If you are planning to travel to Colombia and you feel deeply interested to explore in deep a country culture, this post is for you. Probably you had been searching about Colombia, finding out that this beautiful country has a delicious variety of cultures within its borders. The purpose of this post is to musicalize that search and to share you in context about each corner of our country, without skipping, of course, to showcase the Colombian artists that provide that particular flavor to music and life, this is sabrosura to the world!

Somos Pacifico
Music Type: Hip-hop and local instruments - Region: Pacific

A tremendous song from Choquibtown where the protagonist is the Pacific Region itself. The song title translates "Where are Pacific". Aside from being accompanied by the marimba typical instrument rhymes also has an energetic bit that invites to dance. In context, this band is so representative because had inspired new generations to dream with progress. The singer's hometown is one of the most forgotten and poor regions in Colombia despite counting with gold, a large coast and having the largest biodiversity in the world. Also, this region comprises one of the largest Afro-Colombian communities that had suffered strong discrimination and inequity gaps. In the rhymes, the singers give voice to those communities and you can sense an accurate verse about the pride and exuberant beauty of the Pacific region. 

Oiga, mire, vea
Music Type: Salsa - Region: Pacific (Cali)

Which literally means "See, look, and check " is the pure Cali soul. This is a pretty and joyful song that talks about how it feels arriving in Cali and all the beautiful things that one can see there. At the beginning says "if smells sweet cane, tobacco, and tar, you are in Cali", recalling in that way the typical products that are produced in this region. Also, this song is, without doubt, the Cali Fair music background, one of the biggest salsa festival in the world that is held every December. 

Ay mi Llanura
Music Type: Llanera - Region: Flat Lands

The song title translates "Oh! my flatness", it is a peaceful song from the flat land region, featuring harp, maracas, and guitar musical instruments. It was composed by Arnulfo Briceño as a tribute to the amazing landscapes of eternal plains and green views. The lyric is sharing the local's lifestyle, who usually live from cattle raising and use horses to go around the immense flats. Also, this song is the official anthem of the Meta department. 

Sangre Caliente
Music Type: Region: Andean (Boyacá)

The Rolling Ruanas band mixes rock and carranga, being one of the first band to mix the typical music from the Boyaca department with modern music. The lyric refers to the Andes mountains, the woman's beauty of the Altiplano region who holds a special mystic coming from the miscegenation. In context, this is is a gorgeous folklore recognition provided by a youth musical band inspired in their roots, who shows an interesting music evolution concept.

Yo Voy Ganao
Music Type: Dance - Party-oriented sound Region: Caribbean (Taganga)

Literally, the song title will translate "I am winning" but is a slang which means "I have it all". The lyric refers to the fishers lifestyle, how they live in this Taganga coast and claiming that if they fish they have it all, nothing as a simple but happy way of living. Also, the video feature one Kogui indigenous walking along the beach solitude as a recognition to the natives that had been living in this Sierra Nevada Area for ages and also the video shows the Taganga community who had lived from the small-scale fishing, without forgetting showcase the intense green turquoise from the Taganga bay.

Festival en Guarare
Music Type: Vallenato and rock fusion - Region: Caribbean

The song mixes vallenato and rock. The lyric is about a man inviting his wife to a festival in Guarare. In context, Guarare is a town in Panama that had a big music festival decades ago; so, the invitation shows the cheerful character of the Caribbean people that enjoy music and festivals elsewhere. A distinctive feature of this song is the Saloma cowboys shouts that are originally from Panama, which is sometimes confused with the tyrolean singing from the Alps. You can enjoy the original song or the new version that is displaying below. 

En Barranquilla me quedo
Music Type: Salsa - Region: Caribbean

Again from the Caribbean region, the city of Barranquilla inspired this song to Joe Arroyo, one of the most famous Colombian singers. "From the Caribbean outcrop beautiful and charming, surrounded by sea and river, a great society". In that way is beautifully summarized the Barranquilla charm along the first song´s lines. In the first strophe, it refers to the Magdalena river, the most important river that leads into the Caribbean sea. Due to the city port status, Barranquilla was a very prosperous capital where the youth singer decided to establish his life for the great opportunities that this city provided. Nowadays, Barranquilla still maintains a relevant economical role but more than this fact, Barranquilla host an enormous Carnival, the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro. Enjoy it!