CT Public's Latino Initiative, Somos Connecticut, is curating a list of songs our Latino staff is listening to right now. Music is super prevalent in our Latino cultures — it's an important way we connect with ourselves and each other.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we're celebrating the soundtracks to our lives, past and present, identifying those songs that keep us in our feels or completely turn our moods around.
Inspired by NPR's El Tiny takeover, CT Public's Latino staff shares the music that's resonating with them right now.
"ILYSMIH" by Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis dominates my Spotify playlists, and it has been amazing to see her style change. "ILYSMIH" isn't my ultimate favorite song of hers, but her vulnerability and raw emotion in this one sticks with me. As someone who doesn't have kids, I don't know what it feels like to be a mother, but this song captures her abundance of love so well that I get a sense of what it would be like. The song is so intimate too that I forget I don't know her; this feels like something you'd find in a diary or a letter. Her son's babbling at the end is just the cherry on top that reminds me of VHS tapes full of childhood videos your parents recorded.
— Isabelle Marceles, Roy W. Howard Investigative Reporting Fellow
"Barrio" by YEИDRY
This is one of those songs that I immediately fell in love with at first listen. It’s one I’ve come back to over the years, especially with Dominican artist YEИDRY’s recent Tiny Desk performance and latest album release, “Como Agua.”
“Barrio” is super empowering. It’s about leaving a bad situation behind, trusting yourself, and no longer being overcome by fear. YEИDRY’s soft, passionate voice and mesmerizing riffs pulled me in, while the quick pace change of the chorus made me feel like I was on this journey with her. Then, the beat breakdown comes in as a stark reminder that healing is not linear and comes in many forms. I absolutely love the combination of musical styles juxtaposed to tell a story. It really captures the layered emotions that come with healing from struggle, and using your strength and power to carry you home.
— Sabrina Herrera, Latino Initiative Editor
"Cuando" by Ruzzi
I started my career in college radio at WHUS Storrs. Best believe, I am a strong lover and supporter of indie/alternative music. So, I’d love to bring you into the Latine space of that genre with a Hispanic musician I’ve recently discovered. Ruzzi, or Marian Ruiz Martínez, is a singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from Chihuahua, Mexico. Her debut album “Nave Especial” came out in 2018, which includes this absolute banger “Cuando”. She has a soulful vibe that will have you swaying and bopping whether you speak Spanish or not. It’s the kind of music that will have you living your movie montage dreams while singing with the windows down on a scenic fall drive. And, yes, she is still making music. In fact, she got nominated for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammy Awards in 2025. You should absolutely check out her latest song “Good Morning (in the morning)” which she released this past August.
— Daniela Doncel, Latino Communities Reporter
"Lost in Emotion" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Released in 1987, “Lost in Emotion” by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam is one of the dance classics embedded in my happier grade-school memories, right up there with Pizza Hut “Book It” certificates and the Fraggle Rock children’s hardcover set. The video is peak ‘80s, too -- Puerto Rican freestyle queen Lisa Lisa with her bold eye shadow and big earrings, strutting at a street fair in New York like she owned the place. She pretty much did. This song hit the top of the Billboard charts and was part of the going-out soundtrack for young Latinas in my hometown near the U.S.-Mexico border. And almost 40 years later, it makes me long for those pre-Internet, carefree days.
— Vanessa de la Torre, Chief Content Officer
"BbY WOW" by Karol G, Judeline, Rusowsky
I cannot stop listening to Karol G’s new album, "No Me Arrepiento De Sentir Tanto." No skips! It is so good. The album has such an incredible mix of upbeat songs that immediately make you want to get up and dance, alongside these beautiful, sensual, emotional ballads.
What I love most is how much nostalgia she blends into the album. You can hear influences and references that bring you back to artists and songs from Selena, Jeanette, Nina Sky and more, while still making everything feel completely her own. Even the album cover feels nostalgic. It reminds me of one of those pop CDs you would buy in the late ’90s and early 2000s, when artwork and packaging were part of the whole experience.
I also just love what Karol G continues to do for the Latino community on a larger scale. She celebrates so many different sounds and influences while bringing them to audiences all over the world.
Right now, though, I have "BbY WOW" on repeat. It makes you want to get up and dance, shake your hips, get things done, and have a good time with your friends. Love it. Love her.
— Alexandra Tio, Digital Marketing Manager
"Hay Algo En Ti" by Zion y Lennox
It's hard to remember a time when reggaeton wasn't a well-known genre, but every time I listen to "Hay Algo En Ti" by Zion y Lennox, it takes me back to the early days when I was first introduced to this type of music. It was the summer of 2003 on my annual trip to Puerto Rico. I was 13 years old and starting to figure out who I was, developing my own style and taste in music. While listening to the radio in the car, a song came on and it was unlike anything I had heard. It was this blend of hip-hop and reggae...but in Spanish. It was what we now know as reggaeton. We went to the mall, and on my hunt for more music like this, I found this CD called "Mas Flow," which had a collection of reggaeton songs from different artists. "Hay Algo En Ti" quickly became my most played song from the album and it's where my love for reggaeton began. Not long after coming home, the genre started becoming more popular with the success of Daddy Yankee. I've been listening ever since. It's been such an experience to see the evolution of reggaeton and grow up alongside of it.
— Zydalis Bauer, Digital & Multimedia Editor, New England News Collaborative
"Slumlord" by Neon Indian
Alan Palomo of Neon Indian puts his complaints about the rent mixed with the type of youthful abandon that comes from taking on the nearby nightlife, to a synth pop beat. I absolutely adore this song. "Slumlord" is definitely influenced by '80s music. Released more than a decade ago, the song sounds timeless. An absolute banger, as the kids say. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Palomo has since appeared to retire the Neon Indian moniker, but he's still putting out music under his birth name and as VEGA.
— Eddy Martinez, Breaking News & General Assignment Reporter
"Se Encendio el Beeper" by Oro Solido
At some point in the last year, I saw a video on Instagram recommending salsa and merengue songs if you're ever feeling down, specifically "Se Encendio el Beeper" by Oro Solido. I grew up listening to this song at parties but hadn't heard it in years. One day, I put it on. I can confirm that it's pretty much impossible to be sad or sit still when this song is playing. It's the perfect pick-me-up. I find it extra hilarious that it centers around a bit of tech — the beeper — that seemed so cool to me when I was a kid but is now pretty obsolete.
— Raquel Zaldívar, Visuals Journalist, New England News Collaborative
"La Jaula de Oro" by Julieta Venegas (Los Tigres del Norte Cover)
To me, this song captures the aching contradiction of the "American Dream." Immigrants come to the US to work hard and give their children a better life, only to experience the pain of raising children who are at times taught to reject the language and culture of their parents. "The cage of gold" speaks to the contradiction of undocumented workers contributing so much to the economy of the "Land of the Free," while feeling like prisoners because of their immigration status. The song was written in the '80s, but it speaks to the reality immigrants are living now, here in Connecticut, where ICE sweeps have left people afraid to leave their houses.
This song is originally by Los Tigres del Norte, and it's powerful to hear a man sing it, since it's from the perspective of a father, but I absolutely love the Julieta Venegas cover.
— Diana Montaño, Midday News Anchor & Fairfield County Reporter
"Como La Flor" by Selena
"Como La Flor" by Selena is engraved in my brain, not only because of how amazing it is, but because it was one of the only songs I have ever heard my mom sing at karaoke when I was about eight years old. One of my uncles still calls her Selena to this day. Besides the sense of nostalgia I feel when I hear "Como La Flor," I also love how it's a song you can both dance and sing your heart out to.
Even though she is gone, Selena continues to represent Mexican Americans and Latinos who find it hard to fit in here or there. Selena makes it clear that we can embrace our uniqueness, our Spanglish, our love for both countries, and our dual heritage without having to choose.
— Martha Castillo, Associate Social Media Editor
"Vivir Mi Vida" by Marc Anthony
This song has been a personal anthem for the year, and I just love the message behind it! Growing up a "no sabo" kid, I remember loving the song without knowing the meaning behind the lyrics. Once I eventually learned each Spanish phrase, I really began to resonate with the piece even more. Themes of shaking off sadness, only looking ahead, and dancing through life are a few of the song's fabulous features — combine that with the beautiful big band sound? Near perfection to me!
— Francesca Fontanez, Social Media Editor
Want more music recommendations like this? Let us know! Email us at somosct@ctpublic.org, and tell us what you think.
