Morat

From Bogotá emerged the Colombian folk-pop quartet Morat, whose members—childhood companions Juan Pablo Villamil Cortés on vocals and banjo, Juan Pablo Isaza Piñeros handling vocals and guitar, Alejandro Posada Carrasco on percussion, and Simón Vargas Morales on bass—coalesced in 2015 after completing secondary school. Their music fuses modern and acoustic timbres through meticulously crafted compositions that navigate the borders of classic folk traditions, infectious pop structures, rock & roll energy, cumbia rhythms, vallenato storytelling, and additional styles, qualities already audible on their first full-length release, the 2016 album Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios. That project displayed an upbeat, expansive, celebratory aesthetic built around layered vocal harmonies and fluid, natural studio craft. Across Latin American territories their singles and albums consistently registered high placements while gradually penetrating U.S. markets. Within five years the group earned a Latin Grammy nomination, secured four Cadena Dial Awards, and accumulated repeated gold and platinum certifications.

Their second studio effort, Balas Perdidas, arrived in 2018 and featured the major hit “Besos en Guerra” recorded with Juanes. The 2021 set A Dónde Vamos achieved double-platinum status and yielded four radio successes, among them the Sebastian Yatra collaboration “Bajo La Mesa.” Issued the following year, Si Ayer Fuera Hoy earned gold certification immediately upon release; its international singles “506” with Juanes and “Salir Con Vida” with Feid both performed strongly overseas. In December 2023 the band issued the Antes de Que Amanezca EP, and a February 2024 special edition transformed the project into an ambient partnership with the Berlin-based wellness audio firm Endel.

Billboard characterized their style as “Perfect summer road trip pop in Spanish, with banjo adding an Americana touch.” Their recorded introduction came via the 2015 single “Mi Nuevo Vicio,” whose Paulina Rubio version topped charts in Spain and Mexico while reaching Colombia and landing inside the Top 20 on Latin Songs Airplay. The subsequent EP Grabado en Madera contained the number-one digital track “Cómo Te Atreves.” Their Universal debut album Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios was followed on the road by new material such as “Del Estadio al Cielo,” “Amor con Hielo,” and “Ladrona.” April 2017 brought the Alejandro Fernandez duet “Sé Que Te Duele,” which climbed into the Hot Latin Songs Top 50, and June saw the expanded edition Sobre el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios…Y Unas Cuantas Cosas Más peak at number five on Spain’s album chart, later certified gold then platinum, earn another Latin Grammy nod, and see “Cómo Te Atreves” reach five-times platinum. After extensive touring in Spain, Colombia, and Argentina the quartet returned to the studio, releasing a string of multi-platinum singles and videos throughout 2017 and 2018 that included “Amor con Hielo,” the Álvaro Soler collaboration “Yo Contigo, Tú Conmigo,” and the Juanes-featured “Besos en Guerra,” all of which charted widely across Latin America. The full sophomore album Balas Perdidas appeared in 2018; its title track hit number one in Mexico and earned gold and platinum honors, supporting further tours through Mexico, the United States, and Latin America plus a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album.

Further singles and videos sustained momentum into 2019. Early 2020 releases “No Termino” and “Nunca Te Olvidé” registered on airplay charts in Spain, Argentina, and Mexico. Amid the spring global shutdown the Sebastian Yatra duet “Bajo La Mesa” surfaced, followed in May by the Reik collaboration “La Bella y La Bestia.” The fourteen-song album A Dónde Vamos topped charts in 2021, achieved double-platinum status in Europe and gold in the United States, and spotlighted the Danna Paola pairing “Idiota” among its four charting tracks, prompting a nine-month tour. Late 2022 brought Si Ayer Fuera Hoy, certified gold in both the U.S. and Spain, which reached number two on the Top Latin Albums chart and remained for fourteen weeks. Additional 2023 singles encompassed “Someone I Used to Know” with James TW; December collected six of them on the Antes de Que Amanezca EP. January 2024 introduced the original Zorro soundtrack contribution “Perderme,” while February delivered the ninety-minute ambient reimagining Antes De Que Amanezca [Endel’s Sleep Soundscape] created with the Berlin sleep-wellness audio company Endel. April’s single “Faltas Tú” unveiled a fresh, rock-inflected pop direction and quickly entered the Colombian, Spanish, and Mexican charts.