It’s hard not to have heard of Bad Bunny in recent months. The Puerto Rican artist topped global listening charts in 2025, with the release of his album Debi tirar mas fotos (“I should have taken more photos”), a true ode to the culture of his native island.
But this success owes nothing to chance. It is the symbol of a growing craze for Latin music. And this, regardless of the continent. The figures speak for themselves: in ten years, their listenings have increased tenfold on the Spotify platform. So much so that today, reggaeton, salsa, merengue and dembow are emerging as new components of pop music.
Dancing wanderings
In the podcast “La Cancion”, new episodes of which are released every Sunday this summer on France Inter, journalist Camille Diao deciphers the origins of such a tidal wave, involving numerous artists, researchers and specialists. From the streets of Harlem in New York to the small bars of old San Juan in Puerto Rico, via the lively streets of Medellin in Colombia, each episode transports its listener into a rhythmic atmosphere, and explains how these places contribute to the popularity of Latin music.
A fascinating immersion, interspersed with numerous musical intermissions, notably allowing you to discover or rediscover certain great names in salsa like Willie Colon, Héctor Lavoe or Celia Cruz, great inspirations of today’s headliners. The latter often use extracts from hits from their predecessors to remix them by incorporating, for example, elements from electro. A recipe that often hits the mark with the general public.
Beyond being a wonderful melodious journey, “La Cancion” stands as a true documentary on the role of music in Latino societies. Or how their musical traditions still make it possible today to emancipate themselves from stubborn colonial discourses, and to give women a powerful means of asserting themselves, outside the macho shackles. All while never stopping dancing to their rhythm.
