Latin Music Quiz

Question 1

Bad Bunny is Puerto Rico's biggest music star. What genre is he primarily associated with?

Accepted Answer

Reggaeton

Answer

Salsa

Answer

Cumbia

Answer

Bachata

Question 2

'Despacito' by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee (2017) broke global records. It was the first Spanish-language song to do what since 'La Bamba' in 1987?

Accepted Answer

Reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100

Answer

Win a Grammy for Record of the Year

Answer

Sell 10 million copies in the USA

Answer

Be certified platinum in every Latin American country simultaneously

Question 3

Bossa nova, a genre combining samba with cool jazz, originated in which Brazilian city in the late 1950s?

Accepted Answer

Rio de Janeiro

Answer

São Paulo

Answer

Salvador

Answer

Bahia

Question 4

Reggaeton originated in which Caribbean country in the 1990s?

Accepted Answer

Puerto Rico

Answer

Jamaica

Answer

Dominican Republic

Answer

Cuba

Question 5

Flamenco is the traditional music and dance of which Spanish region?

Accepted Answer

Andalusia

Answer

Catalonia

Answer

Basque Country

Answer

Galicia

Question 6

Shakira, one of Latin music's biggest global stars, is from which country?

Accepted Answer

Colombia

Answer

Venezuela

Answer

Brazil

Answer

Mexico

Question 7

Salsa music is a fusion of multiple Latin musical styles. Which city is considered the capital of salsa's development and popularity?

Accepted Answer

New York City, USA

Answer

Havana, Cuba

Answer

Bogotá, Colombia

Answer

Cali, Colombia

Question 8

Gloria Estefan had one of the most remarkable comeback stories in music after a serious injury. What happened?

Accepted Answer

She was seriously injured in a tour bus crash and was told she might never walk again — but recovered and returned to performing

Answer

She lost her hearing in one ear but continued performing

Answer

She suffered a stroke on stage in 1990 but fully recovered within months

Answer

She survived a plane crash with the Miami Sound Machine

Question 9

The 'Latin Explosion' of 1999 brought Latin artists into mainstream US pop. Who was central to this moment alongside Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin?

Accepted Answer

All of the above contributed to the Latin Explosion

Answer

Shakira and J.Lo

Answer

Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias

Answer

Enrique Iglesias and Shakira

Question 10

Cumbia, one of Colombia's most beloved music genres, originated from a fusion of which three cultural influences?

Accepted Answer

African, indigenous, and Spanish colonial music

Answer

Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous

Answer

Caribbean, Brazilian, and Andean

Answer

French, African, and indigenous

Question 11

What is 'dembow' and why is it important to reggaeton?

Accepted Answer

The characteristic 'boom-ch-boom-chick' rhythmic pattern at the heart of reggaeton, derived from Jamaican dancehall

Answer

A type of reggaeton dance move

Answer

A Puerto Rican slang term for crowd noise at concerts

Answer

The bass drop moment in a reggaeton track

Question 12

Celia Cruz was known as the 'Queen of Salsa'. She was born in which country?

Accepted Answer

Cuba

Answer

Puerto Rico

Answer

Dominican Republic

Answer

Venezuela

Question 13

The tango originated in the working-class areas of which two cities in the late 19th century?

Accepted Answer

Buenos Aires and Montevideo

Answer

Santiago and Lima

Answer

Havana and San Juan

Answer

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo

Question 14

J Balvin, one of reggaeton's biggest stars, is from which Colombian city?

Accepted Answer

Medellín

Answer

Bogotá

Answer

Cali

Answer

Cartagena

Question 15

Selena Quintanilla was known as the 'Queen of Tejano Music'. She was killed in 1995 at age 23. Why is she still culturally significant?

Accepted Answer

She was crossing over from Tejano to mainstream pop at the time of her death, and her biopic (starring Jennifer Lopez) cemented her as an enduring icon of Latinx culture

Answer

She was the first Latin artist to win a Grammy

Answer

She established the first Spanish-language record label in the USA

Answer

She was the first Latin artist to perform at the Super Bowl

Question 16

What is 'bachata' and where did it originate?

Accepted Answer

A romantic Dominican guitar music genre that was originally stigmatised as 'lower-class' music before gaining global popularity

Answer

A Cuban dance derived from son

Answer

A Colombian cumbia variant

Answer

A Puerto Rican dance genre combining salsa and merengue

Question 17

Carlos Santana's comeback album 'Supernatural' (1999) won a record-tying 9 Grammy Awards in one night. Which song featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty was its biggest hit?

Accepted Answer

Smooth

Answer

Corazon Espinado

Answer

Maria Maria

Answer

Put Your Lights On

Question 18

Rosalía has blended flamenco with urban pop and trap. She is from which Spanish city?

Accepted Answer

Barcelona

Answer

Seville

Answer

Madrid

Answer

Valencia

Question 19

Marc Anthony is one of the best-selling tropical salsa artists of all time. He was born in which US city to Puerto Rican parents?

Accepted Answer

New York City

Answer

Miami

Answer

Chicago

Answer

Los Angeles

Question 20

What is 'merengue' and which country is it the national music of?

Accepted Answer

An upbeat, fast-paced Dominican music and dance genre — the Dominican Republic's national music

Answer

A Cuban son variant — Cuba's national music

Answer

A Puerto Rican style mixing salsa and American R&B

Answer

A Venezuelan folk genre played with harps