List of Billboard Tropical Airplay number ones of 1998

A man wearing sunglasses is facing left holding a microphone.
Elvis Crespo had the longest-running number-one and best-performing song of the year with his debut single "Suavemente".

Tropical Airplay is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks the top-performing songs (regardless of genre or language) on tropical radio stations in the United States, based on weekly airplay data compiled by Nielsen's Broadcast Data Systems (BDS).[1] It is a subchart of Hot Latin Songs, which lists the best-performing Spanish-language songs in the country.[2] In 1998, 15 songs topped the chart, in 50 issues of the magazine. Due to damage to the BDS monitors in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Georges, the Tropical Airplay chart, along with the other Latin song charts, was not published in the issues dated October 10 and October 17.[3]

At the start of the year, Gisselle was at number one with her first chart-topper "Quiero Estar Contigo".[4] She went on to have another number one in 1998 with a cover version of Lani Hall and Camilo Sestos's "Corazón Encadenado" with Sergio Vargas; it would be the latter artist's only number one. Víctor Manuelle had three number ones in 1998 topping the listing with "Así es la Mujer", "Se Me Rompe el Alma" and "Que Habría Sido de Mí". Following a successful stint with Grupo Manía, Elvis Crespo launched his solo career and released his debut album Suavemente (1998).[5] The album spawned two number one singles: the title track and "Tu Sonrisa".[5] "Suavemente" was the longest-running number one of the year with nine weeks and the best-performing tropical song of 1998.[6][7] Grupo Manía themselves reached number one with "Me Miras y Te Miro".[8] Marc Anthony was the only other artist to reach number one with more than one track in 1998 with "Contra la Corriente" and "Si Te Vas", the latter a cover version of Pedro Fernández's song.[9]

Other acts to reach number one for the first time include Olga Tañón,[10] Ricky Martin,[11] Servando & Florentino,[12] and Juan Luis Guerra.[13] Servando & Florentino's debut single, "Una Fan Enamorada",[14] spent a total of six weeks on top of the chart. Guerra had the final one of the year with "Mi PC" from the album Ni Es lo Mismo Ni Es Igual (1998), which marked the artist's return to the music scene after a four year absence.[15] Juan Manuel Lebrón (credited as Juanma y su Tuna Para Todo el Año)[16] and Michael Stuart obtained their first and only chart-toppers in the year.[17]

  1. ^ Mendizabal, Amaya (January 12, 2017). "Fonseca, El Gran Combo Highlight Revamped Tropical Songs Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Lannert, John (November 12, 1994). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 46. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 37. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference hurricane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Gisselle - Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Harris, Craig. "Elvis Crespo - Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Lannert, John (January 9, 1999). "Latin Notas". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 2. Nielsen Business Media. p. 32. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "1998: The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. Prometheus Global Media. December 26, 1998. p. YE-75. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference grupo mania was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Pedro Fernández en expo compositores". El Universal (in Spanish). October 11, 2015. ProQuest 1721273617. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "Olga Tañón - Chart History: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ricky Martin- Chart History: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Servando y Florentino - Chart History: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Juan Luis Guerra - Chart History: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  14. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Servando y Florentino - Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  15. ^ "De Aqui y De Alla/ Breves". El Norte (in Spanish). November 14, 1998. p. 8. ProQuest 316130357. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022. Despues de cuatro anos de ausencia, Juan Luis Guerra regresa con renovados brios con su mas reciente produccion que lleva por nombre Ni es lo mismo, ni es igual, del que se desprende el sencillo 'Mi PC'. [After a four year absence, Juan Luis Guerra returns with renewed spirits with his most recent production that carries the name Ni es lo mismo, ni es igual, from which the single 'Mi PC' is derived.]
  16. ^ Casiano, Patria Vargas (November 14, 2011). "La graciosa cara de la felicidad". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). ProQuest 903666421. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference michael stuart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).