Four of Colombia’s hottest acts of today joined forces at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week for The Explosion of Colombian Pop Music panel on Tuesday (Oct. 15).
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In a panel presented by Imagen & Mercado and moderated by Alex Sensation, Luis Alfonso, Paola Jara, Pipe Bueno, and Yeison Jimenez talked about the rise of Colombia’s most exciting new music movement. Below, read everything you should know about the musical genre.
What Is Música Popular Colombiana?
“Outside our country, there is always confusion because popular music is of all genres except classical. In Colombia, it refers to heartbreak, lack of love, and it cuts veins. I dare say that it is the cousin of Mexican and ranchera music that began in the villages and bars, but little by little spread to the cities and the rest of the country.” — Paola Jara
Why Is It Exploding Now?
“The generational change. We’re adding more professionalism, more focus, more work. We have more resources too. We are in other leagues, in other times but with the same essence and gratitude for what the pioneers did. But today it’s another level. I was a fan of Pipe [Bueno], and I bought his music. Thanks to him, I decided to go for it. At that time, Pipe connected with the youth, and ultimately connected all of us, and from there came the new generation.” — Yieson Jimenez
Pioneer of the New Generation
“I grew up listening to popular music. I grew up loving this genre. When the time came to be a singer, popular music was the music that I felt in my blood and I was passionate about singing. When that dream began, popular music was the ugly duckling of genres, with little culture. At that time, many doors were knocked down for them to fall. This is due to the change in the genre in its exponents: how they dress, how they look … there is no longer a stereotype, and it became an aspirational genre.” — Pipe Bueno
What’s Needed for U.S. Explosion?
“A little more work, more noise. In Colombia there are tons of talents who come with a hunger to conquer the world and important musical material. We need more noise. For people to know about our music. Something I admire about reggaeton and urban music is that it is one of the biggest in the world because there is a lot of brotherhood between them. In Colombia that chip has already changed. There was a lot of ego, and today in popular music there is unity and strength. It is only necessary to light the match and for the bomb to go off.” — Luis Alfonso
