Noche de Luz by Alejandro Sanz

Alejandro Sanz born Alejandro Sanchez Pizarro on December 18, 1968 in Spain, is a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Sanz has won fifteen Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He has experimented with rock, salsa, and hip hop. Noche de Luz is a little-known song that is still very intimate to listen to while enjoying in the holidays. Happy holidays!
By paula

"Oh Ven, Oh Ven Emanuel" by Jaci Velasquez

"Oh Ven, Oh Ven Emanuel" by Jaci Velasquez is from the spanish version of her Christmas album released in 2001. The album includes covers of all the classic English language Christmas tunes like "The First Noel", "White Christmas", "It Wouldn't Be Christmas", and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". The album also includes three original tracks including "The Angel Song". The album is "beautifully orchestrated with touches of traditional Christmas-style jazz and contemporary pop". Oh Ven Oh Ven Emanuel is my favorite Christmas song. Jaci Velasquez makes the song joyful and a perfect song for the holidays!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Burrito de Belen by Juanes

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez also known as Juanes sings a cover of the well-known Christmas song "Burrito de Belen". Juanes is a Columbian musican who has sold around 15 million albums worldwide. Juanes sang this song in 2006, in one of his holiday albums. The original "Burrito de Belen" was written by Jameson Genest. This holiday song is very commonly sung by many different famous Latin American musicians. So, for the holiday season listen to this song to feel cultural while having an amazing Christmas!!

Blanca Navidad by Luis Miguel

Feliz Navidad todos! Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Puerto Rican artist. He was born on April 19, 1970. He is a Latin American icon, he is often referred to as El Sol de Mexico (the sun of Mexico). He is one of the most successful artists in Latin American history, and has preformed in a wide variety of musical styles.One example is his version of Blanca Navidad
By Julia

Blanca Navidad

Andrea Bocelli is a blind Italian tenor and singer-songwriter. He has 14 solo albums which were all very succesful. He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and has won over 30 awards. He has been featured in the Guinness Book of World Record for having three of his albums be in the first, second and third spot of the US Classical Album charts. In 2006, Bocelli was named a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He is extremely popular all around the world and even performed at Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's wedding! When getting in the Christmas spirit, make sure to listen to Andrea Bocelli's Christmas album, "Mi Navidad", which contains many Spanish and Italian versions of famous Christmas Carols. My favorite song on the album is his spin on "White Christmas" called "Blanca Navidad". It's a graceful and timeless song that makes the Christmas spirit present everytime you listen to it. I wish all of you a Merry a Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Click Here to Go to Bocelli's Site

Here's a link to a video!

Feliz Navidad

"Feliz Navidad" was written in 1970 by Jose Feliciano. He is a Puerto Rican singer. It has a simple Spanish chorus "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad" meaning "Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness. It is half in Spanish and half English. It has been translated in many languages and is probably one of the most famous Spanish Christmas songs in America and throughout the world.
Musicas and Musiques want to wish you a merry christmas and good health in the coming new year. Tune in for more blog posts coming in 2015!

Chimene Badi

Chimene Badi was born on October 30th of 1982 in Melun, in the Paris suburbs. She later spent her entire childhood living in France. In 2002, she signed up for an audition for the reality TV talent show "Pop Stars”. Chimène actually failed to make it through to the final where winners were put together to form a group. But ultimately, she showed the desire to pursue her art by launching a solo career rather than share the stage with a band. Fortunately for Chimène, Valéry Zeitoun, a member of the jury and, at that time, the director of French label AZ, was blown away by her performance. She is now a very well-known artist in France.

Abyale

 

     Abyale is a Franco-African dance music singer who grew up between Europe and the United States. The peak of her career was in the 1990s when she released her songs "I Don't Talk about Love" (#28 on the French SNEP Singles Chart) and "I Wanna Be Your Lover Too." She was a member of "Les Reines de Saba," a vocal quartet, and decided to pursue music since then. Universal Music considered her as "one of the new divas of the dance new soul." Some of her albums were Nightbuzz, A Shade of Blue, Soul Train. She is truly a great and experienced artist.

Listen to "I Wanna Be Your Lover Too" :

Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado was born December 2, 1978 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She is a 35-year-old singer and songwriter. Nelly Furtado is one of the most well-known bilingual artist. Nelly has released several albums in Spanish and English and has sold 20 million albums worldwide. She plays many instruments such as piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, and trombone. She had a daughter, Nevis Chetan, with her boyfriend, Jasper Gahunia.

"Más" deals with the dynamic of a problematic relationship, that slowly begins to fade. The singer wants to feel alive and be loved.

Artist Website

J. Balvin

6 AM, is a song by J. Balvin featuring Farruko. It was released October 15, 2013 and it tops the charts in Hip Hop and reggae. It is the fourth single from his debut album La Familia.The song is nominated for Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song at the 15th Latin Grammy Awards. J. Balvin goes by J. Balvin but his real name is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín. He was born on May 7, 1985 in Medellin, Columbia. He became interested in rap at a young age from the influence of Columbian music. He is often featured in the Spanish versions of American music such as the Spanglish version of "The Way" by Ariana Grande. Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado is featured in the song "6am" better known as Farruko. Farruko started his career at 16 years old with the help of myspace as his fan base. The song "6am" is a really fun song and makes you
want to stand up and sing along!


Artist's website

Adila Sedraïa- Indila

Adila Sedraïa is a French-born R&B singer and songwriter. She is also known as Indila, which is her stage name. Adila is married to record producer and songwriter named Pascal Koeu who is also known as DJ Skalp. Adila is 30 years old, and is very successful for her young age. Her biggest song is called the Last Dance, and it has around 45 million views on YouTube. She is known to keep her personal life private, so not much is known about her. The Last Dance also known in Spanish as Dernière Danse is about the pain of fighting with her love, and how dancing helps her forget about the fighting. This song is very touching and sad, but Indila's voice is beautiful, and the song is really good.

Indila's Official Website

David Guetta

Pierre David Guetta was born on November 7, 1967 in Paris, France. Currently 47 years old. He is better known by his stage name David Guetta, he is a and producer of electronic music. Originally he started as a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, later he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, J"ust a Little More Love", in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster in 2004 and Pop Life in 2007. David Guetta has sold over six million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. In 2011 Guetta was voted as the #1 DJ in the 'DJ Mag Top 100 DJs' fan poll. Which is a huge accomplishment for a DJ, he has been very successful throughout his career and he's a great DJ, he works with a wide varity of artists from all around the world and I highly recommend you to listen to his songs!

By Julia 

Shy'm

Tamara Marthe, better known as Shy'm, is a French singer and considered one of the most successful French singers of the 21st century. Shy'm's musical style is a mix of pop and R&B. Her first album, realeased in 2006, Mes fantaisies, has a prominent R&B sound, with pop, soul, and hip hop influences. Her second album, Reflets, has a pop and R&B sound, but also has dance-pop influences. Her third album, Prendre l'air, as well as her fourth album, Caméléon, move towards a more synthpop-inspired sound.
       
Shy'm has many songs. But one song in particular that we really enjoy is "Et Alors!" The song was realeased in 2012, but remains very popular. "Et Alors" translates to "So what" in English and the song is very much about that. Shy'm sings about how she is different and original. She talks about how people shouldn't copy others, but to just be themselves. She goes on about how she doesn't care what others think, which we believe is a message meant for everybody to hear.

To learn more about Shy’m visit her website: http://www.shymofficiel.com

By Maya Y and Amelia B

Campo

Campo self define as "subtropical music" which has influences in neighborhood sounds from Argentina and Uruguay, British indie pop, electro, rock, and tango. They seamlessly blend songs in English with songs written primarily or entirely in Spanish. Their music has many layers that hint to the genres and sounds that have influenced them and made their music so diverse. Some songs have a more EDM-esque feel while others feel like just another pop song. Their lyrics are somewhat uncomplicated and don't seem meaningful at first listen. Their current album (link posted below) definitely deserves a listen. It is called " Remixes & Rarezas" and shows their mastery of blending previously uninvolved genres. Campodonico, the frontman of the band who was previously involved with the band Bajofondo, says, “It’s not a second album of new material but more of an extension of the previous album." They are truly a musical feat that cannot be overlooked and I hope you are able to listen and enjoy them as much as I have.
Official band tumblr: http://campomusic.tumblr.com

Chayanne

"Humanos a Marte" is a Latin Pop Song by Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known by his stage name Chayanne. He is a solo artist who has released 21 albums and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. In the late 70's, he auditioned for the Puerto Rican boy band called "Menudo". He did not make it because he was too young, but then joined the boy band Los Chicos. In 1984, Los Chicos split and Chayanne became a solo artist. One of his most recent songs, "Humanos a Marte", released on April 21st, 2014 is the lead single for his upcoming 15th studio album with Sony Music Latin. The song was written by Chayanne himself, as well as Ferdenando Montesinos. The song title means "Humans to Mars". Humanos a Marte is about how he will continue to love this girl even if she doesn't want the same things. He will always search for her no matter where she is, in the
 world and beyond.

 Chayanne's Official Site

Françoise Hardy

     Françoise Hardy is a 70-year-old French singer and actress. She grew up in the 9th arrondissement of Paris with her younger sister Michèle. Her interest in music started when her father bought her a guitar for passing her Baccalauréat (the French high school diploma). Her career started at only age 18. Françoise is married to Jacques Dutronc and is the mother of Thomas Dutronc. She is a very popular figure in music and fashion. Some of her most famous songs are "Tous les Garçons et les Filles", "Le Temps de l'Amour", and "Le Premier Bonheur de Jour." "Le Temps de l'Amour" was even featured in the movie Moonrise Kingdom. This brought a new generation of fans and listeners to her music. Françoise Hardy an inspiring artist and is extremely talented. There are 30 years of her music for you to explore!

More about Françoise: http://www.francoise-hardy.com

Check out her song "Le temps de l'amour":

By Chloe

Amaia Montero Saldìas by Ally A

Amaia Montero Saldías was born August 26th 1976 in the Basque Country, Spain. She was the original vocalist of the Spanish band, La Oreja de Van Gogh in the years 1996-2007. Amaia is a singer and songwriter who sings in many languages including Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Basque, French and English. Amaia writes all of her music herself, and has had many very successful albums and singles with and without her band. She has sold over seven million albums worldwide.
Palabras by Amaia Montero is one of her lead singles from her solo alblum called "Si dios quiere yo tambien". The song is about Amaia loving a man so much it kills her. Then, he leaves her and she is very upset and does not want to keep living. Overall, Amaia Montero is a very successful artist who is very active internationally to this day.

Ricky Martin

Enrique Martín Morales, more commonly known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican pop musician, actor and author. He was born on December 24, 1971, and at the age of twelve he began his career with the all-boy pop group, Menudo. After five years with the group, Ricky released several Spanish-language solo albums throughout the 1990s. In 1999, after he had released multiple Spanish albums, he performed “The Cup of Life” at the 41st Grammy Awards show, and this became a catalyst in bringing Latin pop to the U.S. music scene. Ricky then released “Livin’ la Vida Loca” which helped him obtain his enormous success worldwide. This song is seen as the song that started the Latin pop explosion of 1999. It made the transition for other Spanish-speaking artists easier to move into the English-speaking market. The song has sold over 8 million copies since its release, making it one of the best selling singles of all time. Ricky Martin’s first English album has sold over 22 million copies and is one of the best selling albums of all time.

By: Sarah M. and Kristin W.

http://www.rickymartinmusic.com/

Rubén Gonzalez

If you feel like listening to rhythmic and passionate piano playing, check out Rubén González. 

Rubén González Fontanills, born May 26, 1919 in Santa Clara, Cuba and died December 8, 2003 in La Habana, Cuba was a talented and fantastic pianist. He was a member of several music groups in the 1940s and 1950s. He was most notably interacting with Arsenio Rodríguez and Enrique Jorrín. Rubén's career resumed after a period of retirement in 1996, with the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Buena Vista Social Club and Estrellas de Areito, along with solo recordings that received much recognition for his beautiful talent. His genre mostly consists of Afro-Cuban, Cuban Traditions, Cuban Jazz, Latin Jazz, Son, Rumba, Mambo, and Cha Cha Cha. He actively played the piano and carried on with his career until he was 82 years old. 

 

Growing up, he desired to become a doctor and studied medicine, practicing music as a hobby. He learned to play the piano at the music high school of Cienfuegos. Further on in his life, he decided to abandon his medical studies and pursue a music carer. He felt that music was in his blood and was encouraged by all around him to play the piano and show his raw talent. He will forever be remembered for his subliminal and cultural contribution to the music world. 

  

By: Sarah Mc. and Kristin W.

  

Wisin y Yandel

Wisin & Yandel are a duo from Puerto Rico. The singers are Juan Luis Morera Luna (Wisin) and Llandel Veguilla Malavé (Yandel). They started their career in 1998 and have been together since then. They have been winning several awards during that time. They started their own label under the name of WY Records. After the success of Pa'l Mundo, Wisin & Yandel released Los Vaqueros in 2006, which featured appearances by WY Records artists like Franco "El Gorila", Tony Dize, and Yomille Omar, as well as guest artists like Don Omar and Hector el Father. The album peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums and was certified gold by RIAA. That allowed them to get many awards. Overall, this duo is great and if you're into reggaeton, then I definitely recommend them.

By Julia

Paulina Rubio

Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes is a Mexican singer, actress, television music competition judge, hostess, model and businesswomen. Her music varies from genres of Latin pop, pop, dance, pop rock, electro pop, and R&B. Born on June 17th of 1971, in Mexico City, Paulina Rubio made her debut album in 1992 with the label EMI Music. Her contract with them continued until 1996 when she left them to pursue her career further without them. She created new albums every year having 13 in total, being called "one of the most influential Latin celebrities in the world" and "internationally as one of the most successful Mexican super stars in the world". She won many awards for her music. In conclusion, if you have heard negative things about her through the media, I recommend you listen to one more song and hopefully that will change your mind about her.

Julio Iglesias

Julio Iglesias is a Spanish singer and songwriter born on September 23, 1943 in Madrid. According to music industry sources, he is considered the best selling Latin music artist in history and one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He started his musical career later in life.  In his early adult years, he was a professional soccer player and played as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid Castilla. His soccer career ended when he was in a serious car accident and couldn't walk for 2 years.  When he was in the hospital, a nurse gave him a guitar so that he would have something to do with his hands. In learning to play, he discovered his musical talent. He later signed a deal with Discos Columbia, the Spanish branch of the Columbia Records company. In 1979 he moved to Miami, Florida and signed a deal with CBS International, and started singing in different languages such as English, French, Portuguese, and German. He then released his album, De Niña a Mujer. In 1984 he released the hit album, 1100 Bel Air Place, which established him in the English speaking music industry. It sold over 3 million copies in the United States. In the 1990s he returned to his original spanish roots  and released the album Tango in 1996. In 2003, he released his album Divorcio.  In 2003 and 2004, he went on a ten-month world tour which took him from Europe to Asia and then on to North America, South America and Africa. In September 2006, he released Romantic Classics. This album was Iglesias's highest debut on the Billboard charts, it reached number 31 in the United States. In 2011, he launched a new album called Numero 1. Julio inglesias is an amazing artist who has sold more than 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and has released more than 80 albums.




Sources: Sony music entertainment
To learn more about Julio Inglecias go to http://www.julioiglesias.com

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!