Bad Bunny Wins Five Latin Grammy Awards, Including Album of the Year

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Bad Bunny is celebrating a special first…

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar was the big winner at Thursday night’s Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, taking home five trophies, including album of the year for his acclaimed Debí Tirar Más Fotos, a project which embraced his island’s musical heritage – and paved the way for him to be named the performer for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.

It’s Bad Bunny’s first-ever win in the album of the year category.

Dedicating the award to “all the youth of Latin America” he added: “There are many ways of being patriotic and defending our homelands. We chose music.”

Argentinian duo Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso also claimed five awards; with other winners including Alejandro Sanz, Gloria Estefan and Karol G.

The rapidly growing Latin music sector generated a record $1.4bn (£1.06bn) in 2024, making up 8.1% of total U.S. music revenue, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which said it was shaping culture faster than any other genre.

Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has been at the forefront of that movement. For three consecutive years between 2020 and 2022, he was the most-streamed artist in the world.

Debí Tirar Más Fotos is his sixth album, and fuses live instrumentation with the hip-swaying pulse of reggaetón and traditional Puerto Rican styles like plena.

At the Latin Grammys, the title track earned him best urban song and best urban performance. He also picked up best reggaetón performance for “Voy a llevarte pa PR,” and best urban music album for Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

He’s nominated for six awards at the mainstream Grammys, which take place in February, including the three major categories of album, song and record of the year.

Bad Bunny recently wrapped up a barnstorming concert residency in Puerto Rico; and is about to kick off his world tour in the Dominican Republic.

However, he made headlines when he said the tour would not include any dates on the US mainland because he was concerned his fans might be targeted by immigration raids.

His subsequent booking for next year’s Super Bowl rankled some US conservatives.

President Donald Trump called the decision “absolutely ridiculous” and that he had “never heard” of the star – who has 74 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

The Latin Grammy ceremony kicked off with a star-studded tribute to Mexican-American guitarist Carlos Santana, with Maluma, Edgar Barrera, Grupo Frontera and Christian Nodal playing a medley that began with his hit single “Oye Como Va.”

Karol G and Marco Antonio Solís also took the stage for a sweet duet on “Coleccionando Heridas;” while Gloria Estefan played songs from her latest record Raíces, which went on to win best tropical album.

But Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso were judged to have the stand-out moment of the evening, with a colourful, off-the-wall medley of their hits “El Impostor,” “#Tetas,” “La Que Puede,” “Puede” and “El Día Del Amigo.”

The duo dominated the alternative music categories – winning best alternative album and best alternative song. They also picked up best short-form and best long-form video, and pop song of the year for “El Día Del Amigo.”

Speaking backstage, the childhood friends expressed their gratitude to each other.

“The most important thing here is that we’ve known each other since we were six years old,” said Amoroso.

“All of this wasn’t planned, it just happened. I want to tell Ca7riel that he’s my friend, that I love him.”

Ca7riel then surprised Paco with a long and seemingly passionate kiss.

Elsewhere, Paloma Morphy, a 25-year-old Mexican singer, won best new artist after her debut album, Au, seduced listeners with its catchy melodies and vulnerable stories of heartbreak.

Karol G won song of the year for “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” a lilting love song with a Merengue flavor, from her blockbuster fifth album Tropicoqueta.

And Spanish superstar Alejandro Sanz picked up record of the year for his beautiful ballad “Palmeras en el Jardín” – unexpectedly beating Bad Bunny’s smash hit “Baile Inolvidable.”

Here are the winners of the 26th Latin Grammy Awards:

Record Of The Year
Palmeras En El Jardín — Alejandro Sanz

Album Of The Year
Debí Tirar Más Fotos – Bad Bunny

Song Of The Year
‘Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido’
Edgar Barrera, Andres Jael Correa Rios & Karol G, songwriters (Karol G)

Best New Artist
Paloma Morphy

Best Contemporary Pop Album
¿Y Ahora Qué? — Alejandro Sanz

Best Traditional Pop Album
Bogotá — Andrés Cepeda

Best Pop Song
‘El Día Del Amigo’
Papota — Rafa Arcaute, Gino Borri, CA7RIEL, Ulises Guerriero,
Amanda Ibanez, Vicente Jiménez & Federico Vindver,
songwriters (CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso)

Best Latin Electronic Music Performance
‘Veneka’
Rawayana Featuring Akapellah

Best Urban/Urban Fusion Performance
‘Dtmf’
Debí Tirar Más Fotos — Bad Bunny

Best Reggaeton Performance
‘Voy A Llevarte Pa Pr’
Debí Tirar Más Fotos — Bad Bunny

Best Urban Music Album
Debí Tirar Más Fotos — Bad Bunny

Best Rap/Hip Hop Song
‘Fresh’
Trueno, songwriter (Trueno)

Best Urban Song
‘DtMF’
Debí Tirar Más Fotos — Bad Bunny, Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich,
Benjamin Falik, Roberto Jose Rosado Torres, Hugo Rene
Sencion Sanabria & Tyler Spry, songwriters (Bad Bunny)

Best Rock Album
Novela — Fito Paez

Best Rock Song (TIE)
‘La Torre’
R — RENEE, songwriter (RENEE)
&
‘Sale El Sol’
Novela — Fito Paez, songwriter (Fito Paez)

Best Pop/Rock Album
Ya Es Mañana — Morat

Best Pop/Rock Song
‘Desastres Fabulosos’
Conociendo Rusia, Jorge Drexler & Pablo Drexler,
songwriters (Jorge Drexler & Conociendo Rusia)

Best Alternative Music Album
Papota — CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso

Best Alternative Song
‘#Tetas’
Paco Amoroso, Rafa Arcaute, Gino Borri, CA7RIEL,
Gale, Vicente Jiménez ‘Vibarco’ & Federico Vindver,
songwriters (CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso)

Best Salsa Album
Fotografías — Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album
El Último Baile — Silvestre Dangond & Juancho De La Espriella

Best Merengue/Bachata Album
Novato Apostador — Eddy Herrera

Best Traditional Tropical Album
Raíces — Gloria Estefan

Best Contemporary Tropical Album
Puñito De Yocahú — Vicente García

Best Tropical Song
‘Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido’
Edgar Barrera, Andres Jael Correa Rios & Karol G,
songwriters (Karol G)

Best Singer-Songwriter Album
Cancionera — Natalia Lafourcade

Best Singer-Songwriter Song
‘Cancionera’
Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade)

Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album
¿Quién + Como Yo? — Christian Nodal

Best Banda Album
4218 — Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda

Best Tejano Album
Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya y Una Mía (Vol.1/En Vivo) — Bobby Pulido

Best Norteño Album
La Lotería — Los Tigres Del Norte

Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album
Palabra De To’s (Seca) — Carín León

Best Regional Song
‘La Lotería’
Luciano Luna, songwriter (Los Tigres Del Norte)

Best Instrumental Album
Y El Canto De Todas — Rafael Serrallet Featuring Lviv Philharmonic
Orchestra

Best Folk Album
Joropango — Kerreke, Daniela Padrón

Best Tango Album
En Vivo 20 Años — Tanghetto

Best Flamenco Album
Flamencas — Las Migas

Best Roots Song
‘Aguacero’
Luis Enrique Mejia, Fernando Osorio & Rodner Padilla,
songwriters (Luis Enrique, C4 Trío)

Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album (TIE)
Hamilton De Holanda Trio – Live In NYC — Hamilton De Holanda
&
Cuba & Beyond — Chucho Valdés & Royal Quartet

Best Christian Album (Spanish Language)
Legado — Marcos Witt

Best Portuguese Language Christian Album
Memóri4s (Ao Vivo) — Eli Soares

Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album
Caju — Liniker

Best Portuguese Language Rock or Alternative Album
O Mundo Dá Voltas — Baianasystem

Best Portuguese Language Urban Performance
‘Caju’
Caju — Liniker

Best Samba/Pagode Album
Sorriso Eu Gosto No Pagode Vol.3 – Homenagem Ao Fundo De Quintal (Gravado Em Londres) — Sorriso Maroto

Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira)/MAPB (Música Afro Portuguesa Brasileira) Album
Um Mar Pra Cada Um — Luedji Luna

Best Sertaneja Music Album
José & Durval — Chitãozinho & Xororó

Best Portuguese Language Roots Album
Dominguinho — João Gomes, Mestrinho e Jota.pê

Best Portuguese Language Song
‘Veludo Marrom’
Caju — Liniker, songwriter (Liniker)

Best Children’s Album
Los Nuevos Canticuentos — Canticuentos, Coro de Ríogrande

Best Classical Album
Kaleidoscope – Contemporary Piano Music By Female Composers From Around The World — Isabel Dobarro; Javier Monteverde, album producer

Best Classical Contemporary Composition
‘Revolución Diamantina – Act I: The Sounds Cats Make,
Act II: We Don’t Love Each Other, Act III: Borders And
Bodies, Act IV: Speaking The Unspeakable’
Gabriela Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina — Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Gustavo Dudamel, Los
Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Best Music For Visual Media
Cien Años De Soledad (Banda Sonora De La Serie De Netflix) — Camilo Sanabria (Camilo Sanabria, artist); Camilo Sanabria, composer

Best Arrangement
‘Camaleón’
Cesar Orozco, arranger (Cesar Orozco & Son Ahead)

Best Recording Package
‘Cuarto Azul’
Christian Molina, art director (Aitana)

Songwriter of the Year
Edgar Barrera
‘Atención’ – Ivan Cornejo
‘Contigo Al Cielo’ – Christian Nodal
‘Ese Vato No Te Queda’ – Carin León Featuring Gabito Ballesteros
‘Hoy No Me Siento Bien’ – Alejandro Sanz & Grupo Frontera
‘Milagros’ – Karol G
‘Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido’ – Karol G
‘Soltera’ – Shakira
‘Tommy & Pamela’ – Peso Pluma, Kenia Os
‘Una Noche Contigo’ – Juanes

Best Engineered Album
Cancionera — Jack Lahana, engineer; Jack Lahana, mixer; Bernie
Grundman, mastering engineer (Natalia Lafourcade)

Producer of the Year (TIE)
Rafa Arcaute, Federico Vindver
‘El Día Del Amigo’ – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
‘Impostor’ – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
‘La Noche De Tu Amor’ – ATGGT, Victoria May
‘Los Ejes De Mi Carreta’ – ATGGT, Victoria May
‘Re Forro’ – CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
‘#Tetas’ — CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
&
Nico Cotton
‘Agridulce’ – Bhavi, Duki
‘Carne Viva’ – Blair, Dillom
‘Cuarto Azul’ – Aitana
‘Desastres Fabulosos’ – Jorge Drexler, Conociendo Rusia
‘Latinaje’ – Cazzu
‘Museo Del Prado’ – Manuel Carrasco
‘Perfecto Final’ – Conociendo Rusia, Nathy Peluso
‘Una Noche Contigo’ – Juanes
‘Ya Es Mañana’ – Morat

Best Short Form Music Video
‘#Tetas’
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
Martin Piroyansky, video director; Pío Filgueira Risso &
Lula Meliche, video producers

Best Long Form Music Video
Papota (Short Film)
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso
Martin Piroyansky, video director; Federico Ameglio,
Chino Fernández & Lula Meliche, video producers

Karol G Wins Three Latin Grammy Awards, Including Album of the Year for “Mañana Será Bonito”

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Karol G is the leading (Latin Grammy) lady…

Women proved to be the big winners at the 2023 Latin Grammys in Seville, Spain, on Thursday night (Nov. 16), with the 32-year-old Colombian superstar taking home one of the night’s top prizes.

Karol G and her Colombian compatriot Shakira tied Mexico’s Natalia Lafourcade with three major awards each. The best new artist award also went to a woman, young singer/songwriter Joaquina.

Karol G took home the coveted album of the year award for her historic chart-topper Mañana Será Bonito, which became the first Spanish-language album ever by a Latina to top the Billboard 200. The set also won best urban album, and “TQG,” her collaboration with Shakira, won best urban/fusion performance.

On top of her win with Karol G for “TQG,” Shakira also won song of the year and best pop song along with Argentine DJ Bizarrap for their chart smash “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.”

Earlier in the evening, Mexican singer/songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, who has won multiple Latin Grammys through the years, won best singer/songwriter album for De Todas Las Flores and best singer/songwriter song for the track of the same name. During the telecast, she also won record of the year for “De Todas Las Flores,” but wasn’t there to pick up her award, which was collected by her producer.

Venezuelan singer/songwriter Joaquina, who performs highly personal songs and has been opening shows for the likes of Juanes and Fonseca, broke down in tears as she collected her best new arist award. “I’ve been writing since I was 8 years old. … They told me I wouldn’t make it if I recorded my own songs, but here I am.”

Hitmaker Edgar Barrera, the lead nominee for the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards, also won three awards, for producer of the year, songwriter of the year and best regional song for “un X100to,” the Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera hit.

Here’s the full list of winners of the 24th annual Latin Grammy Awards:

General Field

Record of the year: “De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade
Album of the year: Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G
Song of the year: “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap, Kevyn Mauricio Cruz & Shakira, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Shakira)
Best new artist: Joaquina

Field 1: Pop

Best pop vocal album: Tu Historia, Julieta Venegas
Best traditional pop vocal album: Décimo Cuarto, Andrés Cepeda
Best pop song: “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap, Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno & Shakira, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Shakira)

Field 2: Urban

Best urban/fusion performance: “TQG,” Karol G Featuring Shakira
Best reggaeton performance: “La Receta,” Tego Calderón
Best urban music album: Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G
Best rap/hip hop song: “Coco Chanel,” Bad Bunny & Eladio Carrión, songwriters (Eladio Carrión Featuring Bad Bunny)
Best urban song: “Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap & Quevedo, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Quevedo)

Field 3: Rock

Best rock album: Sólo D’ Lira, Molotov
Best rock song: “Leche De Tigre,” Juan Galeano, songwriter (Diamante Eléctrico Featuring Adrián Quesada)
Best pop/rock album: Vida Cotidiana, Juanes
Best pop/rock song: “Ojos Marrones,” Luis Jiménez, Lasso & Agustín Zubillaga, songwriters (Lasso)

Field 4: Alternative

Best alternative music album: Bolero Apocalíptico, Monsieur Periné
Best alternative song: “El Lado Oscuro Del Corazón,” Dante Spinetta, songwriter (Dante Spinetta)

Field 5: Tropical

Best salsa album: Niche Sinfónico, Grupo Niche y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia
Best cumbia/vallenato album: Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así, Carlos Vives
Best merengue/bachata album (Tie): Fórmula, Vol. 3, Romeo Santos & A Mi Manera, Sergio Vargas
Best traditional tropical album: Vida, Omara Portuondo
Best contemporary tropical album: 5:10 am, Luis Fernando Borjas
Best tropical song: “Si Tú Me Quieres,” Fonseca, Yadam González & Yoel Henríquez, songwriters (Fonseca & Juan Luis Guerra)

Field 6: Singer-Songwriter

Best singer-songwriter album: De Todas Las Flores, Natalia Lafourcade
Best singer-songwriter song: “De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade)

Field 7: Regional-Mexican

Best ranchero/mariachi album: Forajido EP2, Christian Nodal
Best banda album: De Hoy En Adelante, Que Te Vaya Bien, Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda
Best Tejano album: Para Empezar A Amar, Juan Treviño
Best Norteño album: Colmillo De Leche, Carin León
Best regional song: “un X100to,” Bad Bunny, Edgar Barrera, Andrés Jael Correa Rios & Mag, songwriters (Grupo Frontera Featuring Bad Bunny)

Field 8: Instrumental

Best instrumental album: Made In Miami, Camilo Valencia & Richard Bravo

Field 9: Traditional

Best folk album: Camino Al Sol, Vicente García
Best tango album: Operation Tango, Quinteto Astor Piazzolla
Best flamenco album: Camino, Niña Pastori

Field 10: Jazz

Best Latin jazz/jazz Album: I Missed You Too!, Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera (with Reunion Sextet)

Field 11: Christian

Best Christian album (Spanish language): Lo Que Vemos, Marcos Vidal
Best Portuguese language Christian album: Nós, Eli Soares

Field 12: Portugese language

Best Portuguese language contemporary pop album: Em Nome da Estrela, Xênia França
Best Portuguese language rock or alternative album: Jardineiros, Planet Hemp
Best Portuguese language urban performance: “Distopia,” Planet Hemp Featuring Criolo
Best Samba/Pagode album: Negra Ópera, Martinho Da Vila
Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) album: Serotonina, João Donato
Best Sertaneja music album: Decretos Reais, Marília Mendonça
Best Portuguese language roots album: TecnoShow, Gaby
Best Portuguese language song: “Tudo O Que A Fé Pode Tocar,” Tiago Iorc & Duda Rodrigues, songwriters (Tiago Iorc)

Field 13: Children’s

Best Latin children’s album: Vamos Al Zoo, Danilo & Chapis

Field 14: Classical

Best classical album: Huáscar Barradas Four Elements Immersive Symphony For Orchestra And Chorus, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra; Ollantay Velasquez, conductor; Huascar Barradas, Maria Cardemas, Eugenio Carreño & Eduardo Martinez Planas, album producers
Best classical contemporary composition: “Concerto Venezolano,” Paquito D’Rivera, composer (Pacho Flores Featuring Paquito D’Rivera)

Field 15: Arranging

Best arrangement: “Songo Bop,” Rafael Valencia, arranger (Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo Featuring Milton Salcedo)

Field 16: Recording Package

Best recording package: Atipanakuy (Deluxe), Gustavo Ramirez, art director (Kayfex)

Field 17: Songwriter

Songwriter of the year: Edgar Barrera

Field 18: Production

Best engineered album: Canto A La Imaginación, Érico Moreira, engineer; Érico Moreira, mixer; Felipe Tichauer, mastering engineer (Marina Tuset)
Producer of the year: Edgar Barrera

Field 19: Music Video

Best short form music video: “Estás Buenísimo”, Nathy Peluso; Félix Bollaín & Rogelio González, video directors; María Rubio, video producer
Best long form music video: Camilo: El Primer Tour De Mi Vida, Camilo; Camilo & Camilo Ríos, video directors; Mauricio Ríos, video producer

Antonio Banderas to Receive Latin Recording Academy’s President’s Award

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Banderas is feelin’ presidential…

The Latin Recording Academy has announced plans to honor the 63-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor with its President’s Award for 2023.

Banderas is receiving the award for his “outstanding and numerous contributions to the artistic community.”

He will be presented with the award during the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony taking place Thursday, November 16 in Seville, Spain.

“We are delighted to present Antonio Banderas with the President’s Award as we celebrate our first international edition of the Latin Grammys in Andalucía,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy, in a press release. “Antonio’s outstanding and numerous contributions to the artistic community have made him a global ambassador of our cultural heritage.”

The most recent President’s Award recipient was Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2017.

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Maluma to Perform at This Year’s Latin Grammy Awards Show

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Maluma will be feelin’ the FIBES…

The 29-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter will perform at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards.

The “Felices Los 4” singer joins a roster of recently added performers that includes Milo J, Rosalia, Shakira, Sebastian Yatra, Andrea Bocelli and DJ Premier.

They’ll perform at the upcoming ceremony, which will broadcast from FIBES in Seville, Spain, on Thursday, November 16.

The newly announced artists join previously unveiled performers, including Maria Becerra, Bizarrap, Feid, Kany García, Carin León, Christian Nodal, Rauw Alejandro, Alejandro Sanz, Pablo Alborán, Edgar Barrera, Camilo, Manuel Carrasco, Iza, Juanes, Ozuna, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma.

Additionally, Majo Aguilar, Anitta, Pedro Capó, Jorge Drexler, Luis Figueroa, Fonseca, Tiago Iorc, Mon Laferte, Natalia Lafourcade, John Leguizamo, Nicki Nicole, Carlos Ponce, Carlos Vives and Yandel join as presenters throughout the ceremony.

For the first time held outside the United States, the annual Latin Grammys will be broadcast from the Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Spain. It will air November 16 on Univision starting at 8:00 pm ET, UniMás and Galavisión in the U.S., and at 10:30 pm CET on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in Spain.

Danna Paola, Yatra, Roselyn Sánchez and Paz Vega will serve as co-hosts.

This year, Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera leads the list of nominees with 13 nods, including songwriter of the year, producer of the year and song of the year. Barrera is followed by Colombian stars Camilo, Karol G, Shakira and composer Kevyn Mauricio Cruz (also known as Keityn), each with seven nominations.

Anitta Signs with Republic Records

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Anitta is joining the republic…

The 30-year-old Brazilian superstar has signed with Republic Records, according to Billboard.

The news comes just weeks after Anitta and Warner Music Group agreed to part ways. The two parties released a joint statement to social media on April 4 announcing the news.

“After eleven years of successful partnership, we’ve agreed to go our separate ways,” the post read. “Anitta would like to thank the Warner Music team for all their support. And the Warner team wishes Anitta all the best in the future.”

Anitta signed with Warner Records in the United States in 2020 after previously linking with Warner Music Brazil in 2013. She had long voiced concerns about her relationship with WMG, from the label refusing to produce a video for an underperforming song to advising young artists to pay closer attention to what they sign.

During an Instagram livestream last May, Anitta said Warner only invested in her work “after it pays off on the internet. Unfortunately, there are things I can’t get, that’s why I don’t buy millionaire cars, because when I want to do something, I pay for it.” She added that Warner “is very tied to TikTok, to what goes viral, and if they don’t get a hit right away, they say ‘later.’”

The singer followed that with a tweet thread last month in which she blasted Warner, saying she regretted signing with the label and would have “auctioned off her organs” in order to be released from her contract.

During her run at Warner, Anitta scored a global breakthrough with her trilingual album, Versions of Me, which last year hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with its TikTok-driven single, “Envolver.” The song’s music video won in the category of Best Latin at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. That same year, she also performed at Coachella and the Latin Grammy Awards.

Anitta will now join a superstar roster at Republic that includes Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj and more. Sources say Jesús López, chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula, and Paulo Lima, president of Universal Music Group Brazil, will work closely with the artist.

Anitta is managed by S10’s Brandon Silverstein globally.

Luis Miguel Announces 43-Date North & South American Tour

Posted on April 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Miguel is hitting the road…

The 53-year-old Mexican singer, known as El Sol de Mexico, has revealed the dates for his 43-date stint in North and South America that will kick off on August 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The trek will visit major cities in the U.S. such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and Los Angeles before wrapping up on December 17 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The tour is produced by CMN.

It’s Luis Miguel’s first tour in years. His last tour — México Por Siempre, which ran from 2018 to 2019 — grossed $101.4 million and sold 965,000 tickets across 116 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.

It was the highest grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history until last year when Bad Bunny‘s El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour surpassed it.

The anticipation for this trek began when Luis Miguel simply posted on Instagram “Luis Miguel Tour 2023” in February without offering more details.

Whether he’ll drop new music to coincide with the tour is still up in the air.

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The elusive artist released ¡MÉXICO Por Siempre! in 2017, which won album of the year at the Latin Grammy Awards.

Luis Miguel is one of Latin music’s biggest star and one of the top vocalists of his generation. The chart-topping artist has notched 16 No. 1 songs on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, and nine leaders on the Top Latin Albums tally.

Becky G Has Teamed Up with Latin Grammys to Get Americans Registered to Vote

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Becky G is helping get out the vote…

Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, the 25-year-old Mexican American singer, rapper and actress has teamed up with the Latin Grammys to encourage Americans to make sure they are registered to vote.

Becky G, who’s also a co-chair of When We All Vote, will gift one lucky fan the opportunity to fly to Las Vegas for a meet-and-greet and tickets for two to the Latin Grammy Awards on Nov. 17.

Participants can apply for the When We All Vote “Meet Becky G” Sweepstakes by clicking this link.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkPZRuSpkH-/

Rauw Alejandro to Perform at This Year’s Latin Grammy Awards

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rauw Alejandro will be taking the Latin Grammys stage…

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican singer and songwriter will perform as part of this year’s Latin Grammy Awards show, the Latin Recording Academy.

He’s among the first batch of confirmed artists that includes Chiquis, Jesse & Joy and Sebastián Yatra.

In addition, the 2022 Person of the Year, Marco Antonio Solís, will also perform.

All are nominated for the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held on November 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Alejandro, who was a 2020 best new artist nominee and won his first golden gramophone last year, has eight nominations this year that include recording of the year and song of the year for “Te Felicito” with Shakira, and “Agua” with Daddy Yankee and Nile Rodgers, respectively.

Yatra, previously nominated for a Grammy and nine Latin Grammys, is a four-time nominee this year, including album of the year for Dharma and song of the year for “Tacones Rojos.”

Jesse & Joy, winners of the Grammy and six Latin Grammys, are nominated this time for best pop vocal album for Clichés; and Latin Grammy winner Chiquis is nominated for best banda music album for Abeja Reina.

Solís, meanwhile, has been honored with five Latin Grammys and nominated for six Grammys, and this year is recognized as Person of the Year 2022 by the Latin Recording Academy.

The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards will air live on Univision on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, beginning at 8:00 pm ET.

The Latin Grammy Premiere, a non-televised ceremony in which the winners in most categories are announced, will take place before the broadcast. Additional details about this ceremony will be announced soon.

Beatriz Luengo, Yotuel Romero & Exile Content Studio to Create Documentary Based on Latin Grammy-Winning Cuban Revolution Single “Patria y Vida”

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Beatriz Luengo is shining a greater look at her Latin Grammy-winning hit…

The 38-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter’s “Patria y Vida,” the liberty anthem that fueled a new Cuban revolution in the summer, will now become a full-length documentary.

Presented by Exile Content Studio in partnership with singer-songwriters Luengo and Yotuel Romero, the documentary “will explore how the song—its title a repudiation of the 1950’s Cuban Revolution’s slogan ‘Patria o Muerte’—sparked a movement, which the Cuban government has tried to suppress, and investigate how music has been a catalyst for social change throughout modern history,” reads a statement.

“When we see the impact our song has had on the people of Cuba and around the world, we feel privileged to be able to use our platform to tell the story of Cuba and give a voice to a community that is often oppressed,” said Luengo and Romero.

“We’re hopeful we’ll see change in the future and we’re excited to collaborate with Exile to continue to raise awareness and fight for the people of Cuba; to continue to use our voice in a meaningful way.”

The news comes on the heels of “Patria y Vida” winning best urban song and the coveted song of the year at the 2021 Latin Grammy Awards on November 18.

The song was originally penned by Romero (formerly of hip-hop group Orishas), Luengo, Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom (of Gente de Zona), and Descemer Bueno, and features Cuban voices from within the island, Maykel Osorbo and rapper El Funky.

“I felt we needed to show the two realities: those of us who live outside Cuba, and those who are still on the island, who live the streets there,” Romero previously told Billboard.

The track, released independently on Romero’s Chancleta Records in February, has become the anthem of anti-government protests in Cuba. Its power of mobilization was a factor in the arrests of both El Funky and Osorbo; the latter has been behind bars in Cuba since May when he famously fled from Cuban police aided by demonstrators. Osorbo is the first Cuban political prisoner to win two Latin Grammys.

“We at Exile believe in creating content to inspire Latin Americans to take action to create social change in the world,” said Daniel Eilemberg, president of content at Exile. “We are especially excited at the opportunity to join forces with Bea and Yotuel to produce a documentary about the tremendous power of their song in galvanizing activism to protest the appalling conditions and restrictive political policies in Cuba and the government responsible for them.”

J Balvin Earns 13 Latin Grammy Award Nominations, Including Two for Album of the Year

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is the man to beat…

The Latin Grammy Award nominations have been announced, with the 35-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer leading the pack of nominees with 13 nominations.

J Balvin’s nominations include two for album of the year and two for record of the year (“Rojo” & “China”).

Balvin has a chance to win his first album of the year prize — a category with 10 contenders — thanks to his fifth solo album “Colores” and “Oasis,” his collaborative project with Bad Bunny. Other nominees include Bad Bunny’s sophomore release “YHLQMDLG” as well as albums from Ricky Martin, Carlos Vives, Jesse & Joy, Kany García, Natalia Lafourcade, Camilo and Fito Paez.

Bad Bunny received nine nominations, including two for album of the year (YHLQMDLG & Oasis) and one for record of the year (“Vete”).

Ozuna has eight nominations, including one for record of the year (“China”).

For record of the year, which also has 10 nominees, contenders include popular hip-hop-flavored Latin songs that have dominated the Latin music charts and earned hundreds of millions plays on streaming services, with some even reaching the billion-mark on YouTube, including Karol G and Nicki Minaj’s global hit “Tusa” and “China” by Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, Balvin and Marco Masis. Other nominees include Balvin’s “Rojo” and Bad Bunny’s “Vete.”

“Tusa” is the sole Latin trap nominee in the song of the year category, where 11 tracks are in contention. It’s a departure for Karol G, who didn’t receive a single nomination last year and was part of the group of uber-successful Latin trap and reggaeton artists who were dissed in top categories like album, song and record of the year.

This year, the 29-year-old Colombian performer, who was named best new artist in 2018, has four nominations, including two shared with Minaj. Karol G’s fiance, Puerto Rican rapper-singer Anuel AA, marked a major breakthrough this year as a first-time nominee. He scored seven nominations, including a bid for best new artist.

“Over the last year, we continued engaging in discussions with our members to improve the awards process and actively encouraged diverse Latin music creators to join and participate,” Latin Academy President and CEO Gabriel Abaroa Jr. said in a statement, calling this year’s nominees “a group that reflects the constant evolution of Latin music.”

As a result of last year’s debacle social media exploded as Latin artists posted images of the Grammy logo with a large red “X″ across it, with words on the image reading in Spanish: “Without reggaeton, there’s no Latin Grammys.” Balvin even skipped the live show and Bad Bunny, who won best urban music album during the telecast, told the audience: “With all due respect, reggaeton is part of the Latin culture.”

To honor Latin rap and reggaeton performers, the Latin Grammys added new categories this year, including best reggaeton performance and best rap/hip-hop song.

Balvin’s 13 nominations includes several categories where he will compete with himself: Outside of album and record of the year, he’s a double nominee in the best urban music album, best urban fusion/performance and best reggaeton performance categories. Ozuna and Bad Bunny will also compete with themselves in several categories.

Others who scored multiple nominations include Juanes, Martin, Alejandro Sanz, Camilo, Carlos Vives, Kany García and Residente, the most decorated winner in the history of Latin Grammys. Rosalía, who won album of the year last year and became the first solo female performer to win the top honor since Shakira’s triumph in 2006, earned four nominations this year.

Apart from Minaj’s two nominations, other popular American artists who will compete for awards include rapper Travis Scott (best short form music video for “TKN” with Rosalía); jazz master Chick Corea and his Spanish Heart Band (best Latin jazz/jazz album for “Antidote”); DJ-producer Diplo (best urban song for “Rave de Favela” ); and rapper Tyga (best reggaeton performance for “Loco Contigo” with DJ Snake and Balvin). Justin Bieber’s right-hand songwriter, Jason Boyd aka Poo Bear, earned an album of the year nomination for his work on Jesse & Joy’s “Aire (Versión Día).”

The 21st annual Latin Grammy Awards will air live on November 19 on Univision. The nominees in the 53 categories were selected from more than 18,000 entries. Songs and albums released between June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020 were eligible for nomination.

Click here to see the full Latin Grammy nominations.

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