What They’re Listening to in Mexico City This Summer

Chris Cornell

After the tragic death of Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell, it’s likely that his music and that of his former bands will see a spike in airplay in Mexico City and around the world in the ensuing weeks. Known for his powerful voice and huge contribution, alongside Kurt Cobain, to the grunge scene in ’90s Seattle, Cornell’s legacy is unlikely to fade anytime soon, so expect to hear some throwback tracks from Soundgarden, Audioslave, and his solo material this summer.

While the music of Mexican legend Juan Gabriel is never completely out of style – or off the radio – you’re sure to hear more of his tracks than normal this summer in Mexico City, as the first anniversary of his untimely death approaches on August 28. Keep your ears open for classics like “Querida” and “Amor Eterno” in the weeks running up to the tragic date, as well as many of his other hits.

DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar

When tickets were put on sale for Monterrey’s staple summer music festival, Hellow Fest, almost all the early stages sold out immediately, and it’s likely that headliner Kendrick Lamar had a lot to do with that, given that he’d recently released his phenomenal fourth studio album, DAMN. The two singles from DAMN. so far, “HUMBLE.” and “DNA,” both rank as Lamar’s highest charting songs to date, and even though Hellow Fest isn’t until late August, we can safely predict a ton of airtime for this magnificent album in the run-up.

El Dorado by Shakira

Shakira, the reigning queen of Latin music, is due to release her 11th studio album, El Dorado, at the end of May. With the popularity of pretty much every single that has dropped from it so far – think “Chantaje” with Maluma, “Me Enamoré” (the video for which features a very well-received Pique cameo), and the summery smash “La Bicicleta” with Carlos Vives – we can assume that El Dorado will be one of the albums Mexico City is playing on repeat over the summer months.

While Roger Waters’ fifth studio album (his first solo album in over 12 years, and first studio album since 1992’s Amused to Death) seems like an unlikely candidate for success in Mexico City this summer, that wouldn’t be taking into account the 200,000 chilangos who turned out for his free concert in October 2016. It would seem, then, that the popularity of the ex-Pink Floyd bassist is in no doubt in Mexico City, and so when his new album is released on June 2, it’s no stretch to assume it will be received with fanfare in the Mexican capital.

Due for release on June 9, the latest album by the popular yet polemic North American songstress Katy Perry is likely to receive heavy airplay in Mexico, both on private playlists and commercial radio stations. Described as displaying a more mature sound than past artistic efforts, we’ve already been privy to three of the singles from her new album – “Bon Appétit,” “Swish Swish,” and the ’70s-inspired “Chained to the Rhythm.”

“Despacito” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee

If you haven’t heard “Despacito” at least 10 times by now, you’re missing out on the unexpected success story of the moment when it comes to Latin music. While it was first released back in January, it was Justin Bieber’s bilingual remix of this Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee collaboration that propelled it into the English-language mainstream, and it’s maintained that momentum ever since. In fact, the Bieber remix and the original have a combined YouTube view count of more than 1.5 billion at the time of writing.

We predicted back in spring that this song wouldn’t just be popular for one measly season, instead gaining airplay right into the summer months, and it seems as though that was correct. Back then, the hyper-catchy and still video-less Danny Ocean song “Me Rehúso” had almost 30 million YouTube views. Now it has close to 100 million and shows no sign of slowing down, so get learning that simple hook (“así como te gusta, baby”) in preparation for the inevitable Danny Ocean takeover this summer.

As the second most Shazam-ed song of the week in Mexico already, a mere three weeks after release, the debut offering from heartthrob and One Direction band member Harry Styles will likely continue to grow in popularity throughout the summer months in Mexico. Described as a mixture of pop and soft rock, this probable smash hit ballad’s sweeping, monumental music video was directed by Woodkid and shot on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.