Are you looking for famous Mexican singers?
As a very significant part of Mexican culture, music is always included in any Mexican celebration, no matter big or small it may be. Mexican music sings about a lot of things from love and passion to nationalism, legend and, history.
Mariachi, or Música Ranchera (also simple Ranchero), remains the global Mexican symbol. However, Mexico’s vibrant music scene, with its pre-Hispanic history and rich Spanish influence, is diverse with a wide array of performance styles and musical genres. It has produced a good number of great singers whose songs have graced so many parties and pleased so many ears in and out of Mexico.
Here are 12 of the most famous Mexican singers of all time.
12 Most Famous Mexican Singers of All Time
1. Luis Miguel
Recognized as the only Latin singer of his generation to not cross over to the Anglo market during the “Latin Explosion” in the 1990s, Luis Miguel is often referred to as “El Sol de México,” or “The Sun of Mexico.”
Miguel has sung in various genres and styles from boleros, tangos, and mariachi to jazz, pop, and ballads. His best-known songs include “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar,” “No Sé Tú,” and “Llamarada.” He is definitely one of the most famous Mexican singers of this generation.
READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Luis Miguel
2. Juan Gabriel
Although best known for his best-selling records and stellar career as a singer, songwriter, and actor, Juan Gabriel was also popular for his catchy flamboyant style and charity works. He had sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Born Alberto Aguilera Valadez in 1950 in Parácuaro, Mexico, Juan Gabriel was one of the most prolific Mexican composers and singers of all time. He died from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 66.
3. Thalia
Thalia is a superstar both in Mexican music and telenovelas (soap operas), having gained worldwide fame and adulation for her sultry, romantic image in many Mexican soap operas she had starred in.
Thalia has sold around 25 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. Apart from her native Spanish, Thalia has sung in multiple languages such as English, French, Portuguese, and Tagalog.
Her most famous songs include “Desde Esa Noche,” ‘Qué será de ti,” and “Estoy Enamorado.” In 2013, Thalia’s achievements in the music industry was recognized and honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
READ MORE: Fun Facts About Thalia
4. Vicente Fernandez
“El Rey de la Música Ranchera” (“The King of Ranchera Music”) was how Vicente Fernandez was called throughout his stellar music career. With 7 Latin Grammys, 1 Grammy and over 50 million records sold, the monicker was well-deserved.
Fernandez, the quintessential charro (cowboy), was a cultural icon in Latin America. He had recorded over 50 albums and starred in more than 30 films.
In December of 2021, Fernandez died of complications from cervical spine injuries after falling in his Guadalajara ranch four months prior. He was 81 years old.
5. José José
José José was born in Mexico City in 1948 and went on to become one of the most successful Latino artists in the 1970s and 1980s. He was dubbed “the Prince of Song” for his extraordinary voice and impressive interpretation of romantic ballads.
José, who was born into a family of musicians, began his career in music when he was a teenager, playing guitar and singing in serenade before joining a jazz and bossa nova trio. It was in the early 1970s that he became successful as a solo artist.
His illustrious musical career was cut by the effects of his alcoholism and abuse of cortisone, and his hiatus hernia, affecting not only his ability to sing but to talk, as well. In 2019, José died of pancreatic cancer in Florida, USA.
6. Alejandro Fernandez
Nicknamed “El Potrillo” by his fans and the media, Alejandro Fernandez has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the most successful Latin music artists ever. His father was another great Mexican singer, Vicente Fernández.
Fernandez has been awarded two Latin Grammy Awards and his success in the music industry was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.
7. Natalia Lafourcade
Mexican pop-rock and folk singer Natalia Lafourcade was born in 1984 in Mexico City. She debuted in 2002 and has been one of the most successful Latin American singers since.
Lafourcade is also a songwriter while her voice has been categorized as a lyric soprano. She has won 2 Grammy Awards and received 4 more nominations. She has 13 Latin Grammy wins and 13 more nominations.
Lafourcade’s best-known songs include “Tú sí sabes quererme,” “Ella es Bonita,” and “Para Qué Sufrir.”
8. Jorge Negrete
With famous songs such as “México Lindo y Querido,” “Ay, Jalisco No Te Rajes!,” and “Juan Charrasqueado,” Jorge Negrete had a successful singing career and was one of the greatest Mexican singers of all time.
Negrete was an actor as well. He was one of the founders and the most important leaders of the Mexican Actors Association. Negrete’s good looks, deep masculine voice, and self-assurance cinched his stardom since starting his show business career in 1937. Known as the “immortal charro Mexicano,” or the “immortal Mexican cowboy,” Negrete dominated the ranchera films, along with Pedro Infante.
Together with Javier Solis, Negrete and Infante were the “Tres Gallos Mexicanos,” or “Three Mexican Roosters.” Negrete died at the age of 42 in 1953 due to complications of hepatic cirrhosis.
9. Pedro Infante
With a career spanning the golden age of Mexican cinema, Pedro Infante’s fame had spread across Latin America. He was considered one of the best Mexican ranchera singers and was one of the famous trio, “Tres Gallos Mexicanos.”
His successful career in both music and movie industries was cut short by his sudden death in a plane crash in 1957 in Merida, Mexico. He was at the peak of his fame at the time.
10. Javier Solis
Javier Solis was considered the most popular Mexican singer until his death in 1966 at the age of 34 from complications due to a gallbladder surgery. He was one of the “Tres Gallos Mexicanos,” along with Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete.
Solis’ life was short but he had lived a very prolific one as a singer and also an actor. Today Solis remains popular in Latin America.
11. Gloria Trevi
Known as the “Supreme Diva of Mexican Pop,” Gloria Trevi started out in a short-lived girl group before recording her first solo album called ¿Qué Hago Aquí? (“What Am I Doing Here?” ) in 1989. It became an instant hit across Latin America.
Dubbed by the media as Mexico’s Madonna, Trevi, who was noted for her electric and rebellious image, jolted the Mexican pop scene in the 1980s.
Her pop music career was disrupted, however, when she was arrested on charges of corrupting minors in connection with her manager Sergio Andrade. Trevi spent almost 5 years in prison in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, before she was cleared of the charges due to lack of evidence.
Trevi managed to come back successfully to her music and today remains one of the most famous Mexican singers.
READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Gloria Trevi
12. Paulina Rubio
Paulina Rubio, called by the adoring public as “The Golden Girl” and “Queen of Latin Pop,” is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time with over 15 million records sold worldwide. Her music is widely recognized not only in Mexico and Latin America but also in Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Rubio first achieved recognition as a member of a very successful teen pop sensation, along with Thalia, from 1982 through 1991. Today she is hailed as one of the most influential female Mexican artists and for a couple of times was listed in the “50 Most Powerful Women in Mexico” by Forbes Mexico.
