Music of Mexico
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The music of Mexico is diverse and features a wide range of different musical styles influenced mainly by Indigenous music . Many traditional Mexican songs are well-known worldwide, although most of the time their origin in Mexico is not so clear to the non-Mexican listener. "Bésame Mucho", "Cielito Lindo", "El Rey", La Bamba, "Maria Bonita" and many more are part of the Mexican culture and famous all over the world.
Music on the East Coast of Mexico was very influenced by Cuban music in the 20th century. The Son Jarocho and Son Huasteco where influenced by the Son Cubano. Cha cha cha, Danzon, Mambo and Bolero grew importantly in Mexico, specially in Veracruz and Mexico City. Important song writers that influenced this were Perez Prado, Benny More and Agustin Lara.
Nowadays the most popular Mexican genre is ranchera, interpreted by a band of mariachis. Examples include the work of Cuco Sanchez, Chavela Vargas and Vicente Fernández. Mariachi music remains Mexico's national song.
Another important music style is the traditional "norteño," or Northern tunes, which has been the basis for such variations as banda music. These styles are popular in many regions of Mexico. Norteño, similar to Tejano music, arose in the 1830s and 40s in the Rio Grande region, south of Texas. Influenced by Bohemian immigrant miners, its rhythm was derived from the European polka dance popular during the 1800s. Banda, similar to norteño in musical form, originated from the Mexico state of Sinaloa during the 1960s.
There are other new styles such as cumbia, pop, and rock music.
In the late 60's, the Mexican rock movement began, rapidly becoming popular, and peaking in the 80's and 90's with authentic sounds and styles, often blending traditional instruments and stories in the lyrics. Mexican and Latin Rock remain very popular in Mexico, even more than rock in other languages. Other Mexican variations in music from other regions include Cumbia, pop, hip-hop, and rock, which are heavily influenced by music from Latin America and Europe, and are increasingly becoming popular among Mexican youths.
Mexico's stronghold on the music market in Latin America is long established. The Mexican music market catapults small artists to the United States Spanish and non-Spanish speaking public. Such was the case with Julio Iglesias, Paulina Rubio, Ricky Martin and Shakira, the last of whom arrived in Mexico on 1994, released a second album there and started a successful career in the United States after that. According to the America Top 100, Mexico had over 90 hits in Latin America during 2006, almost a third more than its closest competitor, the United States.
Contemporary genres
Today, there are many popular modern Mexican musical genres. Widely popular country music includes norteño, banda, and duranguense bands, which play rancheras, corridos, as well as cumbia. Rock en Español, hip-hop, and electronic music are other modern genres popular among Mexicans with a wide variety of Mexican artists.
