Calle 13

Calle 13 is a Puerto Rican band.  Its members are Rene "Residente" Perez, Eduardo Jose "Visitante" Cabra Martinez, and their half-sister Lleana "PG-13" Cabra Jogar. Both men in the band are stepbrothers: Residente is the lead singer and songwriter, Visitante is the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and beat producer.  Lastly, PG-13 is the backing vocalist. Their band has been active since 2000.  The music of Calle 13 consists of genres that come from alternative hip hop, world, rap rock, and alternative reggaeton. Their songs and lyrics usually include Latin American issues and culture. They have won nineteen Latin Grammy Awards, holding the record for the band with the most Latin Grammy wins. They won two Grammy Awards as well. Calle 13 is a very great band and we highly recommend it.

By Julia and Paula

Romeo Santos - 'Odio'

Romeo Santos was born July 21, 1981, in the Bronx, New York. He is now 33 years old. He is a record producer, actor, singer and songwriter. He is most well known for his music. Some of his songs are on the top Latin charts in Europe. Romeo has released several albums. He is Dominican and Puerto Rican. He joined his local church choir at the age of 12 because he knew he wanted to become a singer. He then became internationally popular when he was 15. In 2009, he was invited to the White House to sing for the president. In  2012, he sold out Madison Square Garden 3 nights in a row, the performance then turned into a live alblum.

"Odio" is about a guy who is crazy in love with a girl. He didn't value their love and didn't treat her well,  so another guy came around and offerered her a lot more. Now he is understanding his mistakes. He hates the new guy because he has the girl he wants to be with. This song is featuring Drake. Romeo Santos is very famous and successful. Based on his career now, he has a very promising future.

Elle Me Dit (She Told Me) by Mika

by Maya Y. and Dot W.

"Elle Me Dit" is an upbeat party starting song. "Elle Me Dit" was released in 2012 by the artist Mika. Mika is a British-Lebanese world-known pop singer. He sings a lot of his songs in English, but his recent hit,"Elle Me Dit" is sung entirely in French. "Elle Me Dit" is a song about a girl telling us how to live our lives. It often tells us to dance and be ourselves. Mika has been nominated for 30 awards but has only won 9. In 2007, he won two awards. At the Q Awards, he won Best Hair on Artist, and at the Vodafone Awards he won Best Male Artist. In 2008, he won 6 awards. At the French NRJ awards he won International Revelation of the Year Award, and at the ECHO Awards he won the Best International Newcomber. On his third album, he worked with Pharrel Williams and Nick Littlewood. He is often compared to Queen and Elton John, but he is very much an original artist.

Here is a link to his official website! http://mikasounds.com

Las Rakas

By Chloe and Amelia

Los Rakas is a bilingual hip hop group from Oakland, California. Its consists of Raka Rich andu Raka Dun. The duo found an interest in music at a very young age. Their music is a mixture of hip-hop influences with reggaeton, reggae, and dancehall. "Rakataka" is a Panamanian slur for someone from the ghetto. The pair chose the name "Los Rakas" because they wanted to show that not everything from the ghetto is negative. They accumulated their work from several years and in 2014, released a full-length album, El Negritos Dun Dun & Ricardo. The album is split into two halves which are devoted to the two members of Los Rakas. They are on the rise and you can catch them at a concert near you!

For more information: http://www.losrakas.com

Check out their video!

Juanita y Los Feos

The album by Juanita y los Feos called Pesadilla Adulta has a distinctly American 80's feel. The album name is directly translated to "Adult Nightmare" and because they identify as a garage punk band there is also a reference to the American 90's garage scene. The band is from Madrid, Spain and is fronted by a female. This is different from most of the garage-punk scene bands which are usually headed by male singers or guitarists. Their unique set up as a band doesn't seem to influence their work but is a great example of the new trend of female leaders in music, all over the world. They released their first album "Cassette Records" in 2004 and their music has developed drastically since then. Changing form a grunge based track with scratchy back noise and only 5 songs plus a bonus track. Now having established a bit more of a name for themselves, their most recent album "Nueva Numancia" has influences in American 80's pop and rock. Though most songs on their latest album may seem to have this pop feel, the lyrics directly contrast with that assumption. I recommend you check them out, you won't be disappointed.
Link to official website (with all their music!): http://juanitaylosfeos.bandcamp.com
Keep on listening,
Siobhan L

Ana Tijoux

Born in Lille, France in 1977, Ana Tijoux was raised in France by Chilean exiles that fled Chile because of the 1973 Chilean coup d’état. Tijoux moved to Chile in 1993 following the return of civil power in Chile. Her music career spans two decades originating with the group “Makiza” in 1997. Their first album, Vida Salvaje, garnered huge success in 1997 despite its independent production. Two years later they released their second album “Aerolinas Makiza” with Sony Music Entertainment and reached the top of the Latin-American hip-hop market. In 2000, Makiza broke up and Ana Tijoux began her journey to a solo career. Tijoux collaborated with different artists on separate projects throughout the years until Makiza reunited in 2005.  Their reunion was short-lived and the group disbanded once more in 2006. Ana Tijoux released her first album, “Kaos,” in September 2007. Her song “Despabilate” got Tijoux nominated at the Latino MTV Music Awards for Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist. Since then, she has released her second album “1997” as well as one of my new favorite songs “La Bala.” Listeners can tell that Chile’s political history has greatly affected the topics covered in Tijoux’s music. Tijoux has given way to a new kind of political stand, rapping and creating songs that touch the souls of all who listen even those who can’t understand the lyrics. She knows how to get her point across through her music and you can really feel the raw emotions in her songs. I absolutely love her music and I think you will too!

Marc Anthony

           

Marco Antonio Muñiz is a Spanish salsa artist and Latin pop artist. Most of his songs are in Spanish. He was born in New York City, New York on September 16, 1968. His family was Puerto Rican. He was previously married to Jennifer Lopez and before that, to Dayanara Torres. He had twins with Jennifer Lopez. He has four children from both marriages. Both of his wives were from Puerto Rico.
       Anthony has won numerous awards, and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions, such as Grammies and Billboard awards. As well as an artist, he is an actor, record producer, and television producer. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009. In 2005, Marc Anthony was awarded the double best-album Grammies Best Latin Pop Album for "Amar Sin Mentiras," and Best Salsa Album for "Valió la Pena." Marc also is a fashion designer and television producer.
     In 2013, Marc Anthony went back into the recording studio and produced "Vivir Mi Vida" with
Sergio George. It was #1 on the Billboard, iTunes, and on the radio on a national level. He was nominated many many times for the Grammies. Marc Anthony won six Grammies in total. He is overall a great person, we recommend his songs!

 By Julia and Paula

Pitbull

     Pitbull (Armando Christian Pérez) is a Latin Grammy-winning American Rapper from Miami, Florida. He was born to Cuban expatriates. Spanish was his first language and he grew up only speaking Spanish. Most of his songs incorporate Latin influences and a lot of the time he raps in Spanish. He is very well known and has released seven albums and one EP so far. One of our favorite songs from him is "Bon Bon (We No Speak Americano)."
     The song "Bon Bon" is a very upbeat and rhythmic dance song in Pitbull's fifth studio album, Armando. It comes in both an English and a Spanish version. The song gives a little snippet of the Yolanda Be Cool hit "We Speak No Americano." It is an old song released in 2010, but this is our favorite Pitbull song because of its fun tune and fast beat.

Download this snazzy hit at https://itunes.apple.com/de/album/bon-bon-single/id436377331
To learn more about Pitbull go to http://www.pitbullmusic.com/us/fireball


By:  Chloe and Amelia

Don Omar

This is a piece about the spanish pop artist, Don Omar. His real name is William Omar Landrón Rivera.  He was raised in Santurce, a barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico. From an early age, Don Omar showed an interest in music, but he never actually followed it. Eventually, after he spent some time in the church, he decided to dedicate himself to singing. 

Don Omar has been active from 1999 to the present. His song, “Danza Kuduro”, which was released in August 2010, is one of his most popular singles. It features the French rapper, Lucenzo, who is of Portuguese origin. This song reached the top of Billboard Latin Songs, and it became his second number-one single on the chart. The music video for “Danza Kuduro” was directed by a collaborator of Don Omar named Carlos Pérez. It was released in July of 2010 through Don Omar’s Facebook account. On Youtube, the video has had 596,230,470 views and 832,380 likes. Don Omar has released many other songs in download and video formats.  I enjoy his music and I would recommend it. 

Don Omar Official Website: http://www.universalmusica.com/donomar/

By: Sarah M.

Jennifer Lopez "Qué Hiciste"

by Ally and Bea

Jennifer Lopez is a singer, actress, and dancer. She was born in 1969 in the Bronx, New York. At age five, she started music and dance lessons. After her lessons, she started her career on Spanish dance shows. She has two sisters, and she is the middle child. Jennifer is a multi-talented superstar: she was a judge on American a Idol, has acted in many movies and has produced many songs in Spanish and English.  She is considered as one of the most influential women in Latin culture. She has had many love interests, and most have not worked out very well. She had her twins with the famous Latin American singer Marc Anthony in 2000 when they were married.  A couple of years later, they split. Now, Jennifer is single, and focusing on her career. 

The song we chose to write about is called Que Hiciste, in English it means What Did You Do. The song was her first well-known Spanish song, and the genre is Latin Rock. The song is about a lover of hers not being committed to their relationship. She explains that she was faithful and he never was. "Que Hiciste" is a very emotional song, but very good and catchy, I would recommend listening to it if you are in a fun mood!

The Gipsy Kings

By Kristin W.

If you like passionate and classic Spanish music then check out the Gypsy Kings. Their music has a rhythmic rumba and flamenco style that will make you want to get up and dance. They attract audiences worldwide and even conducted a Spanish version of "You've Got a Friend In Me" for the all-time family movie, Toy Story 3.

The Gipsy Kings, originally called Los Reyes is a Spanish singing and performing group originating in the south of France. Although all the group members were born in France, their parents were mostly gitanos, a Spanish gypsy people, who fled Catalonia in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War.

Follow this link to listen to "Un Amor" by the Gipsy Kings 

Shakira

          Shakira is a Colombian singer/songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. She was born in Barrenquilla in Northern Columbia. She released her first studio item in the 1990s, but became famous in Latin America with her third studio album, Pies Descalzos, and her fourth album, Dónde Están Los Ladrones. Shakira later entered the English market with her fifth album, ans its lead single was "Whenever, Wherever."

     Personally, our favorite song by Shakira is "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Haitian rapper, Wyclef Jean (full Spanish version). It was released on February 28, 2006. "Hips Don't Lie" is a fast tempo song which makes it great for a party or any function you may have. It never fails to put smiles on our faces and it makes us happy inside. It's a "feel-good" type of song. It just makes you want to get up and dance! This song has African, Latin, and Carribean dance rhythms. It's super catchy and a great tune even if you don't know any Spanish.


To learn more about Shakira go to http://www.shakira.com/home
By: Amelia and Chloe

Maître Gims by Sarah Mc. & Kristin W.

 












This is a blog by your everyday students. We hope you enjoy this short interesting biography on a dazzling French rapper.

Gandhi Djuna, known as Maître Gims, was born on May 6, 1986 and is a spunky French rapper. He was part of the rap group Sexion d'Assaut but is currently developing a solo career with a major album, Subliminal. He founded his own record label, MMC or Monstre Marin Corporation. Recording his first track with Sexion d'Assaut "Coup 2 Pression", he worked with JR in the Prototype 3015 on a duo project. Along the way, he decided to change his name to Maître Gims. He worked on a number of independent releases, and his own mixtape, La Terre du Milieu ("Middle-Earth"). Maître continued to record tracks with Sexion d'Assaut. He became a well-known French freestyler. In 2007, he worked as producer, writing his own instrumental pieces. He released his maxi Pour ceux qui dorment les yeux ouverts("For those who sleep with open eyes") that year.

His latest release with 128,217,230 views on YouTube is "Bella". For a slower more mellow video, we recommend you listen to "Zombie". It is a fantastic hit, with strong lyrics and a passionate theme of Maître's life. Follow this link to listen.

By: Sarah M. and Kristin W.

Un Chanteur Charmant: Grégoire

By Quinn M.

I want to introduce you to an artist I have been listening to for years now. Grégoire’s music is definitely worth checking out. In December of 2007, Grégoire signed a contract with an online music company, My Major Company (MMC). This crowdfunding website lets artists upload their projects then subscribers can choose to help pay for the production of the projects they like; Grégoire’s first album was produced by 347 subscribers. In 2008, this French music artist invited the world to “entrez dans la danse” with his hit single, Toi Plus Moi. Grégoire’s success was a fantastic victory for MMC; he was the first artist working with the small label company to breakthrough into mainstream French music. Toi Plus Moi flew to number one on the French Digital music charts and held the spot for six consecutive weeks. He is considered a French pop artist and has now released three full albums as well as multiple singles since 2008. His most popular songs have been Soleil (2011), Danse (2010), and Toi Plus Moi (2008), all three ending high up on the charts in both France and Belgium. In 2008 Grégoire was nominated at the NRJ Music Awards in the “French Revelation of the Year” category and then in 2009 for Best New Artist. Still working as a composer and singer-songwriter, his success in France, Belgium, and Switzerland has inspired Grégoire to continue his passion for music; his most recent song, Coup du Sort, was released January 16, 2014. Hope you enjoy his work as much as I do!

Grégoire’s Official Page - http://www.mymajorcompany-label.com/gregoire

Toi Plus Moi -

Soleil -

Danse -

Bailando by Enrique Iglesias

By Maya and Dot
Enrique Iglesias is a Latin pop artist who is the son of the famous singer Julio Iglesias. Enrique is originally from Madrid, Spain and started his career in the 90’s. Enrique is popular in many spanish-speaking countries including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Spain. His latest hit is a latin and dance pop song called “Bailando.” The song features Descemar Bueno and Gente de Zona. The song is most successful in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions. It tops the charts in Colombia and in the latin-based charts in the United States. Bailando has won two awards, the "My Favorite Lyrics" award in the Premios Juventúd and "Start-Party Song" in the Premios Tu Mundo Awards. The song Bailando was written by not only Enrique, but Descemar Bueno, Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martinez. The music video for Bailando has had over 300 million views on YouTube and it features a story of Enrique falling for a girl. The music video includes beautiful dancers and choreography and it makes you want to get up and dance!