In English and in Spanish, with Miami Sound Machine and as a solo artist, Gloria Estefan has been a sweeping force that has made us dance and laugh, reflect and cry for more than four decades, with a unique sound and elegant, smart and profound lyrics.
With dozens of chart hits as part of the group that gifted us “Conga” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” in the ’80s — and later with her first Spanish album, the Grammy-winning Mi Tierra — the Cuban-American singer-songwriter (along with her husband, visionary producer Emilio Estefan) was “Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors),” as her song says, infusing Latin flavor into English pop music while singing simultaneously in her native language.
On the Billboard charts, she has placed 29 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 — three of them reaching No. 1 (“Anything For You” in 1988, “Don’t Wanna Lose You” in 1989, and “Coming Out of the Dark” in 1991) — and 30 tracks on Hot Latin Songs, 15 of which reached the top (from “No Me Vuelvo a Enamorar” in 1986 to “Hotel Nacional” in 2012).
Estefan, who last year became the first Latin woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, will receive the Legend award this week at the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 gala. For this reason, we ranked her greatest hits in both languages — and picking a favorite was no easy task, with so many to chose from in Gloria’s robust songbook. The idea is to relive all her great music and to celebrate her craft.
Below is our staff’s ranking of all of Gloria Estefan’s No. 1 hits on Hot Latin Songs and the Hot 100, as well as some of her big early hits with Miami Sound Machine. Check out which song takes the top spot!
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air at 9 PM ET (8 PM Central) on Sunday, June 9 via Telemundo, and can also be streamed on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
