Expert: Garrett Fifer - 5/30/2008

Question
what kind of music does colombia have/listen to? what kind of stars are out there? are they movie stars or actress? what are they like? what are there names?

Answer
Colombians love music of many types and have several artists that have made a name for themselves in the latin music scene as well as  few that have had success in the U.S. and internationally.

Here are a few types of music that they listen to in Colombia:

Salsa - Though it was born in New York; Cali, Colombia is arguably the Salsa capital of the world. A few notable artists... Gilberto Santa Rosa, Grupo Niche, Guayacan, Maelo Ruiz, Marc Anthony (Puerto Rican), and many, many others.

Vallenato - A type of music born in Colombia that really personifies the Colombian spirit. It's popularity has spread to several other Latin American countries, particularly neighboring countries. Jorge Celedon, Peter Manjarrez, Diomedes Diaz, Sylvestre Dagond, Los Inquietos, and El Binomio de Oro are few well known artists. Carlos Vives is another hugely popular artist that mixes many other genres into his music...rock, Cumbia, and pop.

Rock en Espanol - Yes, that's what it's called. Colombia has a big rock scene, particularly in Bogota. Besides most rockers being a big fan of 1980's rock in English, many listen to bands from all over Latin American and Spain such as Soda Stereo, Aterciopelados (from Bogota), Kraken (Colombian), Rata Blanca, Los Prisioneros, and many many more.

Pop Rock - Several big names have come from Colombia in this genre. The biggest being Shakira and Juanes. Juanes hasn't gone to recording in English and I doubt he ever will, though he lives in Miami. Cabas is another pop rocker but one who mixes alot of other styles into his music.

Cumbia - An authentic mix of African, Indigenous, and Spanish sounds into a unique sound. It's not exactly mainstream, but it's an important influence on some musicians.

The wikipedia has several more listings of Colombian music types that are too numerous to name them all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Colombia

As far as actors, a few Colombian actors have made a name for themselves internationally such as comedian/actor John Leguizamo and actress Sofia Vergara. Some popular telenovela actors are: Rafael Novoa, Paola Rey, and Paola Turbay.

As Colombian women are known for their beauty, several models have made it to the top of their profession. I don't have names, but a google search should give you a good idea of how much of a presence Colombian models have in the profession.