Bachata Music
by Juliet Mercado
What is bachata?
Bachata originated from the Dominican Republic and is a guitar based form of music. Common in other countries like Puerto Rico and Ecuador and the United States, bachata is one of the most popular genres of Latin music including famous artists such as Aventura, Romeo Santos and Prince Royce.
Aventura
A bachata band from New York
Romeo Santos
A successful singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and former lead of Aventura
Prince Royce
An American singer, song-writer, and record producer
History of Bachata
Bachata started with José Manuel Calderón, the Dominican "Father of Bachata". Before bachata was considered a genre of Latin music, it was usually played at informal parties where it sounded very similar to the Puerto Rican, Ecuadorian, Mexican, and Peruvian music that inspired it. Over time, the style became more distinguishable and developed its own genre of music that is popular today.
The Bachata Style
"Solo por un beso" dance
Dancing to Bachata
The dance is a mixture between Cuban hip hop and Bachata pop style. It focuses on a light pushing and pulling to form a close connection with the partner, which can be seen in the video above.
Characteristics & Bachata Today
The main instruments involved in bachata are lead guitar, rhythm guitar, electronic bass guitar, and bongos. Bachata is played at many Latin dance halls and informal parties where people dance and celebrate. Early bachata is associated with crimes in the Dominican Republic and it wasn't allowed to play on mainstream. Today, bachata is very popular, especially the kind that originates from New York City artists like the ones above.