This is a list of notable events in Latin music (music from Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking areas from Latin America, Europe, and the United States) that took place in 1994.
Events March 1 – The 36th Annual Grammy Awards are held at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Luis Miguel wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for his album Aries. Gloria Estefan wins the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album for her album Mi Tierra Selena wins the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album for her album Live!. March 10BMI launches its own Latin music award to honor the best performing Latin songs of the year published by the company. "Otro Día Más Sin Verte" by Jon Secada is awarded Latin song of the year while Álvaro Torres is honored Latin songwriter of the year. May 16 - May 19 – The fifth annual Billboard Latin Music Conference is held at the InterContinental Hotel in Florida with the conference focusing on Brazilian music and Latin jazz for the first time. The inaugural Billboard Latin Music Awards also takes place with Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan being the biggest winners with three awards. Cuban singer Celia Cruz and Cuban musician Cachao are inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame. May 19 – The 6th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards are held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan and American Tejano group La Mafia are the biggest winners of the ceremony with both receiving three awards. June 4 – National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences approves a new category for Latin jazz album. The new award category is scheduled to debut on the following Grammy Award ceremony the next year. Despite being its appearance on the jazz field, Latin music committees are eligible to cast their vote on the award. June 18 – Selena became the first non-crossover act to have an album (Amor Prohibido; released March 1994) to enter the Billboard 200 since Luis Miguel's Aries (1993). The album was credited with popularizing Tejano music and catapulting the genre into an "unprecedented level of mainstream success"; eventually becoming the best-selling Tejano record of all-time. It holds the record for most weeks in the top ten of the Top Latin Albums chart—at 110 weeks—while the record holds the record for most weeks at number one on the Regional Mexican Albums chart at 96 weeks. November 12 – Billboard updates the methodology for the Hot Latin Tracks chart to incorporate the Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). Billboard also launches three sub-charts of the Hot Latin Tracks chart: Latin Pop Airplay, Regional Mexican Airplay, and Latin Tropical Airplay.
Bands formed Laura Pausini (Latin pop) Kairo (Latin pop) Mónica Naranjo Ana Bárbara Ezequiel Peña Giro Carlos Nuño
Number-ones albums and singles by country List of number-one albums of 1994 (Spain) List of number-one singles of 1994 (Spain) List of number-one Billboard Top Latin Albums of 1994 List of number-one Billboard Hot Latin Tracks of 1994
Awards 1994 Premio Lo Nuestro 1994 Billboard Latin Music Awards 1994 Tejano Music Awards
Albums released First quarter January Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label18 La Aventura Orquesta de la Luz RCA25 El Tirador Banda Vallarta Show Banda, Cumbia, Ranchera FonoVisa, FonoVisaUnknown Day Razones Para una Sonrisa José Luis Rodríguez Ballad, Soft Rock, Salsa Sony Latin
February Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label2 Recuerda Siempre Que Te Quiero Los Bondadosos Cumbia Mar International Records16 Tu Ex-amor El Tiempo Ballad, Cumbia Luna International, Luna International22 Clasicos De La Provincia Carlos Vives Cumbia, Vallenato "La Gota Fría""Alicia Adorada""El Cantor de Fonseca" Sonolux
March Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label1 Mano a Mano Silvio Rodríguez Nueva Cancion, Nueva Trova Ariola13 Amor Prohibido Selena Tejano, Latin, Dance-Pop, Cumbia "Amor Prohibido""El Chico del Apartamento 512""Techno Cumbia" EMI Latin15 Cariño De Mis Cariños Lucero FonoVisa
Second quarter April Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label9 Da Lama ao Caos Chico Science & Nação Zumbi Hip Hop, Funk, Batucada Chaos Recordings12 ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? Maná Pop rock "Oye Mi Amor""Vivir sin Aire""Como Te Deseo""Te Lloré un Rio" Wea Latina18 Zafra (1994) Zafra Negra Merengue J&N Records, EMI Latin19 Los Dos Plebes Los Tigres del Norte FonoVisa, FonoVisa
May Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label16 Tô Ligado Em Você Sandy & Junior
June Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label4 O Descobrimento Do Brasil Legião Urbana Pop rock EMI, EMI14 Piano de America, Vol. 2 Raúl di Blasio 28 Gracias Por Esperar Juan Gabriel BMG, Ariola Si Te Vas Jon Secada Ballad, Vocal SBK Records, SBK Records, EMI Latin, EMI Latin Una Mañana y un Camino Ricardo Montaner Ballad, Rumba, Vocal "Quisiera""No Te Pareces a Mi" EMI Latin
Third quarter July Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label11 Mucho Más Que Dos Ana Belén and Víctor Manuel Vocal Ariola, BMG U.S. Latin19 Recordando a Los Panchos Vicente Fernández Mariachi Sony Discos, Sony Discos22 Re Café Tacuba "El Aparato""Esa Noche""Ixtepec""El Metro""Las Flores" Warner Music México, S.A. de C.V.
August Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label9 Ya Me Cansé David Lee Garza y Los Musicales 16 Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Salsa "Así Son las Cosas""Asi Es la Vida""Quien Eres Tu" Sony Tropical23 Mónica Naranjo Mónica Naranjo Sony Latin Amor Lunatico Giro Salsa SDI30 Esta Boca es Mía Joaquín Sabina Vocal BMG Ariola S.A.
September Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label13 De Mi Alma Latina Plácido Domingo Classical EMI, Angel Records, BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. Sólo Contigo Víctor Manuelle Vocal "Apiádate de Mí""Voy a Prometerme""Por Ejemplo" Sony Tropical20 Dicen Que Soy La IndiaSalsa "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte""Ese Hombre""Dicen Que Soy" RMM Records Formidables Los Toros Band Bachata, Merengue Polydor
Fourth quarter October Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label1 Sangrando Caballeros de la Quema Iguana Records15 Calango Skank Reggae-Pop, Ska, Pop Music "Jackie Tequila""É Proibido Fumar" Chaos25 Siente el Amor... Olga Tañón Merengue "Una Noche Mas""Entre la Noche y el Día""Es Mentiroso" WEA Latina Flaco Jiménez Flaco Jiménez Tejano Aristas Texas
November Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label8 Navidad en las Americas Various artists 15 Siempre Contigo Lucero Vocal FonoVisa El Rey de Corazones Manny Manuel "Distanciado (La Foto)""Pero Que Necesidad""Se Acabo Lo Que Se Daba"22 De Cara al Viento Gilberto Santa Rosa Salsa Sony Tropical Tratar de Estar Mejor Diego Torres RCA, BMG U.S. Latin29 Soundlife Emilio Navaira Tejano EMI Latin
December Day Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label13 Maná en Vivo Maná Pop rock WEA Latina14 Myriam Hernández IV Myriam Hernández
Unknown Title Artist Genre(s) Singles Label Motivos del Alma Vicente Fernández Bolero Sony Discos Sexsacional...! Lalo Rodríguez Salsa TH-Rodven Love and Liberté Gipsy Kings Flamenco Columbia Guitar Passion Charo Universal Wave Historias Ricardo Arjona Acoustic, Soft Rock, Pop rock "Casa de Locos""Historia del Portero""Realmente No Estoy Tan Solo" Sony Latin, Sony Latin Palmas Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Elektra Nonesuch Severino Os Paralamas do Sucesso Folk EMI, EMI, EMI El Pan y la Sal Presuntos Implicados WEA Latina El nervio del volcán Caifanes Alternative Rock "Afuera""Hasta Que Dejes de Respirar""El Año del Dragon" RCA Master Sessions, Vol. 1 Cachao Latin Jazz Epic, Crescent Moon Records, CineSon Fogaraté Juan Luis Guerra & 4.40 Merengue, Salsa, Soukous Karen Records Pasiones Ednita Nazario EMI Latin Crossroads Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band Afro-Cuban Jazz "Thelingus""Viva Cepeda""Elegua" Milestone El Camino del Alma Cristian Castro Soft Rock, Latin, Ballad FonoVisa Steel Rain Jay Perez Tejano Sony Discos Segundo Romance Luis Miguel Bachata, Bolero WEA Latina, WEA Latina Grandeza Mexicana José José Ballad Ariola, BMG U.S. Latin Recuerdo a Javier Solís Vikki Carr Bolero, Mariachi, Ranchera, Latin Pop Globo Records, Sony Discos, Inc. Influencias Chayanne Vocal, Ballad, Bolero, Samba Sony Latin Fina Estampa Caetano Veloso Tango, Rumba, Bolero "Rumba Azul""Contigo en la Distancia""Fina Estampa" Philips Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor Jerry Rivera Salsa Sony Tropical Enamorate Fama Tejano Sony Discos Irrepetible Celia Cruz Salsa "Bembelequa""La Guagua" RMM Records Laura Pausini Laura Pausini Vocal, Ballad "La Soledad" WEA Latina Explotó el Bombazo Grupo Manía Merengue EM Records Para Estar Contigo Liberacion Cumbia, Ballad, Ranchera Fonovisa Paulo Miklos Paulo Miklos Pop rock WEA A Mi Estilo Tito Rojas Salsa Evesol The Stonewall Celebration Concert Renato Russo EMI Raimundos Raimundos Hardcore, Punk Warner Music Brasil, Banguela Records Samba Esquema Noise Mundo Livre S/A "Livre iniciativa""Homero o junkie""Musa da ilha grande""Sob o Calçamento (Se espumar é Gente)" Banguela Records Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão Marisa Monte MPB Metro Blue, EMI Playero 37 DJ Playero Reggaeton, Dancehall Play Underground
Best-selling records Best-selling albums The following is a list of the top 10 best-selling Latin albums in the United States in 1994, according to Billboard. Rank Album Artist 1 Mi Tierra Gloria Estefan 2 Segundo Romance Luis Miguel 3 Love and Liberté Gipsy Kings 4 Amor Prohibido Selena 5 ¿Dónde Jugarán los Niños? Maná 6 Pura Sangre Bronco 7 Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings 8 Romance Luis Miguel 9 Inalcanzable Marco Antonio Solís and Los Bukis 10 Vida La Mafia
Best-performing songs The following is a list of the top 10 best-performing Latin songs in the United States in 1994, according to Billboard. Rank Single Artist 1 "Amor Prohibido" Selena 2 "Vida" La Mafia 3 "Luna" Ana Gabriel 4 "Pero Qué Necesidad" Juan Gabriel 5 "Si Te Vas" Jon Secada 6 "Donde Quiera Que Estés" The Barrio Boyzz and Selena 7 "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" Selena 8 "Quisiera" Ricardo Montaner 9 "Detrás de Mi Ventana" Yuri 10 "El Día Que Me Quieras" Luis Miguel
Births January 15Myke Towers, Puerto Rican rapper January 28 – Maluma, Colombian reggaeton singer March 10Bad Bunny, Puerto Rican reggaeton and trap rapper March 16Camilo, Colombian pop singer April 25Jay Wheeler, Puerto Rican reggaeton singer October 15Sebastián Yatra, Colombian pop singer
Deaths February 8 – Amparo Ochoa, Mexican singer-songwriter July 17 – Sebastián Piana, Argentine tango composer November 21 – Santiago Chalar, Uruguayan physician traumatologist, poet, songwriter, musician, guitarist and singer December 8 – Antônio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian bossa nova composer
References
Notes