18 Latino Chart-Toppers Making Us Swoon

The Puerto Rican singer has the second-most hits among all artists on the Latin chart -- behind only Daddy Yankee --with songs like "Taki Taki," "Te Boté" and "El Farsante." Not only is he a chart-topper, but he also has his sights set on conquering the silver screen -- he made his acting debut in the Dominican film Que León in 2018 and is in the upcoming follow-up film Los Leones. For all his accomplishments, it’s no surprise he was named as one of Time 100’s Most Influential people in the world in 2019.

This Puerto Rican rapper has come a long way from his humble beginnings bagging groceries at his local superstore, ECONO. He has become a staple on the Latin music charts with hits like “I Like It” with Cardi B and “Mia” featuring Drake. His eccentric sense of style also complements his distinct way of rapping. The 25-year-old singer opened up to ET about the importance of music. “Music has the power to inspire the world,” he said. “The music we do is for people to enjoy, dance and sing to it. Dreamers -- keep on dreaming and keep working hard to achieve your goals. There are many difficulties, but what matters is to stay focused and have perseverance. We’re impacting the world like never before and now is our time.”

J Balvin’s collaboration with Cardi B and Bad Bunny on “I Like It” gave the Colombian singer his first No. 1 song on the Hot 100 chart. Before that, he won over U.S. audiences with his single, “Mi Gente,” the remix featuring none other than Beyoncé. As he’s gone more global and working with more English-speaking artists, Balvin is adamant on continuing to sing in Spanish as a way to spread the language internationally. The 34-year-old singer is also known for his unique fashion sense, crediting Pharrell Williams as his style inspiration.

The Colombian singer has had several singles land in the top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, which include “Clandestino” with Shakira, “Felices Los 4” and “Mala Mia.” People love to keep up with his fashion style and he attended his first Met Gala in 2019. He’s been working non-stop and released his latest album, 11:11, only a year after F.A.M.E. He collaborated with Madonna on the songs “Medellin” and “B*tch I’m Loca.” On top of his music, Maluma is now acting! He has a movie, Marry Me, in the works with Jennifer Lopez.

It’s only fitting that the artist who's established himself as the King of Reggaeton was the very same person who exposed the world to the music style with his worldwide hit, “Gasolina," which was released back in 2004. But Daddy Yankee is still breaking records today. One of his most recent tracks, “Despacito,” became the first Spanish-language song since Los Del Rio's “Macarena” to go No. 1 on the Hot 100 charts. It's no surprise that he was honored with an ICON Award at the 2018 Latin Music Awards for all his achievements, and we have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Daddy Yankee as his star power continues to rise.

The 38-year-old singer is now a budding action star -- he will be in Bad Boys 3 opposite Will Smith. He tells Complex of the role, “I've never done so much in a movie before, so much stunts: jumping from helicopters, shooting -- all that, it's exciting. It's a new experience for me. I'm not Nicky Jam anymore. It's Nicky Chan.” He’s not taking a break from music, though. Intimo is his latest album and he has been touring while simultaneously filming the movie.

Sebastian Yatra has catapulted to stardom in the past year. Fans have been praising his song, "Runaway," a collaboration that began about two years ago with Joe Jonas. The former DNCE frontman was first attached to the project and then had brothers Nick and Kevin Jonas jump on board after the band reunited. "After they jumped on it, I was like, 'Whoa, what’s going on here? We have the Jonas Brothers, we have Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha! I’m like the host of it all, and the party's at my house!'" Yatra marvels. "It's literally Y100 meets La Mega, that mix of both worlds, best of both worlds and we were just so excited and psyched-out to make it happen."

It's been an exciting time for CNCO, who have taken over the Latin pop world by storm, receiving a Latin GRAMMY nomination and taking home three Latin Billboard awards this year. CNCO, comprised of Joel Pimentel, Christopher Vélez, Richard Camacho, Erick Colón, and Zabdiel de Jesús, are proud to be taking Spanish language music to places it has never been heard before. Reflecting on their first solo performances around the world, in countries like Argentina, France and Japan, Erick tells ET, "It's incredible how the fans there know our songs and fans know Spanish, because of [our] songs. So that's something crazy for us that we never expect."

The former Menudo member became a household name in the U.S. and throughout the world with “Livin’ la Vida Loca." Released in 1999, the single broke countless records, and is credited as the song that helped other Latin artists break through to English-speaking markets. But his success didn’t stop there! He's released a myriad of other successful singles, like “La Mordidita” and “Vente Pa’ Ca” with Maluma, in recent years. He was also nominated for his first-ever Emmy in 2018, for his supporting role as Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

Since kicking off his solo career in 2000, the Colombian singer has always followed the beat of his own drum. Juanes' first three albums, Fíjate Bien, Un Dia Normal and Mi Sangre, started out with more of a Spanish-rock emphasis, but his sound has clearly evolved. He started to explore a more urban edge with his 2017 album, Mis Planes Son Amarte, especially on “El Ratico,” which features Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis. Fans also picked up on Juanes' new sound with the release of the rhythmic “Pa Dentro.”

After gaining fame as the lead singer in the New York City-based bachata band Aventura, Santos has paved his own way as a solo artist in recent years. His collaboration with Ozuna, “El Farsante,” peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and the singer was even name-dropped in Bad Bunny’s 2018 smash hit with Drake, “Mia,” in the fun lyric: “Yo soy tu Romeo, pero no Santo.” Santos has previously stated that his main goal is to always put out quality music, saying he doesn’t really take into account what’s currently trending.

The 51-year-old singer successfully crossed over to the U.S. market with hits like “I Need to Know” and "When I Dream at Night" back in 1999. He is the top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time, and even holds a Guinness World Record for this achievement. The Nuyorican has also dabbled in acting, notably alongside his ex-wife, Jennifer Lopez, in the biopic of Héctor Lavoe, El Cantante.

Music lovers have quickly fallen in love with this Spanish heartthrob, including celebrities like Kelly Rowland. Not long after Alborán uploaded some songs on YouTube early on in his career, the former Destiny's Child singer stumbled upon his work and declared her love for him on Twitter. Fashion-wise, Alborán likes to stick with the basics of jeans and a T-shirt, which his passionate fan base seems to adore. Can you blame them?

With a career spanning over 20 years, the Puerto Rican singer became a worldwide sensation with his No. 1 hit, “Despacito.” The track became the third song ever to stay in the No. 1 spot for 16 consecutive weeks. He  previously talked with ET about how Latin music has transcended borders. “Latin music has grown so much and it’s such a part of just global music in general,” he said. “We’ve seen how general market artists are collaborating so much with Latino artists and vice-versa and, little by little, languages and cultures are mixing, and that’s what music is really all about.”

The 30-year-old singer made a huge impression with the release of “El Clavo,” a song that signaled his official move from bachata to reggaeton. He said he hoped the track would inspire women in dead-end or unhappy relationships to go find someone they really want and deserve. The track is a part of his upcoming album, Alter Ego. When ET asked Royce what he hoped his legacy would be, he said, “I hope to leave a positive influence with my community, with my peers and with my fans. I want people to remember me in this world, like, ‘Man, what a cool dude Royce was.’”

This heartthrob has been making people swoon for decades, after breaking through to the U.S. market in the '90s with “Bailamos,” a catchy tune that was featured on the  soundtrack for Wild Wild West. Iglesias followed the song up with “Hero,” which not only skyrocketed to the top of the charts, but also proved that he was far beyond a one-hit wonder in the English-speaking market. Today, he’s still making people dance with songs like “El Baño” with Bad Bunny and “Move to Miami” with Pitbull… and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere anytime soon!

The Puerto Rican singer, who recently got nominated for two Latin GRAMMYs, spoke with ET exclusively about his whirlwind year.  “It’s been nuts, it’s been nuts. It’s been a year, yeah pretty much. A year of a rollercoaster, a beautiful rollercoaster.” Since its release, “Calma” has gone on to top the charts in many countries and has inspired two hit remixes with Farruko and Alicia Keys, respectively. “This amazing song has touched the world,” Capo told ET about his hot single. 

Mr. Worldwide is a legend in his own right, with hits like “Give Me Everything,” “Timber” and “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho).” He previously stated that his music is intended for everybody, and he would feel fulfilled knowing that he helped someone escape their problems. In his spare time, he is an activist always trying to improve his community. Following the destruction that Hurricane Maria left behind, Pitbull sent his private jet to help stranded cancer patients.