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Since their arrival on the international stage in 2010, Italian operatic vocal trio Il Volo ("The Flight") have established themselves as one of the biggest names in classical crossover pop with a sound that combines traditional opera, pop, classical symphonic music, and even Latin. Through live appearances at major opera halls around the world and a victory at the Sanremo Music Festival to hit studio albums like 2013's Buon Natale: The Christmas Album and their 2016 Plácido Domingo collaboration, Notte Magica: A Tribute to the Three Tenors -- both Billboard classical number ones -- Il Volo have remained a prolific and dominant force. Following a tenth anniversary tour, they started their second decade together with Il Volo Sings Morricone in 2021. Their first album of all-original songs, AD ASTRA followed in 2024.

Formed in 2010 while the members were all contestants on the reality television vocal competition Ti Lascio una Canzone ("Leaving You with a Song"), Il Volo features the talents of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble. The singers of Il Volo, who were in their mid-teens at the time, were initially individual contestants on Ti Lascio una Canzone. However, the producers decided they should sing "O Sole Mio" together on an episode of the show in May of that year, and Il Volo were born. The trio won the competition and quickly became popular in Europe, representing Italy on Quincy Jones' charity single "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" and performing at the 60th annual Sanremo Music Festival in February 2010.

The trio recorded their first album in London, Los Angeles, and Rome with producer Humberto Gatica, opting for a mix of standards, classic Italian songs, and material penned by contemporary songwriters such as Diane Warren. Il Volo's self-titled debut was released in Europe in November 2010 and earned platinum status; it arrived in the U.S. in May 2011, when the group also performed on American Idol. The audio/video release Il Volo Takes Flight: Live from the Detroit Opera House arrived in February 2012, followed closely by their second studio album, We Are Love, in November. In 2013, Il Volo returned with Más Que Amor, a Spanish version of We Are Love featuring a duet with Mexican singer Belinda, and the holiday-themed Buon Natale: The Christmas Album. An accompanying live DVD, Buon Natale: Live from the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre, appeared before the holiday.

Early in 2015, Il Volo participated in and won the Sanremo Music Festival, and soon after released the Sanremo Grande Amore EP, which featured covers of pop tunes as well as the new song "Grande Amore." The Sanremo win allowed Il Volo to represent Italy at that year's Eurovision Song Contest; the group ultimately came in third, and "Grande Amore" won the Marcel Bezençon Press Award. Later in 2015, Il Volo issued the concert video Live from Pompeii as well as their third album, also called Grande Amore. Including a blend of original songs as well as classics, the album reached the charts in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, and the United States. The following year, Il Volo paid homage to one of their biggest influences with Notte Magica: A Tribute to the Three Tenors, which featured Plácido Domingo.

For the group's next studio album, they headed to Miami to record with producer Emilio Estefan, emerging in late 2018 with Ámame, their first Latin pop release. In early 2019, Il Volo celebrated their tenth anniversary with the Musica album. The Best of Ten Years Tour wrapped up in North America in early 2020. Il Volo's first recording of the new decade was the 2021 tribute Il Volo Sings Morricone. The trio followed the covers album with their first album to consist entirely of original material. Released in 2024, AD ASTRA made room for a feature spot by Italian singer/rapper Irama. ~ Heather Phares & Marcy Donelson

Hugely popular in their home country, Cuban group Gente de Zona ("People from the Neighborhood") combined reggaeton with traditional rhythms such as son and mambo. They recorded four hit albums and had been together for nearly 15 years before they finally broke out internationally via a collaboration with Latin megastar Enrique Iglesias.

Formed in 2000 in the Havana suburb of Alamar by Alexander Delgado and Michel "El Caro" Delgado (no relation), they started out as a hip-hop group, playing at parties and local clubs. El Caro left in 2005, and Alexander recruited two new members, Yosdany "Jacob Forever" Carmenates and Fernando "Nando Pro" Otero. Recognizing that his lyrics had always had a commercial bent, and wishing to appeal more broadly to all Cubans, Alexander switched to the then-popular genre of reggaeton, but melded it with the traditional Cuban genres with which he felt an affinity. After scoring a hit single with "Pa' la Gente de Mi Zona" in 2005, the group self-released its first, eponymous album, which yielded several further hits. In 2007, they signed with Italy's Planet Records, releasing their sophomore effort Lo Mejor Que Suena Ahora. The albums A Full and Oro: Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor followed in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The group became wildly popular in Cuba, with several of their singles topping the charts; their biggest hit there was the portentous "El Animal." In 2011, they even launched their own fragrance.

In 2012, Jacob and Nando left the group to pursue their own musical project, once again leaving Alexander as the sole remaining original member. He swiftly poached Randy Malcom Martinez from the popular timba band Charanga Habanera, and soldiered on. Expanding his interest in traditional music, he recruited a full band and collaborated with the orchestra Habana de Primera. Gente de Zona's international profile was raised via collaborations with Pitbull on "Vacaciones" and Dominican rapper El Cata on "Con la Ropa Puesta," which was a massive hit in Latin territories. Their 2014 collaboration with Enrique Iglesias, "Bailando," from his album Sex and Love, gave them their biggest international hit, going to number 12 on the U.S. Billboard chart.

At the end of 2016, La Gente de Zona issued the pre-release single "La Gozadera" that featured Marc Anthony as a guest. The cut peaked at number two on various charts. They followed it with "Traidora" -- another duet with Anthony -- in the spring. The subsequent album, Visualizate, was released at the end of April. In addition to the aformentioned singles the set included guest appearances from Pitbull, Motiff and AM, and Chino y Nacho & the Cadillacs. ~ John D. Buchanan