Over the past five years, bilingual (Spanish and English) songs such as “Despacito,” “Tusa,” “Hawái” and “RITMO (Bad Boys for Life),” among others, have topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart.
Scoring non-Latin acts such as Justin Bieber and The Weekend their first entries on the tally, Spanglish duets have become a growing trend across Billboard‘s charts, scoring not only No. 1s on Latin surveys, but also topping all-genre charts such as the Hot 100.
From Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi’s Bieber-assisted “Despacito” to Karol G and Nicki Minaj’s “Tusa,” here are the nine bilingual collabs that have topped Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart in the past five years.
“Despacito” – Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
Spending 110 weeks on the Hot Latin Songs chart, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s Justin Bieber-assisted “Despacito” peaked at No. 1 on the tally dated Feb. 17, 2017. The global smash hit also topped the all-genre Hot 100. “It was just another song in Spanish,” Fonsi said about the track making history. “I’ve been doing this for 21 years. It’s just, I’m putting out an album, let me do a new song. This idea pops to my head, then Daddy Yankee jumps on it, it starts to sound really cool. We release it, it becomes a huge hit.”
“Mi Gente” – J Balvin & Willy William feat. Beyonce
With Beyonce in tow, J Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente” topped the chart on Oct. 20, 2017. It spent a total of 56 weeks on Hot Latin Songs. Before it was released, Beyoncé shared a 20-second video on Instagram announcing she had joined the remix and would donate all proceeds to disaster relief charities for Puerto Rico, Mexico and the other recently affected Caribbean islands.
“Taki Taki” – DJ Snake feat. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B
The rumba-infused, party-starting track nabbed both DJ Snake and Selena Gomez their first-ever No. 1 entry on the Hot Latin Songs chart. Peaking at the top on Oct. 12, 2018, and spending 41 weeks on the chart, “Taki Taki” became Cardi B’s third No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs and Ozuna’s eighth leader, at the time.
“Con Calma” – Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry feat. Snow
Daddy Yankee’s “Con Calma,” featuring Snow, is a remake of Snow’s 1993 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Informer.” The track, which fuses upbeat Caribbean dance rhythms with undertones of reggae, was later remixed by Katy Perry peaked and peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated May 3, 2019. The Perry-assisted remix spent 42 weeks on the chart.
“Tusa” – Karol G & Nicki Minaj
Spending 35 weeks on the chart, Karol G and Nicki Minaj’s anthem “Tusa” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated Nov. 22, 2019. The triumphant team-up marked a number of milestones for the Colombian hitmaker. It was the first Latin song with all female artists to reach a billion streams on Spotify, and it was also the first song with a female lead artist to debut atop Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart since 2016.
“RITMO (Bad Boys for Life)” – Black Eyed Peas & J Balvin
The Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin’s “Ritmo” crowned the survey, reaching the No. 1 spot on Jan. 3, 2020. “RITMO” reworks Corona’s dance classic “The Rhythm of the Night,” which hit No. 11 on the Hot 100 in January 1995.
“Mamacita” – Black Eyed Peas, Ozuna & J.Rey Soul
On Hot Latin Songs, “Mamacita” peaked at No. 1 on July 17, 2020, spending 26 weeks on the chart. The catchy collab samples Madonna’s 1987 hit single “La Isla Bonita,” which reached No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. As “La Isla Bonita” was co-written by Madonna, she also got songwriting credit on “Mamacita,” and in turn received her first top 10 as a songwriter on Hot Latin Songs.
“Un Dia (One Day)” – J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy
Fusing the best of both worlds, the Spanglish bop by Balvin, Bad Bunny, Tainy and Dua laces seductive melodies of dream pop and flairs of dancehall and reggaeton. In his verse, Bad Bunny even samples part of Tito “El Bambino” and Jadiel’s 2007 hit “Sol, Playa y Arena,” adding a touch of old-school reggaeton. “One Day” peaked at No. 1 on Aug. 7, 2020, and spent 26 weeks on the chart.
“Hawái” – Maluma & The Weeknd
Spending 49 weeks on the chart, Maluma and The Weeknd’s “Hawái” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated Sept. 11, 2020. Hitting No. 1 secured the Colombian chart-topping artist his second chart-topper on the tally and his first as a lead act.
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