'The De Los Podcast': editors talk best Latin music of 2026, so far

As 2026 reaches its halfway point, the editors of De Los are anxious to speech astir Latin artists to ticker — and stock their hottest euphony takes. Over the years, award-winning euphony writer Suzy Exposito and Director of Latino Initiatives Fidel Martinez person documented the emergence of genres similar reggaeton and música Mexicana successful mainstream culture.

In her enactment for Vogue, The Times and Rolling Stone, Exposito has interviewed influential artists similar Shakira, Cardi B and Bad Bunny (the past of which made past arsenic the archetypal Rolling Stone screen communicative written by a Latina journalist).

Martinez has an awesome roster of his own, having interviewed galore stars successful the Mexican and Chicano euphony scenes, from Fuerza Regida to Natalia Lafourcade.

Reflecting connected a landmark twelvemonth for Latin music

On this week’s occurrence of “The De Los Podcast,” they measurement successful connected the explosive interaction of 2025 connected the genre: betwixt Bad Bunny‘s Super Bowl halftime amusement and Karol G‘s Coachella headlining performance, past twelvemonth was thing abbreviated of a groundbreaking for Latin music.

“Being there, you could consciousness barriers coming down,” Martinez, who reported unrecorded from the Super Bowl successful February, said. “It wasn’t Bad Bunny trying to validate america successful beforehand of others. It was him saying, ‘This is who we are, and we are arrogant of who we are.’”

According to the RIAA, 2025 was the archetypal twelvemonth that Latin euphony income successful the U.S. reached $1 billion, successful its 10th consecutive twelvemonth of growth. In 2016, American Latin euphony income were astatine conscionable beneath $150 million.

“It highlights however rapidly and with what velocity the genre has been taking off,” Martinez said.

However, arsenic Exposito notes, astatine times, it came astatine the outgo of originality.

A Latin euphony inclination that De Los is leaving down this year

“Our procreation is excessively joined to the past,” Exposito said. “How tin we germinate musically if we support trying to re-create our grandparents’ music?”

Nostalgia, De Los editors note, has driven the wide-ranging popularity of past year’s astir palmy Latin projects. As Exposito says, the artists “mine the past successful their ain ways.”

In Bad Bunny’s “DtMF” and Karol G’s “Tropicoqueta,” classical genres similar salsa, plena and cumbia took halfway stage. “DtMF” samples El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico portion successful Fuerza Regida samples Mexican classics similar Vicente Fernández.

While comforting and acquisition for younger generations, Martinez argues that artists relying connected nostalgia could crook that effort into becoming much experimental with their sound.

Some artists, however, are resisting the nostalgia trend, making De Los’ champion albums database of 2026 … truthful far.

De Los’ 2026 Latin albums you request to hear

Suzy’s picks:

Alvaro Díaz, “Omakase”

“He’s experimental … and taking bold swings, with producers similar Tainy,” Exposito said.

“Omakase,” which the Puerto Rican prima released successful May, blends Latin trap elements with electronic, R&B and successful 1 track, cumbia, for a diverse, thoughtful medium that Diaz equates successful his De Los communicative to the Japanese crockery omakase, oregon a platter decided by the chef.

RaiNao, “Marcría”

With a worldplay rubric that blends the words “malcriada” (badly raised woman) and “cria por el mar” (born successful the sea), RaiNao’s task promises earthly, intimate lyricism with experimental musicianship.

“The mode she melds jazz with reggaeton and folkloric elements, I truly enjoy,” Exposito said. “I truly admit radical (like RaiNao) who tin remix but besides present seemingly disparate elements, similar saxophone and Caribbean music.”

Other picks see Ibeyi’s “Offering” and Diles Que No Me Maten’s “Escrito en Agua.”

Fidel’s picks:

Julieta Venegas, “Norteña”

Venegas, who De Los interviewed past month, wrote a memoir alongside this album, which delves into her Tijuana practice with Mexican collaborators similar Bronco, is what Martinez calls “a chef’s kiss.”

“She’s specified a fascinating quality due to the fact that she started arsenic an indie rocker,” Martinez said. “This medium is simply a emotion missive to Tijuana. It’s conscionable the cleanable fusion of contented and pop.”

Hermanos Espinoza, “Linaje”

Two brothers from the Rio Grande Valley, Hermanos Espinoza performed astatine De Los’ SXSW showcase and blew the assemblage distant with their unrecorded vigor and accordion work.

“Their task talks astir lineage. This medium surely has a constituent of view,” Martinez said. “With this album, they said, música Mexicana tin beryllium similar stone and roll.”

Also connected the database are Tito Doble P’s “Acomodo” and Trio Asesino’s self-titled.

To perceive much astir 2026’s emerging artists and De Los’ euphony blistery takes, cheque retired “The De Los Podcast.”