16 January 29 - February 4, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Latin Listening If you’re excited for Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl LX halftime show, you might want to queue up these pop-reggaeton superstars and local favorites alike. BY BAYLIE VIKE F ollowing his massive 2025 (19.8 billion streams-massive), Bad Bunny is kicking 2026 off in an equally big way: performing on one of the biggest stages in the nation. With his Super Bowl LX halftime show, the Puerto Rican musician will make history as the first Latin male artist to take on the highly coveted slot and also the first artist to perform entirely in Spanish for the event. Latin music is not one-size-fits-all, how- ever. For U.S. audiences to generalize Latin music as a niche, regional genre would be uninformed at best. Reggaeton, for example, has evolved over the past 25 years. The crossover reggaeton of the early 2000s from artists like Pitbull and Daddy Yankee doesn’t sound quite like Bad Bunny or Karol G, and additionally, neither of them makes the only sound of modern Latin music. Central and South America are similarly full of distinct and moving musical traditions such as cumbia, salsa, bachata and tango. Latin artists also don’t abide by the confines of what the average listener would expect to be deemed “Latin music.” Artists such as The Marías, Natalia Lafourcade and Dallas’ very own Luna Luna subvert that notion. As the Super Bowl approaches, and we are exposed to more xenophobia than usual, do your best to ignore the commenters who “do not want to hear one word of Spanish” and believe that football is a distinctly “American” sport. We’ll take anything we can to tune it out. Besides, we’re way more focused on the excitement of the fact that we’re going to get a free, televised concert from Spotify’s most globally streamed artist of 2025. So, if you’re looking forward to the big show and want to dive into other Latin art- ists, here are our picks for musicians to queue up in the meantime: Karol G Perhaps one of the most radically uplifting Latin artists of late is Karol G. Hailing from Co- lombia, she shares a similar Caribbean-reggae- ton sound with Bad Bunny. Her 2023 album, Mañana Será Bonito (or “Tomorrow Will be Beautiful”), is a celebration of both her road to fame and her Latin culture, featuring marimba and irresistible beats that will pound in your chest and transport you to the Caribbean coast and the hopefulness of infinite summertime. Rawayana If you have been following the recent events in Venezuela, you might be interested in dig- ging into Venezuelan band Rawayana. Fresh off winning the Grammy for Best Latin Rock/ Alternative Album last year, the band is in the midst of an apex of sorts. Its latest, which dropped earlier this month, is a boisterous rock-and-reggaeton fusion imbued with pas- sion and an ode to Latin culture. Start with “Inglés En Miami” and “Bienvenidos a La Tierra” — the latter a satirical welcome to aliens on Earth, poking fun at the current po- litical climate. It’s almost prophetic, consid- ering mere days after the release of the album, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was ousted by the U.S. government. Rafa Part emo, part Latino, Rafa’s music is a rich reflection of the blended, eclectic, sundry soundscapes of Latin music at large. Shades of reggaeton, alternative rock influence and breezy Spanish pop flow almost seamlessly across his English-Spanish discography. His 2022 release, HolaWorld, leans heavier on the catchy reggaeton similar to that of Bad Bunny’s take on the sound. Meanwhile, the Rockerfool EP buzzes with riffs that fans of the Strokes can appreciate. The best part? He’s from right here in North Texas. The Cayuga All-Stars The Cayuga All-Stars, based in Dallas and fronted by Cesar Vargas, play a fresh blend of cumbia and good old rock and roll — a fi- esta for the ears. Their 2024 album, El Ritmo de Barrio (or “The Rhythm of the Neighbor- hood”), is just that: a reflection of the unique musical sound Dallas doesn’t get enough shine for, which lands with a sense of multi- cultural influence and funky charisma to ig- nite the heart’s desire to dance. Nathy Paluso Five-time Latin Grammy winner Nathy Peluso of Argentina set the bar high following 2024’s Grasa, which is full of ambitious, sultry R&B and hip-hop. With an unapologetically Latin influence all her own, the album showcases rapid-fire lyrics set to catchy trap beats on songs like “Aprender a Amar” and “La Men- tira.” Songs like “Envidia,” meanwhile, slow things down and showcase her chops as a vo- calist, serenading us with the power of Eng- lish-language favorites like Adele. Luna Luna Indie-pop project Luna Luna got its start in Dallas with the release of For Lovers Only in 2018. The project is the brainchild of Colom- bian-American artist Kavvi, who has created a breezy, cerebral, indie synth-pop sound that transcends expectation. Songs to start with in- clude “Una Vez Más” and “Aferrado a Mi Ex,” the latter of which features poignant Spanish lyrics asking a lover for a second chance. Kavvi will be touring nationally in 2026, his first stop in Denton on March 20. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images | B-SIDES | t Music Bad Bunny headlined Coachella in 2023. The Stories Your Friends Are Sharing FOLLOW US
