Miranda Earns Second Career No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Songs Chart

It may have taken some time, but Ismael Miranda is back at the top of the charts…

The 64-year-old Puerto Rican salsa singer crowns Billboard’s Tropical Songs chart with “Son 45,” earning him the second No. 1 on the airplay list of his career and his first in a decade.

Ismael Miranda

The track rises 5-1 in its 15th week with a 39 percent increase in plays in the week ending February 8, according to Nielsen Music. Miranda last capped the ranking in 2005 when “Se Fue Y Me Dejo,” featuring Cheka & Andy Montanez, spent a week at the helm.

The celebratory “Son 45,” written and produced by Victor Manuelle, is the title track from Miranda’s most recent album and recounts the salsa veteran’s 45-year career, proudly declaring his roots in the genre.

Miranda becomes only the second member of Fania All-Stars (the legendary musical ensemble formed by Fania Records in 1968) to have two No. 1s, matching Celia Cruz‘s tally. “I’m really proud and satisfied with the work done,” Miranda tells Billboard. “The message in this song represents what the salsa genre means for our culture, history and identity.”

On working with Victor Manuelle, who holds 24 No. 1s on the Tropical Songs chart of his own (the second-most in the chart’s history), Miranda says of Manuelle — who produced the “Son 45” album — “He never took me away from my traditional style of salsa or the social messages in my songs. Every single thing we did, we made sure to do it with quality. This is a big accomplishment for him as well because it is his first time producing an album for another artist and releasing it on his own label Kiyavi Records.”

Miranda humbly revels in the long-lasting success of salsa music, saying “The fact that this music is still played heavily on the airwaves worldwide is a testament to our message. I have been representing this genre for over forty-five years and salsa is here to stay,” leaving us with the hook of the single: “Yo llevo 45 y sigo con el mismo son!!