Pop culture in Latin America over the years: a deep dive

A quick scroll through social media reveals the popularity of certain trends, challenges… and Latin American songs. Artists like Anitta, Bad Bunny, J Balvin and others are headline names on our feeds, advertising, and marquees. It seems that Pop culture from Latin America has become a global phenomenon. Could it be that being Latino is a trend?

Yes and no. “Ahora todos quieren ser latino’… pero les falta sazón, batería y reggaeton” (“Now everyone wants to be Latino… but they lack seasoning, drums and reggaeton”) quips Bad Bunny in “El Apagón”, exemplifying an interesting global phenomenon: hyperculturality. This term refers to the fragmentation and pluralization of cultural expressions, which are universal, multi-diverse, adaptable and popular. And even so, LATAM has seasoning, drums and reggaeton.

In this article, we will examine the importance of this cultural development across the region, as well as mainstream Latin American culture.

Any discussion of pop culture in Latin America needs to address syncretism, realismo magico (magical realism) and the footprint of colonialism and multiculturalism in the region’s cultural DNA. Latin America’s socio-cultural manifestations are informed by an indigenous past, revolutions, resistance, nationalism and other upheavals typically associated with the expansion of European and American modernism and colonialism.

It is worth pointing out that the concept of pop culture is part of “ Modernity”, i.e. the sum of historical processes and cultural phenomena ranging from the Renaissance to modern times. New phenomena arise and are addressed by the social sciences, like postmodernity, but they all spring from the same root.

It’s safe to say that “Pop Culture” in Latin America encompasses cultural manifestations which have been taking place since 1820, from the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution to the present day. That doesn’t mean that cultural manifestations did not exist earlier than this. On the contrary, the likes of the Mesoamerican and Inca cultures were global centers of culture, as was Mesopotamia and others.

Any attempt to define this concept is complex, since it is influenced by several branches of the social sciences and arts, all of whom simultaneously contribute knowledge and limit their vision on account of their specific expertise.

That being said, they are all in agreement on certain qualities such as: mass exposure, high-speed production, and the ability to change according to socioeconomic context and geographical location.

We will define as “Pop culture” any mass cultural product with a direct impact on the consumption habits of the population – maintaining certain reservations regarding the socioeconomic contexts which have changed between 1820 and the present day.

The importance of these expressions lies in their value for the social and economic fields, especially in creative economies around the world. According to UNESCO, this sector contributed 3% of world GDP in 2021 – without counting all the other sectors in which the cultural processes of mass production have a direct and indirect influence, such as the production and export of raw materials.

Economies such as Brazil and Mexico are expected to see GDP increases of 1.5% and 4.0% respectively in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund, placing them on a par with advanced economies such as Italy, Japan and Canada, among others.

Compared with data for 2021, the GDP of economies in the LATAM zone and the Caribbean were projected to increase by 6.3%, higher than the USA (6.0%) and the Eurozone (5.0%)… all in the midst of a pandemic.

Returning to the contribution to creative economies,exoticism towards the LATAM region has now reached unprecedented levels. A glance at the guest lists for the MET Gala, the Grammys and Hollywood productions gives an idea of the relevance of LATAM artists in this massive cultural industry.

Trends and fashions in pop culture are a fundamental part of the development of the industry. The exoticism of LATAM cultures has become a tool in the expansion of Latin culture itself – which, in turn, can be used to diversify and reach the mainstream in one step.

Therefore, creative companies and organizations that are looking to grow and remain at the top of mind, and are interested in doing business in Latin America, need to know what is going on in the regional mainstream.

The mainstream directly affects local consumption habits, production systems and strategies for reaching the region, as well as other, closely-linked markets like the US.

The peculiarities of Latin American popular culture are informed by the history of the region, as well as the constant struggle between tradition and modernity – preserving the past with an eye on the future.

Perhaps one of the biggest attractions – as well as the strongest assets – that Latin American culture has to offer, are its customs and traditions, which are a direct reflection of the identity of each country, region, and population. These unique expressions are a mixture of an indigenous past and European colonization.

The syncretism of two or more worldviews can be fascinating in the eyes of other countries. A clear example of this is “The Day of the Dead”. While in the Spanish Catholic tradition, thinking about death is sad and solemn, for the pre-Hispanic peoples of central Mexico, death is worthy of celebration and seen as a complement to life.

Large corporations in the creative industries, such as Disney, have used these expressions for inspiration. The movie “Coco” was among the highest grossing of 2017, taking in 800 million dollars plus merchandise sales.

The cultural diversity of Latin America stems from the historical migratory processes across the territory. As we have seen, the diversity of indigenous cultures and colonizing cultures – such as the Spanish, Portuguese, Italians and English – as well as the cultures of immigrant populations such as the Chinese and Japanese, have combined to create an extremely diverse syncretism.

This means that the region’s output of cultural products is immense. Each one is different, and unique in its context. Indigenous-language films spoken that have reached movie theaters around the world, such as Colombia’s “Pájaros de Verano” which draws on the Wayúu history and language, are examples of the diversity of Latin America’s pop culture products.

After the previous conquests and refugee movements resulting from North American expansionism, a new phenomenon is taking place in Hollywood culture.

Currently, the US economy and its cultural products are the main references for the rest of the world. This is no different in Latin American countries, due to their proximity and trade relations with the US. The influence of American culture is clear in the region’s language, music, movies, and even in social networks.

In each country, foreign influences vary according to a combination of migratory patterns, wars and other geopolitical situations. One recent phenomenon is the influx of Korean cultural products, like K-pop, K-drama, and Idols culture, onto Latin America’s pop culture scene.

All of these aspects make the region’s cultural products truly unique. This multi-diverse territory repurposes all its influences to create a unique identity. And this same expression has positioned itself as a reference in the regional mainstream. A dialogue is opened, which respects history while bringing a new, multicultural identity into the world.