Lunay isn’t old enough to drink in the United States, but he’s already making his mark in the music world.
The 20-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer has been named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list.
Billboard‘s annual ranking of powerful young voices includes arena headliners and promising new talent, familiar names and new musicians quickly rising toward the mainstream. For groups, if most members are under 21, they were considered eligible.
Lunay is recognized for having total streams of 524.5 million.
After posting videos of himself freestyling on Facebook in 2017, Lunay got a call from producers Chris Jedi and Gaby Music. Two years later, Lunay was collaborating with reggaetón superstars Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny on “Soltera (Remix),” his first top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, peaking at No. 3 and raking in 343.2 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
Signed to indie label Star Island, the rising artist, who has since scored collaborations with Ozuna and Anuel AA, credits his success to two things: “humility and hard work.”
But Lunay isn’t the only Latino artist to make the list…
Manuel Turizo earned a spot for having total streams of 328.1 million.
Back in 2017, the 20-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, then only 16, scored a viral hit with debut single “Una Lady Como Tú.” Since then, he has topped the Mexico Airplay chart with “Quiéreme Mientras Se Pueda” and the Latin Airplay list with his Sebastián Yatra–Rauw Alejandro collaboration “TBT.”
Turizo says his second album, Dopamina, will “dominate” 2021. “I hope that by the time I’m 60, people will still be consuming my music and going to my concerts,” he says. “It’s not about being at the top. It’s about acquiring an audience [that will be] by your side throughout your career.”
Natanael Cano has also made the grade…
The 19-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter has earned a total of 905.3 million streams in his short career.
Six months into 2020, Cano — who only launched his career in 2019 — became the third-most-consumed Latin artist in the United States, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s midyear report, ranking just behind Bad Bunny and Ozuna.
Since partnering with Bad Bunny on “Soy El Diablo (Remix)” in October 2019, Cano has released four projects, including Trap Tumbado in June, cementing his place as a leading force in trap corridos. And as his career continues to grow in the United States, by 2021, he says, “I’d love to reach every corner of Mexico.”
A committee of Billboard editors and reporters weighed a variety of factors in determining the 2020 21 Under 21 list, including, but not limited to, impact on consumer behavior, as measured by such metrics as album and track sales, streaming volume, social media impressions, and radio and TV audiences reached; career trajectory; reputation among peers; and overall impact in the industry, specifically during the past 12 months. Where required, record-label market share was consulted using Nielsen Music/MRC Data market share for album plus track-equivalent and stream-equivalent album consumption units. Unless otherwise noted, Billboard Boxscore and Nielsen Music/MRC Data are the sources for tour grosses and sales/streaming data, respectively.
