User:AJona1992/1990s

Latin music in the 1990s was a period of musical events that includes recordings, festivals, award ceremonies, births and deaths of Latin music artists, and the advancement and adjournment of several Latin music genres from 1990 to 1999. The 1990s in music saw an increase of Latin music musicians debuting in the American music scene—called the "Latin music explosion", they enjoyed greater commercial and critical success as a result of the genre's exposure than at any other time in its history.

Tejano
Beginning in the early 1990s, Tejano music—a hybrid of German polka, jazz, and country music—saw interest from major record labels such as EMI Latin and Sony Music Latin, who began competing with each other for Tejano artists. American singers Selena, La Mafia, Mazz, and Emilio Navaira became the most prominent and dominating Tejano singers.

Latin pop
In the mid 1990s, Latin pop became the most popular style of Latin music with its commercial sales beating the Tejano and regional Mexican music scene. Puerto Rican American singer Ricky Martin, who was a child singer in Menudo, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his 1999 single "Livin' la Vida Loca" from his eponymous album. The single and Martin's performance at the 1999 Grammy Awards, was credited for starting the Latin music explosion that inspired other Latin artists to cross over into the American mainstream market. Martin was credited for inspiring Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Christina Aguilera, and Shakira to record English compositions. Anthony's first English album was released in 1999, his self-titled album peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Iglesias' English-language debut, also released in 1999, spawned the Hot 100 number one single "Be With You".

Cultural impact
During the 1990s Latin music explosion, there was an increase of music shops specializing in Latin music in Queens, New York; as well as gaining interest from non-Hispanic music stores who began stocking Latin music recordings to compete in the market.