In the wake of the crossover mania that characterized the Latin music industry at the end of the 90s Ricky Martin Shakira Paulina Rubio Thala -- all of whom released English-language albums around this time came Juanes a Latin artist so great he didn…

b. Elmer Figueroa de Arce, 28 June 1968, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Chayanne is one of the leading figures in contemporary Latin music, receiving numerous gold and platinum awards and selling millions of records around the world. He first started sing…

Probably the biggest of the Rock en Espanol bands, Mexican group Mana has a long history. The core members started recording together under another name in the early 1980s, finally releasing the debut Mana album in 1988. Their sound mixes traditional…

This Miami, Florida, USA-based Latin alternative pop band was formed in the mid-90s by University of Miami students Jorge Villamizar (b. Colombia; vocals/guitar), André Lopes (b. Brazil; bass), and José Javier Freire (b. Puerto Rico; percussion). Des…

An exceptionally well-regarded Spanish poprock band La Oreja de Van Gogh are also one of the most commercially successful with each of their albums selling around a million copies worldwide Driven by electric guitar and keyboard their music is easily…

This photogenic Colombian singer began her recording career at the tender age of 13. It wasn't long before her eclectic brand of Latin pop became a sensation in numerous Spanish-speaking countries. In 1998, without making the concession of singing in…

b. Luis Miguel Gallegos, 19 April 1970, Puerto Rico. Undoubtedly the most successful Latin star of the 90s, singer Luis Miguel has won four Grammys and sold over 36 million records worldwide. Born in Puerto Rico, but raised in Spain and Mexico, Migue…

One of the most gifted and accomplished -- and certainly one of the most respected -- artists in the Latin music sphere during the late 90s and into the next century Julieta Venegas enjoyed enormous acclaim during her run and though commercial succes…

Lolita Torres son Diego started getting involved in show business in the mid-80s while playing roles in soap operas oriented to young audiences Diego Torres first band was called Marca which broke up in 1991 when the artist decided to start a solo ca…

The late-'90s commercial uprising of such Latin male pop stars/sex symbols as Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias can be attributed to Marc Anthony's earlier success. By mixing salsa sounds with elements of dance and pop, Anthony scored a massive hit w…

b. 19 January 1964, Antigua, Guatemala. This singer-songwriter broke into the upper regions of the Latin American charts in the late 90s with a series of well received and often controversial albums. Arjona was born and raised in rural Guatemala, and…

Colombian pop star Carlos Vives combines the traditional acoustic sounds of cumbia and vallenato (including heavy reliance on accordion and flute) with contemporary pop and rock sounds. Though he gained fame as a soap-opera actor, he's earned a signi…

b. Paulina Rubio Dosamantes, 17 June 1971, Mexico City, Mexico. The daughter of Mexican film and soap opera actress Susana Dosamantes, Rubio's music career has followed a similar course to another Latin star of the new millennium, Colombian singer Sh…

Getting his start as part of teenyboppers Menudo in the '80s, and staying in the public's eye as an actor on General Hospital, Ricky Martin launched his own solo career by the late-'90s. Nobody could have predicted Martin's meteoric rise, topping the…

By 2004 roughly a decade after she made her recording debut at the age of 18 Laura Pausini had sold over 25 million albums worldwide quite an impressive feat for someone whod never really broken into the lucrative English-language market The Italian …

Blessed with a melodic touch that made them a sensation right out of the gate Sin Bandera enjoyed enormous acclaim and commercial success with their self-titled debut in 2002 and continued to record superlative romantic Latin pop in the years that fo…

Pop singer David Bisbal rose to fame quickly after competing on Spains Operation Triumph a reality program similar to the UKs Pop Idol The five-month program pitted young hopefuls against one another in a series of singing contests Bisbal eventually …

Venezuelan singer and songwriter Franco De Vita was born in Caracas and later moved to Italy where he lived for ten years At the age of 13 De Vita returned to South America he decided to study music after finishing high school Corpus was the name of …

Initially molded as a traditional Latin balladeer one who sings romantic songs with much dramatic flair over sweeping string arrangements Luis Fonsi enjoyed much success as such though he began to break from that mold steadily beginning with Paso a P…