Essay+Al-ASo

Wow! According to the 2010 US census, 16.3% of our country's population is Hispanic or Latino (that's 50,477,594 people) [List of U.S. States]! If that's the case, then I wonder what impact Hispanic music artists have made in America? So, let's look at two Hispanic (or Latino) artists and how they have impacted America.

Born in 1916 in San Antonio, Texas, Lydia Mendoza was dubbed "La Alondra de la Frontera," which is translated to "the Meadowlark of the Border." Lydia's family was one of the first Tejano groups to record for a major music label. A Tejano is a Mexican-American living in South Texas. When she was little, an executive from the Bluebird Records label was impressed by her talent at such a young age and he signed her onto his label! She went on to an impressive solo career that lasted over sixty years [Lydia Mendoza 1916-2007]! Lydia was said to perform like the way people would, not like professional or theatrical performers. For this she was also dubbed the Singer of the Poor [Burnett, John]. Sadly, Lydia Mendoza died in 2007 at the age of ninety-one.

Although there isn't much information on Mendoza, there is //a lot// on Shakira. Shakira is not just known for her music, she is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation. Shakira was born and raised in Baranquilla, Colombia, as a Roman Catholic with a Lebanese heritage, and her name is Arabic for "grateful." When she was young, her father took her to a local park frequented by orphans from a nearby orphanage. The experience made such an impression on her that she told herself, "One day I am going to help these kids when I become a famous artist." That is the reason behind the purpose of her charity, which has created multiple schools for poor children around Colombia. Shakira was honored at a UN ceremony for her work with Pies Descalzos in the April of 2006. She is the highest selling Colombian artist of all time (she has sold between 50 and 60 million records!). The official song she recorded for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, //Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)//, was the biggest selling World Cup song of all time. She has also won five MTV Video Music Awards, two Grammies, eight Latin Grammies, seven Billboard Music Awards, and twenty-eight Billboard Latin Music Awards. Shakira was also the first Colombian to be Golden-Globe nominated. If you thought that was a lot, think again. Yahoo! says that //Hips Don't Lie// was the best selling single of the decade! Nielson Broadcast data systems states this song was the most played pop song in one week in American radio history! It reached the #1 spot in both the Top 40 Mainstream and the Latin Chart; that makes Shakira the first artist to have a #1 song on both charts simultaneously in the history of //Billboard// charts! According to Wikipedia, her song //She Wolf// "topped the Top 10 Latino Downloads," and she is the only artist from South America to reach #1 on the U.S. //Billboard// Hot 100, the Australian ARIA Chart, and the UK Singles Chart [Shakira].

So, how have Lydia Mendoza and Shakira made an impact on America? That's simple: their music has influenced and added enjoyment to our lives. Lydia Mendoza was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1991 by President Clinton. It is the highest award given by the U.S. government for artists that deserve a special recognition for their contributions to our country's growth, excellence, and support to the arts [Lydia Mendoza]. It's no surprise that Mendoza was awarded this award, the American Sabor says, "She has made over 200 recordings in many styles dear to Mexican and Mexican-American communities. Her powerful and soulful delivery of words accompanied by her 12-string guitar earned devoted fans on both sides of the border." More recently, Shakira has a YouTube channel (ShakiraVEVO) which is ranked #42 by subscribers, and has 13,411,071 subscribers as of April 27, 2017 [List of Most Subscribed]! She has earned a lot of awards for music and charity work: Shakira has been nominated for 558 awards and has won, so far, 216 awards out of all 558 nominations. Currently, two of the 558 nominations are awaiting results [Awards and Nominations Received by Shakira].

Although one Hispanic singer was born in Texas and the other in Colombia, both Lydia Mendoza and Shakira have influenced music in America. Lydia used the country music style of Mexico and South Texas and is one of the earliest Hispanics to propel the Tejano music genre to popularity and a bigger audience in the U.S. Her early accomplishments helped Tejano music to grow; it now has a category "Best Tejano album" in the Latin Grammies [Latin Grammy Award]! Shakira's music has combined multiple music styles. She sings both in Spanish and English, and both types have been exceedingly popular in the U.S. Her concerts are especially known for her dancing, combining Latin and belly dancing [Shakira]. Shakira's musical popularity made it possible for other Hispanic song artists to crossover unto the U.S. radio waves. Both Lydia and Shakira, both Hispanics, have influenced music here in the U.S. and created popular songs for singing and dancing!

=__Works Cited__=

__Lydia Mendoza__
"Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album." //Wikipedia //. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. .
 * It has multiple sources to back the statements made.

"Lydia Mendoza." //Familias De Terlingua //. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. .
 * The source collects old customs and the like and is very thorough with examining it's information.

"Lydia Mendoza [1916-2007]." //American Sabor //. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. .
 * It is a traveling museum from Smithsonian.

Burnett, John. "Lydia Mendoza: The First Lady Of Tejano." //NPR //. NPR, 24 May 2010. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. .
 * It is an actual news station.

===__<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Shakira __===

<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"List of Most Subscribed Users on YouTube." //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_subscribed_users_on_YouTube>.
 * It is often updated to stay up-to-date.

<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"List of Awards and Nominations Received by Shakira." //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Shakira>.
 * It is often updated to stay up-to-date.

<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Shakira." //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakira>.
 * It is often updated by her fans and has multiple sources.

===__<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Other __===

<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"List of U.S. States by Hispanic and Latino Population." //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia //<span style="background-color: #f1f4f5; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',HelveticaNeue,'TeX Gyre Heros',TeXGyreHeros,FreeSans,'Nimbus Sans L','Liberation Sans',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_Hispanic_and_Latino_population>.
 * It is the results of a U.S. census.