Best of 2015: 7 Latino Breakout Stars Who Owned The Year
Some of the following stars have been acting or performing for some time, however in 2015 they all saw their careers grow to new heights and created a lot of buzz for their hit songs, music videos, award nominations, television and film roles and ability to make headlines.
Check out our list of this year's breakout stars and tell us who was your favorite.
1. J Balvin
After releasing the reissue of his album "La Familia" in September of 2014, with the addition of a few new songs, J Balvin began his takeover of 2015. The single "Ay Vamos" gave the Colombian reggaeton star, who up until that point had struggled to breakout in the U.S., plenty of radio airplay, YouTube clicks, social media followers and saw him performing at most major Latin award shows in 2015. Balvin was nominated for several awards and recently won him his first Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song. His success continued with the release of his single "Ginza," which broke the record for most viewed Latin music video within 24 hours, reported Univision. Balvin also headlined his own tour and collaborated with popstar Justin Bieber on the remix of his hit song "Sorry."
2. Nicky Jam
The Puerto Rican and Dominican reggaeton star has been in the music industry for years, working with various other artists and releasing a few albums of his own but personal issues and struggle to go mainstream kept him in the background in reggaeton music. He released "El Perdón" in July 2015 and all of a sudden he was everywhere. His single with Enrique Iglesias was so successful in the U.S. and internationally that it required an English-language version. The song led to several awards, including three Latin American Music Awards, a Premios Tu Mundo award and his first Latin Grammy for Best Urban Performance.
3. Fifth Harmony
After finishing in third place on reality singing competition "The X-Factor" the group, which includes three Latinas, released an EP and gained traction with their single "Miss Movin' On." However, they released their debut album in February 2015 and their popularity skyrocketed. The group were contenders for the song of the summer title with "Worth It," the group's first Top 20 single that helped establish them as princesses of pop. The group performed at a series of award shows, were named the faces of clothing brand Candie's, headlined their own summer tour, recorded a Latin version of "Worth It" and were honored with the Group of the Year award at Billboard's Women in Music event.
4. Becky G
Becky G hit the music scene with her single "Shower" in 2014 after years of making YouTube videos, but the Mexican-American popstar's career hit new levels in 2015. This past year the 18-year-old singer has released several singles, including "Lovin' So Hard" and "Break a Sweat," joined J Balvin on his "La Familia" tour and dipped her toes into acting with a guest role on Disney's "Austin and Ally" and Fox's hit "Empire." The singer ended the year with the news that she was casted as the yellow ranger in the upcoming reboot film of popular kids show "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."
5. Dascha Polanco
While Polanco has appeared in "Orange Is the New Black" since 2013, it wasn't until Season 3 of the hit Netflix comedy that she became a series regular. The curvy actress became a champion for body positive ideals and was picked as one of the spokeswomen for the NFL's new apparel and represents the New York Giants. She was the only Latina picked for the role. The Dominican star has also been one to watch at red carpet events, making fashion statements with looks that cater to her curvy figure. Polanco's biggest break in film this year came when she landed a role David O. Russell's film "Joy," giving Polanco the opportunity to work with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.
6. Wagner Moura
The Brazilian actor gained a lot of buzz in the U.S. this year for his casting and portrayal of infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in the Netflix Spanish-Language series "Narcos." The series has garnered plenty of critical acclaim, particularly praising Moura's abilities as an actor. The 39-year-old has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor-Television Series Drama and is the only Latin male actor nominated. This year Moura was also casted in "The Magnificent Seven," a film also starring major American actors like Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt and Matt Bomer.
7. Chiquis Rivera
The daughter of the late Jenni Rivera debuted her first single "Paloma Blanca," a tribute to her mother, in 2014. In June 2015 she released her debut album "Ahora," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, and has since established herself as a popular banda singer. Rivera was nominated for a Billboard Latin Music Award, two Latin American Music Awards, won a Premios De la Radio award for Female Artist of the Year and released her memoir "Forgiveness," detailing her past experience with abuse at the hands of her father and sharing her story of overcoming it.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!