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Latinx Podcasts on the Rise

By Rafael Vargas

As technology keeps on evolving, so have our forms of entertainment. Although late night talk shows and radio broadcasts are still around, podcasts are rapidly increasing in popularity as the new form of media where audiences can listen to hosts talk for hours over a variety of fascinating topics. In recent years, podcasts created by Latinxs have been on the rise with shows ranging from daily news stories to even shows regarding mysterious folk legends.

Erick Galindo is one of the many Latinx hosts that have gained a following due to his fascinating podcast “Idolo: the Ballad of Chalino Sanchez”. It tells the story of Mexican singer and songwriter Chalino Sanchez who pioneered the “prohibited ballad”, songs that told tales of drug smugglers and violent criminals. Galindo’s main goal when starting his career was to create content that could be enjoyed by both English and Spanish speakers alike. The popularity of Erick Galindo’s podcast can also be attributed with the ever rising Latinx population in the U.S., which “[…] reached 62.1 million in 2020.” (Exposito 2022). Which is all the more reason why Latinx podcasts have been gaining traction as of recently. As a result, popular streaming services have started providing platforms for these creators to share their projects. Audible, for example, is planning to release the Latin series “Punk in Translation: Latinx Origins”, an audio documentary that tells the origins of Latin Punk Rock (Exposito 2022). 

Latinx podcasts are growing in popularity due to the vast variety of interesting topics created by the Latinx community. Because of this, there is hope that other forms of entertainment will begin commissioning shows from the many Latinx content creators across the world. 

Works Cited 

Exposito, Suzy. “Podcasts made by and for Latinos Finally make Mainstream Inroads.” Los Angeles Times, 15 February 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-02-15/latino-podcast-chalino-sanchez-sonoro-futuro-spotify

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