From Puerto Rico to Brazil, artists like JBALVIN Balvin & monlaferte are baring their bodies & souls to counter government policies
MIAMI — During his November 2019 concert in front of 45,000 fans in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia,“I understand the situation the youth in this country are going through,” said Balvin, speaking for over three minutes to the crowd at Atanasio Girardot Stadium. “If they’re marching, it’s because something is not right.”
The show coincided with a week of national strikes in the country. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand an array of changes to’s social policies, from education to minimum wage to the implementation of a peace treaty with guerrillas and armed fighters. As fellow Colombian artists took a stand, fans began to pressure Balvin to do the same. “I hadn’t planned it,” Balvin tells.
The statement was emblematic of what has been an extraordinary year for the convergence of Latin American music and politics. Fueled by a perfect storm of regionwide political and economic upheaval, coupled with populist movements, Latin artists from Puerto Rico to Brazil are raising their voices louder than ever regarding political issues, actively pushing for change and releasing politically charged music to support their points of view.
The regional demonstrations began in February 2019, when some 30 artists performed at Venezuela Live Aid, a massive concert held on the Colombia-Venezuela border with the backing of billionaireto call attention to the country’s deep economic distress. The show raised over $2.3 million for humanitarian aid, according to organizers, and the artists called on the Venezuelan government to allow international aid into the country, though it ultimately did not.
show from Concepción to the neighboring city of Talcahuano. “The artists weren’t canceling, but when you have 12,000 people coming to a concert in the middle of a protest, there’s high risk.”
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