GuacaMusic: Bachata

posted in: By Genres • Features • Latin

Ever wonder what is the best music to listen to when you are feeling sad and lonely?

We have the answer for you. One word: Bachata.

Slow and romantic by nature, bachata is, in a way, the Latin interpretation of the blues. The genre emerged during the rise of the Cuban bolero, and became the expression of bitterness and nostalgia in the Dominican Republic.

For various years, bachata was stigmatized as being too vulgar and crude, but the genre finally became part of mainstream music in the early ’90s, and developed into the international phenomenon that it is today.

If you are familiar with this type of music, you know that there is no better way to convey sorrow than by singing a good bachata, since the main role of the bachatero is to chant about misery, loneliness and unsuccessful love.

Depressed already?

There is no need to feel gloomy. Here on OurStage, we have some outstanding bachatas that will make your heart melt and transform you into a hopeless romantic.

First on our list is BACHAT4 LIFE, also known as B4L, a band that started as a vague idea during a conversation between artists Angel and Moises, and is now a very successful reality under the management of JAL Productions. Play their songs ‘Ojos Que Matan” and “Amor de Cabaret” for examples of the characteristic rhythms of Bachata.

For the ultimate romantic bachata experience, play “801” by Maribel Diaz singing with Abi Cruz. This song is about the story of a couple who used to meet in apartment number 801. Maribel started singing professionally in her late teens as part of the wedding ensemble The Riviera Band. When she turned 21, she joined the band Fuerza Latina as a lead female vocalist, and released her first solo production Me Toca A Mi, a few years later.

Any true bachatero knows that there is no love without sorrow, and Gilda Betancourt sings sorrow like nobody else. Gilda has been in the Top Ten OurStage Charts several times, making her a favorite between Latin music fans. Gilda’s bachata, “Sin Tu Amor,” tells the story of a love that wasn’t meant to be, and the impossible task of learning to live without it.

Bachata songs may be bitter, but they are also incredibly romantic and somewhat hopeful.  This playlist will feed your soul. ¡Provecho!