She was raised in Levittown, located in the municipality of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, where she received her primary and secondary education.

At the early age of 16 years old, Olga Tañón participated in a television talent show called "Buscando Estrellas" singing one of her own compositions.

[3] Her singing career began in the 1980s with "Las Nenas de Ringo y Jossie", before joining the merengue group Chantelle, with which she achieved great success.

Her first recorded album was titled Sola (Alone) and included "Me cambio por ella" (I'll Change Places With Her) and "Quiero estar contigo" (I Want To Be With You).

In 1993, she recorded her second album for WEA Latina, Mujer de Fuego (Woman of Fire), which included the original Tañón composition "Presencié tu Amor" (I Witnessed Your Love).

Tañón recorded a Tex-Mex CD with Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solís, Nuevos Senderos, which opened her up to a new international market.

[8] In 1997 Tañón debuted as an actress in the Puerto Rican version of the production of Jesus Christ Superstar, produced by Rafo Muñiz.

In August 2000, Tañón sold out 12 shows in the Antonio Paoli Hall at the Luis A. Ferre Center of the Fine Arts in San Juan.

At the end of 2000, Tañón presented her musical spectacular at Panama's Anayansi Theater and toured the southeastern United States with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández.

In support of Latin American immigrants in the U.S., in 2006 Tañón recorded, "Nuestro Himno" in collaboration with Pitbull, Carlos Ponce, and Wyclef Jean.

[13] After her participation in the Concert for Peace in Havana, in 2013, Tañón, a resident and voter of the state of Florida, increased her social activism profile by announcing on Univision TV network that she would participate in the April March 10 in Washington, DC supporting immigration reform and a path to citizenship and the right to vote, as well as announcing her support for the admission of her native Puerto Rico as the 51st state of the nation.