𝓜𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪

08/06/2026

Singers

Arcángel

Artist

Arcángel is a charting reggaeton and Latin trap singer and rapper who resides in Puerto Rico. He began his career as a member of the duo Arcángel y De la Ghetto in the mid-2000s. Their hits, including "Agresivo," "Sorpresa," "Mi Fanática," and "El Pistolón" (the latter, featuring the reggaeton duo Yaga y Mackie, is the song widely considered the first Latin trap track), registered on both sales and airplay charts, and established his reputation to the degree he was able to embark on a solo career. His trademark cool yet expressive tenor singing voice contrasts a certain melodic sweetness with gritty lyrics in Spanish and English (a fine example is the track "Zum Zum"); as a rapper, his delivery is slow, smooth, yet gritty and expressive (check "Original"). Arcángel is a prolific collaborator on other artists' singles and albums. He is at least as well-known in this role as he is as a solo artist. Along with Bad Bunny, he is one of the most ubiquitous guests on reggaeton and Latin trap recordings. His own songs, albums, and collaborative recordings have landed on no less than 11 international charts. Born Austin Santos on December 23, 1986, in New York City, Arcángel established himself in tandem with De la Ghetto with the song "Ven y Pegate" on the popular Hector el Father-hosted compilation album Sangre Nueva. Throughout 2005 and 2006, Arcángel y De la Ghetto were featured on a variety of reggaeton albums, including Luny Tunes' Mas Flow: Los Benjamins, and were associated with Baby Records, the label of Zion (of the duo Zion & Lennox). Arcángel announced in December 2006 that he was embarking on a solo career and starting a label of his own. In the wake of his announcement, De la Ghetto also embarked on a solo career and made his major-label full-length debut with Masacre Musical (2008). Meanwhile, Arcángel's career started a bit more sporadically. While "Chica Virtual," his guest feature on DJ Nelson's Flow la Discoteka, Vol. 2 (2007) was a minor hit, his planned full-length solo debut, La Maravilla, went unreleased after it was leaked to the Internet in 2008. At the end of the year, Arcángel finally made his solo debut with El Fenómeno (2008), produced by some of reggaeton's top beatmakers, including Luny Tunes, Mambo Kingz, Tainy, and Noriega. The album featured mostly new material, though a handful of songs originally planned for release on La Maravilla, including the hit single "Paque la Pases Bien," were included. The lead single for El Fenómeno, "Por Amar a Ciegas," scored its own chart placement for Arcángel (number 34 at Latin Airplay) and drove the album back into the Top 20 on the Top Latin Albums chart. He also founded Flow Factory, Inc., his own production company, and enlisted his mother as his manager. Despite his chart success, Arcángel didn't rush into another recording. Instead, he toured Europe. He issued the mixtape The Problem Child in April of 2010. Upon returning, he released another mixtape, Optimus A.R.C.A., and began assembling tracks for a follow-up album. While working, he took time to contribute to a pair of the popular El Imperio Nazza compilations. It took until 2013 for Sentimiento, Elegancia y Maldad to appear. Its pre-release single, "Hace Mucho Tiempo" featuring Daddy Yankee and Baby Johnny, did well on airplay and download charts and eventually peaked at 13 on the Tropical Songs chart, while the album hit the number one spot on the Top Latin Albums list. For the next year and a half, Arcángel spent his time collaborating and contributing to other artists' recordings, including Maluma's smash hit Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy. The notion of collaboration, so important in reggaeton, became the motivating factor behind 2015's Los Favoritos. Enlisting DJ Luian as a co-billed conspirator, Arcángel set about recording tracks with his favorite genre artists of two generations, including J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam, Ñejo Flow, Farruko, J Alvarez, and Wisin. There were 20 in all. The single "Tu Cuerpo Me Hace Bien" landed inside the Top Ten of the Latin Rhythm chart and topped the Tropical Songs chart, while the album spent 13 weeks riding the Latin Top 40. For the next three years, Arcángel focused his attention on releasing a slew of singles and videos, with "Rose" (featuring Mambo Kingz, DJ Luian, and BF), "Bien Puta," "Cula en la Clara" (featuring Tali), "Mas Que Ayer" (featuring De la Ghetto), "Zum Zum," and "Original" (featuring Bad Bunny) among them. They all charted. In 2018, he dropped the full-length Ares, which all but abandoned reggaeton and its dembow rhythm in favor of dirty trap beats and contemporary Latin pop. J Balvin was a featured guest on the track "Corte, Porte y Elegancia." The set entered the Latin Albums chart at number five. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Romeo Santos

Artist

Possessing a sweet, smooth, lushly romantic tenor, chart-topping singer, songwriter, and producer Romeo Santos rose to fame as lead vocalist for world-renowned boy band <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a>, and embarked on a massively successful solo career in 2011. Santos' expert blend of tropical roots and bachata with hip-hop, trap, dance beats, Latin soul, neo-electro, pop, and rock made his 2011 debut album Formula, Vol. 1 a Top Five hit in the U.S., while 2014's Formula, Vol. 2 was a multi-platinum smash. His success continued with 2017's star-studded Golden and 2019's Utopia, which featured the hit single "Inmortal" performed by a reunited <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a>, and spawned the 2021 concert document Utopia Live from MetLife Stadium. The following year Santos completed his Formula album trilogy with Formula, Vol. 3. Born Anthony Santos on July 21, 1981 in the Bronx, New York, he got his start as a singer in the choir of his church before co-founding <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a> with his cousin <a href="spotify:artist:1cUfMJtWJXfhTQvYGJQtaF">Henry Santos</a> and brothers Lenny Santos and Max Santos. Originally known as <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Los Tinellers</a>, the teenagers made their full-length debut with Trampa de Amor (1995), followed by Generation Next (1999), their first album as <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a>. Fusing bachata with R&B, pop, and hip-hop, <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a> broke through to mainstream success with the worldwide chart-topping smash hit "Obsesión," from their third album, We Broke the Rules (2002). Subsequent albums Love & Hate (2003), God's Project (2005), K.O.B. Live (2006), and The Last (2009) were chock-full of similarly styled hit singles. With nine Top Five hits on the U.S. Latin singles chart to their name, <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a> officially called it quits in 2011, as Santos embarked on a much-anticipated solo career. In conjunction with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sony+Music%22">Sony Music</a>, he made his solo debut with the chart-topping Latin hit single "You," followed by "I Promise," another number one smash, this one featuring <a href="spotify:artist:23zg3TcAtWQy7J6upgbUnj">Usher</a>. Largely written and produced by Santos himself, 2011's Formula, Vol. 1 marked his full-length debut. He then burnished his success with a live album, The King Stays King: Sold Out at Madison Square Garden, released in 2012. For his second solo album, Santos drafted major stars from both the Latin and pop worlds -- <a href="spotify:artist:3TVXtAsR1Inumwj472S9r4">Drake</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0hCNtLu0JehylgoiP8L4Gh">Nicki Minaj</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4wLXwxDeWQ8mtUIRPxGiD6">Marc Anthony</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3SUT1jjM5hzZj9TLfLZGIP">Tego Calderón</a>, among others. Released in 2013 as Formula, Vol. 2, the album went platinum 11 times over in the U.S, and double-platinum and gold in Spain. Including a pair of chart-topping singles ("Propuesta Indecente" and "Odio"), it hit number one in several countries and reached number five on the U.S. pop charts, remaining in the top rungs of the Latin Albums charts for more 120 weeks. In early 2017, he returned with the single "Héroe Favorito" and released his third album, Golden, on his birthday. Boasting guest appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:3nlpTZci9O5W8RsNoNH559">Jean Luis Guerra</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1i8SpTcr7yvPOmcqrbnVXY">Ozuna</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1SupJlEpv7RS2tPNRaHViT">Nicky Jam</a>, the album topped the Latin and Tropical albums charts and peaked at ten on the Top 200. Achieving multi-platinum status, it netted six charting singles including "Héroe Favorito," "Imitadora," and "Bella y Sensual." The album's video teaser racked up over eight million views on YouTube the week of its release. The video for "Imitadora" had 52 million views on its own. In April 2019, Santos released Utopia, his fourth studio album. It included guest spots on virtually every track. Its premier single, "Inmortal," marked the official studio-recorded reunion of <a href="spotify:artist:1qto4hHid1P71emI6Fd8xi">Aventura</a> (who had been performing segments during Santos' concerts for a couple of years). Other hits included "La Demanda" with <a href="spotify:artist:5rvaaWutd0gsbc2iMNo9k5">Raulín Rodríguez</a>, "Millonario" with <a href="spotify:artist:66U02qGDesTqZImnLSiYeE">Elvis Martínez</a>, and "El Beso Que No Le Di" with <a href="spotify:artist:1YYp1qwJ7EAitFINQ7gOKV">Kiko Rodríguez</a>. Certified five-times platinum, Utopia entered the Latin and Tropical albums charts at number one and peaked at eight on the Top 200 and charted in seven countries. In September 2021, Santos followed it with Utopia Live from MetLife Stadium. The next year, the singer returned to his Formula album series, closing out the trilogy with Formula, Vol. 3 which featured the hit single "Sus Huellas" and an array of high-profile guests including <a href="spotify:artist:31TPClRtHm23RisEBtV3X7">Justin Timberlake</a> ("Sin Fin") and <a href="spotify:artist:7ltDVBr6mKbRvohxheJ9h1">Rosalía</a> ("El Pañuelo"). ~ Jason Birchmeier & Thom Jurek, Rovi

Mora

Artist

Rauw Alejandro

Artist

One of the leading Puerto Rican pop stars of his generation, singer, and songwriter Rauw Alejandro is known for his smooth tenor singing voice and genre-crossing reggaeton style that mixes Latin pop, R&B, hip-hop, and throwback sounds. After releasing his acclaimed debut mixtape, Punto de Equilibrio, in late 2016, he became a featured collaborator alongside Ozuna, Lunay, and Lyanno on "Luz Apaga," and with Lyanno, Alex Rose, Cazzu, and Lenny Tavárez on "Toda Remix." These and other collaborations resulted in Alejandro being nominated in four categories for Puerto Rico's Tu Musica Urban Awards in 2019. They also paved the way for his debut studio album, 2020's Afrodisíaco, which hit number two on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. In June 2021, Alejandro topped the Latin charts with Vice Versa, which incorporated electro, drum'n'bass, neo-disco, and mainstream pop into his brand of reggaeton. Following the 2022 EP Trap Cake, Vol. 2., Alejandro again reached the Top Ten of the Latin charts with his third full-length, Saturno. RR, a collaboration with Rosalía, appeared in 2023 ahead of its companion album, Playa Saturno.Born Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, he was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When he was a child, his family moved (temporarily) to the United States before returning to the island. His first passion was soccer, a sport he practiced seriously while studying at the Maria Auxiliadora School. Music was another hobby, but he never considered it as a career until his football playing was cut short by an injury during adolescence. As therapy to assuage his disappointment, he applied himself to music and began posting tracks to SoundCloud. Given his parents' love of music (his dad is a guitar player), he was influenced early on by Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, and later by Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, and Chris Brown. As he learned to sing and write songs, he put his talent for dancing to work on local stages and in videos, meeting numerous musicians, producers, and dancers. He quickly developed a reputation as a triple-threat talent. Alejandro was signed to the Under Music Group label, which nurtured his writing and singing talent. The label began issuing his singles in June 2016, including "No Me Siento Igual" (featuring Joyce Santana) and "Días Así," and "Se Tú" (featuring Lyanno and Sousa). Alejandro's debut mixtape, Punto de Equilibrio, appeared at the end of the year, and he toured Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Southeastern United States. He was prolific and issued 14 singles and videos between 2016 and late 2017, not including guest appearances. The singer drew attention from trade and fan magazines across the Latin music spectrum, as well as Anglo industry weeklies. Between his own singles -- the streaming chart hits "Mi Llamada" (featuring Lyanno, Alex Rose, and Lenny Tavárez), "T.T.I.," and "Dale" (featuring Sousa and Mr. Naisgai) -- and his guest spots with Rafa Pabön ("Tarde") and Alex Rose ("Toda"), he appeared on no less than seven singles. He was featured on Ozuna's "Luz Apaga," which peaked at 26 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and even spent a week at number three on the Latin Digital Song Sales. Alejandro kicked off 2019 with the collaborations "Miénteme (Remix)" with Sousa, Cazzu, Lyanno, and Álvaro Díaz, followed by "Es Normal" with Javiielo, Lunay, Lyanno, and Sousa. He also delivered an EP, Trap Cake, Vol. 1, as well as the non-album duet hit "Que Le Dé" with Nicky Jam, which placed in the Top Ten on almost all the Latin streaming charts. In February he appeared on the club hit "Mírame" with Nio García and Lenny Tavárez. Alejandro toured Latin America and the United States in the winter and spring, and later that fall released the single "Fantasias," which saw him collaborating with Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Farruko. The non-album track "Algo Mágico" arrived in July 2020. That summer, he also issued the live album Concierto Virtual en Tiempos de COVID-19 Desde el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, which peaked at number ten on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. In November 2020, he released his Grammy-nominated debut studio album, Afrodisíaco, which included guest appearances by J Balvin, Sech, Anuel AA, and others. In February 2021, Alejandro appeared as Selena Gomez's duet partner on the Hot 100 hit "Baila Conmigo," which also topped the Hot Latin Songs chart. In June he released Vice Versa. Refusing to be pigeonholed, he worked with a slew of producers including Tainy and Mr. Naisgai (Luis J. Gonzalez) on a collection of originals that juxtaposed his fluid brand of urbano reggaeton with neo-disco, electro, drum'n'bass, funky breaks, and more, to jarring effect. The set entered the Top 200 at number 17 and the Top Latin Album charts at number one a week after its release. Its single "Todo de Ti" spent five weeks in the Hot 100. It also spawned the Top Five Latin hit "Desesperados" with Chencho Corleone. The singer's second EP, Trap Cake, Vol. 2, appeared in February 2022, hitting number six on the Latin chart. In November 2022, Alejandro issued the 18-track full-length Saturno. Co-produced under the alias El Zorro with longtime friend Kenobi and Mr. Naisgai, and in select places, major influences El Playero and Tainy, the set juxtaposed reggaeton and trap with funk, throwback hip-hop, pop, and retro new wave. Among his collaborators on the date were Baby Rasta, El Playero, and Arcángel. The release entered the Billboard 200 at number 25, and landed at number two on the Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts. It also spawned several Top 30 Latin singles, including "Lejos del Cielo" and "Panties y Brasieres" (with Daddy Yankee). RR, a collaborative EP with Rosalía, arrived in March 2023 (on the heels of the couple's engagement) and featured the Top Ten Latin hit "Beso." He then paired with Bizarrap for the song "Rauw Alejandro: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 56" as well as "Baby Hello." The latter single heralded the singer's Saturno spin-off album, Playa Saturno, which reached number four on the Top Latin Albums chart and cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. Alejandro again hit the upper echelon of the Latin songs chart with 2024's "Santa," with Rvssian and Ayra Starr. ~ Thom Jurek & Matt Collar

Feid

Artist

Ryan Castro

Artist

Maluma

Artist

Maluma is the stage name of award-winning Colombian pop singer, songwriter, and rapper Juan Luis Londoño Arias. Possessed of a sweet, grainy tenor voice and streetwise yet romantic delivery, the pop urbano was able to cross over from a reggaeton audience to the mainstream thanks to infectious early singles such as "Obsesión" and "Miss Independent" (whose videos also went viral). His 2012 debut Magia endeared him to radio listeners across Latin America, while 2015's Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy broke through in the U.S., landing on the upper rungs of the Latin Pop, Urban, and Tropical charts. Since that time, Maluma has been charging toward world domination with a steady stream of videos, charting singles, and hit albums like 2019's 11:11 and 2020's Papi Juancho. He was also the subject of the documentary Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré. His success continued in the next decade with the chart-topping 2021 single "Sobrio," his starring role in the 2022 <a href="spotify:artist:2DlGxzQSjYe5N6G9nkYghR">Jennifer Lopez</a> rom-com Marry Me, and the release of The Love & Sex Tape. Maluma's name is a tribute to his family. Before he began singing professionally, his now-famous stage name was a tattoo on his left leg. He made the word up from the initial syllable of his family's names -- his mother Marlli, his father Luis, and his sister Manuela. He adopted the name a few years later when he started singing and gained fame as a teenager. He originally pursued football as a vocation for eight years and was gifted enough to attract the attention of the media in his native Medellín. He initially sang for pleasure at hundreds of birthday parties, weddings, and celebrations. Given the rise of social media, and YouTube in particular, his already intense focus on music turned exclusive. In 2011, at the age of 16, Maluma cut his first independent single, "Farandulera." Due to its internet popularity and emergent radio airplay in Colombia, the song gained the attention of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sony+Music%22">Sony Music</a>, which signed him. The following year, Maluma released Magia, his debut album. Several of its singles -- "Obsesión," "Loco," and "Miss Independent" -- received consistent airplay and hit the charts in Colombia and Latin America. His next single, "La Temperatura," entered the North American charts and earned him a Latin Grammy nomination in 2013. The following year, he was the featured vocalist on <a href="spotify:artist:1c22GXH30ijlOfXhfLz9Df">Elvis Crespo</a>'s hit "Ole Brazil," recorded for the World Cup. Maluma returned in early 2015 with PB DB. The Mixtape, a compilation of hits with two new singles, "Me Gustas Tanto" and "Climax." The new tracks charted and set the stage for a brand-new album, Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy, which appeared in the fall. The recording was produced by Walter Kolm. In 2016, Maluma released a collaborative track with fellow Colombian star <a href="spotify:artist:0EmeFodog0BfCgMzAIvKQp">Shakira</a>, "Chantaje," and the video became massively popular, racking up over one billion views online within five months. The track "Cuatro Babys," which reflected him as a swaggering Lothario with a rotating cast of women in and out of his bedroom, sparked a backlash when offended listeners called out the song's objectification of women. Some circulated a petition to have it removed from digital platforms. (It wasn't, but Maluma apologized.) In 2017, Maluma was named "Artist of the Year" at the Premios Lo Nuestro, a Latin music awards show presented by Spanish-language television network Univision. That same year, he began work on his next album, writing songs in English as well as Spanish. In November 2017, he delivered an initial pre-release single, "Corazón," featuring Brazilian singer <a href="spotify:artist:1B0Rp4SWGnFgGCPU5Pju6E">Nego do Borel</a>, that peaked at number five at Hot Latin Songs. In May, he released the full-length F.A.M.E., produced mainly by the artist's Medellín camp, including Édgar "Edge" Barrera and "Rude Boyz" Kevin ADG & Chan el Genio, with further duet contributions by <a href="spotify:artist:5Y5TRrQiqgUO4S36tzjIRZ">Timbaland</a> ("Mi Declaración"), <a href="spotify:artist:3MHaV05u0io8fQbZ2XPtlC">Prince Royce</a> ("Hangover"), and <a href="spotify:artist:07YZf4WDAMNwqr4jfgOZ8y">Jason Derulo</a> on the bilingual "La Ex." The album reached the top spot on the Latin Albums chart and number 37 on the Hot 200. Early 2019 saw Maluma issue a remix of the single "Mala Mía," which featured contributions from <a href="spotify:artist:7FNnA9vBm6EKceENgCGRMb">Anitta</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4obzFoKoKRHIphyHzJ35G3">Becky G</a>. A few months later, he collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:6tbjWDEIzxoDsBA1FuhfPW">Madonna</a> on the song "Medellín" from her album Madame X. The pair's hi-tech performance of the song at the Billboard Music Awards brought the house down with its use of holograms. That May, Maluma released his fourth studio album, 11:11, supported by the singles "HP" and "11 P.M." His collaborators on the record included <a href="spotify:artist:1i8SpTcr7yvPOmcqrbnVXY">Ozuna</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6tbjWDEIzxoDsBA1FuhfPW">Madonna</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4VMYDCV2IEDYJArk749S6m">Daddy Yankee</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7slfeZO9LsJbWgpkIoXBUJ">Ricky Martin</a>. It entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number one in June while F.A.M.E. was still in the Top 20. Also in 2019, YouTube Originals premiered its documentary on the singer, Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré, directed by Dominican filmmaker Jessy Terrero. In early 2020, Maluma scored another hit with the single "ADMV," which paved the way for his fifth album, Papi Juancho. Released in August of that year, it featured appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:0eHQ9o50hj6ZDNBt6Ys1sD">Yandel</a>, Yomo, <a href="spotify:artist:1pQWsZQehhS4wavwh7Fnxd">Lenny Tavárez</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:14zUHaJZo1mnYtn6IBRaRP">Justin Quiles</a>, and others, peaking at number two on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and reaching number 34 on the Billboard 200. 2021 began with the release of the #7DJ (7 Días en Jamaica) EP, followed by the chart-topping stand-along single "Sobrio." Among Maluma's other singles that year were "Imposible Amor" with <a href="spotify:artist:1GDbiv3spRmZ1XdM1jQbT7">Natti Natasha</a> and "Mama Tetema" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:7G9dCn1mqomAa0ucJoBm6J">Rayvanny</a>. In 2022, Maluma starred alongside <a href="spotify:artist:2DlGxzQSjYe5N6G9nkYghR">Jennifer Lopez</a> in the romantic comedy Marry Me, and also sang on the soundtrack. A few months later, he revisited the steamier side of his sound with The Love & Sex Tape which yielded several hits including "Cositas de la USA" and "Nos Comemos Vivos" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:37230BxxYs9ksS7OkZw3IU">Chencho Corleone</a>. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi