heritage Month five artists that are leading the next wave of pop music in Colombia.
Manuel Medrano
Five years ago, Manuel Medrano started making waves in Colombia and internationally with his single “Bajo El Agua”, which has over 520 million views to date. Fast-forward to the present, the Cartagena-born singer-songwriter is the guy you reach out to for a power ballad, his ability to tell stories with his lyrics is the reason why he won the 2016 Latin Grammy for Best New Artist and Best Songwriting Album. We talked to Manuel back in May this year and he talked to us about having the most romantic lyrics and yet not being romantic himself, working with J Balvin’s collaborators and more. Currently, Manuel is working on releasing his new single “Llegar a Tiempo” on Friday October 1st, and is set to perform in Puerto Rico at Coca Cola Music Hall on November 6th.
Must-listen to: “Bajo El Agua“, “Afuera Del Planeta“, “Nenita“, “La Mujer Que Bota Fuego” feat. Natalia Jimenez.
Read: Chocquibtown, Rafa Pabón and More Artists From The African Diaspora Making Waves in Latin Music
Las Villa
Twin sisters Lucia Villa and Laura Villa are putting their own spin on Latin pop. Las Villa have taken their pop melodies to the next level by fusing hip-hop elements, rap, R&B and more. Their 2019 debut in the music scene with “Nadita” took the industry by storm, and have since released collaborations with artists like Miky Woodz, Beelé, Juanfran, Harry Nach and most recently with Wisin and KEVVO, that showcase their ability to add their melodic flow over Reggaeton and Trap beats. Las Villa are set to release a cover of Shakira’s “La Tortura” for Amazon Music Latin in the coming weeks.
Must-listen to: “Balada Para Perrear“, “El Tracatra“, “Animal” Live Session.
Henao
H-Town in the house and the H in her name is silent. Pronounced “eh-na-oh”, the Houston-born, Colombian-American singer Henao cites Selena Quintanilla and 90s R&B as her musical influences. The “CONTROL” singer is able to move flawlessly from English and Spanish lyrics, while adding her own spin to R&B and pop tracks that sound incredibly fresh. Her latest release “Tiramisu” featuring Kheilstone is out now.
Must-listen to: “CONTROL“,”Paraiso“, “Me Quede”.
Read: Bizarrap, Maria Becerra and More Argentinian Artists You Should Stream Right Now
Morelli
Started off as a songwriter, now he’s here. Morelli is ready to take the spotlight as a singer-songwriter in his own right after writing many hits for his Camilo, Mau y Ricky, and more. Back in May, we talked to Morelli about his songwriting journey and making a name for himself with his own music. This year alone, Morelli has released three singles “Mala Conmigo”, “Like” and most recently “Guaro”, a nod to Colombia’s signature alcoholic beverage. Morelli is currently the cover of Spotify’s Latin Pop Rising playlist, and we’ll take a shot of guaro for that achievement.
Read: J Balvin, Karol G And Nicky Jam Globalize Colombian Hit “Poblado” With Remix Music Video
Elsa y Elmar
Born in Bucaramanga, Colombia as Elsa Margarita Carvajal, Elsa y Elmar knows to let her music speak for itself. At the age of 18, she moved to the US to go to school at Berklee College of Music, where she won the John Lennon Songwriting contest for her song “Me Viene Bien“. Since the beginning of her career, her music gets often described as “spiritual pop”, but since 2015 she has added elements of synth-pop, rock, and more. Currently, she has 2 albums under her belt: 2015’s Rey and 2019’s Eres Diamante. Most recently, she did a cover with W Records of Christian Nodal’s “Adios Amor” which I can’t recommend enough.
Must-listen to: “Ojos Noche“, “Adiós Amor“, “Exploradora“.
