Latin Music is Increasingly Popular Globally. Will it Finally Reach Australia in 2025?
Image credit: RC Films via Flickr
In 2022, the last time that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny dominated the global music charts, it appears that he did not receive any Australian commercial radio play, nor from Triple J - Australia’s government-funded youth and alternative radio station. Throughout his global breakout year in 2022, following the release of his album Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You), Latin music dominated the global, European, and US charts. By May 21, when the album first peaked on the Billboard 200 chart, Bad Bunny had 23 songs on both Spotify’s global and US (where Billboard is counted) top 100 charts. In the same week, he failed to crack Australia’s top 200 Spotify chart.
In fact, Bad Bunny has never featured on Australia’s ARIA charts - Australia’s main music sales tracker. Despite being Spotify’s most streamed artist from 2020-2023, it wasn’t until 2023 when Bad Bunny first received Triple J airtime, featuring on their weekly hit list in May with his single WHERE SHE GOES, conveniently one of his few songs with an English title.
Now, a new Bad Bunny era is upon us. His album Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), was released on January 5, 2025, and has taken the world by storm. At the time of writing, Bad Bunny had 16 songs and one feature in Spotify’s global top 50, along with 17 songs and one feature in the US’ top 50. He’s also the first artist to reach one billion streams in 2025, just 15 days into the year. Comparatively, in Australia’s top 50, he doesn’t feature once - nor do any Latin artists.
Tracklist for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Image available in public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Australia has long appeared disconnected from the global music scene. Smaller countries, physically distant from Latin America and with almost no Latin diaspora, such as Romania, see Latin artists chart regularly. Romania had two Bad Bunny songs in their Spotify top 50 at the time of writing.
Of course, every country’s streaming data and music trends will vary to reflect home-grown artists or music in the country’s language. However, what is clear is that music has become globalised. Not only are English language artists increasingly popular outside of the Anglosphere, but the last decade has seen the rise of Latin music globally, credited to the internet and streaming platforms.
2024 was the biggest year for music streaming yet, with global music streams surpassing one trillion faster than ever. In the US, Latin music saw the biggest streaming increase across all platforms in the first half of 2024 - a 15 per cent increase from the previous period.
In this new era of consumption, in which media from around the world is accessible through the internet, in which users from Korea to Kenya and beyond use the same platforms, there is much more space for cross-continental promotion. This, alongside the increased accessibility of translating services, language and other previous barriers have been broken down. For example: K-pop dominates in the US despite Korean not being among the top five most spoken languages in the country.
This is much like the situation of Spanish or Portuguese in Australia. The Latin diaspora, though having grown rapidly in the past five years, remains relatively small when compared to other developed nations. Yet much like K-pop, Latin music is everywhere online: from TikTok trending audios to Twitter fan bases to Boiler Room sets.
Colombian artist J Balvin. Image credit: Ralph Arvesen via Flickr
Why should Latin Artists Care about Australia?
While K-pop has found commercial success in Australia, with multiple groups having completed sold-out arena tours, Latin music is yet to find the same. However, one Latin artist who has cultivated a following in Australia is J Balvin. Hailing from Colombia, Balvin headlined Australia’s largest festival, Splendour in the Grass, in 2023, being the first Latin artist to do so. This was followed by two sold-out arena shows. He returned the following year with a similar tour in additional cities.
Balvin sets an example for other Latin artists looking to go global. He frequently collaborates with non-Spanish speaking artists, tours around the world, and works with international brands, all with the aim of promoting Colombia and Latin music on the world stage.
Balvin’s recent two Australian tours show that there is an audience and appetite for Latin music here, one that, with the appropriate support, can grow.
The Role of Promoters
In late 2024, I attended a J Quiles concert in Melbourne. Unlike Balvin’s show just three months earlier, Quiles played a significantly smaller venue, and even then failed to fill the room. Quiles, from Puerto Rico, is a notable name in today’s reggaeton and urban landscape, with billions of streams and several collaborations with other major Latin artists. Yet his name bears no weight amongst an Australian audience, his songs not played in clubs or on radio like Balvin’s. On top of this, the tour was scarcely promoted and announced with short notice for fans to buy tickets. Perhaps a local support act, or advertising through Australian platforms such as Triple J (as was done by Balvin’s promoters) could have changed this.
That’s where García, a Sydney-based Latin Music consultant, comes in. Australian-born to Peruvian parents, García established her namesake company García Entertainment in 2021. With a lifelong interest in music, she began her career in the industry with Warner Music Australia.
“[Warner Music Australia] worked predominantly in pushing African culture in Australia, and me being able to sit in those rooms where all the things are decided and the impact that they had on their communities, it was so inspiring,” she told me. “And I thought, okay, who's doing that for Latin music? I want to support them, I want to volunteer for them – whatever. And I waited and I looked and I couldn't find anyone. So I was like, it's up to me, I guess.”
Latin music consultant, García. Image credit: Oscar García
While Latin nightlife has long existed in Sydney, from Latin-themed venues to Salsa nights at RSL clubs, García is focused specifically on bringing artists from Latin America to tour here. However, the challenge isn’t finding artists to bring—it’s ensuring they understand that touring here is a long-term investment.
“I think the hardest thing for a Latin artist trying to make it here is just really understanding how we spend our time, how we spend our money, and what we're really trying to get out of our Latin artists here in Australia. I try to sort of be the bridge between those two worlds so that, you know… any of the big artists don’t go back to Latin America and go, ‘Oh, Australia didn't show up’. It's like, yeah, we literally couldn't afford to.”
García is certain that events supported by the diaspora and promoted as welcoming, fun spaces will organically attract an Australian audience. The Australian music scene has a role to play too.
“We [the Latin community] have finally been given permission to love our culture here, now we need people to showcase it. We need DJs to play it, we need collaborations between artists, we need to market artists outside of the top [Latin artists], and we can’t promise Latin artists the world before they get here - the artist needs to go back and promote our audience to the region.”
García and I agreed that there are many in Australia who would connect with today’s Latin hits, specifically with the political nature of Bad Bunny’s recent album, or with the aesthetics of Karol G, or with the eclectic sounds of lesser-known artists in the region. Additionally, there are many up-and-coming Latin artists based in Australia (check out this curated playlist from García here), who could help foster cross-cultural collaborations.
Salsa dancing at Elwood Beach, Victoria, 2023. Image credit: Alpha via Flickr
Why Should Australia Care?
It is undeniable that music is a major facet of culture. Like food, it unites people, can be shared with others, and knows no borders. While events such as tours are vital for the growth of the entertainment industry, music’s power transcends economic opportunities. As the Latin diaspora here continues to grow, music can play an important role in promoting culture and language, fostering social cohesion, and strengthening ties between Australia and Latin America.
2025 has just begun and Bad Bunny is dominating the charts, trending across social media, and promising a world tour to come. And he isn’t the only one. Latin artists are rapidly increasing their presence in the global charts and connecting with audiences around the world. The question is - will Australia get on board?
Thank you to García for contributing to this article. You can contact her here.
Author bio: Based in Melbourne, Australia, Hannah is the editor in chief of Latam Link. In 2023, she completed a Bachelor of International Relations while studying in Santiago, Chile. During her time in Chile, she developed a keen interest in the region and has since become an advocate for Australia - Latam relations.
Content Disclaimer
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Australia Latam Emerging Leaders Dialogue.