9 Female Latin Music Stars to Watch Out For

Since the "Despacito" outbreak of summer 2017, Latin music has been heating up and crossing over into the pop mainstream on a global level. Names like Colombia's J Balvin and Maluma, two of today's hottest reggaeton artists, are appearing alongside pop icons like Madonna and Beyoncé. But even with the cultural genre's recent strides toward success, the women in the movement are pushing for more visibility and representation.

The big numbers behind the sales and streaming of Latin music and the attention on the genre shouldn’t only be attributed to its male artists. The women, too, have been rising up and reaching wider audiences while breaking down barriers — and records — in the process.

Colombian superstar Shakira is no longer doing most of the heavy lifting on behalf of Latina musicians on her own anymore: Dominican reggaetonera (or female reggaeton artist) Natti Natasha was named the most-watched woman on YouTube in 2018, outpacing American pop stars like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. With reggaeton music's losses in the general categories at last year's Latin Grammy Awards, Colombian rapper Karol G became the first woman in the genre to win Best New Artist against nine other nominees.

As women in Latin music continue to hold their own in a male-dominated arena, more Latinas are stepping forward to shake things up. Below, discover 9 female artists who are totally killing it right now in Latin music.