Billboard Editors Predict Latin Music Trends to Look For in 2026

Reparto music traces back to the mid-2000s with its first exponents such as the late Elvis Manuel, Adonic MC, El Uniko, and Chocolate MC. The latter of the four is often credited for giving the genre its name when he cleverly added the Cuban clave to his 2010 reggaetón song “Parapapampan.” Deriving from the barrios or housing projects in Cuba, where aspiring artists would create their own homemade reggaetón and sing about street life powered by local slang, reparto music features a blend of drums derived from reggaetón, hip hop, timba, son, and Cuban folk music in general.

Though the urban genre has been around for more than decade, a new generation of artists is helping power its international success that is today heard in Spain, Peru, Miami and globally, thanks to social media. Some of these Cuban acts, including Bebeshito, L Kimii, El Chulo, Dale Pututi and El Taiger, who died from a gunshot in 2024, have even graced the Billboard charts with their reparto-influenced songs. Meanwhile, Latin superstars such as Daddy Yankee, Nacho, and Bad Gyal, have already experimented with reparto music.

“The Dominican Republic has its dembow, Puerto Rico has its reggaetón — today Colombia is taking over Afrobeats, and I think that’s going to happen with Cuba as well,” Venezuelan artist, Nacho, previously told Billboard. “Reparto is a wealth of rhythms combined: there’s son, there’s salsa, there’s timba, there’s reggaetón. There’s a bit of everything, and I’ve been in love with that genre for a long time.” — JESSICA ROIZ

The Latin music-themed cruise market is primed for growth in 2026, driven by the continued global dominance of the genre. Virgin Voyages’ recent sailing with the Olas de Fuego cruise, headlined by Nicky Jam, underscores the surging demand for immersive experiences that fuse music, culture, and community at sea. “One of the reasons why we were so keen to lean into the Latin side is one of our major complaints on board over the past two years was that there’s not enough Latin music on board,” Jamie Douglas, director of fleet experience at Virgin Voyages, told Billboard in December. “From an everyday experience, we toned that up. Now, we have different Club Caliente nights, we have Plan V [resident house band] on board as well.” Future sailings like September’s Super Legends Cruise and next year’s Latin Legends Cruise, testifies that there just might be more Latin music ruling the waves. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

After the recent surge of Afrobeats influences in Latin music, a wave of contemporary artists are now fearlessly blending an array of instruments and percussive beats, drawing deep inspiration from Kompa music — a spirited Haitian merengue that traces its roots to the Cuban contradanza, African polyrhythms, and European ballroom dance music. Known as “Compas” in French, this genre is distinguished by its irresistibly upbeat tempo and its seamless integration of brass sections, pulsing basslines, expressive keyboards and melodic guitar riffs.

On his 2025 albums, Sendé and Hopi Sendé, Ryan Castro blends of his own dynamic style with Kompa music, best heard in tracks “La Mini,” “BOTAPAFO” and “SAI.” Furthermore, this rich genre is being reinvented with the infusion of Spanish-language lyrics and Latin flair, as also showcased in Rawayana’s energetic “30K” from their album ¿Dónde Es El After? and Beéle’s soulful “quédate” from his 5020 RCRDS Sessions. — INGRID FAJARDO

Rauw Alejandro’s 2025 Cosa Nuestra Tour really took the Latin touring industry to another level. Far from a typical reggaetón concert, the Broadway-inspired, four-act show featured sophisticated costumes, a six-piece live band and eight dancer-actors, all part of a storyline driven by Rauw’s biggest hits. The world trek, in support of his blockbuster album Cosa Nuestra, followed the Puerto Rican artist’s Don Raúl as the young immigrant tries to make it in the big city — and along the way falls in love, experiences betrayal and even gets arrested. “What makes my tour unique is the smoothness of the storytelling and how it connects with my songs from the beginning to the end,” Rauw said to Billboard last year. “I think I’m setting the bar very high.”

Raising those standards, we don’t doubt that more Latin music artists will deliver these very conceptual shows in 2026, and most likely steer away from stadiums and keep their treks in an intimate arena or theater setting. Particularly, we are looking forward to what Rosalía is going to bring to the table with her global Lux tour kicking off in March, in support of her very ambitious, orchestra-heavy album of the same name. — J.R.

Long associated with Caribbean influences like salsa, bachata and reggaetón, NYC is emerging as a meaningful player in the Mexican music space, driven by its growing Gen Z Mexican-American population. Cultural traditions like sonideros (cumbia-centered block parties) and jaripeos (Mexican rodeos), paired with artists fusing traditional sounds with the city’s urban identity, have fueled the rise of “Puebla York” — a term highlighting NYC’s Mexican community, largely rooted in Puebla.

This movement is spearheaded by bicultural creatives who are reshaping what East Coast música Mexicana sounds like. Queens band Santy y Su Estilo Único celebrates NYC’s influence through their EP Straight Outta NYC, while Bronx’s DJ, HelloTones, reimagines sonideros with hip-hop and experimental sounds. Meanwhile, advocates like concert promoter Paulina Montiel (of Migo Events) and podcaster Moisés Ceja López (of Onda Regional Show) are amplifying the scene, giving the city’s burgeoning regional Mexican community the visibility it deserves. — I.R.

For 2025, we predicted the rise of Latin Afrobeats fusion, which became increasingly notable with songs such as Shakira’s “Soltera,” Boza and Elena Rose’s “Orion,” Kapo’s “Ohnana” and Beéle, Ovy on the Drums and W Sound’s “La Plena” all entering the Billboard charts. Now, though it’s not necessarily a new trend, we are starting to notice more and more Latin artists experimenting with reggae and dancehall genres, all while lacing it with Spanish-language lyrics and giving it their own, unique touch.

Some of the reggae and dancehall-influenced songs that have picked up speed from last year include Karol G and Manu Chao’s chill “Viajando Por El Mundo,” where they reflect about living life to the fullest; Manuel Turizo’s “Cosas de Enamorao (Salud mi Reina),” a smooth reggae tune about a man who’s completely in love; and Ryan Castro and Kapo’s ultra-viral “La Villa,” a fresh dancehall track that’s making waves with a simple hip-swaying trend on social media. — J.R.

For more than three decades, champeta — originally from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia — has gone beyond just a musical genre: It is a vibrant expression of the culture, a living testament to the Afro-Caribbean spirit interwoven with international influences and deep African roots. Sonically, it features heavy percussion (congas, drum kit, drum machines), electric guitar, bass, and synthesizers, providing melody and rhythm.

Pioneers of the genre include Young F, Kevin Flórez, and Mr. Black — whose electrifying 2013 hit “El Serrucho” became a pulsing anthem at parties and festivals, but it was Shakira during her half-time Super Bowl performance in 2020 that put the local Caribbean rhythm on the map, all while showing off her impeccable dancing skills.

All these artists have now led a wave of rising champeta stars, including Zaider from Cartagena, who’s shattering boundaries by merging traditional champeta rhythms with contemporary urban beats and collaborating on genre-bending tracks like the “Vive La Vida (Remix)” with Blessd. Additionally, Luister La Voz delivers a unique fusion of styles and delivers harmonies that can shift from raw, emotional power to delicate, softer vocals, bringing a new sound to champeta into the global spotlight, keeping its infectious energy and cultural roots alive as heard in “Espacio” with Ryan Castro and Silvestre Dangond. — I.F.