Latin Music Quiz

1. Bad Bunny is Puerto Rico's biggest music star. What genre is he primarily associated with?

1. Bachata
2. Cumbia
3. Reggaeton
4. Salsa

2. 'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (2017) broke global records. It was the first Spanish-language song to do what since 'La Bamba' in 1987?

1. Be certified platinum in every Latin American country simultaneously
2. Reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
3. Sell 10 million copies in the USA
4. Win a Grammy for Record of the Year

3. Bossa nova, a genre combining samba with cool jazz, originated in which Brazilian city in the late 1950s?

1. Bahia
2. Rio de Janeiro
3. Salvador
4. São Paulo

4. Reggaeton originated in which Caribbean country in the 1990s?

1. Cuba
2. Dominican Republic
3. Jamaica
4. Puerto Rico

5. Flamenco is the traditional music and dance of which Spanish region?

1. Andalusia
2. Basque Country
3. Catalonia
4. Galicia

6. Shakira, one of Latin music's biggest global stars, is from which country?

1. Brazil
2. Colombia
3. Mexico
4. Venezuela

7. Salsa music is a fusion of multiple Latin musical styles. Which city is considered the capital of salsa's development and popularity?

1. Bogotá, Colombia
2. Cali, Colombia
3. Havana, Cuba
4. New York City, USA

8. Gloria Estefan had one of the most remarkable comeback stories in music after a serious injury. What happened?

1. She lost her hearing in one ear but continued performing
2. She suffered a stroke on stage in 1990 but fully recovered within months
3. She survived a plane crash with the Miami Sound Machine
4. She was seriously injured in a tour bus crash and was told she might never walk again — but recovered and returned to performing

9. The 'Latin Explosion' of 1999 brought Latin artists into mainstream US pop. Who was central to this moment alongside Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin?

1. All of the above contributed to the Latin Explosion
2. Enrique Iglesias and Shakira
3. Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias
4. Shakira and J.Lo

10. Cumbia, one of Colombia's most beloved music genres, originated from a fusion of which three cultural influences?

1. African, indigenous, and Spanish colonial music
2. Caribbean, Brazilian, and Andean
3. French, African, and indigenous
4. Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous

11. What is 'dembow' and why is it important to reggaeton?

1. A Puerto Rican slang term for crowd noise at concerts
2. A type of reggaeton dance move
3. The bass drop moment in a reggaeton track
4. The characteristic 'boom-ch-boom-chick' rhythmic pattern at the heart of reggaeton, derived from Jamaican dancehall

12. Celia Cruz was known as the 'Queen of Salsa'. She was born in which country?

1. Cuba
2. Dominican Republic
3. Puerto Rico
4. Venezuela

13. The tango originated in the working-class areas of which two cities in the late 19th century?

1. Buenos Aires and Montevideo
2. Havana and San Juan
3. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
4. Santiago and Lima

14. J Balvin, one of reggaeton's biggest stars, is from which Colombian city?

1. Bogotá
2. Cali
3. Cartagena
4. Medellín

15. Selena Quintanilla was known as the 'Queen of Tejano Music'. She was killed in 1995 at age 23. Why is she still culturally significant?

1. She established the first Spanish-language record label in the USA
2. She was crossing over from Tejano to mainstream pop at the time of her death, and her biopic (starring Jennifer Lopez) cemented her as an enduring icon of Latinx culture
3. She was the first Latin artist to perform at the Super Bowl
4. She was the first Latin artist to win a Grammy

16. What is 'bachata' and where did it originate?

1. A Colombian cumbia variant
2. A Cuban dance derived from son
3. A Puerto Rican dance genre combining salsa and merengue
4. A romantic Dominican guitar music genre that was originally stigmatised as 'lower-class' music before gaining global popularity

17. Carlos Santana's comeback album 'Supernatural' (1999) won a record-tying 9 Grammy Awards in one night. Which song featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty was its biggest hit?

1. Corazon Espinado
2. Maria Maria
3. Put Your Lights On
4. Smooth

18. Rosalía has blended flamenco with urban pop and trap. She is from which Spanish city?

1. Barcelona
2. Madrid
3. Seville
4. Valencia

19. Marc Anthony is one of the best-selling tropical salsa artists of all time. He was born in which US city to Puerto Rican parents?

1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles
3. Miami
4. New York City

20. What is 'merengue' and which country is it the national music of?

1. A Cuban son variant — Cuba's national music
2. A Puerto Rican style mixing salsa and American R&B
3. A Venezuelan folk genre played with harps
4. An upbeat, fast-paced Dominican music and dance genre — the Dominican Republic's national music