Lydia Mendoza (19162007), a singer of Mexican descent, became the first American-born hispanic to record a song in Spanish (1928). Hispanics recording music was rare during the early 1900s. In 1960s, Tejano music (in Southern United States, Mexico), Spanish folk (in Spain), salsa (in Puerto Rico), cumbia (in South America), and bachata (in Dominican Republic) were the most popular forms of Latin music at the time.
In the 1970s, bolero became a popular music genre in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe became one of its important musicians. In the United States, speaking Spanish was not well liked and many Hispanics were discriminated against for speaking Spanish. Because of this, many children and young adults favored English music such as rock and roll and tried not to speak Spanish outside of their home. In the 1980s, Latin music started becoming popular. American music magazine, "Billboard" added several Latin music-categories. These include Top Latin Albums, Regional Mexican Albums, Tropical Albums and the Latin Pop Albums chart. Because of this, younger generations became interested in recording Latin music. However, during the late 1980s, freestyle music became the most popular Latin music genre. Freestyle music was rarely recorded in Spanish.
In the 1990s, artists including Selena, Gloria Estefan, Luis Miguel, and Thalía became popular in this decade. They helped Latin music and recording Latin music popular for young children and adults. Selena became the most popular Latin artist of the United States in 1995, when she was murdered at 23. She became the first and only Latin artist to peak an album that contained mostly Spanish music at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart. At the time of her death, she was competing with Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson with her album "Dreaming of You" (1995) which sold 3,000,000 copies its first year. Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez became popular in the mid and late 1990s.
In the 2000s, Latin music began to see a decrease of music sales. Tejano music began to become unpopular, though its "Queen of Tejano music", Selena became the "Top Latin Artist of the Decade" by "Billboard" magazine in 1999. Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez continued to become more popular and had number one singles and albums in the "Billboard" 200. Marc Anthony, Aventura, Don Omar, and Enrique Iglesias remained popular in the Latin scene. In the 2010s, Prince Royce, Pitbull, Romeo Santos, and Wisin & Yandel became popular during this decade. Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and Shakira crossover into English music with some Spanish releases. In the 2010s, bachata music became popular because of Prince Royce and Romeo Santos. While reggaeton continued to dominate Latin music radios since the mid 2000s. As of 2012, Selena remains the best-selling Latin artist with 60,000,000 copies sold worldwide. Jennifer Lopez is second with 55,000,000 copies sold worldwide.
Usher (album)
Usher is the debut album by American singer Usher. It was released on August 30, 1994 on LaFace Records.
The album reached number 167 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It was given positive reviews from music critics.
Sample credits
My Way
My Way is the second studio album by American singer Usher. It was released by LaFace Records on September 16, 1997. The album had three singles "Nice & Slow", "My Way" and "You Make Me Wanna...".
The album debuted at number 15 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It sold 66,000 copies the first week. It also debuted at number four on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It reached number one for three weeks. "My Way" was then certified 6x Platinum for shipping 6,000,000 copies in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award. It also became his "breakthrough album". Many music critics gave positive reviews for the album.
8701
8701 is the third studio album by American singer Usher. It was released by Arista Records on August 7, 2001.
Recording the album took place in 2000 and 2001. The album debuted at number four on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It sold 210,000 copies the first week. In 18 weeks it sold 1,940,000 copies.
It has sold 4,700,000 copies in the United States. The album has sold over 8,000,000 copies worldwide. It was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Canadian Albums Chart. In Australia, it was certified 2x Platinum and Platinum by the BPI.
The album was given positive reviews from music critics. Many liked Usher's "matured voice" and the instruments Usher used to record the songs.
Credits for "8701" from Allmusic.
Confessions (album)
Confessions is the fourth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 23, 2004 from Arista Records. The album was recorded between 2003 and 2004. It was produced by Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Lil Jon. "Confessions" is an R&B album with some hip hop and crunk styles. The album's theme had controversy. This was because of Usher's personal relationship. Producer, Jermaine Dupri later said that the album is about Usher's personal story.
The album was a success in the United States. It sold 1,095,000 copies the first week. It continued to sell more copies because of its four singles. A special edition version was released. It had the hit single "My Boo". This was to try and help the album sell more records and to stop bootlegging. Some music critics gave a mixed review for the album's lyrics. However, the album was given positive reviews. The album also won several awards. It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.
"Confessions" has sold 10,000,000 copies in the US. It was certified diamond by the RIAA. This means that the album shipped 10,000,000 copies. Many music critics believe the album was Usher's "greatest works". According to "Billboard" the album is the second best-selling album of the 2000s in the US. The album debuted at number one on many music charts around the world. It became the first album by Usher to do this.
Credits for "Confessions" from Allmusic.
Raymond v. Raymond
Raymond v. Raymond is the sixth studio album by American singer Usher. It was released on March 26, 2010. Recording the album happened between 2008 and 2010. It was produced by Jermaine Dupri, The Runners, Ester Dean, Polow da Don, RedOne, Jim Jonsin, Danja, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bangladesh, and Tricky Stewart.
The album debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart. It sold 329,000 copies the first week. It sold over 1,000,000 copies in the United States. It was then certified platinum by the RIAA. This means that the album shipped 1,000,000 copies in the United States. "Raymond v. Raymond" released five singles. These include the hit single "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)", "Lil Freak", "There Goes My Baby", "OMG", and "More".
After the album was released, it was given mixed reviews from music critics. Many music critics did not like the lyrics and the themes of the songs. Others liked it. The album won several awards. It won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Usher went on his OMG Tour in 2011 to promote the album worldwide.
Credits for "Raymond v. Raymond" from Allmusic.
Versus (EP)
Versus EP is the first extended play by American singer Usher. It was released on August 24, 2010 on LaFace Records and Jive Records. It was produced by Polow da Don, Jim Jonsin, Rico Love, Drumma Boy, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Tha Cornaboyz and Max Martin. "Versus" was the "last chapter of "Raymond v. Raymond"". The songs talked about Usher being a single father.