11 Bogotá Artists for Your Playlist: Morat, Fonseca, Ela Taubert & More

Bogotá — the capital and largest city of Colombia — was founded 486 years ago today (Aug. 6), and Billboard is celebrating by spotlighting some of its musical gems.

Our list (in alphabetical order below) includes a mix of renowned and emerging artists from the likes of Latin rock giants Aterciopelados to up-and-coming pop star Ela Taubert. The former is a three-time Latin Grammy-winning band and five-time Grammy nominee. The latter, who’s gained traction on social media with her suave, melancholy vocals, recently nabbed the new generation – female award at the 2024 Premios Juventud.

Colombia, overall, is known for its rich musical culture — represented across genres by top-tier artists such as Cali’s Grupo Niche (salsa), Medellín’s Karol G (reggaetón), Montería’s Aniceto Molina (cumbia), and La Guajira’s Diomedes Díaz (vallenato).

In Bogotá — which was founded on Aug. 6, 1538 by Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and became Colombia’s capital on August 7, 1819 — the music scene is varied, but far more edgy, indie, alternative and pop-centric. Its music and live scene is so powerful and vibrant that in 2012 it was named a UNESCO City of Music.

“What is happening currently with Colombian music is, first, the reflection of a country that has many geographies and therefore also a lot of sound richness,” Aterciopelados’ singer, Andrea Echeverri, previously said to Billboard Español. “There are not only Caribbean sounds but there are Pacific sounds, sounds from the coasts but also from the inland. All this richness is now being shown to the world with a very powerful infrastructure.”

Below, check out a list of Bogotan artists to have on your playlist.