Key Facts

• Melissa Lobos is the lead singer of the band Cachitas Now! and performed in La Plata, Argentina, in 2024.
• The article is part of a series that explores cumbia in Latin America.
• Argentina's cumbia music has been influenced by the migration of foreign students in the 1950s.
• Los Wawancó, one of Argentina's first cumbia bands, was formed by a Costa Rican and other international musicians in the 1950s.
• Cumbia music in Argentina integrates various musical influences from neighboring countries.
• The term "bailantas" refers to dance halls associated with cumbia, which were historically seen as lower-class venues but have since become more accepted.
• During Argentina's military dictatorship, many people moved to Buenos Aires, expanding the influence of cumbia music.
• Cumbia music is often played at community events, such as Pachamama Day celebrations, in Buenos Aires.