Far from Minnesota, this Spanish rock act is begging the girl to slow down. A safe thing to do, especially if the girl in question is a taxi driver.

At top of the Mexican Rock’s pyramid is Café Tacuba. Since their breakthrough Re (1994), they have reshaped themselves countless times. Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega, their lead singer, has a thing for changing his name. He even puts Diddy to shame! Through the years, he has been known as “Juan,” “Pinche Juan,” “Cosme,” “Masiosare,” “Anónimo,” “Nrü,” “Amparo Tonto Medardo In Lak’ech,” “At Medardo ILK,” “G3,” “Gallo Gasss,” “Élfego Buendía,” “Rita Cantalagua,” “Sizu Yantra,” “Ixaya Mazatzin Tleyótl,” “Ixxi Xoo,” and “Cone Cahuitl.” Enough for an identity crisis!

Aleks Syntek (born: Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña) assumed a last name short for sin teclados (literally, without keyboards), a handle given by a friend from whom he had asked to borrow a synthesizer (looks like he bought a few since then!). This Mexican artist is well known for producing and writing songs for others as well as releasing his own records.

Amparo Sanchez – a singer and guitar player from Spain – is not afraid to mix genres, geographies and influences. On her band Amparanoia’s website, she explains: “My paranoia is music and the idea was to mix rhythms and styles, taking enjoyment from the rumba to ‘ranchera’, or the bolero and ska…” (Of course, Amparo + paranoia = Amparanoia.) Listen to 2006’s “La vida te da” and hear the Afro-Cuban rumba interpreted by this talented Spaniard.

Panda, also known as PXNDX, is a Mexican band located somewhere between punk, indie rock and pop on the musical spectrum. Narcisista por Excelencia was the first single of their 2006 album Amantes Sunt Amentes, “Lovers are crazy”.

World famous boricua Ednita Nazario was once just another six year old watching a Ponce ball game. By chance a line drive flew right into the glove she held before her. The crowd went wild, and that crowd just happened to include a big record producer, who was even more impressed when she offered him a song.

Kany Garcia is known for being on the first season of Objectivo Fama (Puerto Rico’s American Idol). Kany suffered a serious car accident during the show, but made an almost full recovery. Kany has turned into a sought-after composer/songwriter (for the winning song of "Objectivo Fama" as well as others) and a recording artist in her own right.

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.

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.

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.

Italian pop star Eros Ramazzotti teams up with Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin in this duet, “No Estamos Solos” (“We are not alone”—or, “Non Siamo Soli” in its Italian version). Born in Rome, the 44-year-old Ramazzotti is no duet virgin: He’s recorded songs with the late Luciano Pavarotti, Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, Cher and Carlos Santana, to name a few.

Encarnita (Kany) García had her first brush with fame on the Puerto Rican talent-search show Objetivo Fama in 2004. But she had to pull out of the OF competition after a terrible car accident landed her in intensive care… Luckily, things have looked up since then. After writing songs for fellow OF alum Janina, singer/songwriter Kany released her own album, Cualquier Día, in 2007 to critical acclaim.

For some people, the Menudo years stood as Ricky Martin’s best. Others might sing out Maria, Livin’ La Vida Loca or She Bangs to highlight the top of the pop singer’s ascent. It’s been a while since Ricky’s smiling face was everywhere and his name sat up high in the Billboard charts. Nowadays, he devotes much of his time to helping others as Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF and through the Ricky Martin Foundation.

Born Reyli Barba Arrocha, this superstar used to sing on the streets of San Jose, Chiapas, before forming the popular group Elefante. In time Barba needed more creative freedom than Elefante could offer, so he struck out on his own to establish himself as a more emotive singer and songwriter.

Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony are in love! (Beware cold-hearted fellows! This could be painful for you…) Their careers are skyrocketing, and they have a set of absolutely angelic twins (reportedly netting them from $3 to $6 Million for a photo session). Take a chance with Por Arriesgarnos, and let them share their joy.

Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. It’s also the theme of Bárbara Muñoz song “Miénteme” (“Lie to me”). Born in Chile, Ms. Muñoz moved to Mexico in 2006 to further her musical career as a singer and songwriter. As you’ll see in this video, “Miénteme” is an emotion-ridden plea not to know what she doesn’t want to know.

Ángeles Morales de las Heras, a.k.a. Shaila Dúrcal, the child of pop stars Rocio Dúrcal and Antonio Morales Barreto, grew up in Madrid but spent much of her life on the road touring the world with her mom. No stranger to the limelight, she debuted on Spanish television at 12, singing for Nikka Costa, who was then 19. Adult success was not immediate, but came quickly with the release of the highly sentimental, Recordando, her second album.

At only the tender age of 43, Ricardo Arjona not only has a street named for him in the town of his birth, Jocotenango, but a wing of the library at his alma mater also bears his name. Needless to say, this former basketball star knows how to rally the hometown crowd. Ricardo filmed this video for his latest hit single, Quien, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you have ever seen Almodovar’s Matador you are familiar with the “black widow” phenomenon. Javier García explores the same territory here, tongue firmly in cheek, in his remix video for Me Gustaría, which might make you think twice before chatting up that sexy pole dancer you meet at the airport.

Pulsorock has this to say about Los Nativos (the name given to the members of Vivanativa): La energía positiva que irradia este conjunto de talentos no tiene fin y es imparable. The positive energy that this set of talents radiates is endless and unstoppable! Hyperbole? We think not… check it out!

Bella Belanova singer Denisse Guerrero studied fashion in Mexico before she became a rock sensation. We wonder if the supersized collar she’s sporting in this video for "Me Pregunto" was an extra-credit project from back in her university days.

Axel Fernando entered the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música in Buenos Aires at only eight years old, but dropped out in his early teens, wishing to focus more on academics, and less on music. To the delight of adoring fans throughout the world, he got serious again about music at seventeen, and hasn’t looked back since.

Babasónicos have never let themselves get pigeon-holed into one style or sound since they formed in the early nineties (much to the consternation of some fans). With "Carismático" we drop into a surreal dreamscape of Dada visuals and equally fantastical lyrics, all encapsulated in a hook-laced pop tune. Dive in!