Puerto Rico is a beautiful island known for its endless white beaches, bioluminescent bays, and world-famous rum.
The Island of Enchantment, as Puerto Rico is sometimes called, is also known for its music. So many famous singers come from here. With so many different styles of music—bomba, calypso, salsa, reggaeton—comes many different types of singers.
It was a difficult task to narrow down, nevertheless, here are our 10 of the greatest and most famous Puerto Rican singers. Let’s get started!
1. Jennifer Lopez
J-Lo cannot be anywhere other than at the top, including on our list. Arguably the most famous celebrity of Puerto Rican descent, Jennifer Lopez is a megastar on both the big screen and on the charts.
In her early twenties, Lopez became a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy show In Living Color. Later, she turned down the opportunity to tour as a dancer with Janet Jackson to pursue an acting career.
She received high praise for her lead role in the biopic Selena and had a star turn opposite George Clooney in Out of Sight.
Lopez has also managed a successful music career alongside her acting. She has released eight studio albums, and all but one charted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
2. Ricky Martin
If J-Lo is Puerto Rico’s biggest celebrity, Ricky Martin is not far behind. How else could he have earned the nickname King of Latin Pop?
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Martin has become a music sensation, pop icon, sex symbol, and Emmy-nominated actor. No wonder he is considered one of the most influential people in the world.
Martin has mastered success in many different styles of music, selling over 70 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He has won over 200 awards, including 2 Grammys and 5 MTV Music Video awards.
3. Daddy Yankee
The King of Reggaeton, Daddy Yankee was born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez in San Juan in 1976. He has been credited as one of the pioneers of reggaeton and has influenced a number of rappers and music artists who have followed.
Rodríguez scored his first major hit with “Gasolina” in 2005. In 2017, Rodriguez scored big again with “Despacito,” the first Spanish-language song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in over two decades.
He has won hundreds of awards and accolades. Rodríguez is widely considered to be one of Latin America’s most influential music artists, cited as an idol by many singers on this list.
4. Bad Bunny
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in Almirante Sur, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, fans know him better as reggaeton rapper Bad Bunny.
Ocasio sang in the church choir until he was thirteen, then started rapping in high school. He experimented in Latin trap and reggaeton, streaming his music independently until he was discovered.
Bad Bunny has collaborated with some of the top artists in music, including Drake and Cardi B. The song “I Like It” was the first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 featuring Bunny.
5. Rita Moreno
Our next singer, Rita Moreno, was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, in 1931. She would go on to have an illustrious career in entertainment spanning over 70 years and counting.
Moreno is a member of the exclusive EGOT club, having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. She won her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Broadway musical West Side Story.
Among Moreno’s many accomplishments, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
6. José Feliciano
With his unique fusion of Latin, jazz, blues, and rock and roll, José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican legend. He has released more than 50 records over his career in both English and Spanish.
Feliciano was born in Lares, Puerto Rico, in 1945. He was blind at birth due to congenital glaucoma. From the age of 9, Feliciano would teach himself how to play acoustic guitar by listening to rock and roll records.
Some of Feliciano’s most known songs include his rendition of the Christmas classic “Feliz Navidad” and covers of “Light My Fire” and “California Dreamin’.”
7. Marc Anthony
Marco Antonio Muniz Rivera was born and raised in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. His father played guitar and taught his son how to sing in both Spanish and English at an early age. That boy grew up to become better known as Marc Anthony.
Anthony is the best-selling tropical artist in the world. He had 32 number-one songs on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart and has sold millions of records worldwide. He has taken home three Grammy Awards and six Latin Grammy Awards.
Anthony and fellow New Yorker J-Lo were married from 2004 to 2012. They have twins together, Emme and Max.
8. Ozuna
With his unique style of blending reggaeton and bachata, Ozuna has become one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He also has the most billion-viewed videos on Youtube.
Born in San Juan in 1992, Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado’s early influences were artists like Daddy Yankee and Jay-Z. Going by his one name, Ozuna has gone on to win numerous Latin Grammys and Billboard Music Awards.
His first studio album released in 2017, Odisea, spent an incredible 48 weeks atop the Billboard Latin Albums chart. Ozuna’s follow-up, Aura, was also highly successful, debuting at #7 and spending 41 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 200.
9. Farruko
Carlos Efren Reyes Rosado, better known as Farruko, was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He was a very popular singer until abruptly retiring during a concert in Miami in 2022.
Farruko released two smash hits in 2014, “Passion Whine” and “6 AM.” He has also collaborated with top artists like Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Ricky Martin.
He stopped a concert to speak about God, upsetting many fans who paid to hear his songs. Farruko asked forgiveness for the lyrics of his popular song “Pepas,” denouncing the references to partying and drug use.
10. Chayanne
And lastly, Elmer Figueroa Arce became one of Puerto Rico’s best-selling music artists of all time under his stage name, Chayanne. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
Born in Rio Piedras in 1968, Chayanne once tried out for the group Menudo, but he was turned down because of his young age. Instead, he joined the band Los Chicos and released several hit recordings.
Chayanne’s solo career rose with his self-titled album in 1987. He had several hits, mixing ballads and dance tracks.
He is not just famous for his hit songs, however. Chayanne is also an accomplished actor, appearing in a couple of telenovelas through the ’80s.
Summing Up Our List Of Famous Singers From Puerto Rico
That wraps up our list of top-ten greatest Puerto Rican singers. We hope you enjoyed learning about them and their careers.
Entertainers from the Island of Enchantment have shown that regardless of the art form—whether it is music, dance, or on-screen—they have the star power to shine as bright as anyone.
However, this list is only scratching the surface, as there is so much talent coming from such a small territory of just over 3 million people.
Nevertheless, we hope you enjoyed reading it. Let us know if we left off a favorite, and we’ll add them in!
