Latin American Music

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Latin American music (also known as Hispanic American Music) refers to music originating from Latin America namely Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries of the Americas and the Caribbean. Latin American music also incorporates African music from slaves who were to transported to the America by European and settles as well as music from Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The first of those encapsulates all music styles generated from Latin countries, such as salsa, merengue, tango, compas, bossa nova and bachata; as well as other styles derived from a more mainstream genre, such as Latin pop, rock, jazz and reggaeton.

Geographically, it usually refers to the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions of Latin America but sometimes include Francophone countries and territories of the Caribbean and South America as well. The origins of Latin American music begins with Spain and Portugal's colonization of Latin America in the 16th century where the European settlers brought their music from overseas. Latin American music is performed in Spanish, Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, French.