The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a
record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...
in the United States for
Latin songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
, published weekly by
''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on
digital sales,
radio airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
, and
online streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
, and only predominantly
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
songs are allowed to rank. The chart was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986, and was originally based on
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
on Latin music radio stations. Songs on the chart were not necessarily in Spanish language, since a few songs in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...
have also charted.
The first number one song of the Hot Latin Songs chart was "
La Guirnalda
"La Guirnalda" ("The Garland") is a song written and produced by Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel and first recorded by Spanish performer Rocío Dúrcal. It was released in 1986 as the first single from '' Siempre'', Dúrcal's tenth album p ...
" by
Rocío Dúrcal
María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...
on September 6, 1986. As of the issue for the week ending on December 24, 2022, the chart has had 452 different number one hits, while 181 artists have reached number one (as a lead or a featured act). The current number one song is "
Tití Me Preguntó
"Tití Me Preguntó" (English: "Auntie Asked Me") is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. The song samples "No Te Puedo Olvidar" by the Dominican musician Anthony "El Mayimbe" Santos and can be heard throughout the song. It was originally re ...
" by
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...
.
History
On September 6, 1986, ''Billboard'' premiered a Latin music singles chart: the Hot Latin 50. During the 1980s decade, the data were compiled by the ''Billboard'' chart and research department with information from 70 Spanish-language radio stations in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Those radio stations were selected based on their number of listeners, and were asked to report their playlists for the week. Since 1994, this data was compiled by
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Broadcast Data Systems (also known as BDS or Luminate BDS), is a service that tracks radio, television and internet airplay of songs. The service, which is a unit of MRC Data, is a contributing factor to North American charts published by co-owned ...
(BDS), which electronically monitors radio stations in more than 120 music markets across the United States. Before this chart's inception, the Latin music information on the magazine was presented only in the form of the biweekly album sales chart
Top Latin Albums
Top Latin Albums is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine and is labeled as the most important music chart for Spanish language, full-length albums in the American music market. Like all ''Billboard'' album charts, the chart is based ...
, which continues to be listed separately.
There were no language restrictions on the chart, since a few songs in English and Portuguese have charted and even reached number one on five occasions. Three genre-specific Latin subcharts were introduced with and were factored in the Hot Latin Songs chart:
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established b ...
,
Regional Mexican Airplay
Regional Mexican Airplay (also referred to as Regional Mexican Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994, with "La Niña Fresa" by Banda Zeta being the first number-one so ...
, and
Latin Tropical Airplay
The Tropical Airplay chart (formerly known as Tropical/Salsa and Tropical Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine introduced in 1994. The first number-one song on the chart was " Quien Eres Tu" by Luis Enrique. Originally, ra ...
. A fourth subchart, the
Latin Rhythm Airplay
Latin Rhythm Airplay is an airplay-only chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs being played on Hispanic rhythmic/ hurban radio stations in the United States. The music typically heard on these stations include ...
chart was established in 2005 in response to the growing influence of
Latin hip hop
Latin hip hop (also known as Latin rap) is hip hop music that is recorded by artists in the United States of Hispanic and Latino descent, along with Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean, North America, Central America, South America, and ...
and
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...
music.
According to the ''Billboard'' electronic database, the first number one song on the Hot Latin 50 was "
La Guirnalda
"La Guirnalda" ("The Garland") is a song written and produced by Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel and first recorded by Spanish performer Rocío Dúrcal. It was released in 1986 as the first single from '' Siempre'', Dúrcal's tenth album p ...
" by Spanish singer
Rocío Dúrcal
María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...
on September 6, 1986. However, in the listings included in the first printed publication of the chart on October 4, 1986, the first number-one song was "
Yo No Sé Qué Me Pasó
"Yo No Sé Que Me Pasó" ("I Do Not Know What Happened To Me") is a song written, produced and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel. It was released in 1986 as the first single from his studio album ''Pensamientos''. This song deal ...
" by Mexican singer-songwriter
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...
. In 2016, ''Billboard'' stated that the chart was introduced on the issue dated October 4, 1986, but the magazine's official website recognizes the previous issues from September 6, 1986, to September September 27, 1986, as well as Rocío Durcal's number one on the debut issue.
Due to the increasing popularity of downloads sales and streaming data, ''Billboard'' updated the methodology for the Hot Latin Songs chart on October 11, 2012, to include digital sales and streaming activity in addition to airplay, as well as making only predominantly Spanish-language songs eligible for inclusion and increasing airplay data to more than 1,200 radio stations across the United States.
The Hot Latin Song's previous methodology was formatted to the
Latin Airplay
Latin Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It was established on October 20, 2012.
This chart lists the 50 most-played songs on Spanish-language radio stations across the country as monitored by Niel ...
chart with the Latin genre-charts now being component charts of the Latin Airplay chart.
Component charts
There are several component charts that contribute to the overall calculation of Hot Latin Songs. These are:
*
Latin Digital Songs
The ''Billboard'' Latin Digital Songs, or Latin Digital Song Sales, is a record chart that ranks the best-selling Spanish-language digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine) ...
: The chart measures the best-selling Spanish-language digital songs. It was established on January 23, 2010. "
Loba" by
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
was the first number-one song on the chart. "
Danza Kuduro
"Danza Kuduro" (English: Dance Kuduro) is a Spanish/Portuguese song by Puerto Rican recording artist Don Omar featuring Portuguese–French singer Lucenzo from Don Omar's collaborative album '' Meet the Orphans''. The song is an adaptation of Luce ...
" by
Don Omar
William Omar Landrón Rivera (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he would retire after a ...
featuring
Lucenzo
Luís Filipe Fraga Oliveira (; born 27 May 1983), better known by his stage name Lucenzo (), is a Portuguese–French reggaeton recording artist and record producer. His parents emigrated to France, from Portugal. Lucenzo, when began his singing ...
is the longest-running number-one, with 94 non-consecutive weeks from May 14, 2011, to July 20, 2013.
*Latin Streaming Songs: The chart measures the most-streamed Spanish-language songs and videos on selected online music services. It was established on April 20, 2013. "
Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira featuring
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
was the first number-one song on the chart. "
Bailando" by
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...
featuring
Descemer Bueno
Descemer Bueno (born July 5, 1971) is a Cuban singer, songwriter, and record producer. His first professional gigs were playing bass with Cuban troubadour Santiago Feliú.
Early career
Bueno studied music and became a music teacher before form ...
and
Gente de Zona is the longest-leading number-one, with 66 non-consecutive weeks from May 17, 2015, to April 16, 2016.
Compilation
The tracking week for sales and streaming begins on Friday and ends on Thursday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Monday to Sunday. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by ''Billboard'' on Tuesday. Each chart is post-dated with the "week-ending" issue date four days after the charts are refreshed online (i.e., the following Saturday). For example:
*Friday, January 1 – sales tracking-week begins, streaming tracking-week begins
*Monday, January 4 – airplay tracking-week begins
*Thursday, January 7 – sales tracking-week ends, streaming tracking-week ends
*Sunday, January 10 – airplay tracking-week ends
*Tuesday, January 12 – new chart released, with issue post-dated Saturday, January 16
Hot Latin Songs policy changes
The methods and policies by which this data is obtained and compiled have changed many times throughout the chart's history.
Digital downloads, linguistic requirement, and online streaming
Since October 11, 2012, the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs tracks paid digital downloads and streaming activity.
''Billboard'' initially started tracking downloads since January 10, 2010, with the Latin Digital Songs chart. However, these downloads did not count towards Hot Latin Songs. In addition, ''Billboard'' imposed a linguistic requirement; a song must be predominantly sung in Spanish to be eligible to rank on the chart. A component Latin Streaming Songs chart was introduced on April 20, 2013, which ranks web radio streams from services such as
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, as well as on-demand audio titles.
Recurrents
''Billboard'', in an effort to allow the chart to remain as current as possible and to give proper representation to new and developing artists and tracks, has removed titles that have reached certain criteria regarding its current rank and number of weeks on the chart. A song is permanently moved to "recurrent status" if it has spent 20 weeks on Hot Latin Songs and fallen below position number 25. Additionally, descending songs are removed from the chart if ranking below number 10 after 26 weeks or below number five after 52 weeks.
Records
Songs
Top 10 songs of All-Time (1986–2021)
In 2016, for the 30th anniversary of Hot Latin Songs, ''Billboard'' magazine compiled a ranking of the 50 best-performing songs on the chart over the 30 years, along with the best-performing artists.
''Billboard'' has stated that "due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods."
The top 20 was updated in 2018, while the most current update of the list was published in September 2021.
Most weeks at number one
*56 weeks – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – "Despacito" (2017)
*41 weeks – Enrique Iglesias featuring Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona – "Bailando" (2014)
*30 weeks – Nicky Jam and Enrique Iglesias – "El Perdón" (2015)
*27 weeks – Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez – "Dákiti" (2021)
*25 weeks – Shakira featuring Alejandro Sanz – "La Tortura" (2005)
Most total weeks
*125 weeks – Romeo Santos – "Propuesta Indecente" (2013)
*110 weeks – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber – "Despacito" (2017)
*78 weeks –
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...
and
Jhay Cortez
Jesús Manuel Nieves Cortez (born April 9, 1993), known professionally as Jhayco (formerly Jhay Cortez), is a Puerto Rican singer and rapper from Río Piedras, San Juan. After releasing multiple EPs, his debut studio album, ''Famouz'', was rele ...
– "
Dakiti" (2020)
*62 weeks – Prince Royce – "
Incondicional" (2012)
*61 weeks – Son by Four – "A Puro Dolor" (2000)
Artists
Most number-one singles
*27 – Enrique Iglesias
*16 –
Luis Miguel
*15 –
Gloria Estefan
*12 – Bad Bunny
*11 –
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
,
Shakira
*10 –
Marco Antonio Solís
Marco Antonio Solís Sosa (born 29 December 1959) is a Mexican musician, singer, composer, and record producer.
Born and raised in Ario de Rosales, Michoacán, Solís began his musical career at the age of six, performing part of Los Hermanito ...
,
Maná
Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band. The band is considered one of the best-selling Latin music artists and the most successful Latin American band of all time with over 40 million records sold worldwide. The group's current lineup consists o ...
,
Wisin & Yandel
Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the onl ...
Most top 10 singles
*57 – Bad Bunny
*39 – Luis Miguel
*38 – Enrique Iglesias
*30 – Shakira,
Daddy Yankee
*29 – Chayanne and
Cristian Castro
Christian Sáinz Valdés Castro (born 8 December 1974), known professionally as Cristian Castro or Cristian, is a Mexican pop singer. He is the son of actors Veronica Castro and Manuel "El Loco" Valdés, and nephew of actors Ramón Valdés ...
*23 –
Gloria Estefan
Most chart entries
*141 –
Bad Bunny
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...
*94 –
Ozuna
Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado (; born March 13, 1992), known simply by his surname Ozuna, is a Puerto Rican singer. Five of his studio albums have topped the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart, with ''Aura'' (2018) charting at number seven on ...
*81 –
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...
*77 –
Anuel AA
Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago (born November 26, 1992), known professionally as Anuel AA, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His music often contains samples and interpolations of songs that were popular during his youth. He is seen as a controv ...
*73 –
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...
*66 –
Los Tigres del Norte
Los Tigres del Norte (English: ''The Tigers of the North'') are a norteño band from San Jose, California. Originally founded in Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico, with sales of 60 million albums, the band is one of the most recognized groups in the ...
*61 –
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...
Year-End
Most years at number one
*3 – Ana Gabriel, Enrique Iglesias, Juan Gabriel, Bad Bunny
*2 – Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, Luis Fonsi, Nicky Jam, Selena
Most years in the top 10
*12 – Enrique Iglesias
*8 – Daddy Yankee
*7 – Ana Gabriel, Luis Miguel, Marco Antonio Solís, Shakira
*6 – J Balvin, Juan Gabriel, La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, Los Bukis, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Romeo Santos
*5 – Ricardo Montaner
See also
*
''Billboard'' Top Latin Songs Year-End Chart
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart achievements and milestones
*
''Billboard'' Hot 100
Notes
References
External links
Official Billboard siteCurrent Billboard Hot Latin SongsCurrent Billboard Top Latin Songs on Telemundo
{{authority control
Billboard charts
Latin music