Tommy Mottola Reveals How Sony Strong-Armed the Grammys for Ricky Martin's Crossover Moment

Latin music’s global takeover didn’t happen by accident, and Tommy Mottola just shared the receipts. At Billboard’s The Rise of Latin Music Globally panel in Miami Beach on Monday, the former Sony Music chairman recalled how the label threatened to pull its artists from the Grammys to secure Ricky Martin’s performance of“The Cup of Life.”That performance became the spark for the late-’90s Latin pop explosion, and the panel traced how that moment turned into today’s streaming-era powerhouse.

The numbers are staggering. Alex Gallardo, president of Sony Music U.S. Latin, said that if U.S. Latin counted as its own country by consumption, it would rank around No. 6 in the world, with Mexico and Brazil already among the biggest music markets globally. But both executives agreed on the catch: an open door means more competition, and the tenth copycat of a hit won’t cut through anymore. Gallardo pointed to Rosalía’s Lux as proof that distinct artistic vision can win at mass scale, and highlighted 19-year-old Argentine artist Milo J for connecting younger listeners with traditional folklore. He also named Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival as a growing market for Latin acts like Trueno and Rauw Alejandro.

So what’s the takeaway for fans? The music is only going to get more interesting from here, because the artists who break out next will be the ones taking real creative swings. Which Latin artist do you think is pushing the culture forward the most right now? Let us know below.