The Origin of Bachata
The musical style of Bachata originated from the beautiful Dominican Republic; more specifically, in Santo Domingo’s bars and brothels. It was originally created by the struggling lower class to express the way they felt socially and economically to individuals that might not have otherwise understood. Around the 1960's, the music genre began to be more well-known across nations. Although, that may sound like a good thing bachata was constantly looked down upon by the middle and upper middle class because it was a type of music associated with a class of people whom
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they truly felt were beneath them. This soon led to bachata not being able to be aired on the radio and if artists wanted to perform the musical style to the public, they would have to invest their own money. The music genre was compiled with songs discussing topics such as women, alcohol, sex, drugs etc. It took years for bachata to become
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actually recognized as an impactful genre and the major figure that sparked a change of perception for all Latin music fans was Juan Luis Guerra during the 1992 Grammys. He won a Grammy for his song “El Costo de la vida” which pointed a spotlight at the problems the lower class faces and the vicious face of Capitalism, causing an up rise for individuals to take action. As many other music genres, those who practiced the style of Bachata had to work its way up for people to love and cherish it, but the hard work and dedication of the individuals that truly believed in the genre as a whole really
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paid off. Soon after bachata became a popular dance and it spread across the nation like a forest fire spreads to surrounding trees. There were already steps to the "social music" but as it spread all over, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, etc. started to add their own footwork into it, influencing different techniques. The purpose of the music was to get people close to one another and feel a connection; to speak with more than just their words and express themselves with their bodies. As bachata became more and more popular a lot of the music began to be about love and mainly women. The genre began to resemble blues and rap over time, earning the nickname of their “cousin”. Putting dance aside, later on bachata was made to speak to those who felt insecure and really didn't have a love life. It was made for women to feel loved and men to know that it's okay to feel certain ways. It was made to encourage expression of emotions and out bursts of passion and it continues on today to be one of the top music genres in Latin culture.