A guilty pleasure of mine that I discovered in 2016 was Hispanic and Latino music. I kind of liked it before but it wasn’t until last year that I really allowed myself to discover it. I thank my Brazilian, Guatemalan, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Honduran and Spanish friends for this recent discovery. Without them, I would have never realized my true love and appreciation for the mu

I'm from Brazil, I have Brazilian citizenship, I lived there for a short while and I can read, write and speak Portuguese, but I am most definitely American. I was born here, in the ole state of North Carolina, and my knowledge of Brazil is that of an elementary student, because I was only there until about 10-11 years old. So, all the music I knew and all the facts I knew about Brazil were restricted to children shows and songs.

Looking for music on my own was difficult because I had no one to discuss it with or compare anything with. So I gave up, as I’m sure many of the people who are interested in getting to know music from foreign places do.

But, thankfully the friends I made last year steered me in the right direction. I thought to myself the other day, “I cannot be the only one who has struggled with this.” Sure, music in English is generally good. There are upbeat songs and there are slow songs. But there’s just something about the Latin culture that makes all music sound so right.

Here, I have compiled a list of songs that will help you become Hispanic, if only for a few short minutes. There are songs in both Portuguese and Spanish, and hopefully by getting to know these artists, you can break into the world of sensual dancing (as weird as that sounds).

1. Baile de Favela – MC João

This first song is probably one of the most well known songs in Brazil. That doesn’t mean everyone likes it though; it’s actually kind of gross but it gets you pumped to go out so fast that you’ll listen to it anyway, regardless of the lyrics.

2. Ginza – J Balvin

I think this was the first non-English song I heard last year. I went to my friend’s birthday party after work one day (she’s from Puerto Rico) and when I heard it I knew I was in love. This song was all I needed to make me realize that I was done with all the slow, sad, acoustic songs.

3. La Gozadera – Gente De Zona ft Marc Anthony

Ironically, this song was also introduced to me at that party but it wasn't until a couple of nights later that I really enjoyed it to its fullest. I had joined a group of people who liked playing drinking games and hung out with a lot of people from Spain, Honduras, Guatemala and France. From that time on, this song became a staple when getting ready for a night out.

4. Bang – Anitta

Anitta is who I aspire to be in life now. I did not like this song the first few times I heard it, though. Most of the friends I made last year listened to it all the time. It played at every pre-game, and I could not understand why everyone loved it. I blame it on the fact that, at the time, my Portuguese was not strong enough to appreciate the lyrics. After I paid attention to what Anitta was saying, I never hit skip on it again.

5. Essa Mina É Louca – Anitta Part. Jhama

When I say I absolutely love this song, I’m not kidding. I sing it all the time, I dance to it all the time. I even text it to my friends and reference it in everyday conversation. Anitta is great and everyone should listen to her.

6. Andas En Mi Cabeza – Chino & Nacho

I probably drove my mom crazy because I definitely over played this song this past year. It’s slightly slower than the rest of the songs on my list but it’s a good one and the rap sequence in it is gold.

7. Estàs de Miedo – Los Bohemios

Every now and then there comes a song that you feel will never die out, no matter how many times you hear it or sing it. This is that song for me.

8. Hasta el Amanecer – Nicky Jam

Nicky Jam. I love you. That’s all I need to say.

9. Sin Contrato – Maluma y Fifth Harmony

Maluma. I love you as well. Everyone loves you. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love you.

10. Balada (Tchê Tcherere Tchê Tchê) – Gusttavo Lima

I did not know the name to this song for so long and it was always stuck in my head. No one would ever know what I was talking about so finding it's title was so painful that I will never forget it.

11. Eu Quero Tchu Eu Quero Tcha (Tchu Tcha Tcha) – João Lucas & Marcelo

You’ll realize as you delve into Brazilian music that many Brazilian songs include noises that mean nothing. While it’s awkward at first, you’ll be grateful later on because it provides you with something, almost like a visual, to let you know how you're supposed to be dancing.

12. Caraca, Muleke! - Thiaguinho

If I didn’t add this song, someone would think there was something wrong with me. It’s probably my FAVORITE song from Brazil. It’s extremely feel-good music and it never fails to make smile.

13. Duele El Corazon – Enrique Iglesias

The strongest memory I have of this song involves shouting it out at the top of my lugs with all my Brazilian friends on the smallest bus I’ve ever been on and laughing because I kept getting the lyrics wrong. It’s probably one of my favorite memories from last year.

I hope you enjoy my recommendations and that they help you dip into the Hispanic and Latin music scene!