Word: martins
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Martin's house-wrecking performance may be a turning point not just for him but for all Latin pop in 1999. That's the hope, anyway, of a handful of U.S. record executives who are betting big that a pack of new Latin music stars can cross over and tap the vast English-speaking market. "I have no crystal ball, but my gut tells me that Latin music can be the next big reservoir of talent for mainstream superstars," says Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola, whose company is spending millions hiring market-savvy producers like Puff Daddy and David Foster...
Although Gloria Estefan crossed over in the late '80s, Latin pop remains foreign to most American listeners. Between now and August, Sony hopes to change that with four major releases--English-language debuts by Puerto Rican-born Martin, East Harlem salsa and stage star Marc Anthony, Bronx native and Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez and the Colombian vocal powerhouse Shakira...
Mottola has the wind at his back. Culturally and demographically, the Latin presence in the U.S. is being felt now as never before. Top-40 radio stations in New York City and Miami are increasingly eager to play Martin along with Tupac and Lauryn Hill, not to mention the unavoidable 1995 hit Macarena. What's more, Latin-genre record sales grew a healthy 21% last year. "Lots of different cultures are accepting Latin music," says Julio Vergara, program director of wskq, New York's top Spanish-language radio station...
...Martin will shore up his gains with a new CD in May. Still glowing from his Grammy-night coup, he bubbled, "To see Will Smith doing the jiggy with my song! It's overwhelming." His current album, the throbbing Vuelve, catapulted back onto the pop charts this week...
Sources: Nielsen Media Research, AP, Advertising Age, St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster