“‘Latin music’ is a term that I really hate. I think that it flattens everything that we are about and allows for Latino-fishing to happen because the umbrella term of Latin music encompasses reggaeton and dembow, and it’s mostly misconstrued as [only] that,” says Venezuelan-American poet, writer and music journalist E.R. Pulgar.
When commercial entities market “Latin music,” they overlook genres that aren’t lucrative or well-known. Selecting a handful of sounds to represent an entire ethnicity gives an inaccurate picture of who creates “Latin music,” and who listens to it.
“When you take away all of that specificity and take away all of that history, you end up with a European wearing gigantic hoops on the cover of the ‘Viva Latino!’ Spotify playlist. And no one questions it,” says Pulgar.
They’re referring to Rosalía, a key name in any discussion of Latino-fishing. The Spanish pop star and producer has gained global success from the genre-mashing music she sings in her native tongue, blending elements of bachata, reggaeton, champeta, neoperreo and other Latin genres.
The end result is the widespread misconception that Rosalía is Latina. It’s a narrative she’s had plenty of assistance in creating, including her repeated nominations and wins at the Latin Grammys, and her inclusion in Latin music roundups and playlists on streaming services.