Angel Villalona, better known as “Andy Andy,” began his career singing merengue, but he is making his mark in bachata. Both are genres from his native Dominican Republic. The governor of New York proclaimed Andy a “stellar example” for young people and the governor of Connecticut declared April 17th “Andy Andy Day.” He’s got our vote too.

Spanish musician Joaquin Sabina visits Mexico for this video set during the Mexican Revolution. Sabina, himself a former exile from Franco’s Spain, has released 17 albums over a 29 year career, as well as books of lyrics and poetry.

The Colombian Pacific coast is a forgotten paradise. Its habitants complain about the lack of attention from the rest of the country, but it might be this bit of isolation that helps them maintain their rich culture. ChocQuibTown comes from the world’s rainiest lowland, and it is there that they learned to mix African drums and Latin beats with hip-hop and funk, creating a totally new sound that’s firmly rooted in their tradition.

Belinda Peregrín Schull, was born in Madrid, but moved with her family at the age of four to Mexico City. At the age of 18 Belinda had already become an international superstar for both her albums and starring roles in various telenovelas as well as a role in the Disney Channel’s Cheetah Girls.

Hector Montaner takes after his father Ricardo Montaner in both good looks and musical ability. After a childhood of studying in Venezuela’s most prestigious conservatories, Montaner relocated in the late ‘90s. "Apariencias" (Appearances) is the title track of his sophomore album release.

Michael Stuart, born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, received his musical education from his uncle Israel Timbalero Stuart, who helped him secure background vocal gigs for Johnny Rivera and Marc Antony. Since 1996, Stuart has released nine records, his latest a salsa album entitled Sentimiento de un Rumbero released on Machete Records in 2007.

Cuban born Gloria Estefan’s album 90 Millas is a collection of songs inspired by her native country and recorded with many Latin American collaborators including Jose Feliciano, Carlos Santana, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia, and a who’s who of prominent Cuban musicians.

Division Minuscula hails from Matamoros, a Mexican border town just to the south of Brownsville, Texas. Despite having disbanded for five years while members finished their degrees and helped out with family businesses, the group is back and not yet forgotten, with this hit song, Sismo (Earthquake), shaking the airwaves.

Dhira brings a heavy Hindu and Indian influence to the European club scene’s take on American hip-hop and club music. These late night party animals are said to be vegetarians who enjoy cheese sandwiches when they are not busy rapping.

"Me Puedes" is the first sencillo (single) to be released by the phenomenal La Gusana Ciega in over five years. (And it’s great!) It’s from an album called La Rueda del Diablo (The Devil’s Wheel), which was recorded in Los Angeles under the direction of eight-time grammy winner Benny Faccone, who has worked his magic with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Ricky Martin and Santana.

Deep in the heart of Old San Juan you can hear live salsa music playing most any night at the Nuyorican Cafe. We stepped into the alley for a breather and had a little chat with two lovely salseras to get an insider view of what brings them back to the dance floor night after night.

Vamos al grano, Babasónicos might just be one of the most popular bands on the planet, as popular in Distrito Federal (Mexico City) as they are in Capital Federal (Buenos Aires). "Risa" is un tema pegajoso, which is to say “a catchy tune,” that for sure te gustará mucho (you’ll like a lot)!

Puerto Rican by birth, Luis Fonsi moved at an early age to Orlando, Florida. Despite having participated in a number of minor “boy bands,” it wasn’t until he was discovered by the president of the music school at the University of Florida, where he was a student, that he was offered a sizable recording contract. Success came quickly as his reputation spread throughout Latin America.

We are all familiar with ¿Cómo se dice…?, “How do you say…”—it’s a very useful phrase when inquiring about the right words to use. Denisse Guererro repeatedly uses a similar phrase, asking the audience ¿Cóme dice?, which also sounds like it might be something like “How does one say?” but in fact this is Spanish for “How does it go?”—she wants the crowd to sing along!

Of course tuve is the preterite yo form tener, so one might be misled to think that the refrain of this tune is “I had, I had.” However, in casual speech on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, tú ve’ is short for tú ves (“you see”), but the uninitiated could easily mistake it for the verb tuve (“I had”). ¿Tú ve’?