Well, and then 2014 happened. Two of the shiniest stars in the Latin music firmament both decided to release mega-albums within a fortnight of each other. Shakira and Juanes are no strangers to Grammies, Twitter followers, or massive hits, and, if early signs are anything to go by, Colombia is going to be pretty hard to miss on this year’s pop music map.
It’s rumoured that Juanes’ new album, Crazy With Love, set to be released unto a breathlessly awaiting world on March 11th, will be a “back to roots” effort. If the first song off the ranks is anything to go by, this could entail an exploration of his Latin musical heritage. “La Luz (the light)” is a bit of a departure for our former metal-head, pop-rocker, and is a catchy number reminiscent of Cartagena shenanigans like those depicted in its video.
Shakira’s tenth album looks like it’s going to be called, well, SHAKIRA, and it’s set to be so big that it could be mistaken for a mountain. The first single, “Can’t Remember to Forget You.” features fellow Caribbean song-siren, Rihanna, and its steamy video has already attracted one or two visitors to Youtube. The song, starting off with a reggae vibe and moving on into some big rock chords, isn’t bad, either. Barranquilla’s own has mustered a veritable army of top song-writers and producers on board the good ship Shakira, and we reckon it could well be old Shakko’s year.
Music throbs incessantly through Colombia’s veins, and it looks like, with two such accomplished international stars leading the way, all the world’s going to know how that feels. Watch out, 2014, Colombia’s got this.
Cover photo edited from walmart.com/soundcheck
