Peruvian cumbia, that musical genre whose songs reverberate in El Huaralino, Complejo Santa Rosa, esplanades of shopping centers and even stadiums, is in its stage of splendor. Proof of this is that the aforementioned places appear full every time musical groups appear on stage to the delight of the public who are eager to listen to songs that are a success on local radio stations in Lima and the provinces.
In each festival of the year, it is common for these venues to appear full and for the public to sing with emotion the songs of Harmony 10, Marine Water, Serrano Heart, Team 5, among other cumbia orchestras. People not only applaud, but also dance, either alone or in company, to the sound of this rhythm that transcends borders and combines history, culture and sentiment.
When attending a cumbia concert, it is evident that cumbia has surpassed being an exclusive genre of the middle class. Even foreign citizens have surrendered to the melodious and powerful voices of the singers who address themes of love, heartbreak, disappointment, issues present in several generations. Specifically, teenagers, young people and adults are moved by emblematic songs that accumulate millions of views on YouTube.
However, Peruvian cumbia did not always enjoy the current recognition and prominence. During the 1980s, other genres dominated the music scene. Added to this were factors that weakened the position achieved by cumbia.
Faced with these unfavorable circumstances, a musical group emerged that, defying expectations, led to the resurgence of cumbia. This band, made up of visionary musicians who fused the traditional essence of cumbia with contemporary rhythms, revitalized interest in this genre in people from various social strata.
Rossy War and his Banda Kaliente is the name of the musical group that gave rise to Peruvian cumbia. Rosa Guerra Morales, vocalist of the group, established herself as one of the most important voices of this genre and, above all, of tecnocumbia. In the 90s, this group began to gain notoriety within the music scene, standing out for its ability to fuse traditional cumbia rhythms with modern elements, which allowed them to conquer a variety of audiences.
Before its emergence onto the music scene in the 1990s, Peruvian cumbia was in decline and had been overshadowed by other genres. But what was this due to? Jesús Cosamalón, in his book “History of Peruvian cumbia. From tropical music to chicha”, he answered this question and told what happened after the rebirth of cumbia.
“(…) Chicha was socially delegitimized due to its relationship with the popular and because it was associated with violent behavior. I think that with the decline of the middle class after the 1975 crisis, a sector that identified with that sound and that contributed to its expansion disappeared. The eighties and the serious crisis wiped out the small middle class that existed, restricting the chicha market to the popular sectors, increasingly impoverished,” he noted.
In the book consulted, the author cited Damiler Díaz Terán and Magno Álvarez Alderete to point out the reasons for the decline of cumbia. The first pointed out that The discrediting of the terms ‘chicha’ and ‘chichero’ contributed to the decline of the genre and that the music was used to stigmatize and delegitimize provincials and his descendants. While the second indicated that before the new millennium, the media associated cumbia-chicha with the violence and excesses that frequently occurred in the polladas.
The crisis of 1975 marked the beginning of the decline of the middle class, a group that was associated with the rhythm of this genre. During the eighties and due to a crisis, the already reduced middle class decreased even more, thus limiting the chicha market mainly to the popular sectors.
Another possible reason for the crisis cumbia was the popularity and acceptance of other musical genres among Peruvians. Peruvian music saw competitors emerge in the musical field with genres such as salsa, which gained popularity, especially the variant known as sensual salsa since the mid-1980s. Furthermore, rock and pop in Spanish were positioned as significant forces within the musical landscape.
This adverse situation changed in the 90s when Rossy War and his musical group entered the scene. “The second half of the 1990s was dominated by this variant that broke ethnic barriers and was accepted by almost all Peruvians,” said researcher Cosamalón.
According to Walter Gonzales, cited in the book “History of Peruvian cumbia. From tropical music to chicha”, “in 1998 cumbia returned strongly to the hit list with Rossy Warand a year later that singer was joined by Agua Marina, Armonia 10, Euforia and Ruth Karina as the best-known voices and groups.”
“In 1997, the most popular song had been ‘El arbolito’, by Grupo Nectar, and the female group Corazón Serrano had appeared. In 1999 the number one song was ‘Your love was a lie’, by Agua Marina, and among the top 20 songs, five were cumbias,” she added.
Its expansion nationwide was due to economic growth and the emergence of a new middle class, which once again became a market for this musical style. Precisely, this middle class was able to afford tickets, which were not economical at that time nor are they now.
