Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla.
Now that we’re in 2025, that means many of our favorite songs from 2000 are turning 25. At the turn of the millennium, the Latine pop explosion was in full effect with Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, and more spearheading the moment and taking over the charts.
Whereas Remezcla’s 20 songs from 2005 list featured a lot of reggaeton songs, it’s wild to think that the genre was still developing and underground in Puerto Rico in 2000. The late ‘90s ushered in the Latine and Spanish pop explosion, with many stars like Ricky and Enrique Iglesias singing in English to crossover. Pop princesses like Britney Spears and Aguilera and boy bands like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC had a grip on the world, and, naturally, that became the formula for Latin American music at the time as well. Pop groups with men and women like Kabah and OV7 thrived as Thalia and Paulina Rubio pushed the genre into the Y2K future at the time.
Shakira conquered Latin America with her 1998 album Dónde Están Los Ladrones? and she was beginning to plot her global domination, which would take place a year later. Meanwhile, Aguilera pulled off an astonishing crossover into the Spanish-language market after establishing herself as one of 2000’s top pop stars. She embraced her Ecuadorian roots and recorded Spanish versions of her hits like “Genie in a Bottle” and “Come On Over Baby (All I Want is You)” for her Mi Reflejo album. In the Latine music scene, the sound of tropical music had taken over with Gloria Estefan, Ricardo Arjona, Gisselle, and more embracing those rhythms. Latine music would also be recognized even more in 2000, with the first Latin Grammy Awards happening that year.
In honor of many Latine and Spanish classics turning 25 this year, here are 25 of our favorite songs released in 2000.
It’s hard to believe that “Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti” from Christina Aguilera’s Mi Reflejo album is a cover. Nearly a decade after Lourdes Robles released the song, Xtina made it completely her own, and it has become one of her most famous Spanish songs.
One Latine song that had 2000 in a chokehold was “A Puro Dolor” by Son By Four. The Puerto Rican group also had a crossover hit on their hands with “The Purest of Pain,” the English-language version of the song.
Thalia beautifully re-imagined pop in the 2000s with her Arrasando album. A futuristic standout on the LP was the synth-pop gem “Regresa A Mí.”
A few years before having his global breakthrough on Shakira’s “La Tortura,” Alejandro Sanz hit his stride with 2000’s El Alma Al Aire album. He imbued the romantic title track with the emotion and vocal runs typical of Spanish flamenco music at the time.
An album that defined the sound of Latine pop in 2000 was La Chica Dorada’s self-titled album. She seamlessly infused Europop with Mexican club music in the Estéfano-produced “Y Yo Sigo Aquí.”
La Oreja de Van Gogh infused the emerging pop-rock sound at the time with symphonic melodies in “La Playa.” The Spanish group’s original singer Amaia Montero made Xabi San Martín’s lyrics come to life in this gorgeous tune.
Juan Gabriel enjoyed a fruitful career that spanned multiple decades, especially in the 2000s. One of the late Mexican icon’s beloved songs of the era was the heartfelt “Abrázame Muy Fuerte.”
Ricky was the spark that lit the fuse for the Latine pop explosion of the late ‘90s. Into the next decade, he delivered a few more bangers in English, like the sexy “She Bangs,” which American Idol reject William Hung re-popularized a few years later.
OV7 followed the formula of the British groups of the time like Steps and S Club 7, with men and women in the mix. The Mexican group got a second wind in their career with a Y2K makeover and the captivating “Enloquéceme,” which was also the soundtrack of a very popular teen telenovela at the time.
In 2000, La Ley was keeping Latine rock alive with their sixth album, Uno. Before launching his solo career, Beto Cuevas brought the emotions and melodrama to “Aquí,” one of the Chilean group’s biggest hits.
Joan Sebastian seamlessly fused música mexicana with Latine pop in his 2000 album Secreto de Amor. The late Mexican icon’s LP included the sensual and breathtaking title track, which has become one of the most beloved songs in Latine music history.
A year before taking over the world with her 2001 album Laundry Service, Shakira released the live LP MTV Unplugged. The Colombian icon took the audience to church with her gospel-infused version of the quirky “No Creo.”
Kabah laid the foundation for experimental pop groups in Mexico in the ‘90s. Like OV7, Kabah had a fresh and freaky Y2K makeover with their XNE album, which included the euphoric “Antro.”
After breaking through in 1997 in the Selena biopic, JLo made her mark in pop music in both English and Spanish. The Nuyorican icon welcomed the new millennium with her empowering anthem, “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
Julieta Venegas had a big breakthrough in her solo career with her second album Bueninvento. The alternative rock LP included the Mexican icon’s blistering anthem “Hoy No Quiero,” co-written and co-produced by Café Tacvba’s Emmanuel Del Real.
After parting ways with the band Ekhymosis, Juanes made his solo debut in 2000 with the album Fíjate Bien. The Colombian icon blended rock and pop in his commanding debut single “Fíjate Bien,” which laid the foundation for his legendary music career.
One of the leading Latine boy bands at the time was Venezuela’s Uff! The bewitching “Brujeria” pulled a lot of inspiration from the late ‘90s hits that Max Martin was crafting for Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, especially “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”
A legend of the rock en español movement, Fito Páez hit a new high in his career with the raucous Rey Sol album. He proudly represented Argentina with his fiery single “El Diablo En Mi Corazón.”
With her 2000 album Alma Caribeña, Estefan embraced the music of the Caribbean. The Cuban-American icon blended fresh salsa and bachata rhythms in the heartfelt ballad “Como Me Duele Perderte.”
Another one of Latine music’s enduring pop stars is Ricardo Arjona. The Guatemalan singer embraced tropical rhythms with a hint of jazz in his dreamy love song “Cuándo.”
Before taking the world by storm with “Despacito” in 2017, Luis Fonsi was Latine music’s leading balladeer. The Puerto Rican icon’s voice soared in the romantic “Imagíname Sin Ti” from his album Eterno.
Gisselle had the world moving with the merengue version of her breakthrough hit “Júrame.” The Nuyorican singer also released a ballad version of the song from her album Voy a Enamorarte.
Before Aventura, Los Toros Band were proudly representing the music of the Dominican Republic. Before lead singer Héctor Acosta launched his solo career, he serenaded the group’s listeners in 2000 in the bachata and merengue versions of their heartfelt hit “Mi Niña.”
La Mosca Tsé-Tsé brought an alternative edge to rock en español with its 2000 album Vísperas de Carnaval. The Argentine group’s breakthrough LP included their brassy kiss-off anthem, “Para No Verte Más.”
Once upon a time, Mexican-American boxer Oscar De La Hoya had a singing stint. He scored a No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in 2000 with “Ven A Mi,” his Spanish version of the Bee Gees’ “Run to Me.”
