La Mala Rodriguez, a Spanish rapper has built a career out of playing the outsider in the male world of rap music, earning plenty of attention for her strong femininity and socially argumentative lyrics. Her Hip Hop is greatly influenced by flamenco music.

Young and beautiful, strong and sensitive, Julieta Venegas reaches more music listeners every day. “El Presente” is one of her most famous songs—here is its “unplugged” version.

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Fonseca is known for his letras pegajosas (sticky lyrical hooks) and happy rhythms. Fonseca became a sensation after attending Berklee School of Music in Boston—a move that he claims gave him the ability to stand out among his musical peers.

Orishas is the most famous Cuban band of recent years. They have achieved fame and glory all over Europe and Latin America. Even those who don’t understand their lyrics (sometimes hard enough even for Spanish speakers) can’t seem to keep their hips and shoulders still.

Chambao introduce themselves in this way: The sound of waves, smooth sand, friends and music, a “chambao” is not just a fleeting space set up on the seashore with rugs and cushions, lit up by a bonfire; it is also a place where the simple joy of being alive is the important matter.

Zoé, an experimental pop-rock quintet from Mexico, brings us this surreal video featuring Japanese teenagers. No Me Destruyas casts a sweet, harmless-looking jovencita as a dangerous villain with colmillos afilados.

Franco de Vita, born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, is probably Venezuela’s most popular musical export; he’s considered Latin music’s most consistently popular singer-songwriter. At 53 he has 25 years in the limelight to prove it. Mil y Una Historias En Vivo is his newest album.

Puerto Rican half-brothers Residente (René Pérez Joglar) and Visitante (Eduardo José Cabra Martínez)—nicknamed for their respective roles in their weekly step-family visits to 13th Street—together make Calle 13. The music of Calle 13 is a sort of hip-hop/reggaeton with a sense of humor and playfulness. Watch out for the bleeped naughty words.

Always with a light touch, often with full force, Bersuit Vergarabat dishes out social commentary and political activism. "Madre Hay una Sola" is no exception, as Gustavo Cordera apologizes to Mother Nature for the damage done to her by the human race.

Belanova, the electropop band from Mexico, sounds like it was influenced by nightclub epiphanies, Japanese anime and sweet lollipops. "Niño", one of the songs off their album Dulce Beat, is a painful goodbye, adios, au revoir, arrivederci—but it’s somehow lightened by the constant use of the word “boy” (niño) to address the unlucky target of the bad news.

Here’s an emotional song to make quinceañeras scribble endlessly in their diaries and polish off entire Kleenex packets. Camila is a Mexican band that’s been touching sensitive teen souls since 2006—yet Mario Domm (the lead singer and brain behind the project) has been around longer than that, producing songs for artists as Alejandra Guzmán and Kalimba.

Landa Henriquez is a mother of three, Business Sciences graduate, entrepreneur, songwriter and singer. She’s also owner of a cute red descapotable and leader of the band. Not bad for a woman of 40.

Moenia may be considered one of the first modern, successful, experimental Mexican groups, finding commercial viability in a market normally dominated by old-style Latin crooners, Ranchera and Cumbia. Heavily influenced by ‘80s bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure, Moenia surged in ‘92 but fell out of public favor in the mid ‘90s when a key member quit. More recently, the reunited band has won over new fans with songs infused with ‘80s-style electronica.

Guatemalan crooner Ricardo Arjona sings a long list of things he wants in his song “Quiero.” This video for “Quiero” was shot in the Dominican Republic and features the stunning Miss D.R. 2007, Massiel Taveras.

Abraham Quintanilla, III (also known as the brother of late Tejano singer Selena) was one of the founding members of Los Kumbia Kings, a band he broke away from in early 2006 to form the Kumbia All-Starz, garnering many hits including "Speedy Gonzalez". The Kumbia All-Starz are from Texas.