Bad Bunny, ‘Despacito’ and the End of English as Pop’s Global Currency: Manuel Abud on Latin Music’s Transformation

For many years, the conventional wisdom held that a Latin artist's path to global stardom required recording in English. However, Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, dismantled this outdated notion during his address at Taiwan's 2026 Golden Melody Festival. This annual conference, which precedes the prestigious Golden Melody Awards, convenes international music executives in Taipei to examine industry trends, innovation, and the evolving musical landscape. In a speech titled "The Rise of Latin Music: From Regional Niche to Global Force," Abud challenged a widespread misconception by emphasizing that Latin music is not a monolithic genre. He drew a parallel to Asian music, arguing both terms serve as broad categories encompassing diverse cultures, traditions, and sonic expressions. Today, Latin music—predominantly performed in Spanish and Portuguese—reaches an audience of nearly 900 million people worldwide and generates billions of dollars in streaming revenue, cementing its status as one of the fastest-growing segments of the global industry.

Following the event, Abud told Variety, "For decades, sounds and rhythms have been transcending borders. The evolution of Latin music from a regional genre to a dominant force on the global charts has been driven by milestones in various eras, including geopolitical history, propelling its growth as well as distribution technology such as downloading and streaming. Social media has also played a central role in accelerating Latin music's growth." He traced this evolution through three distinct phases. The first phase was anchored by timeless classics—such as Consuelo Velázquez's "Bésame Mucho" (1940), Dámaso Pérez Prado's "Mambo No. 5" (1949), Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz's Brazilian bossa nova and jazz fusion "The Girl from Ipanema" (1964), and the Mexican folk song "La Bamba." These tracks traveled the globe through countless covers and reinterpretations, familiarizing international audiences with Latin sounds long before crossover success became a deliberate commercial strategy. The second phase emerged with waves of immigration that brought Latin music into the American mainstream. Icons like Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, and Shakira became the standard-bearers of this era, but crucially, their biggest international hits were performed in English. The industry's prevailing logic was straightforward: English was the non-negotiable entry fee for global success. Abud specifically highlighted Ricky Martin's performance of "The Cup of Life" at the 1999 Grammys as the first major breakthrough for Latin music in the United States.

The third and most transformative phase began with the rise of streaming and social media—and a single, groundbreaking song. Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" in 2017, performed entirely in Spanish and rooted in Puerto Rican musical identity, proved that authenticity, not linguistic compromise, could drive global success. It fundamentally changed the rules of the game. Today, no artist better exemplifies this shift than Bad Bunny. From opening the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023 to winning Album of the Year in 2026 with a fully Spanish-language record and performing at the recent Super Bowl, his trajectory—celebrated by Abud as the clearest proof of Latin music's transformation—was decades in the making, even if it appears sudden from the outside. "Traditionally Latin music growth has been driven by the diaspora in markets like the U.S. with Puerto Ricans arriving in New York and Cubans to Miami. In recent times, streaming has opened growth in Europe," Abud noted. "At The Latin Recording Academy, we are pleased to see our creators at the top of global music charts; we feel this reflects the collaborative efforts over the last decades." Looking ahead, he believes collaboration will define the genre's next chapter. "Music is dynamic, and the landscape continues to change with the lines between genres becoming less defined as creators develop a fusion of sounds," he said. "As such, the next chapter of Latin music's international expansion will be marked by collaborations; we have seen that as a huge driver." Language, once seen as the greatest barrier to international reach, is no longer the obstacle it once was. What moves audiences now is honest storytelling, cross-cultural collaboration, and artistic authenticity. "For decades, the global music industry operated under a simple assumption: if you wanted to reach the world, you had to do it in English. Latin music and K-pop have challenged that assumption," Abud concluded. This shift mirrors broader trends in global pop culture, where audiences increasingly seek genuine cultural expressions over formulaic, language-driven products. As streaming platforms continue to democratize access, the success of artists like Bad Bunny signals a future where linguistic diversity is not a hurdle but a strength.