Still, Miami remains a crucial bridge between several markets, hosting an unparalleled variety of sounds and talent, with key insights into the dif- ferent trends and audiences across Latin America. “If you want to be a producer, or work on the Latin industry’s business side, Miami’s your place,” says Hugo Avendaño BM ’19, A&R analyst and operations manager at Warner Chappell. And Latin-Anglo divid- ing lines are increasingly blurry: Bieber, Beyoncé, and Drake guesting in Latin hits, singing in Spanish; country artists joining regional Mexican acts; Bad Bunny headlining Coachella. But barriers endure. Zawadzki says that getting a top Latin producer sessions with Anglo artists was grueling. She feels “the general market pushes to be part of what’s trending, whether it’s Latin or Afrobeats . . . but there’s still no give-and-take.” Soon, Latin and Anglo music will be equally popular worldwide, and it’s not just because main- stream Latin keeps evolving through fusion, col- laborations, and experimentation (take Residente’s self-titled 2017 album as a master class of all three). Honestly: who’s heard salsa, merengue, bachata, tango—all taught on every continent for decades—or lots of other Latin genres, and not wanted to dance? Global adoption also continues, from Japan (among many, the Tokyo Cuban Boys, active since 1949) to Senegal (Orchestra Baobab). Multicultural places like Miami, well equipped to navigate all these varied landscapes, stand to benefit.
You’re in South Beach (the beach, mijo), where Alacran’s cozy vibes help Carlos work with Shakira. Meanwhile, Javier’s upstairs playing the güiro he keeps at Warner Chappell, avoiding the evening rush hour. Then he’ll rehearse with his Latin punk band. A friend texts you about a concert at Ark for Art—Nicolle performed there in April, actually. But first: dinner. Instagram says there’s a food truck event with arepas, sushi, ceviche, akra, kosher burgers, Korean-style wings, truffle croquetas . . . yes, please! Traffic’s insane (and Art Basel hasn’t even started). A speedboat in tow nearly hits you and several people fishing from a bridge—a Florida Man story, almost. Later, “Tu Recuerdo” plays on your speakers. You remember Tommy’s feeling rock for his next project. But he’s also feeling going back to Puerto Rico’s native music and instruments. At the event, a tropical Latin funk/electropop/ something else group is on stage; their conguero has mad skills. The street artists making pop-up pieces are also killing it. All help you deal with the long lines and the mugginess, as did the free warm colada shot earlier and the cold Tripping Animals IPA in your hand. Waiting for your friends, a thousand accents and languages and colors and outfits and beautiful people and smells and flavors and melodies hit you all at once, as if in sync.
Art Deco hotels on Miami Beach,
Florida. photo by alexander spatari
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