¡Dale Play! 2021

When Rauw Alejandro’s “Todo De Ti” first dropped back in May, it marked a considerable shift from the preceding reggaetón singles from his generally well-received 2020 full-length Afrodisíaco. Yet those who engaged with that album beyond the gratifying superstar collabs with Anuel AA and J Balvin could tell that the Puerto Rican singer’s ambitions were bigger than any one genre. Even still, the dancehall-meets-house hybrid “Química” and the deep synthwave cut “Algo Mágico” hardly predicted the broadly appealing funky pop of “Todo De Ti.” As evidenced by its global chart successes, the response to the track was so enormous that it transformed him into a swaggering R&B sensation capable of filling arenas and conjuring amorous rapture among his fans. Even before that unmistakably life-changing moment, Alejandro’s year had begun on a fast-tracked path to big things. Selena Gomez tapped him for “Baila Conmigo,” the slow-paced second single off of her highly anticipated Spanish-language EP Revelación. That track emerged in late January and proved an instantaneous charting hit, which no doubt aided his next single “2/Catorce” with Mr. Naisgai. The Afrodisíaco follow-up VICE VERSA arrived just over a month after “Todo De Ti” premiered, introducing singles “Cúrame” and “Sexo Virtual.” Over the course of 2021, Alejandro proved the most in-demand Latin artist, appearing on new singles and album cuts with everyone from Jennifer Lopez and Chris Brown to Maluma and Zion & Lennox, all the while continuing to collaborate with his fellow R&B reggaetonero peers like Dalex, Alex Rose, and Sech. That ubiquity, coupled with his reliable hitmaking, raised the bar for Latin music stardom this year—and likely for years to come.