Are you looking for the greatest Hispanic singers of all time?
These artists have contributed to the Latin music category for years, and have made Ibero-American music what it is today.
From stars of the eighties to modern-day legends, there is bound to be an artist on this list that you enjoy!
1. “Ricky Martin”
Enrique “Ricky” Martín Morales, who is well known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter.
He has sales of over seventy million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists in history.
With an immense two hundred and twenty-eight awards, including two Grammy Awards for Best Latin Pop Performance (Vuelve) and Best Latin Pop Album (A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition)), Martin is one of the greatest Hispanic singers out there.
2. “Enrique Iglesias”
Enrique Iglesias, whose full name is Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler, is a Spanish singer who began his career in the middle of the nineties.
He soon became the best-selling Hispanic singer of the decade, and that carried forward to the 2000s.
Throughout his impressive career, he has won one hundred and ninety awards, which includes a Grammy Award in the category of Best Latin Pop Performance for his studio album Enrique Iglesias.
3. “Selena”
Selena Quintanilla Pérez was a Hispanic singer, affectionately nicknamed the “Queen of Tejano Music”.
She released six studio albums, each of which sold millions of copies, and is credited for bringing Tejano music to mainstream popularity.
In Texas, a life-size bronze statue was erected in 1997 in honor of Selena.
Thirty thousand people flood Corpus Christi each year to visit the monument to honor the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winning singer.
4. “Shakira”
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, who is well-known mononymously as Shakira, is a Colombian singer who is nicknamed the “Queen of Latin Music”.
After making her debut at only the age of thirteen, she quickly became the best-selling female Latin artist in history.
Her most popular, world-renowned singles “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” sold over ten million units each, and are two of the best-selling singles in the world.
Shakira has won three Grammy Awards; two Best Latin Pop Album awards and a Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album award for MTV Unplugged, El Dorado, and Fijación Oral Vol. 1 respectively.
5. “Gloria Estefan”
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García, who is better known as Gloria Estefan, is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban singer.
Her debut studio album Cuts Both Ways allowed her to soar to the top of the charts and into our hearts globally.
Named by both Billboard and VH1 as one of the top 100 artists of all time, she was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
With sales in excess of ninety million around the world, she is credited for paving the way for Selena, Ricky Martin, and Shakira, among other Hispanic artists.
6. “Marc Anthony”
Marco Antonio Muñiz, who goes by Marc Anthony, is the best-selling tropical salsa singer in history.
Of thirteen studio albums, Amar Sin Mentiras, Iconos, and 3.0 each hit number one and sold millions of copies around the world.
He holds eight Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy’s, as well as being presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute after selling over twelve million units globally.
7. “Celia Cruz”
Cuban singer Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, better known as Celia Cruz, was one of the most popular Latin artists of the twentieth century and earned the nicknames “La Guarachera de Cuba” and “Queen of Salsa”.
She won two Grammy Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, and the Lifetime Grammy Achievement Award which was presented to her in 2016 posthumously.
Her most popular studio album Regalo del Alma won Best Salsa/Merengue Album and Best Salsa Album.
8. “Jennifer Lopez”
Jennifer Lynn Affleck, known as Jennifer Lopez or J.Lo before her marriage to Ben Affleck, is a singer who was born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents.
She is credited for beginning the propulsion of Latin pop music into the mainstream.
She has accumulated one hundred and eighty-nine awards during her career, with sales of over eighty million units and fifteen billion streams.
Her debut studio album On the 6 put her on the map as one of the best Hispanic singers of all time.
9. “Vicente Fernández”
Vicente Fernández Gómez was a Hispanic singer who earned many nicknames during his six-decade-long career, including “El Ídolo de México” (The Idol of Mexico), and “El Rey de la Música Ranchera” (The King of Ranchera Music).
Between 2002 and 2022 he won four Grammy Awards in the category of Best Regional Mexican Album for Necesito de Tí, Mano a Mano – Tangos a la Manera de Vicente Fernández, Un Azteca En El Azteca, Vol. 1 (En Vivo), and A Mis 80’s.
10. “Julio Iglesias”
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva, who is known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over one hundred million records around the world, releasing albums and singles in over fourteen different languages.
He has released a total of sixty studio albums during his seven-decade-spanning career, and Un hombre solo won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in 1988, leading Iglesias to win the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
11. “Plácido Domingo”
José Plácido Domingo Embil, better known as Plácido Domingo, is a Hispanic opera singer who has sung in the most famous opera houses around the world.
Despite his opera background, he was also known for his versatility in the Latin and pop genres.
With nine Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammy Awards under his belt, Domingo has sold millions of records globally and has released sixty-five studio albums throughout his long career.
12. “Luis Miguel”
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri, who goes simply by Luis Miguel, is a Puerto Rican singer who has been coined the El Sol de Mexico (The Sun of Mexico).
He is best known for being the only artist during the nineties that didn’t transition to the Anglo music market.
Despite recording only in Spanish, Miguel became a global phenomenon, earning six Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Mexican-American Performance, Best Latin Pop Album, Best Mexican/Mexican-Amercian Album, and Best Regional Mexican Music Album.
13. “Marta Sánchez”
Marta Sánchez López is a Hispanic singer who has sold over ten million copies globally of her seven studio albums.
Her debut single “Desesperada” was released in 1993 on her album Mujer, and topped the charts in Spain, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico.
Sánchez has released many other number-one hit singles, including “Dime la Verdad”, “Arena y Sol”, “Vivo por Ella” which featured Andrea Bocelli, “Moja Mi Corazón” featuring Slash, and “Sigo Intentando”.
14. “Luis Fonsi”
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, better known as Luis Fonsi, is a Puerto Rican singer who broke into the mainstream with his single “Despacito”, which featured Daddy Yankee.
The song soared to global success, despite being written in the Spanish language.
He has received five Latin Grammy Awards, in the categories of Record of the Year, Best Short Form Music Video, Song of the Year, and Best Urban/Fusion Performance for “Despacito” and Song of the Year for “Aquí Estoy Yo” with Claudia Brant and Gen Rubin.
15. “Juanes”
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, otherwise known by his stage name Juanes, is a Hispanic musician who began his career as a member of the Colombian rock band Ekhymosis and now is a solo sensation.
Juanes has won an impressive twenty-four Latin Grammy Awards, as well as three Grammys.
Some of his most popular hits include Fíjate Bien, A Dios le Pido, and Mala Gente which won Best Rock Song, and Es Por Ti which won Song of the Year.
16. “Paulina Rubio”
Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes, who goes by Paulina Rubio, is best known as “The Golden Girl” or the “Queen of Latin Pop”.
She found her fame as a member of the Mexican pop group Timbiriche through the eighties and became a solo artist in 1991.
Since then she has sold over fifteen million units globally, including three million copies of her 2000 studio album Paulina which was subsequently certified triple Platinum by AMPROFON, the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
17. “Thalía”
Mexican singer Thalía, whose full name is Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda, made her name as one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time and is well-known as the “Queen of Latin Pop”.
Singing in five different languages, she has sold over fifty million records.
Among her eighty-one other awards, she was awarded a President’s Merit Award at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards and also gained an infamous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years prior.
She even holds the Guinness World Record for being the most awarded person in a day!
18. “José José”
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, who goes by the stage name José José, was a Hispanic singer who was inducted into the Latin Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2019 and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He released a studio album titled Secretos in 1983, which sold over four million copies around the world and received a Grammy Award nomination.
He is credited for bringing Latin music to non-Spanish-speaking countries such as Japan and Israel.
19. “Olga Tañón”
Olga Teresa Tañón Ortiz, better known as Olga Tañón, is a Hispanic singer who began her career in the early eighties as a member of the Puerto Rican group Chantelle, who achieved their most-popular hit before she left to pursue a solo career.
Of her fourteen studio albums, two reached number one on the Top Latin Albums chart; Llévame Contigo and Te Acordarás de Mí.
The latter was certified double Platinum by the Latin Recording Industry Association of America.
Olga also had several successful number-one singles, including the famous 1996 hit “Basta Ya”, which was released on her studio album Nuevos Senderos.
20. “Bad Bunny”
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, who has become extremely well known as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican singer and rapper.
He rose to prominence when he and J Balvin featured on Cardi B’s single “I Like It”, which soared to number one.
Bad Bunny has won one hundred and fifty-nine awards, including nine Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards.
His debut studio album X 100pre was released in 2018 and was soon awarded Diamond certification by the Latin Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over ten million units.
It reached number one on the United States Top Latin Albums.
21. “J Balvin”
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, who is otherwise known as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer who has been nicknamed the “Prince of Reggaeton”.
With sales of over thirty-five million globally, he is up there with some of the greatest Hispanic singers of all time.
With two hundred and thirteen award wins and over five hundred nominations, he has earned his title as the most-nominated Latin artist in history.
He even received thirteen nominations in one night, earning him a Guinness World Record!
22. “Carlos Santana”
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán is a Mexican singer who formed the band Santana in the late sixties.
The band became renowned for fusing rock and roll with Latin American Jazz, leading to Carlos being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
His work has earned him eight Grammy Awards in 2000 alone, including Record of the Year for “Smooth” with Rob Thomas, Album of the Year for Supernatural, and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Put Your Lights On” with Everlast.
23. “Alejandro Sanz”
Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz, is a Spanish singer who rose to fame in the late eighties with his Flamenco ballads and multi-genre musical talents.
With twenty-two Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards, he has made his name as one of the greatest Hispanic singers in history.
Ten of his thirteen studio albums reached the number one spot in the Productores de Música de España charts, with his most popular being Más which was certified twenty-two times Platinum in Spain.
24. “Camilo Sesto”
Camilo Blanes Cortés, who is best known as Camilo Sesto “El Rey del Amor”, is a Spanish singer who claims to have sold one hundred and seventy-five million records.
However, official figures indicate around seventy million – still an impressive feat!
He was inducted into the Latin Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2017 and has over fifty number-one singles, remaining to this day as one of the Hispanic artists with the most number-one hits.
25. “Prince Royce”
Geoffrey Royce Rojas, who is better known by the stage name Prince Royce, is a singer who was born in New York to Dominican parents.
He has received seventy-five awards during his career and was inducted into the Latin Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2013.
He made his debut in 2010 with the studio album Prince Royce, which hit number one and was certified Diamond by the Latin Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over ten million units.
Greatest & Most Famous Hispanic Singers – Final Thoughts
From artists who have been contributing to the Latin music scene for decades, to newfound modern stars of today, this list contained the twenty-five greatest and most famous Hispanic singers of all time.
The Ibero-American music genre has been increasing in popularity exponentially, and it has never been stronger than it is today.
We hope that you found a new artist to add to your playlist!
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