Whenever we talk about urban Latin music, we’re inclined to think that it’s a genre that exploded thanks to Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, J Balvin and Bad Bunny, among others.
And, yes, that’s totally right. But there’s also another side of the story: the group of women who have fought hard to be recognized as leaders of the genre. From Lisa M to Ivy Queen and Karol G to Natti Natasha, meet the urban Latin female singers who’ve stood out on the Billboard charts during the genre’s evolution.
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See latest videos, charts and news
Lisa M
Real Name: Marlisa Marrero Vázquez
Lisa M is a Puerto Rican rapper, DJ and dancer who fuses genres such as pop, urban music, Latin hip-hop, electronic, reggaeton, Latin pop and trap. She is known as one of first female rap artists to debut in Puerto Rico and Latin America.
Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart
“Pum Pum” peaked at No. 38 on chart dated Jan. 26, 1991.
“Everybody Dancing Now” debuted and peaked at No. 38, chart dated Feb. 1, 1992.
“Súbeme El Radio” peaked at No. 32 on the Feb. 6, 1993-dated tally.
Glory
Real Name: Glorimar Montalvo Castro
Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, Glory, was also known as “La Gata Gangster.” During her short career she has collaborated with Daddy Yankee, Luny Tunes, Don Omar and Hector & Tito, among others.
Billboard charts:
“La Traicionera” featuring Don Omar peaked at No. 30 on Latin Rhythm Airplay chart dated Oct. 29, 2005.
“La Traicionera” featuring Don Omar peaked at No. 18 on Tropical Songs airplay chart dated Oct. 15, 2005.
Her album Glou/Glory debuted and peaked at No. 22 on the Top Latin Albums chart and No. 6 on the Latin Rhythm Album chart dated July 16, 2005.
Ivy Queen
Real Name: Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez
Ivy Queen is a Puerto Rican rapper who joined DJ Negro’s The Noise by recording “Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes.” In 1997, Ivy Queen launched her solo career by dropping her debut studio album, En Mi Imperio (In My Empire). Ivy Queen earned the respect of of her peers and fans of the genre with lyrics that defended women during at time when no other woman had doen that.
Billboard Charts:
On Top Latin Albums
9 total charted hits, 3s of which went top 10:
Flashback peaked at No. 10 on chart dated Oct. 29, 2005.
Sentimiento debuted and peaked at No. 4 on chart dated April 14, 2007.
Drama Queen debuted and peaked at No. 3 on chart dated July 31, 2010.
On Latin Rhythm Albums
11 total charted hits, 2 of which hit No. 1 (a total of 8 top 10s):
Sentimiento debuted at No. 1 on chart dated April 14, 2007, ruling for three consecutive weeks.
Drama Queen debuted at No. 1 on chart dated July 31, 2010, leading for 10 consecutive weeks.
On Hot Latin Songs
8 total charted hits, 4 of which went top 10:
“Cuentale” peaked at No. 3 on chart dated Nov. 19, 2005.
“Te He Querido, Te He Llorado” peaked at No. 10 on the Feb. 4, 2006-dated chart.
“Que Lloren” peaked at No. 10 on the May 12, 2007-dated chart.
“Dime” peaked at No. 8 on chart dated Dec. 6, 2008.
On Latin Airplay
10 total entries, 4 of which hit top 10:
“Cuentale” peaked at No. 3 on chart dated Nov. 19, 2005.
“Te He Querido, Te He Llorado” peaked at No. 10 on the Feb. 4, 2006-dated chart.
“Que Lloren” peaked at No. 10 on the May 12, 2007-dated chart.
“Dime” peaked at No. 8 on chart dated Dec. 6, 2008.
On The Latin Rhythm airplay chart
A total of 17 charted titles, 2 of which went No. 1:
“Dime” peaked at No. 12 on chart dated Oct. 11, 2008, ruling for seven weeks.
“La Vida Es Así” peaked at No. 1 on July 10, 2010, leading the chart for three weeks.
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Natti Natasha
Real Name: Natalia Alexandra Gutiérrez Batista
Natasha is the first international non-Puerto Rican female artist to join the Latin urban movement. The Dominican singer excelled after collaborating with Don Omar on the song “Dutty Love.” But it wasn’t until 2019 that Natasha released her first album, IlumiNATTI.
Billboard charts:
illumiNATTI debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts dated March 2, 2019.
15 total entries on Hot Latin Songs, 3 out of those went top 5:
“Duty Love” – Don Omar featuring Natasha, peaked at No. 1 on April 7, 2012.
“Criminal” with Ozuna, peaked at No. 5 on chart dated Jan. 3, 2018.
“Sin Pijama” with Becky G hit No. 4 on chart dated Aug. 11, 2018.
13 total entries on Latin Airplay chart, including 4 No. 1s:
“Duty Love” – Don Omar featuring Natasha peaked at No. 1 on April 7, 2012.
“Sin Pijama” with Becky G hit No. 1 on chart dated Aug. 11, 2018.
“Justicia” with Silvestre Dangond which led for one week on the Nov. 3, 2018-dated list.
“Me Gusta” peaked at No. 1 on chart dated May 18.
Karol G
Real Name: Carolina Giraldo Navarro
Karol G represents the new generation fusing a variety of sounds, from reggaeton to trap. She officially debuted in 2017 by releasing Unstoppable (UMLE) and won the 2018 Latin Grammy as best new artist.
Billboard charts:
On Top Latin Albums:
Unstoppable debuted and peaked at No. 2 on chart dated Nov. 18, 2017.
Ocean peaked at No. 2 on chart dated May 18, 2019.
On Latin Rhythm Albums:
Unstoppable debuted and peaked at No. 2 on chart dated Nov. 18, 2017.
Ocean debuted and peaked at No. 2 on chart dated May 18, 2019.
On Hot Latin Songs:
15 charted titles, one of which went No. 1: “Dame Tu Cosita” – Pitbull x El Chombo x Karol featuring Cutty Ranks, which topped the list for two weeks starting on May 12, 2018.
11 charted titles on Latin Airplay, four of which hit No. 1
“Mi Cama” with J Balvin featuring Nicky Jam on chart dated Aug. 25, 2018.
“Calypso” – Luis Fonsi & Stefflon Don or Karol G on the Sept. 15, 2018-dated list.
“Créeme” with Maluma on chart dated March 2, 2019.
“Secreto” with Anuel AA, which hit No. 1 on the May 4-dated tally.
11 charted titles on Latin Rhythm Airplay, four of which hit No. 1:
“Mi Cama” with J Balvin featuring Nicky Jam on chart dated Aug. 25, 2018.
“Calypso” – Luis Fonsi & Stefflon Don or Karol G on the Sept. 15, 2018-dated list.
“Créeme” with Maluma on chart dated March 2, 2019.
“Secreto” with Anuel AA, which hit No. 1 on the May 4-dated tally.