Article 3TSAS 'We grow up breathing music': how Puerto Rico became a pop superpower

'We grow up breathing music': how Puerto Rico became a pop superpower

by
Iman Amrani
from World news | The Guardian on (#3TSAS)

Online streaming and the country's proximity to the US have led to the likes of Despacito topping the charts - and now the island's musicians are embracing politics

It sometimes feels as if there is no getting away from Despacito. At more than 5bn views, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's track is now the most streamed video of all time on YouTube. But there is plenty more where that came from: Puerto Ricans such as the Despacito duo were responsible for 27 of the top 100 most-viewed music videos on YouTube in 2017. Over on Spotify, four of the six most popular Latin artists are also Puerto Rican: Fonsi and Yankee again, plus Bad Bunny and Ozuna.

All this from an island of just three and a half million souls, plus the other five million Puerto Ricans who live in the US. How did they become such a colossal musical force?

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