The International Rise of Colombian Music: From Local Roots to Global Fame

A New Global Powerhouse

For decades, Colombia has nurtured one of the richest and most diverse musical traditions in Latin America. From the hypnotic sway of cumbia to the storytelling heart of vallenato and the electrifying pulse of reggaetón, Colombian music carries the imprint of Indigenous, African, and Spanish influences. Yet for much of the 20th century, it remained largely a regional phenomenon, celebrated within Latin America but struggling to break into the wider global mainstream.

That began to change at the turn of the century. Artists like Shakira and Juanes opened new doors, proving that Colombian music could resonate with global audiences. The digital era, alongside increasing globalisation, accelerated this shift dramatically. Streaming platforms, social media, and new listening habits allowed Colombian artists to bypass traditional gatekeepers and connect directly with audiences around the world. Today, Colombian music is not just thriving; it is one of the defining forces of the international music landscape.

This piece explores Colombia’s musical journey, from its deep cultural foundations to its digital-era explosion, the transformation of Medellín into a music capital, and how it compares to other Latin American giants.

1. The Foundations: A Rich and Varied Soundscape

Colombia’s musical identity has always been striking in its diversity. Each region carries its own rhythm, shaped by a unique mix of cultures, histories, and geographies.

• Cumbia: Often hailed as Colombia’s national sound, cumbia was born on the Caribbean coast from the blending of African drum rhythms, Indigenous flute melodies, and later Spanish influences. Rooted in the traditions of African-descended and Indigenous communities, cumbia evolved into a symbol of Colombia’s rich, multicultural identity.

  
  

• Vallenato: With its accordion-led melodies and storytelling lyrics, vallenato has its roots in Colombia’s northern coastal plains. Carlos Vives helped reshape and globalise the genre, blending it with pop and rock influences.

  
  

• Champeta: Emerging from Cartagena, champeta channels Afro-Caribbean and Congolese rhythms. Once marginalised, it has found growing international appreciation thanks to a revived interest in Afro-diasporic sounds.

  
  

• Salsa Colombiana: Salsa has its origins in the Caribbean, born out of Cuban son, mambo, and Puerto Rican rhythms, before developing further in New York’s Latino communities during the 1960s and 70s. While it remains deeply rooted in Caribbean culture, Colombia, and particularly Cali, embraced the genre with a passion, adapting it into something distinctively Colombian. Cali’s salsa is known for its rapid tempo, vibrant brass sections, and the intricate footwork of its dancers, earning the city the nickname "world capital of salsa" and giving the genre a unique Colombian flavour.

  
  

• Bambuco and Pasillo: In the Andean regions, European influences mixed with Indigenous traditions, creating lyrical, melancholic sounds like bambuco and pasillo that showcase another side of Colombia’s vast musical identity.

2. Early International Steps: Barriers and Breakthroughs

Until the 1990s, Colombia’s music scene, though vibrant, was relatively inward-looking. Internationally, Colombian artists faced two major challenges: the lack of a strong, export-focused music industry, and the country’s negative global image. For much of the late 20th century, associations with drug cartels and violence overshadowed the nation’s cultural richness, making international expansion more difficult.

Still, several figures managed to make their mark:

• Lucho Bermúdez adapted Colombian coastal rhythms for wider audiences, bringing cumbia and porro to the international stage.

  
  

• Los Corraleros de Majagual modernised tropical sounds, helping bridge traditional music and popular tastes.

  
  

• Joe Arroyo, one of Colombia’s most beloved voices, fused salsa and champeta, capturing the joyful defiance of coastal Colombia.

Despite their talents, systemic barriers remained. Colombia lacked the industry infrastructure that countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico enjoyed, meaning it was not until the 1990s that the country truly began to find its footing internationally.

Shakira and Juanes: The Crossover Catalysts

• Shakira: Colombia’s most famous musical export, Shakira first rose to prominence across Latin America with Spanish-language albums such as Pies Descalzos and ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones?. She later shifted towards a global market with Laundry Service (2001), her first English-language album. Her English-language breakthrough hit, "Whenever, Wherever", the English version of her Spanish track "Suerte", introduced Colombian sounds to a mainstream international audience. It blended pop with distinctively Latin American elements such as the Andean panpipes woven into its production. Shakira’s crossover success was not only a personal milestone but a breakthrough moment for Colombian music on the global stage.

  
  

• Juanes: With his fusion of Latin rhythms and pop-rock, Juanes brought a fresh, heartfelt voice to global music, earning acclaim and Grammy awards with songs like "La Camisa Negra" and "A Dios le Pido".

  
  

Together, they proved that Colombian artists could not only succeed internationally but could shape the global soundscape.

3. The Digital Era: Levelling the Playing Field

The arrival of streaming platforms and social media reshaped the music industry forever. Colombian artists, once dependent on traditional radio and label infrastructure, could now bypass these barriers. Digital platforms allowed them to connect directly with fans worldwide, democratising access to global audiences.

Colombian music became one of the main beneficiaries of this shift. Artists like J Balvin, Karol G, and Maluma quickly rose to international fame, using the power of streaming and social media to build careers on their own terms and, in doing so, changed the way Latin music was perceived around the world.

4. Medellín’s Reinvention: From Fear to Fame

Few cities have undergone a transformation as profound as Medellín. Once synonymous with drug cartels and violence, the city has spent the past two decades reinventing itself through investment in culture, urban innovation, education, and technology.

Today, Medellín is a thriving cultural hub, particularly for urban music. The rebirth of the city’s identity has been closely tied to its music scene, producing a generation of global superstars like J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G and Manuel Turizo. Music became not just a reflection of change but a catalyst for it, a way for a new generation to tell their story to the world.

More recently, Manuel Turizo has played a key role in revitalising traditional genres like bachata and merengue, blending them with contemporary sounds and viral success through hits aptly named, La Bachata and El Merengue.

The phenomenon mirrors what has happened elsewhere: artists emerging from places marked by conflict, such as Kosovo with Dua Lipa, Rita Ora, and Ava Max, using music as a form of resilience and global connection. Medellín’s reinvention through reggaetón is not just about beats and lyrics, but about rewriting a city’s place in the world.

5. Colombia vs. Other Latin Music Giants: A Different Path

• Mexico: Historically dominant in the Latin music world, Mexico benefits from a vast domestic market and a large diaspora in the United States, helping its artists gain exposure across North America and beyond.

  
  

• Puerto Rico: As the birthplace of reggaetón and home to influential stars like Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny, Puerto Rico has had significant crossover success, particularly within the United States, thanks to its cultural and political ties as a US territory.

While Mexico and Puerto Rico built their musical influence through long-established industry networks and strong diaspora connections, Colombia’s international breakthrough followed a different path. With a smaller diaspora base compared to these giants, Colombian artists have relied more heavily on digital platforms, grassroots momentum, and a cultural reinvention driven by Medellín’s transformation. In many ways, this has allowed Colombian music to evolve more organically for global audiences.

It could also be argued that compared to Argentina and Spain, two countries with older and more established music industries and populations similar in size to Colombia’s, Colombian artists have more recently achieved a greater and more sustained impact on the global stage. Although Argentina and Spain have long histories of musical innovation, Colombia’s ability to consistently produce internationally recognised stars across multiple genres stands out.

Conclusion: The Future is Colombian

Colombia has evolved from a regional powerhouse to a global leader in Latin music. With its rich traditions, Medellín’s role as a creative engine, and a wave of artists setting new standards, Colombian music is shaping the future of global sound. Its influence is only set to grow, and if the last two decades are anything to go by, the best is still yet to come.