Colombian music | World Music Central

Music videos

Nidia Góngora Celebrates Colombian Life on “La Vida Es Un Baile”

Nidia Góngora and Nuevos Ríos will release their self-titled album, Nuevos Ríos, on Friday, March 27. The project brings marimba traditions from Colombia’s Pacific coast…

Jorge Aguilar y Sus Embelecos Eres Tú Mi Rosa cover artwork. an illustration of a colombian manseen from the back. He is wearing traditional clothe and a country hat , holding a drum on his shoulder. Pink and orange neon colors.

Music videos Single reviews

Colombia Meets Senegal

Tom Orr February 24, 2026 No Comments Afro-Colombian Colombian music Jorge Aguilar y Sus Embelecos Tapha Gaye world fusion world music

A band from Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Jorge Aguilar y Sus Embelecos, is joined by Senegalese guitarist Tapha Gaye for “Eres Tú Mi Rosa,” a reconnection…

Voces del Bullerengue wearing traditional clothes

Articles

Bullerengue: History, Instruments, and Variations of an Afro-Colombian Tradition

Angel Romero January 26, 2026 No Comments Afro-Colombian bullerengue Carmen Pimentel Clara Ospin Colombia Colombian music Isabel Julio Juana Rosado la Chamaría de los Manglares Mayo Hidalgo Petrona Martínez Rosa Matilde Rosado Rosita Caraballo world music

Bullerengue is a traditional Afro-Colombian musical genre and dance from Colombia’s Caribbean coast. It is notable for its powerful matriarchal legacy. The genre stands out…

La Cumbia Chicharra - Quinto Mundo © Clémentine Candela -Guillaume Parent. A neon-bright figure with a stylized human form sits against a dark, swirling backdrop, its hair exploding upward in electric blue flames.

Album reviews

Cumbia Chicharra Blasts Off With Quinto Mundo

Iliana Cabrera December 29, 2025 No Comments Colombian music cumbia La Cumbia Chicharra world fusion world music

La Cumbia Chicharra – Quinto Mundo (Music Box Publishing / L’Autre Distribution, 2025 La Cumbia Chicharra, a France-based band deeply influenced by Colombian cumbia, recently…

a photo of La Capi sitting in a garden, smiling, holding her guitar, next to a cat.

Music videos Single reviews

An Earful of Joy

Tom Orr November 29, 2025 No Comments Caribbean music Colombian music La Capi world music

Colombia’s La Capi smiles her way through the video for her pan-Caribbean track “Cantar,” and rightly so. It’s all about singing joyously no matter what,…

Seffarine and La Cumbiamba eNeYé collage with photos of the two acts.

Events

Morocco Meets Colombia: Dance-Ready World Mashup At Flushing Town Hall

World Music Central News Room November 21, 2025 No Comments Colombian music Flamenco Moroccan music Seffarine world music

Flushing Town Hall in New York City will host a cross-cultural world music program on Friday, November 21. The event brings together Moroccan–Spanish flamenco group…

Anunciaçǎo by big beet . a live performance still from the music video.

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Dual South American Sizzle

Tom Orr November 10, 2025 No Comments big beet Brazilian music Colombian music cumbia forró world fusion world music

Should you be in need of a pulsating, exhilarating mix of Brazilian forró and Colombian cumbia, “Anunciaçǎo” by the USA’s big beet will handily satisfy…

Events

Salif Keita To Debut At Zanzibar’s 2026 Festival, Sauti Za Busara

World Music Central News Room October 31, 2025 No Comments Abdel Grooz African music Ahamada Smis Alamokha Ancestors Atanda & Afrojazz Messengers Ben Pol Bilal Irshed Trio Colombian music DCMA Young Stars Hammer Q Kara Sylla Ka & Baye Fall Band Kaya ByiNshii La Carmen y Su Familia Musical Labdi Lindigo Magomamoto Theatre Group Malcolm Jiyane Tree-o Mama C and the Fusion Band Man Fongo Man Kifimbo Mehmet Polat Quartet Pilani Bubu Rajab Suleiman & Kithara Salif Keita Sauti za Busara Seby Ntege Sousou & Maher Cissoko Swahili Encounters Tanzanian music Tarajazz world fusion world music

Sauti za Busara will return for its 23rd edition in Stone Town, Zanzibar, from February 5–8, 2026. Organizers confirmed that Malian star Salif Keita, widely…

The album cover for #Anónimas & Resilientes by Voces del Bullerengue features a colorful illustration of four people gathered under a thatched-roof hut. Two women play drums, one woman dances with a traditional skirt, and another gestures while standing beside them. A small yellow dog lies in the foreground. Bright plants, trees, and a crescent moon frame the scene, while the album title appears prominently above the hut and the group’s name is displayed at the bottom.

Album reviews

Circle Of Matriarchs: Voces Del Bullerengue Spins A 360° Second Album

Angel Romero October 2, 2025 No Comments bullerengue Colombian music world music

Voces del Bullerengue – #anonimas&resilientes (Chaco World Music, 2025) Voces del Bullerengue returns in 2025 with #Anónimas&Resilientes, a passionate, profound and riveting 14-track set captured…

La Capi Que Nada. La Capi playing guitar on a boat.

Music videos Single reviews

Dance and Learn

Tom Orr September 15, 2025 No Comments Brazilian music Colombian music La Capi world fusion world music

Combining Colombian and Brazilian inflections with a broader Latin feel, “Que Nada” by La Capi is supreme dance music that also contains a lyrical lesson…