SINGERS from Colombia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Colombian Singers of all time. This list of famous Colombian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Colombian Singers.

1. Shakira (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 62.95, Shakira is the most famous Colombian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 128 different languages on wikipedia.

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( shə-KEER-ə, Spanish: [ʃaˈkiɾa isaˈβel meβaˈɾak riˈpol]; born 2 February 1977), known mononymously as Shakira, is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Queen of Latin Music" and has been praised for her musical versatility. She made her recording debut with Sony Music Colombia at the age of 13. Following the commercial failure of her first two albums, Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), she rose to prominence in Hispanic countries with her next albums, Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). She entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service (2001), which sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Buoyed by the international success of her singles "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes", the album propelled her reputation as a leading crossover artist and is the best-selling album of all time by a female Latin artist. Her success was further solidified with the Spanish-language albums Fijación Oral, Vol. 1 (2005), Sale el Sol (2010), El Dorado (2017), and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (2024), all of which topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, making her the first woman with number-one albums across four different decades. Meanwhile, her English-language albums Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (2005), She Wolf (2009), and Shakira (2014) received platinum certifications in various countries worldwide. Some of her songs have reached number-one on the charts in multiple countries, including "Ciega, Sordomuda", "Whenever, Wherever", "La Tortura", "Hips Don't Lie", "Beautiful Liar", "She Wolf", "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", "Loca", "Rabiosa", "Can't Remember to Forget You", "Dare (La La La)", "La Bicicleta", "Chantaje", "Te Felicito", "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", and "TQG". Outside of music, Shakira served as a coach on two seasons of the American singing competition television series The Voice (2013–2014), had a voice role in the animated film Zootopia (2016), and executive produced and judged the dance competition series Dancing with Myself (2022). Described as "one of the most influential and beloved artists of all time", Shakira has been credited with opening the doors of the international market for other Latin artists. With over 100 million certified records sold worldwide, she is one of the world's best-selling musicians. She is the best-selling female artist of all time in Colombia and Spain, best-selling female Latin artist of all time in the United States and worldwide, as of 2023, according to Billboard. Noted to be a "global phenom" whose impact has "reached every corner of the world", Shakira has been described as an "artistic link between the west and the east" for popularizing Middle Eastern sounds in the West, and western sounds in the East (mainly the Middle East). Due to her heritage as a Colombian of Lebanese descent, she is perceived as particularly influential for Latino and Middle-Eastern musicians, and has been noted for introducing musical genres, instruments, and techniques from across Latin America, the Middle East, and other regions to a wider audience. Shakira is also credited with popularizing music in the Spanish language on a global level. In 2022, MTV included her in the list of "The Most Influential Women in the History of Music", being the only Latina on the list. In 2024, Billboard listed her one of the 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st century. She has received numerous accolades, including 3 Grammy Awards, 15 Latin Grammy Awards, 7 Billboard Music Awards, 39 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 5 MTV Video Music Awards (including the 2023 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), 21 Guinness World Records, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was named the Top Female Latin Artist of the Decade by Billboard twice (2000s and 2010s). For her philanthropic work with her Barefoot Foundation and her contributions to music she received the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year and Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year awards in 2011. She was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in the United States in 2011, and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government in 2012.

2. Rafael Orozco Maestre (1954 - 1992)

With an HPI of 56.22, Rafael Orozco Maestre is the 2nd most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 167 different languages.

Rafael José Orozco Maestre (March 24, 1954 – June 11, 1992) was a Colombian singer of vallenato music. He was one of the major representatives of Colombian popular folk music and was lead singer and co-founder, alongside fellow accordionist Israel Romero, of the vallenato group Binomio de Oro de América, which was very popular in Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela. Orozco was born in Becerril, Cesar. He was assassinated by gunmen in front of his house in Barranquilla, Atlántico, during his daughter's 15th birthday party (quinceañera). It is believed the assassins were hired by a drug lord whose wife or girlfriend was obsessed with Orozco. It has been alleged that Orozco had a sentimental relationship with a young woman named Maria Angelica Navarro Ogliasti, identified as the girlfriend of Medellin Cartel hitman Jose Reinaldo Fiallo, who was himself murdered in November 1992 on orders of Pablo Escobar.

3. Juanes (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 52.64, Juanes is the 3rd most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 73 different languages.

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 1972), known professionally as Juanes, is a Colombian musician who was a member of the rock band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. Since releasing his solo debut album Fíjate Bien in 2000, Juanes has won 26 Latin Grammy Awards and sold more than 15 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. Born and raised in Colombia, Juanes began playing piano at age two. When Juanes was 17, he started his first band, Ekhymosis, in 1988, which went on to release eight albums, achieving recognition in his native Colombia. The track "Dos" from the album Niño Gigante in 1992 was very popular. In 1997 after the band broke up, Juanes continued solo and in 2000 he released the album, Fíjate Bien, which earned him three Latin Grammys. His follow-up album, Un Día Normal, was released in 2002 and was later certified platinum throughout America. Juanes' third album, Mi Sangre (2004), became an international bestseller, managing to position well in a number of countries around the world. It achieved success due to the single "La Camisa Negra". He has since released La Vida... Es Un Ratico (2007), P.A.R.C.E. (2010), Loco de Amor (2015), Mis planes son amarte (2017), Más Futuro Que Pasado (2019), Origen (2021), and Vida Cotidiana (2023). Juanes has won 26 Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards. He received the BMI President's Award at the 2010 BMI Latin Awards. Juanes is also known for his humanitarian work, especially with aid for Colombian victims of anti-personnel mines through his NGO Fundacion Mi Sangre. In April 2013, Juanes released an autobiography titled Chasing The Sun in which he tells his story through narratives and pictures. He is one of the best-selling Spanish-language artists.

4. Carlos Vives (b. 1961)

With an HPI of 48.64, Carlos Vives is the 4th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres such as Latin pop, reggaeton, dance pop and tropical music. Having sold over 20 million records worldwide, Vives is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world as he has progressively helped vallenato gain popularity globally by combining traditional vallenato music with pop/rock music, forming a subgenre that has come to be known as "vallenato-pop". In 2019, Vives was selected as #45 on both the Greatest of All Time Latin Artists and Top Latin Artists 2010s. by Billboard. In 2024, the Latin Grammys honored Vives as Person of the Year during their annual ceremony for his contributions to the music of Latin America and community philanthropic endeavors both in Colombia and the wider Spanish speaking world. His hits include "Matilde Lina", "La Hamaca Grande", "La Gota Fría", "Alicia Adorada" (all four of which are covers of classic vallenato songs), "Pa' Mayte", "La Tierra del Olvido", "Tu Amor Eterno", "Fruta Fresca", "Déjame Entrar", "Luna Nueva", "Carito", "Papadio", "Como Tú", "Décimas Del Parecido" (a tribute to Guillermo Martínez, a Cuban-born radio host who resides in Mayagüez, and for whose program Vives was an occasional master control technician), "Robarte un Beso", (a collaborative effort with fellow Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra), "La Bicicleta" (a collaboration with Shakira) and "Canción Bonita" (collaborative effort with Ricky Martin). Vives is also a successful actor. His roles as the titular character in the soap opera Gallito Ramírez and as Rafael Escalona in Escalona, a story about the famous Colombian composer of the same name, are among his most important and well-remembered appearances. He has collaborated with multiple Colombian and international artists, including Silvestre Dangond, Juanes, Ricky Martin, Carín León, Camilo, Shakira, Maluma, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Rozalén, Manuel Turizo, Ryan Castro, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky, Michel Teló, Gente de Zona, Thalía, Pedro Capó,Lalo Ebratt, Los Ángeles Azules, Fito Páez, Carlos Rivera, Play-N-Skillz, Mike Bahía, Nacho and Diego Torres. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Vives is involved in various social and philanthropic activities. He has used his platform to support causes related to education, culture, and social development in Colombia. His foundation, Tras la Perla, focuses on improving the quality of life in his hometown of Santa Marta by promoting sustainable development and cultural initiatives.

5. Joe Arroyo (1955 - 2011)

With an HPI of 46.85, Joe Arroyo is the 5th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Álvaro José Arroyo González (also known as Joe Arroyo or El Joe; 1 November 1955 – 26 July 2011) was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean and salsa music in his country and across Latin America. In 2018 Billboard counted Arroyo's song "La Rebelión" as one of the "15 Best Salsa Songs Ever".

6. Diomedes Díaz (1957 - 2013)

With an HPI of 45.05, Diomedes Díaz is the 6th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Diomedes Díaz Maestre (26 May 1957 – 22 December 2013) was a Colombian vallenato singer, songwriter, and composer. He has been named the "King of Vallenato" and is nicknamed El Cacique de La Junta (The Chieftain of La Junta), which was given to him by another vallenato singer, Rafael Orozco Maestre, in honor of Díaz's birthplace. Diomedes Díaz is the biggest record seller in the history of vallenato, exceeding 10 million throughout his career, due to this, he was awarded gold, platinum and diamond records, unique in Colombia until 2008. In 2010 he won the Latin Grammy in the "Cumbia / Vallenato category". Loved and idolized by many, Diomedes' followers adopted the nickname "diomedistas", while Diomedes called them his "fanaticada". His personal life was marked by family instability, controversial friendships, ups and downs with the consumption of alcohol and drugs, accidents, financial and legal problems, especially the death under strange circumstances of Doris Adriana Niño.

7. J Balvin (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 44.84, J Balvin is the 7th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He has been referred to as the "Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reguetón"), and is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with over 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to the United States to learn English, where he lived in both Oklahoma and New York. He then returned to Medellín and gained popularity performing at clubs in the city. Throughout his career, Balvin has won eleven Billboard Latin Music Awards, six Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards and seven Latin American Music Awards and received four Grammy Award nominations. In 2017, the BMI Latin Awards named him the Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year for his contribution in the Latin music industry, and has won the first Global Icon Award given by Lo Nuestro Awards, in recognition of his contribution to spread Latin music worldwide. He became the first Latino to headline world-musical events such as Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Lollapalooza. The Guinness World Records acknowledged him as a "leader of a second-generation reggaeton revolution". Balvin's breakthrough came in 2014 with the single "6 AM" featuring Puerto Rican singer Farruko, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, followed by "Ay Vamos" and "Ginza". In 2016, he released Energia, which included the hit singles "Bobo", "Safari", and "Sigo Extrañándote". In June 2017, Balvin released the single "Mi Gente" with Willy William. On 1 August 2017, "Mi Gente" topped the Global Top 50 on Spotify, and later reached one billion views on YouTube. In January 2018, he released the hit single "Machika" featuring Jeon and Anitta. He collaborated with Cardi B and Bad Bunny on the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "I Like It", which was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Balvin released his fifth studio album José in March 2021 and his sixth album Rayo in August 2024. Though his music is primarily reggaeton, Balvin has experimented with a variety of musical genres in his work, including electronica, house, Latin trap, and R&B. His original musical inspirations included rock groups such as Metallica and Nirvana, and fellow reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee. He has collaborated with Latin American artists such as Ozuna, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny and Pitbull. Despite working with many English-speaking artists such as Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Black Eyed Peas, Cardi B, Dua Lipa and Major Lazer, Balvin continues to sing almost exclusively in Spanish, and hopes to introduce Spanish-language music to a global audience. He is also noted for his eclectic and colorful fashion sense. Balvin received the Vision Award from the Latin heritage Awards in 2016, and in 2019 he won the Golden Artist of Latin Urban Music at the Premios Heat. In 2020 he was included on Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people of the world, and was called one of the Greatest Latin Artists of All Time by Billboard. Balvin is the artist with the most number one songs on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart. He is also the only Latin artist to reach number one on the Billboard charts 174 times.

8. Karol G (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 44.64, Karol G is the 8th most famous Colombian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born February 14, 1991), known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential reggaeton and urban pop artists, she has received awards including a Grammy, six Latin Grammy Awards and four Billboard Music Awards. She was recognized as Woman of the Year and with a Rulebreaker Award at Billboard Women in Music, with the Spirit of Hope Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, and has five Guinness World Records. Born and raised in Medellín, Giraldo launched her career as a teenager, appearing on the Colombian spinoff of The X Factor. She moved to New York in 2014 to learn more about the music industry and signed with Universal Music Latino. Her collaboration with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, "Ahora Me Llama" became her breakthrough hit and was the third single for her debut album Unstoppable, released in 2017. In late 2018, her duet "Secreto" became a hit in Latin America, as she and Puerto Rican artist Anuel AA publicly confirmed their relationship via the music video. In July 2019, she released "China" in collaboration with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna, and J Balvin, which became her first music video with over one billion views on YouTube. In May 2019, she released the album Ocean, which served as a stylistic departure from Unstoppable, incorporating a more relaxed and less "pop" sound while incorporating reggaetón influences. Popular singles from the album include the title track (later released as a remix with Jessie Reyez). Later that year, her song "Tusa" charted internationally and was certified 28× Latin platinum by the RIAA. In 2020, Giraldo received four nominations at the Latin Grammy Awards. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and into early 2021, she would release successful songs, including some of her most famous ("Ay, Dios Mío!", "Bichota" and "Location"), in the lead-up to her third album, KG0516, which was released in spring of that year, topping the U.S. Latin albums chart. Giraldo released her fourth album, Mañana Será Bonito, in the spring of 2023; the record was immediately recognized as the first-ever Spanish-language album by a female artist to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. She achieved her highest-charting single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with the song "TQG", a collaboration with fellow Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, reaching the No. 7 position. In early 2024, she received her first Grammy Award, at the 66th annual ceremony, for the recently created Música Urbana Album category.

9. Maluma (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 44.52, Maluma is the 9th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.

Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born January 28, 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. He released his debut album, Magia, a year later in 2012. But, his breakthrough album was 2015's Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy, which led to successful collaborations with many artists. He released F.A.M.E. in 2018, another commercial success. He followed it with 11:11 in 2019, and Papi Juancho, surprise-released in 2020. His single "Hawái" reached number three on the Billboard Global 200, and became the first number one single on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. Selling more than 18 million records (albums and singles), Maluma is one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Musically, Maluma's songs have been described as reggaeton, Latin trap, and pop. Maluma has a number of singles that have charted within the top ten on Billboard Hot Latin Songs, including "Felices los 4", "Borró Cassette", and "Corazón". His collaborative efforts "Chantaje" with Shakira and "Medellín" with Madonna have reached the top of the Hot Latin Songs and the Dance Club Songs chart, respectively. He has worked with other international artists, such as Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, J Balvin, and The Weeknd. Maluma has won a Latin Grammy Award, an MTV Video Music Award, two Latin American Music Awards, and been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

10. Sebastián Yatra (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 34.92, Sebastián Yatra is the 10th most famous Colombian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Sebastián Obando Giraldo (born 15 October 1994), known professionally as Sebastián Yatra, is a Colombian singer. He began as a Latin pop artist and has recorded many ballads, but has released several successful reggaeton singles. Yatra is noted for his romantic lyrics, melding traditional lyricism with modern reggaeton influences. He rose to prominence in Latin America in 2016 when he released the hit "Traicionera". He has released three studio albums and recorded with artists from a diverse range of musical genres throughout his career. Born in Medellín but raised primarily in Miami, Yatra began singing at a young age and returned to Colombia to begin his musical career. He achieved breakout success with "Traicionera" followed by "Robarte un Beso" featuring Carlos Vives. "Traicionera" served as the lead single for his 2018 debut album, Mantra, which also featured the single "Sutra", featuring Puerto Rican rapper Dalmata. He then released the album Fantasía including the lead single "Un Año" featuring Mexican band Reik. He received continued success collaborating with Daddy Yankee, Natti Natasha, and the Jonas Brothers on the bilingual single "Runaway".