These 20 Songs Turn 20 in 2026

10.15.26 at 14:44

header-20years-songs — Credit: Art by Stephany Torres

We’ve made it to 2026—and, unfortunately, time has, too. On top of everything else this year has brought, here’s one more thing to process: 2006’s songs are turning 20. That year, reggaeton became an undeniable commercial force, Shakira reached new heights of global success, and artists across pop, rock, emo, música mexicana, bachata, funk carioca, and electronic music released songs that would stay with us for decades.

By 2006, reggaeton’s mainstream breakthrough was no longer a fluke. R.K.M. & Ken-Y’s romantic anthem “Down” became Billboard’s top-performing Latin song of the year, while Tito “El Bambino” launched a solo career with “Caile.” Don Omar broadened the genre’s reach with King of Kings, Wisin & Yandel continued their dominant run with “Pam Pam,” and Luny Tunes and a young Tainy brought together an all-star lineup for “Noche de Entierro (Nuestro Amor).”

Latine pop was thriving across borders, too. Shakira topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hips Don’t Lie,” while Paulina Rubio, Julieta Venegas, and RBD delivered some of the year’s biggest Spanish-language pop songs. Bachata was reaching wider audiences, and Valentín Elizalde’s “A Mis Enemigos” became an enduring part of música mexicana history.

Across rock, alternative, and electronic music, Kudai helped define Latin America’s emo wave, The Mars Volta pushed progressive rock into new territory, and Javiera Mena emerged from Chile’s independent electronic-pop scene. In Brazil, MC Leozinho helped bring funk carioca further into the mainstream, while CSS broke internationally with their 2006 Sub Pop release of their debut album. To honor the hits, breakthroughs, and cult favorites turning 20 in 2026, here are 20 songs from 2006.