Thanks to his decades-spanning career of achievements on Billboard‘s Latin music charts, Enrique Iglesias will be honored at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards as Billboard‘s Top Latin Artist of All-Time. The Spanish superstar will receive the accolade during the live telecast on Telemundo on Oct. 21.
Iglesias’ achievements during his 25-year career include 27 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, the most No. 1s in history; 39 top 10s on the chart, also the most in history; the most No. 1s on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart (31); and the most awards in the history of the Billboard Latin Music Awards, 47.
Iglesias’ six Spanish-language studio albums have all topped the Top Latin Albums chart. He’s also the king of the Latin Pop Airplay chart with a record 24 No. 1 hits. But Iglesias’ success is not just limited to the Latin music charts. “Bailamos” was his first of two No. 1s (the second was “Be With You”) on the all-genre Hot 100 chart, where he has a total of 25 entries, with five of those making the top 10.
On the Pop Airplay chart, Iglesias has seven top 10 hits, with “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” leading the chart in 2011. On the Dance Club Songs chart, he holds the record for the No. 1 hits among Latin male acts with 14 leaders. Three of Enrique’s full-length sets went into the top 10 of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, and overall, he’s placed 14 releases on the chart.
The Billboard Top Latin Artists of All-Time ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Hot Latin Songs (from its inception on October 4, 1986) and Top Latin Albums charts (from its inception on July 10, 1993) to the Billboard charts dated October 10, 2020. Artists are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at the lower end of the chart earning the least.
To commemorate Iglesias’ landmark award, we’re going to revisit 10 of our favorite chart-toppers, in chronological order. ¡Bailamos!
“Experiencia Religiosa”
When Iglesias launched his career in 1995, he debuted as one Latin music’s premier balladeers. All the singles on his debut album, Enrique Iglesias, topped the Hot Latin Songs chart. A standout was “Experiencia Religiosa” where Latin pop met gospel music. In a moving performance, Iglesias took Latin music to church as he sang about a supernatural romance.
“Sólo En Ti”
For his second album, 1997’s Vivir, Iglesias covered the ’80s hit “Only You” by British duo Yazoo. “Sólo En Ti” was one of three Hot Latin Songs chart-toppers from that album. Iglesias rewrote the song, originally penned by Depeche Mode’s Vince Clarke, into Spanish, and also recaptured that yearning heartache in his language. “Sólo En Ti” is one of the best Spanish-language remakes of a beloved English classic.
“Nunca Te Olvidaré”
“Nunca Te Olvidaré” is one of two Hot Latin Songs chart-toppers from Iglesias’ third album, 1998’s Cosas Del Amor, and one of his finest moments on record as a balladeer. Backed by piano and cinematic strings, Iglesias digs deep to sing about a lover that left a lasting impression on him. Iglesias tapped into his falsetto for a performance that’s truly unforgettable.
“Bailamos”
After Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin ignited the Latin pop explosion of the ’90s, Iglesias crossed over in 1999 with “Bailamos.” The English dance track with a toque of Spanish cemented his status as a global superstar when it topped the all-genre Hot 100 chart. The song also hit No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Iglesias invited the entire globe to dance with him, and the world hasn’t let go of him since.
“Heroe”
For his second English-language album, 2001’s Escape, Iglesias regrouped with “Bailamos” writers Paul Barry and Mark Taylor to pen the lead single “Hero.” While a song’s meaning can sometimes be lost in translation in another language, “Hero” is powerful in both English and Spanish. The English-sung “Hero” peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart, while the Spanish-language “Heroe” topped the Hot Latin Songs chart.
“Dímelo”
In 2007, Iglesias led his fourth English-language album Insomniac with “Do You Know?” Thanks to the track’s unique sample of a ping pong ball, it was subtitled as “The Ping Pong Song.” The album also featured the Spanish-language version “Dímelo.” In both languages, this is a synth-pop stunner and one of Iglesias’ signature singles. “Do You Know?” reached No. 21 on the Hot 100 chart while “Dímelo” was another Hot Latin Songs chart-topper.
“¿Dónde Están Corazón?”
To celebrate his 17 Hot Latin Songs chart-toppers in 2008, Iglesias compiled the tracks for his greatest hits album 95/08 Éxitos. He led the set with the new single “¿Dónde Están Corazón?” which he co-wrote with Argentine artist Coti. Amazingly, both “¿Donde?” and the album’s other new song “Lloro Por Ti,” added his No. 1s tally, as his 18th and 19th chart-toppers on Hot Latin Songs.
“Loco”
Two giants of Latin music linked up for 2013’s “Loco.” Iglesias teamed up with Aventura frontman Romeo Santos for the hit single from 2014 album Sex and Love. The Spanish singer dabbled in bachata music for the first time with the king of the genre. Iglesias and Santos take turns begging and pleading for their loved ones to not leave them. The hypnotic collaboration peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
“Bailando”
Before “Despacito” landed, Iglesias’ “Bailando” gripped the globe as a Spanish-language smash crossover hit in 2014. He blended Spain’s flamenco sound with reggaetón music, courtesy of the genre’s Cuban pioneers Gente de Zona and singer-songwriter Descemer Bueno. The song spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, a record until “Despacito” spent 56 weeks on top. On the Latin Airplay chart, “Bailando” is behind Shakira’s 25 weeks at No. 1 with “La Tortura.” Iglesias held that top spot for 20 weeks. The Spanglish remix with Jamaican superstar Sean Paul also pushed “Bailando” to No. 12 on the Hot 100 chart.
“El Baño”
From Iglesias’ forays into reggaetón music, one of his most fascinating is “El Baño” with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. The icon and the future superstar teamed up for this knockout collaboration in early 2018, before Bad Bunny was a huge name, and underscoring Iglesias’ unerring eye for spotting up and coming talent. The steamy track topped the Latin Airplay chart while reaching No. 8 on both the Hot Latin Songs and Dance Club Songs charts.