Every year, it seems like there are new data points reaffirming just how big Latin music has gotten: In 2024, the Latin industry reached another commercial peak, making $1.4 billion in revenue in the U.S., according to RIAA numbers. That’s slightly more than 8 percent of revenue in music in general, and it marks the third year in a row Latin music has exceeded $1 billion.
So much of that growth comes from massive streaming juggernauts, like Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Shakira. But across the industry, so much of what keeps Latin music’s momentum going is a constant crop of new acts, promising to step up and do things differently. Some of the most interesting rising artists are the ones shaking things up and boldly experimenting in their own corners of the world. From electronic renegades to raucous punk rockers, here are a few newcomers who don’t sound like anyone else — and who are flipping the idea of genre on its head as they forge their own paths in Latin music.
Saramalacara
*Ornella Greco
Saramalacara made a splash with 2024’s Heráldica, a thrashing electronic opus that touches on everything from spirituality to rebirth to general internet brainrot. The Argentine rebel, who started out as a graffiti artist, is promising to go even harder with an upcoming LP on Interscope. The new album, she says, has given her a chance to dive deeper into wild ideas, which in the past have included staging an entire baptism as an album release party.
“For me, this has been exactly what I needed,” she says about her upcoming music. “There was a euphoria of just going to the studio every day, of getting in the studio with new producers, of going to places like L.A. and trying new things. I was excited constantly when I was working on this.”
MULA
@_andreapm-_- @_kikediaz
The Dominican trio — made up of Rachell Rojas and twin sisters Cristabel and Anabel Acevedo — has been around for a minute surprising listeners with wild mixes of electro-pop and merengue. Across four albums, they’ve shown how much they live to play and experiment and surprise listeners with songs that creep into areas you weren’t expecting. (“Nunca Paren,” from 2016, remains a classic that quietly breaks into a full gallop.)
Their new album, Eterna, shows they’re still keeping it interesting as they move toward a futuristic dark-wave sound. “We took reggaeton from the 2000s and fused it with the merengue that raised us,” Cristabel told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. “When we played in Puerto Rico people went crazy, because it was like, ‘Oh, I can be indie and cool, but also twerk to the ground,’ which back then was still a new concept.”
Sacha Lecca for Rolling Stone
The punk-minded Bronx duo smashes together dembow and metal without a care, and they’ve already won people over with genre-agnostic bangers like “Anormales” and “Oi.” Made up of Saso and Aka The Darknight, the duo has known each other since high school. They were each following their own paths in music when they decided to join forces and maximize their own powers.
A wild COLORS showcase helped them go viral. This year, things have gotten even bigger: They were recipients of LAMC’s 2025 Discovery Award and opened for Morat at a SummerStage show in July. Already, they have a ton of music coming down the pike — and they’re gearing up to release their debut album later this year.
Alfonso Duran for Rolling Stone
After writing for acts like Kenia Os and Alejandro Fernández, the Venezuelan artist found his own voice by blending R&B, rock, and more with deep vulnerability. He had left his home to live in Mexico, and the songs that poured out of him spoke to the loneliness and longing he felt. He released his debut EP Confíen en Mí, which spun off the viral hit “Son Tantas Cosas,” an emotional song that quickly collected about 1.7 million views on YouTube. “Those songs just felt way too mine,” he told Rolling Stone recently. “They were so personal, I didn’t see myself giving them to another artist, so I was like, ‘Let’s just see what keeps happening with these.’”
Currently, he’s working on a full-length album, expected out later this year. To him, it’s a chance to offer something a little different to fans, and to keep Venezuela front and center. “There used to be so many limitations, and now I feel like you can see how much it’s growing, and it keeps uplifting me.”
This story is part of our Nuevos Futuros series celebrating Latin music and Latin heritage. Read more here.
