Juanes

• Genre: Latin Pop
• Juanes Website

About

Colombia's Juanes was raised on music: he learned guitar under the tutelage of his father and brothers, and cut his teeth on everyone from Nueva Cancion singer Silvio Rodriguez to Led Zeppelin and Eminem. He's absorbed diverse influences from around Latin America, from vallenato and salsa to punk. After a stint with Latin Rock band Ekhymosis, Juanes struck out on his own in the late 1990s. The result of his musical explorations is evident: he's got a powerful sense of dynamics that keeps the sensitivity in check with swinging rhythms and expert instrumental flourishes. No two songs on his solo albums sound alike, and the personal and political comfortably rub shoulders in his work. Even his pop-oriented efforts maintain a certain subtlety, and his Latin Grammys are clearly richly deserved. One to watch for years to come.

- Sarah Bardeen