Word: latinate
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Because Latin pop draws from different cultures, it also has the power to bring people together. "Latino people have a golden key in their hands, a common treasure," says Colombian-born pop-rocker Shakira, 22, who is working with Gloria Estefan to adapt her acclaimed 1998 Spanish-language CD Donde Estan los Ladrones? into English. "That treasure is fusion. The fusion of rhythms, the fusion of ideas. We Latinos are a race of fusion, and that is the music we make. And so at the dawn of a new millennium, when everything is said and done, what could possibly happen...
Look at Martin today, and you can tell he was a child star--he wears the spotlight like ordinary folks wear house slippers. Indeed, Martin got started early: at 12 he auditioned to join Menudo, a Latin singing group comprised of boys ages 12 to 16 whose roster rotated when members grew too old. Martin was rejected on his first try because he was too small and too young-looking. Martin tried out again. Rejected again. On the third try, he made it. It was an early sign: what Martin lacked in talent he made up for in pure doggedness...
...caught up in Menudo's vida loca. He visited Italy, Japan, Guam and Spain before he was old enough to shave. During one stretch, he and his young bandmates played for a month in Brazil (singing in Portuguese), then flew to the Philippines (singing in English) before returning to Latin America for a series of shows in Spanish. Life became a blur...
After finally leaving the group at age 17, Martin embarked on a commercially successful Spanish-language solo career. He was signed by Sony, which early on saw a future in Latin pop (Anthony, Lopez and Shakira are all on various Sony labels). Says Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola: "The heart and soul of the music will be able to break down barriers easily. It's undeniable...
...timing--and we're trying to be humble about this too--was perfect. Spanish-language radio is booming, and it has proven to be a terrific launching pad for Latin crossover artists. Today Spanish-language FM stations are top rated in New York City and Los Angeles. "Music has a stronger connection with Hispanics than with other groups," says Cary Davis, general manager for New York City's La Mega 97.9. "In a sense you have a double hit with Hispanics: it's good music, but it also takes you back to your culture...