The "Latin Explosion" seemed to happen overnight. It was like a sizzling heat wave of exciting new sounds that swept across America last summer. But Latin music has actually been around for years! Carlos Santana and Gloria Estefen were ground-breaking Latin performers in the seventies and eighties. They gave way to a crop of new artists, and reinvented their own careers. Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Marc Anthony all came on the scene last summer, hence the "Latin explosion."

The Sixties - Santana

The Latin explosion truly began in the late sixties, when brilliant rock guitarist Carlos Santana gave a rip-roaring performance at Woodstock in 1969. He's been creating Latin music on his guitar for over thirty years.

Recently, Santana's career has been riding high on the new Latin explosion. His sultry new CD, "Supernatural" is nothing short of amazing. His hit single, "Smooth", skyrocketed to the top of charts, where it remained for months. Santana has also been nominated for ten Grammy Awards, the most ever in his career. It's like Santana has been reborn.

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefen began singing spicy Latin-pop with the Miami Sound Machine in the eighties. She has remained very popular for years, with that same brand of catchy music. Last year she recorded the saucy, upbeat album, "Gloria!."
Hear Heaven's What I Feel

Ricky Martin & Marc Anthony

Ricky Martin (see feature story on him) and Marc Anthony have been singing in Spanish for years. This year they made crossed-over albums, singing in English. In fact, Ricky was popular all over the world before taking America by storm.

Ricky, as a boy, sung with the group, Menudo. When he outgrew Meudo, he recorded many other successful Spanish albums, and performed huge concerts around the world. His fantastic career in the US took off with his sizzling performance at an otherwise dull telecast of the 1998 Grammy Awards (where he also picked up a Grammy for his Spanish album, "Vuelve."). His cross-over, self-titled album, sold millions. His explosive hit, "Livin' La Vida Loca," was on the charts for weeks.

Among being a gifted performer, he's the sexiest man since Elvis with his killer hip-swivel. He makes young girls and even their mothers swoon. Ever since Ricky hit America, we've been livin' la vida loca.

Marc Anthony, another Latin crossover, made the hit single, "I Need to Know." He also sung the Spanish duet, "No Me Ames" with Latin newcomer, Jennifer Lopez.

Lopez made a splash in the music scene with her Latin-kissed debut album, "On the 6." She also made the chart-topping  single, "If You Had My Love." Lopez is a dynamo, who can dance a mean salsa. She is truly a diva of song and dance.

Don't Fight the Urge

So when you feel the urge to dance or sing along with the Latin rhythm, don't fight it! It's hot numbers and smooth Spanish guitar ballads are always a rewarding listen!

also see:

Fresh Air Skincare
The Dirt on Clear Skin
Plus: 4 fun and free homemade facial mask recipes
by Joanne Spataro
Learn more about your skin in this skin care story that gives you the "dirt" on clear skin in a funny story with some practical recipes to improve your skin. Find out more.

Rants & Raves:
Where's the Girl Power in Girl Magazines?
by Joanne Spataro

The contemporary girl-driven publications are extremely popular, displayed on newsstands just about everywhere. But the magazines' description of the young woman is shameful. Fresh Air, is a new, diverse on-line magazine for pre-teens and teens. I've created a place that takes girls seriously, with teen health, new fashion tips, movie reviews, a column devoted to answering your questions, and fictional stories every week. Find out more.

Click here to get our FREE weekly newsletter & join our Teen discussion group and more

FreshAir TeenZine presents...
Latin Sensation
Ricky Martin - "He Bangs"
hosted by Joanne Spataro

Last year, we were "Livin’ La Vida Loca" for Ricky Martin. This year, Ricky still "bangs." The Latin pop sensation has the whole world talking again. His new song, "She Bangs," will blow your mind! Ricky is still experimenting with new cultural sounds. He’s infused lots of percussion, catchy rhythms, and sex appeal, into his new Latin-flavored songs. Find out more on this celebrity profile of Ricky Martin with pictures and FREE downloadable clips.

Hear the cuts

• Smooth
• Heaven's What I Feel
• "I Need to Know
• No Me Ames
• If You Had My Love

Meet the Musicians
The Wilkinsons
hosted by Joanne Spataro
interview & photos
The Wilkinsons’ new hit single, "Jimmy’s Got a Girlfriend," will make you smile until the very last note. The rest of their new album is a winner, filled with a truck load of catchy tunes that everyone will enjoy. Here and Now, their sophomore CD, is a real milestone for the family act. The talented musical trio includes brother and sister Tyler (16) and Amanda (18), and proud dad, Steven. In this interview, we get to meet Tyler and Amanda as we get some backstage gossip on the shooting of their video and a lot more.

Ricky Martin


Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin's self-titled first English-language album is a triumph of an omnivorous world-pop sensibility--but more important is that at its best, it's a real kick. The first single, "Livin' la Vida Loca," employs a revved-up ska tempo to praise a girl whose "lips are devil red [and] skin's the color of mocha."

Supernatural
by Santana

The Arista debut of Carlos Santana and band gives fans of the soulful guitar vet two albums in one, but it's a decidedly good-news, bad-news proposition. First, there's a fine collection of late-'90s-model Santana--tastefully tooled songs driven by Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms ("[Da Le] Taleo," "Africa Bamba," "Migra," "Primavera," and the emotionally charged instrumental "El Farol") that allow Carlos plenty of elbowroom for his passionate soloing. Then there's the collection of tracks featuring a lineup of de rigueur alternative and hip-hop stars, including Dave Matthews, Everlast, Rob Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Eagle Eye Cherry. To their credit, Matthews ("Love of My Life") and Eagle Eye Cherry ("Wishing It Was") muster enough chemistry to make the fusion work. But the rest of the collaborations feel like an unnecessary stretch to reach out to a younger demographic that El Jefe has little trouble attracting on his own terms.