Latin music has an ambiguous meaning in the music industry due to differing definitions of the term "Latin". [2] [3] For example, the Latin music market in the United States defines Latin music as any release that is mostly sung in Spanish, regardless of genre or artist nationality, by industry organizations including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Billboard . [4] [5] International organizations and trade groups such as the Latin Recording Academy include Portuguese-language music in the Latin category. [6] [7] [8] Billboard categorizes an artist as "Latin" if they perform in Spanish or Portuguese. [9]
Music journalists and musicologists define Latin music as musical styles from Spanish-speaking areas of Latin America and from Spain. [10] [11] Music from Brazil is usually included in the genre and music from Portugal is occasionally included. [8] [12]
Either definition of "Latin music" may be used for inclusion in this list. For an artist to be considered, they must mainly perform in Spanish and/or Portuguese and must have sold at least 10 million copies. This information cannot be officially listed because no organization has recorded global Latin music sales. Only Latin recordings, which are defined as a record with 51% of its content in Spanish or Portuguese, [a] are counted in the certified units table. Instrumental musicians may also be included if they mainly perform any Latin music genre. For recordings with multiple versions, only Spanish and Portuguese version(s) will be counted towards certified units.
The tables are listed with each artist's reported sales figure(s) and their total independently certified units, and are ranked in descending order by reported sales. If two or more artists have the same reported sales, these are then ranked by certified units. The reported sales figure and the total of certified units for each country in the provided sources include sales of albums, singles, compilation albums, music videos, and downloads of singles and full-length albums. Sales figures, such as those from SoundScan, which are sometimes published by Billboard magazine, have not been included in the certified units column.
Gold and platinum certifications issued after 2016, especially on singles, are in some cases more-than-50% streaming generated. Some 20th-century artists can also have significant amount of streaming-based certifications. The certified units of more recently active artists may sometimes be higher in the list than their listed claimed figures because RIAA and almost all other certifying bodies include streaming in the thresholds required for gold and platinum Digital Single Award certification. [13] [14] [15] For this reason, some singles and albums are over-certified by hundreds of thousands of units. The over-certified figures are often in millions of units for RIAA certifications.
The certified units for some artists and bands who have multi-disc albums can be higher than their listed claimed figures because RIAA counts each unit within a set as one unit toward certification. Certified units can also be inflated by the redundancy of certifications because each track's downloads and streams contribute to the certifications of both of the single and the respective album. RIAA counts 10 downloads of individual track as well as 1,500 audio/video streams, including those from singles released prior to the album release, as an equivalent to one unit of album. [16] Theoretically, if one song is streamed 1.5 billion times on YouTube, the single would receive diamond certification and the whole album could be certified platinum, [17] creating a combined total of 11 million certified units without any sales.
All artists included on this list, including charts, have their available claimed figures supported by available from countries with recording certifications. With the exception of certifications from Spain prior to 2003, the certified units are sourced from countries with local music industry associations including those with online databases. Certifications from Spain prior to 2003 are listed in the book Sólo éxitos. Año a año. 1959-2002 (2005) by Fernando Salaverri. [18] In the case of recordings RIAA has simultaneously certified standard and Latin, only the unit with the highest number of certified copies will be counted. For example, Mi Tierra (1993) by Gloria Estefan has been certified standard platinum for one millions units and 16× platinum in the Latin genre for 1,600,000 units, thus only the latter certification is counted. Albums that have been certified in both fields for the same value, such as Sueños Líquidos (1997) by Maná, which was certified platinum and 10× platinum in the Latin field, may use either certification but not both. All certified units are converted from gold, platinum or diamond certification awards based on criteria provided by certifying bodies.
Issued certifications for songs multiple artists have recorded, including featured artists, are added to each artist's total of certified units because all of the artists would have played a significant part in the song. Certifications issued for songs that have been recorded by four or more artists are not included because the artists involved would have played minor roles. [b]
Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified sales [c] | Reported sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Julio Iglesias | Spain | 1968–present [21] | Latin [21] | Spanish • English • Portuguese • French • Italian | 35.964 million
| 150 million [49] |
Roberto Carlos | Brazil | 1959–present [50] | MPB, rock and roll, soul, bossa nova, rhythm and blues [50] | Portuguese • Spanish | 120 million [53] | |
Gloria Estefan | Cuba United States | 1980–present [54] | Latin Pop, pop, dance, Pop rock, Salsa, Adult contemporary [54] | Spanish • English | 100 million [56] [57] | |
Shakira | Colombia | 1988–present [58] | Latin pop / pop / pop rock [58] | Spanish • English | 31.88 million
| 95 million [68] |
Nelson Gonçalves | Brazil | 1941–1998 [69] | Samba, samba-canção [69] | Portuguese | 75 million [70] | |
Enrique Iglesias | Spain | 1995–present [71] | Pop, Latin pop, dance pop, adult contemporary, urban [71] | Spanish • English | 36.694 million
| 70 million [73] |
Ricky Martin | Puerto Rico | 1991–present [74] | Pop, Latin Pop, Dance [74] | Spanish • English | 14.347 million
| 70 million [77] |
Luis Miguel | Mexico | 1982–present [78] | Pop, Ballads, Bolero, Latin Pop, Mariachi, Dance, Adult Contemporary [78] | Spanish | 60 million [84] [85] [86] | |
Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified sales [c] | Reported sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vicente Fernández | Mexico | 1965–2013 [87] | Ranchera, mariachi, norteña, tejano [87] | Spanish | 50 million [89] 45 million [90] | |
José Feliciano | Puerto Rico | 1964–present [91] | Pop rock, folk rock, soft rock, Latin pop [91] | Spanish • English | 50 million [93] | |
Raphael | Spain | 1966–present [94] | Ballad, Latin pop [94] | Spanish | 50 million [95] | |
Ana Gabriel | Mexico | 1974–present [96] | Mexican pop, Mariachi [96] | Spanish | 40 million [97] [98] | |
Juan Gabriel | Mexico | 1971–2016 [99] | Ballad, Latin Pop, Norteña, Cumbia [99] | Spanish | 40 million [102] 30 million [103] | |
José José | Mexico | 1965–2013 [104] | Mariachi, Latin pop, bolero [104] | Spanish | 40 million [106] | |
Eros Ramazzotti | Italy | 1981–present [107] | Pop, Latin pop, pop rock [107] | Italian • Spanish | 40 million [109] | |
Leo Dan | Argentina | 1963–2025 [110] | Tango, vallenato, cumbia, ballad [110] | Spanish | 40 million [112] | |
Nelson Ned | Brazil | 1961–2013 [113] | Latin, Jazz [113] | Portuguese • Spanish | 40 million [114] | |
Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified sales [c] | Reported sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J Balvin | Colombia | 2009–present [115] | Reggaeton, Latin pop, urbano, hip hop [115] | Spanish | 35 million [116] | |
Los Tigres del Norte | Mexico | 1972–present [117] | Ranchera, norteña, tejano, corrido [117] | Spanish | 32 million [119] | |
Daddy Yankee | Puerto Rico | 1991–present [120] | Reggaeton, Latin pop [120] | Spanish | 30 million [122] 25 million [123] | |
Marco Antonio Solís | Mexico | 1973–present [124] | Norteño, tejano, ballad [124] | Spanish | 30 million [125] 25 million [126] | |
Xuxa | Brazil | 1980–present [127] | Children's music, dance, Latin pop [127] | Portuguese • Spanish | 30 million [128] | |
Laura Pausini | Italy | 1993–present [129] | Pop, Latin Pop, Eurodance [129] | Italian • Spanish | 30 million [131] 25 million [132] | |
José Luis Perales | Spain | 1973–present [133] | Ballad, Latin pop [133] | Spanish | 30 million [134] | |
Rocio Durcal | Spain | 1954–2006 [135] | Ranchera, Ballad, Bolero, Flamenco, Chera [135] | Spanish | 30 million [136] 25 million [137] | |
Camilo Sesto | Spain | 1964–2011 [138] | Ballad, Latin Pop [138] | Spanish | 30 million [140] | |
Amália Rodrigues | Portugal | 1940–1999 [141] | Fado [141] | Portuguese | — | 30 million [142] |
Maria Bethânia | Brazil | 1965–present [143] | Bossa nova, MPB, samba [143] | Portuguese | 26 million [144] | |
Alejandro Sanz | Spain | 1989–present [145] | Latin Pop, Latin ballad, flamenco, pop rock, Latin rock [145] | Spanish | 25 million [147] | |
Maná | Mexico | 1986–present [148] | Pop rock, Latin pop, rock en español [148] | Spanish | 25 million [152] 22 million [153] | |
Thalía | Mexico | 1981–present [154] | Pop, Dance, Latin pop [154] | Spanish | 25 million [158] 20 million [159] | |
Rigo Tovar | Mexico | 1970–1995 [160] | Mexican cumbia, grupera [160] | Spanish | — | 25 million [161] |
Pedro Infante | Mexico | 1939–1967 [162] | Mariachi, bolero, rancheras [162] | Spanish | — | 25 million [163] |
Antonio Aguilar | Mexico | 1950–2005 [164] | Regional Mexican [164] | Spanish | — | 25 million [165] |
Romeo Santos | United States | 2011–present [166] | Bachata [166] | Spanish | 24 million [167] | |
Amado Batista | Brazil | 1975–present [168] | Brega | Portuguese | 22 million [169] | |
Lucho Gatica | Chile | 1946–2013 [170] | Bolero [170] | Spanish | 22 million [170] | |
Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified sales [c] | Reported sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Luis Fonsi | Puerto Rico | 1991–present [171] | Reggaeton, Latin pop [171] | Spanish | 32.424 million
| 20 million [172] |
Alejandro Fernández | Mexico | 1988–present [173] | Mariachi, Mexican pop [173] | Spanish | 20 million [175] | |
Zezé di Camargo & Luciano | Brazil | 1990–present [176] | Sertanejo, country [176] | Portuguese | 20 million [177] | |
Carlos Vives | Colombia | 1978–present [178] | Vallenato, cumbia, Latin pop [178] | Spanish | 20 million [180] 14 million [181] | |
Sandy & Junior | Brazil | 1989–2007, 2019 [182] | Latin Pop [182] | Portuguese | 20 million [183] | |
Los Temerarios | Mexico | 1983–present [184] | Ballad, Romantic [184] | Spanish | 20 million [186] 18 million [187] | |
Ivete Sangalo | Brazil | 1992–present [188] | Axé [188] | Portuguese | 20 million [189] | |
Ricardo Arjona | Guatemala | 1985–present [190] | Latin pop, Latin ballad, folk, a capella [190] | Spanish | 20 million [193] | |
Mecano | Spain | 1981–1992, 1998 [194] | Pop, synthpop, new wave, pop rock [194] | Spanish | 20 million [195] | |
Banda el Recodo | Mexico | 1938–present [196] | Banda [196] | Spanish | 20 million [198] | |
Chitãozinho & Xororó | Brazil | 1969–present [199] | Sertanejo [199] | Portuguese | 20 million [200] | |
Plácido Domingo | Spain | 1950s–present [201] | Opera pop, Latin [201] | Spanish | 20 million [203] | |
Hombres G | Spain | 1982–1992, 2002–present [204] | Latin pop [204] | Spanish | 20 million [205] | |
Dyango | Spain | 1960s–present [206] | Bolero, Latin ballad [206] | Spanish | 20 million [207] | |
Yuri | Mexico | 1978–present [208] | Latin pop [208] | Spanish | 20 million [209] | |
Lupita D'Alessio | Mexico | 1971–present [210] | Bolero, Latin ballad [210] | Spanish | 20 million [212] | |
Menudo | Puerto Rico | 1977–1997, 2007–2009, 2022-present [213] | Latin Pop, Pop Rock [213] | Spanish | — | 20 million [214] |
Paquita la del Barrio | Mexico | 1970–present [215] | Bolero, mariachi [215] | Spanish | — | 20 million [216] |
Diego Verdaguer | Argentina | 1970–2022 [217] | Latin ballad [217] | Spanish | — | 20 million [218] |
Maluma | Colombia | 2010–present [219] | Reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin pop [219] | Spanish | 18 million [220] | |
Selena | United States | 1980–1995 [221] | Tecnocumbia, Cumbia, Latin Pop, Musica Tejana [221] | Spanish • English | 18 million [223] | |
Leandro e Leonardo | Brazil | 1983–1998 [224] | Sertanejo [224] | Portuguese | 17 million [225] | |
Rocio Jurado | Spain | 1960–2006 [226] | Ballad, Latin Pop, Flamenco, copla [226] | Spanish | 17 million [227] 16 million [228] | |
Padre Marcelo Rossi | Brazil | 1997–present [229] | Latin Christian [229] | Portuguese | 16 million [230] | |
Paloma San Basilio | Spain | 1970–present [231] | Latin pop [231] | Spanish | 16 million [232] | |
Lucero | Mexico | 1980–present [233] | Mexican pop, Latin pop [233] | Spanish | 16 million [235] | |
Ozuna | Puerto Rico | 2012–present [236] | Reggaeton, Latin Trap, Urbano [236] | Spanish | 15 million [237] | |
Juanes | Colombia | 2000–present [238] | Rock en Español, Latin Pop, Cumbia [238] | Spanish | 15 million [239] | |
Don Omar | Puerto Rico | 1996–2017; 2019–present [240] | Reggaeton [240] | Spanish | 15 million [241] | |
Los del Río | Spain | 1973–2008 [242] | Latin pop, sevillanas [242] | Spanish | 15 million [243] | |
Wisin & Yandel | Puerto Rico | 1998–2013, 2018–2022 [244] | Reggaeton [244] | Spanish | 15 million [245] | |
Chayanne | Puerto Rico | 1984–present [246] | Ballad, Latin pop, salsa, dance pop [246] | Spanish | 15 million [249] | |
Roberta Miranda | Brazil | 1986–present [250] | Sertanejo [250] | Portuguese | 15 million [251] | |
RBD | Mexico | 2004–2009 [252] 2020–2023 [253] | Latin Pop, pop rock, pop, dance pop [252] | Spanish | 15 million [254] | |
Joan Manuel Serrat | Spain | 1965–present [255] | Nova Cançó [255] | Spanish • Catalan | 15 million [256] | |
Paulina Rubio | Mexico | 1992–present [257] | Latin Pop, Pop Rock, Dance [257] | Spanish | 15 million [259] | |
Gipsy Kings | France | 1978–present [260] | Catalan rumba, flamenco [260] | Spanish • Instrumental | 15 million [261] | |
Kumbia Kings | Mexico | 1998–2006, 2009–2010 [262] | Mexican cumbia [262] | Spanish | 15 million [263] | |
Juan Luis Guerra | Dominican Republic | 1983–present [264] | Latin pop, adult contemporary, Merengue, Bachata, Salsa [264] | Spanish | 15 million [266] 10 million [267] | |
Jenni Rivera | Mexico | 1992–2012 [268] | Regional Mexican, Latin pop [268] | Spanish | 15 million [269] | |
Pimpinela | Argentina | 1981–present [270] | Canción melódica [270] | Spanish | 15 million [272] | |
José Luis Rodríguez | Venezuela | 1961–present [273] | Canción melódica , bolero, Latin pop [273] | Spanish | 15 million [274] | |
Raúl di Blasio | Argentina | 1983–present | Latin Easy listening | Instrumental | 15 million [275] | |
Los Chichos | Spain | 1973–2008 [276] | Rumba flamenca [276] | Spanish | 15 million [277] | |
Daniela Romo | Mexico | 1979–present [278] | Latin pop [278] | Spanish | 15 million [280] | |
Pepe Aguilar | United States | 1981–present [281] | Regional Mexican, Latin ballad [281] | Spanish | 15 million [282] | |
Amanda Miguel | Argentina | 1980–present [283] | Latin pop [283] | Spanish | — | 15 million [284] |
Palito Ortega | Argentina | 1962–2017 [285] | Rock en español [285] | Spanish | — | 15 million [286] |
Roberto Leal | Portugal Brazil | 1971–2019 [287] | fado, MPB, forró [287] | Portuguese | — | 15 million [288] |
Jon Secada | Cuba United States | 1984–present [289] | Latin Pop [289] | Spanish • English | 0.1 million
| 15 million [291] |
Artist | Country / Market | Period active | Genre | Primary language(s) | Certified sales [c] | Reported sales | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nino Bravo | Spain | 1969–1973 [292] | Latin pop [292] | Spanish | 14 million [293] | ||
Parchís | Spain | 1979-1992 [294] | Children's music [294] | Spanish | — | 14 million [295] | |
Los Tucanes de Tijuana | Mexico | 1987–present [296] | Norteño [296] | Spanish | 13 million [296] 10 million [298] | ||
Marc Anthony | United States | 1987–present [299] | Salsa, Latin pop [299] | Spanish • English | 12 million [300] | ||
Bronco | Mexico | 1979–1997, 2003–present [301] | Grupero [301] | Spanish | 12 million [303] | ||
Cristian Castro | Mexico | 1991–present [304] | Latin pop, bolero, mariachi [304] | Spanish | 12 million [306] 10 million [307] | ||
Joan Sebastian | Mexico | 1975–2015 [308] | Regional Mexican [308] | Spanish | 12 million [309] | ||
Franco De Vita | Venezuela | 1982–present [310] | Latin pop [310] | Spanish | 12 million [311] | ||
Marisela | United States | 1981–present [312] | Baladas, Latin pop [312] | Spanish | 0.15 million
| 12 million [313] | |
Só Pra Contrariar | Brazil | 1989–present | Pagode | Portuguese | 11 million [314] | ||
Daniela Mercury | Brazil | 1981–present [315] | Latin pop, axé, samba reggae, MPB [315] | Portuguese | 11 million [316] | ||
Prince Royce | United States | 2009–present [317] | Bachata [317] | Spanish | 10 million [318] | ||
Bruno & Marrone | Brazil | 1985–present [319] | serteneja [319] | Portuguese | 10 million [320] | ||
Joaquin Sabina | Spain | 1978–present [321] | Latin, rock, trova [321] | Spanish | 10 million [323] | ||
Miguel Bosé | Spain | 1977–present [324] | Latin pop [324] | Spanish | 10 million [326] | ||
Intocable | United States | 1993–present [327] | Norteño [327] | Spanish | 10 million [329] | ||
Isabel Pantoja | Spain | 1970s–present [330] | Copla, Canción melódica [330] | Spanish | 10 million [331] | ||
Rosana Arbelo | Spain | 1996–present [332] | Latin pop, Folk, Pop rock [332] | Spanish | 10 million [333] | ||
Julieta Venegas | Mexico United States | 1992–present [334] | Pop rock, indie pop, alternative music, folk rock [334] | Spanish | 10 million [335] | ||
Ricardo Montaner | Argentina Venezuela | 1976–present [336] | Latin ballad, Latin pop [336] | Spanish | 1.94 million
| 10 million [338] | |
Juan Pardo | Spain | 1962-2004 [339] | Pop, rock [339] | Spanish | 10 million [340] | ||
Diego Torres | Argentina | 1980s– [341] | Latin pop [341] | Spanish | 10 million [342] | ||
Los Bukis | Mexico | 1973–1996, 2021–present [343] | Grupera [343] | Spanish | 1.5 million
| 10 million [345] | |
Emmanuel | Mexico | 1976–present [346] | Latin ballad, Latin pop [346] | Spanish | 10 million [348] | ||
Manuel Mijares | Mexico | 1985–present [349] | Mexican pop, folk, mariachi [349] | Spanish | 10 million [351] | ||
Sandro | Argentina | 1959–2010 [352] | Rock and roll, Latin pop, canción melódica [352] | Spanish | 10 million [353] | ||
Celia Cruz | Cuba United States | 1948–2003 [354] | Salsa [354] | Spanish | 10 million [355] | ||
Fey | Mexico | 1979–present [356] | Latin pop [356] | Spanish | 10 million [358] | ||
Mari Trini | Spain | 1968-2008 [359] | Latin ballad [359] | Spanish | 10 million [359] | ||
Banda Calypso | Brazil | 1999–2015 [360] | Calipso, cumbia, lambada, zouk, merengtheue, carimbó [360] | Portuguese | 10 million [361] [362] | ||
Galy Galiano | Colombia | 1981–present [363] | Mariachi, norteño, Latin pop, salsa [363] | Spanish | 0.1 million
| 10 million [365] | |
Valeria Lynch | Argentina | 1969–present [366] | Balada [366] | Spanish | 10 million [367] | ||
Miguel Gallardo | Spain | 1971–2005 [368] | Latin pop [368] | Spanish | — | 10 million [369] | |
Los Baby's | Mexico | 1958–present [370] | Latin rock and roll [370] | Spanish | — | 10 million [371] | |
Ariel Ramírez | Argentina | 1938–2005 [372] | Folklore [372] | Spanish | — | 10 million [373] | |
Diomedes Díaz | Colombia | 1976–2013 [374] | Vallenato [374] | Spanish | — | 10 million [375] | |
The reported sales may include non Spanish/Portuguese recordings that are otherwise omitted from total certified units.
Defining exactly what Latin music is a slippery business. The US record industry trade group says it's any release with lyrics that are mostly in Spanish and that it's more popular than ever, comprising more than 5 percent of US record sales.
Q: What is LARAS's definition of Latin music? A: Music in Spanish or Portuguese.
...but the term "Latin music" continues to be used - by the music industry as well as in common parlance - as a catch-all phrase to describe all Spanish and Portuguese-language popular music...
Note: we are considering Rosalía an artist who falls into the 'Latin' category because she performs in Spanish or Portuguese.
Including Spain, there are twenty-two predominately Spanish-speaking countries, and there are many more styles of Latin music.
(...) His first LP, Un Sol, sold 700,000 copies in three months in Mexico and earned him a gold and platinum record. (...)
That will be in addition to five golds and two platinums he netted for his "20 years" recording.
El álbum ha vendido hasta el momento cerca de 500 mil copias en México y 460 mil en el resto del mundo, y ha obtenido doble disco de platino y cuatro discos de oro por ventas en México.
Disco de Platino para "Vivo". El Nuevo álbum de Luis Miguel superó en menos de 24 horas las 25.000 mil copias vendidas tan sólo en Chile.
También ubicó su más reciente producción 'Cómplices' como el álbum más vendido de 2008 en este país. Hasta esta semana el intérprete lleva vendidas en Chile 25 mil unidades de 'Cómplices', por lo que recibirá un doble Disco de Platino por esa producción.
Desde que canto rancheras he vendido nada menos que 30 millones de discos
Comemorando 35 anos de carreira e com a impressionante marca de 22 milhões de discos vendidos nas costas, Amado Batista está há um bom tempo longe da grande mídia.
Ademas, tan solo del album Me Estoy Enamorando, 'El Potrillo' obtuvo Disco de Platino en Argentina y Chile, Doble Disco de Platino en Colombia y Ecuador, cuatro Discos de Platino en Venezuela, ocho mas en Centro America y Estados Unidos, tres en Mexico y Disco de Oro en Espana.
Per i fan della musica latina Maluma non ha bisogno di presentazioni: con 18 milioni di copie vendute tra singoli e album e streaming da record su Spotify, è riconosciuto in tutto il mondo come uno degli artisti di maggior successo ed influenza della musica latinoamericana urban.
Gipsy Kings have sold close to 15 million records worldwide since their debut, recorded in 1987.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Vendieron 14 millones de discos, protagonizaron siete películas en menos de tres años.