Canción Melódica

Canción melódica is the mainstream Spanish-language song style that dominated Spain and Latin America from the 1950s through the 1970s, built around the romantic ballad. Drawing on the bolero, the Andalusian copla and the older cuplé, it progressively shed folk elements in favour of polished orchestral arrangements, emphatic choruses and a solo singer delivering intensely emotional performances. Crooners of the 1950s such as *Gloria Lasso* and *José Guardiola* gave way to the golden-age stars *Raphael*, *Julio Iglesias*, *Camilo Sesto* and *Nino Bravo*, whose records, shaped by songwriters like *Manuel Alejandro*, were propelled by song festivals at San Remo, Benidorm and the OTI competition.