Last year’s hit, “Despacito,” by Puerto Ricans Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, is officially recognized as the most streamed song of all time, which says a lot about today’s pop music and its audience.
Now, another “Latin” sound, “Mi Gente” (“My People”) is charting on Top 40 radio. It’s the American debut by Columbian pop star J Balvin and also features internationally known French DJ/Producer and vocalist Willy William.
The Latin beat has always been part of the music scene. “Viva Tirado,” an instrumental by El Chicano was a hit in 1970—but that was then and this is now; pop music and pop culture are in the process of inclusion–what we currently categorize as “Latin” will be integrated into a multi-cultural mainstream. The demographics of the U.S., indeed, the world, are changing, and rapidly, and today’s current pop music is a harbinger of the global future of not only the pop music to come, but pop culture, too.
“Mi Gente” is lively, danceable, sing-able, and catchy. And while I can’t tell you what it’s about, because it’s all in Spanish, I can tell you that the video is colorful, energetic and fun to watch: attractive people, wearing cool clothes, dancing and singing.
J Balvin is the nom de musique of Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin; he’s won numerous awards in the Latin music category and has been featured on remixes of songs such as “Blurred Lines.”