Natalia LaFourcade Among the Top Winners at This Year’s Latin Grammys

Natalia LaFourcade has her hands full…

The 36-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter proved to be one of the night’s big winners at the Latin Grammys awards show, taking home three prizes, including one of the top awards.

Natalia Lafourcade

LaFourcade, a Grammy and Latin Grammy darling, was nevertheless a surprise winner in the Album of the Year category with her Un Canto Por México, Vol. 1, a collection of songs dedicated to Mexico and arranged in traditional style.

LaFourcade also won best regional song for “Mi Religión” and best alternative song for “En Cantos,” alongside Ile and co-written with Ismael Cancel.

LaFourcade now raises her total of Latin Grammy wins to 14 after winning in every category she was nominated this year.

But she wasn’t the only top winner of the night…

Rosalía also took home three awards.

The 27-year-old Spanish singer won those awards due to two collaborations. “Yo x Ti Tu x Mi,” with Puerto Rican star Ozuna, won best urban fusion performance and best urban song, leading also to two Latin Grammy wins for Ozuna and one for Rosalía’s collaborator, El Guincho. And “TKN,” her collaboration with Travis Scott, won best short form video (directed by Nicolás Méndez, aka CANADA). She’s now an 8-time Latin Grammy winner.

Carlos Vives also claimed three awards.

The 59-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter’s “Canción para Rubén,” alongside Ruben Blades, won best tropical song while his album Cumbiana won best contemporary/tropical fusion album and the documentary El Mundo Perdido de Cumbiana won best long form video.

J Balvin, the top nominee of the evening, won the very competitive best urban album category for Colores, while Bad Bunny’s provocative “Yo Perreo Sola” won best reggaeton performance. The new category was one of the nods the Latin Recording Academy made this year toward appeasing a contingent of urban artists who felt neglected by the Latin Grammys.

The coveted record of the year award went to Alejandro Sanz’s “Contigo,” while song of the year went to Residente for his biographical beauty “René.”

In a surprise win, Mike Bahía took home the best new artist award, beating out some heavy competition, including Anuel AA, Nicky Nicole, Rauw Alejandro and Nathy Peluso.

“No, I didn’t expect this award,” he said backstage. “I’ve had beautiful career moments where awards, let’s say, haven’t really been with me. I didn’t think this would be the exception. But things happen for a reason, and I want to thank my colleagues for validating my work.”

Here’s the full winners list:

GENERAL FIELD:

Record Of The Year: “Contigo” — Alejandro Sanz
Album Of The Year: Un Canto Por México, Vol. 1 — Natalia Lafourcade
Song Of The Year: “René” — Residente, songwriter (Residente)
Best New Artist:
Mike Bahía
Best Pop Vocal Album
: Pausa — Ricky Martin
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Compadres – Andrés Cepeda & Fonseca
Best Pop Song: “TuTu” – Camilo, Jon Leone & Richi López, songwriters (Camilo & Pedro Capó)
Best Urban Fusion/Performance: “Yo x Ti Tu x Mi” – Rosalía & Ozuna
Best Reggaeton Performance: “Yo Perreo Sola” — Bad Bunny
Best Urban Music Album:
Colores – J Balvin
Best Rap/Hip Hop Song:
“Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe” – Residente, songwriter (Residente)
Best Urban Song: “Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi” – Pablo Diaz-Reixa “El Guincho”, Ozuna & Rosalía, songwriters (Rosalía & Ozuna)
Best Rock Album: “Dónde Jugarán Lxs Niñxs? – Molotov
Best Rock Song: “Biutiful” – Mon Laferte, songwriter (Mon Laferte)
Best Pop/Rock Album:
La Conquista del Espacio – Fito Paez
Best Pop/Rock Song: “La Canción de las Bestias” – Fito Páez, songwriter (Fito Páez)
Best Alternative Music Album: Sobrevolando – Cultura Profética
Best Alternative Song: “En Cantos” – Ismael Cancel, Ile & Natalia Lafourcade, songwriters (Ile & Natalia Lafourcade)
Best Salsa Album: 40 – Grupo Niche
Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album: Sigo Cantando Al Amor (Deluxe) – Jorge Celedón & Sergio Luis Rodríguez
Best Merengue/Bachata Album: Ahora – Eddy Herrera &
Larimar – Daniel Santacruz (Tie)
Best Traditional Tropical Album: Ícono – Orquesta Aragón
Best Contemporary/Tropical Fusion Album: Cumbiana — Carlos Vives
Best Tropical Song: “Canción Para Rubén” – Rubén Blades & Carlos Vives, songwriters (Carlos Vives & Rubén Blades)
Best Singer-Songwriter Album:
Mesa Para Dos – Kany García
Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album: Hecho en México — Alejandro Fernández Best Banda Album: Playlist – Chiquis
Best Tejano Album: Live In México – La Mafia
Best Norteño Album
: Los Tigres del Norte At Folsom Prison – Los Tigres del Norte
Best Regional Song: “Mi Religión” – Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade)
Best Instrumental Album: Terra – Daniel Minimalia
Best Folk Album: A Capella – Susana Baca
Best Tango Album: Fuelle y Cuerda – Gustavo Casenave
Best Flamenco Album: Flamenco Son Fronteras – Antonio Rey
Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album:
Puertos: Music from International Waters – Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra
Best Christian Album (Spanish Language): Soldados – Alex Campos
Best Portuguese Language Christian Album: Reino – Aline Barros
Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album: Apká! – Céu —
Best Portuguese Language Rock or Alternative Album: Amarelo – Emicida Best Samba/Pagode Album: Samba Jazz De Raiz, Claudio Jorge 70 – Cláudio Jorge
Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) Album: Belo Horizonte – Toninho Horta & Orquestra Fantasma
Best Sertaneja Music Album: Origens [Ao Vivo Em Sete Lagoas, Brazil / 2019] – Paula Fernandes
Best Portuguese Language Roots Album: Veia Nordestina – Mariana Aydar — Best Portuguese Language Song: “Abricó-De-Macaco” — Francisco Bosco & João Bosco, songwriters (João Bosco)
Best Latin Children’s Album: Canta y Juega – Tina Kids
Best Classical Album: Eternal Gratitude – Paulina Leisring & Domingo Pagliuca; Samuel Pilafian, album producer
Best Classical Contemporary Composition
: “Sacre” – Carlos Fernando López & José Valentino, composers (Carlos Fernando López)
Best Arrangement: “La Flor de la Canela” – Lorenzo Ferrero, arranger (Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra)
Best Recording Package: Soy Puro Teatro – Homenaje a La Lupe – Pedro Fajardo, art director (Mariaca Semprún)
Best Engineered Album: 3:33 – Daniel Bitrán Arizpe, Daniel Dávila, Justin Moshkevich, George Noriega, Erick Roman, Paul Rubinstein & JC Vertti, engineers; Miles Comaskey, Najeeb Jones & Tony Maserati, mixers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer (Debi Nova)
Producer of the Year: Andrés Torres, Mauricio Rengifo
Best Short Form Music Video: “TKN” – Rosalía & Travis Scott / Nicolás Méndez aka CANADA, video director; Oscar Romagosa & Laura Serra Estorch, video producers
Best Long Form Music Video:
El Mundo Perdido de Cumbiana – Carlos Vives / Carlos Felipe Montoya, video director; Isabel Cristina Vásquez, video producer

Anitta to Perform at This Year’s Latin Grammys

Anitta is heading to the Latin Grammys

The 27-year-old Brazilian singer has been added to the list of performers set to take the stage at this year’s Latin Grammys, according to the Latin Recording Academy.

Anitta

Anitta appears on the final star-studded list of performers that includes Rauw Alejandro, J Balvin, Camilo, Lupita Infante, Juanes, Mariachi Sol De México De José Hernández, Ricky Martin, Natalia, Jimenez, José Luis Perales, Prince Royce, and Carla Morrison.

Those artists join previously-announced performers Anuel AA, Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny, Calibre 50, Pedro Capó, Julio Reyes Copello, Alex Cuba, Alejandro Fernández, Karol G, Kany García, Guaynaa, Los Tigres del Norte, Víctor Manuelle, Ricardo Montaner, Christian Nodal, Debi Nova, Fito Páez, Nathy Peluso, Raquel Sofía and Sebastián Yatra.

The 21st annual ceremony, led by 13-time nominee J Balvin, will also celebrate several Latin music icons, with special tributes including Julio Iglesias, Pedro Infante, Juan Luis Guerra, Roberto Carlos, and Héctor Lavoe.

Returning with a “music makes us human” theme that highlights musical excellence and the power of music in times of despair, the event will also showcase diverse stories of hope, community, sense of purpose, and celebration.

Hosted by Carlos Rivera, the 2020 Latin Grammys will air at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, November 19, via Univision.

The star-studded event will be preceded by the one-hour pre-show Noche de Estrellas, held virtually in Miami, where the majority of the categories will be awarded.

Karol G: The Top Female Winner at This Year’s MTV European Music Awards

Karol G is celebrating a big run at the 2020 MTV European Music Awards.

The 29-year-old Colombian singer picked up two awards at the MTV EMAs, the most of any female artist for the night, and the first of her career.

Karol G

Karol G won in the Best Collaboration category for “Tusa,” her chart-topping predominantly Spanish single, featuring Nicki Minaj.

It’s the second consecutive year the winner in the Best Collaboration category is a Spanish track. Last year’s winner: Rosalia and J Balvin’s “Con Altura,”featuring El Guincho.

Karol G also took home the inaugural Best Latin award. She was the only female nominated in the category, beating out Maluma, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Ozuna and her boyfriend Anuel AA.

Cardi B took home the award for Best Hip Hop.

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar is only the second female artist to win in that category, following Minaj, a five-time winner in the category.

Here’s a look at all of the MTV EMA winners.

Best Video: DJ Khaled feat. Drake — “Popstar”
Best Artist: Lady Gaga
Best Song:
BTS — “Dynamite”
Best Collaboration: Karol G feat. Nicki Minaj — “Tusa”
Best Pop: Little Mix
Best Group: BTS
Best New: Doja Cat
Biggest Fans
: BTS
Best Latin
: Karol G
Best Rock
: Coldplay
Best Hip Hop: Cardi B
Best Electronic: David Guetta
Best Alternative
: Hayley Williams
Video for Good
: H.E.R. — “I Can’t Breathe”
Best Push
: YUNGBLUD
Best Virtual Live: BTS BANG BANG CON — The Live

Lunay Named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 List

Lunay isn’t old enough to drink in the United States, but he’s already making his mark in the music world.

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer has been named to Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list.

Lunay

Billboard‘s annual ranking of powerful young voices includes arena headliners and promising new talent, familiar names and new musicians quickly rising toward the mainstream. For groups, if most members are under 21, they were considered eligible.

Lunay is recognized for having total streams of 524.5 million.

After posting videos of himself freestyling on Facebook in 2017, Lunay got a call from producers Chris Jedi and Gaby Music. Two years later, Lunay was collaborating with reggaetón superstars Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny on “Soltera (Remix),” his first top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, peaking at No. 3 and raking in 343.2 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

Signed to indie label Star Island, the rising artist, who has since scored collaborations with Ozuna and Anuel AA, credits his success to two things: “humility and hard work.”

But Lunay isn’t the only Latino artist to make the list…

Manuel Turizo earned a spot for having total streams of 328.1 million.

Back in 2017, the 20-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer, then only 16, scored a viral hit with debut single “Una Lady Como Tú.” Since then, he has topped the Mexico Airplay chart with “Quiéreme Mientras Se Pueda” and the Latin Airplay list with his Sebastián YatraRauw Alejandro collaboration “TBT.”

Turizo says his second album, Dopamina, will “dominate” 2021. “I hope that by the time I’m 60, people will still be consuming my music and going to my concerts,” he says. “It’s not about being at the top. It’s about acquiring an audience [that will be] by your side throughout your career.”

Natanael Cano has also made the grade…

The 19-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter has earned a total of 905.3 million streams in his short career.

Six months into 2020, Cano — who only launched his career in 2019 — became the third-most-consumed Latin artist in the United States, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s midyear report, ranking just behind Bad Bunny and Ozuna.

Since partnering with Bad Bunny on “Soy El Diablo (Remix)” in October 2019, Cano has released four projects, including Trap Tumbado in June, cementing his place as a leading force in trap corridos. And as his career continues to grow in the United States, by 2021, he says, “I’d love to reach every corner of Mexico.”

A committee of Billboard editors and reporters weighed a variety of factors in determining the 2020 21 Under 21 list, including, but not limited to, impact on consumer behavior, as measured by such metrics as album and track sales, streaming volume, social media impressions, and radio and TV audiences reached; career trajectory; reputation among peers; and overall impact in the industry, specifically during the past 12 months. Where required, record-label market share was consulted using Nielsen Music/MRC Data market share for album plus track-equivalent and stream-equivalent album consumption units. Unless otherwise noted, Billboard Boxscore and Nielsen Music/MRC Data are the sources for tour grosses and sales/streaming data, respectively.

Bad Bunny Earns Four American Music Award Nominations

Bad Bunny’s crossover into the American music scene continues…

This year’s American Music Awards nominations have been revealed, with the 26-year-old Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton singer earning four nods.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is nominated in the Favorite Male Artist – Latin category for the second year in a row. In addition he earned two nods in the Favorite Album – Latin category for his chart-topping albums YHLQMDLG and Las que no iban a salir.

His fourth nod comes in the Favorite Song – Latin category for his hot single “Vete.”

Nipping on Bad Bunny’s heels… his Oasis album collaborator J Balvin, with two nods.

The 35-year-old Colombian singer is nominated in the Favorite Male Artist – Latin category, as well as Favorite Song – Latin for his smash Black Eyes Peas collaboration “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life).”

Cardi B is the Latina artist with the most nods.

The 28-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar is nominated in three categories.

Cardi B is up for Favorite Female Artist – Rap/Hip-Hop, as well as Collaboration Of The Year and Favorite Song – Rap/Hip-Hop for her chart-topping hit single WAP,” featuring Megan Thee Stallion.

Karol G has picked up her first-ever American Music Award nods…

The 29-year-old Colombian singer is nominated for Favorite Female Artist – Latin and Favorite Song – Latin For her No. 1 collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Tusa.”

Jhene Aiko picked up a Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B nod, while Anuel AA earned a nod for Favorite Album – Latin  for his acclaimed album Emmanuel.

Other nominees include Ozuna (Favorite Males Artist – Male), and Becky G and Rosalia in the Favorite Female Artist – Latin category.

 

The ceremony is set to take place live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 22 at 8:00 pm EST/PST on ABC.

This year, the AMAs added new categories to their slate including Favorite Male Artist and Favorite Female Artist (Rap/Hip-Hop); and Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Female, Favorite Album and Favorite Song (Latin).

The AMAs are the worlds largest fan-voted award show and is seen in over 200 countries and territories around the world. Voting is now open for all AMA categories.

Here’s the complete list of nominations:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Post Malone
Roddy Ricch
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lewis Capaldi
Doja Cat
DaBaby
Lil Baby
Roddy Ricch
Megan Thee Stallion

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber “10,000 Hours”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain On Me”
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé “Savage Remix”

FAVORITE SOCIAL ARTIST
BTS
Billie Eilish
EXO
Ariana Grande
NCT 127

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Doja Cat “Say So”
Future ft. Drake “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain On Me”
Taylor Swift “cardigan”
The Weeknd “Blinding Lights”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber
Post Malone
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST –  POP/ROCK
Dua Lipa
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
BTS
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Harry Styles “Fine Line”
Taylor Swift “folklore”
The Weeknd “After Hours”

FAVORITE SONG –  POP/ROCK
Lewis Capaldi “Someone You Loved”
Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now”
Post Malone “Circles”
Roddy Ricch “The Box”
The Weeknd “Blinding Lights”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST –  COUNTRY
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST –  COUNTRY
Gabby Barrett
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris

FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – COUNTRY
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Luke Combs “What You See Is What You Get”
Blake Shelton “Fully Loaded: God’s Country”
Morgan Wallen “If I Know Me”

FAVORITE SONG – COUNTRY
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber “10,000 Hours”
Maren Morris “The Bones”
Blake Shelton (Duet with Gwen Stefani) “Nobody But You”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
DaBaby
Juice WRLD
Roddy Ricch

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Cardi B
Nicki Minaj
Megan Thee Stallion

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
Lil Baby “My Turn”
Lil Uzi Vert “Eternal Atake”
Roddy Ricch “Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial”

FAVORITE SONG – RAP/HIP-HOP
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch “Rockstar”
Roddy Ricch “The Box”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
John Legend
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST –  SOUL/R&B
Jhene Aiko
Doja Cat
Summer Walker

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Doja Cat “Hot Pink”
Summer Walker “Over It”
The Weeknd “After Hours”

FAVORITE SONG – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown ft. Drake “No Guidance”
Summer Walker “Playing Games”
The Weeknd “Heartless”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – LATIN
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Ozuna

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – LATIN
Becky G
KAROL G
Rosalía

FAVORITE ALBUM – LATIN
Anuel AA ”Emmanuel”
Bad Bunny “Las que no iban a salir”
Bad Bunny “YHLQMDLG”

FAVORITE SONG – LATIN
Bad Bunny “Vete”
Black Eyed Peas X J Balvin “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)”
KAROL G & Nicki Minaj “Tusa”

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Billie Eilish
Tame Impala
twenty one pilots

FAVORITE ARTIST –  ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Lewis Capaldi
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5

FAVORITE ARTIST –  CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Lauren Daigle
for KING & COUNTRY
Kanye West

FAVORITE ARTIST –  ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
Kygo
Lady Gaga
Marshmello

FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK
Birds of Prey: The Album
Frozen II
Trolls: World Tour

Maluma to Appear on Telemundo’s Pre-Billboard Latin Music Awards Special “Detrás de la Fama”

Maluma is about to get deep…

Telemundo has announced extensive coverage for the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards, with three television specials surrounding the highly anticipated ceremony set to take place Oct. 21, including one featuring the 26-year-old Colombian superstar.

Maluma, MichelobULTRA

Detrás de la Fama will air on October 17 at 10:00 pm ET and will feature exclusive and in-depth interviews with some of the stars of the Billboard Latin Music Awards, including Maluma, PitbullCarlos Vives and Becky G.

La Alfombra de Premios Billboard will air live on October 21 at 7:00 pm ET, showcasing the arrival of the stars on the red carpet.  For the first time in its history, La Alfombra will also feature musical performances with Dalex and Dímelo Flow set to perform.

To wrap up the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards coverage, Billboard: Acceso VIP will broadcast after the awards ceremony at 11:35 p.m. ET to present exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the awards show.

The complete list of finalists was announced earlier this year, with Bad Bunny and Ozuna leading the list with 14 mentions each. Daddy Yankee and J Balvin both have 12 finalist mentions; Anuel AA has 11; and Farruko has 10. See the complete list of finalists here.

Tainy Makes History on Billboard’s Latin Producers Chart

Make that 50 for Tainy

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican record producer and songwriter has earned his landmark 50th week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Producers chart (dated October 10), remaining in charge due to five production credits on the latest Hot Latin Songs chart.

Tainy

Tainy (born Marco Masis) becomes the first artist to hit 50 weeks at No. 1 on any of Billboard‘s producers charts, dating to their launch in June 2019.

Here’s a recap of all five of Tainy’s production credits on Hot Latin Songs. On two, he also boasts artist billing, including his first No. 1 as an artist, “Un Dia (One Day)“:

Rank, Artist Billing, Title (producers in addition to Tainy)
No. 3, J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy, “Un Dia (One Day)”
No. 4, Ozuna x Karol G x Myke Towers, “Caramelo” (Yazid Rivera Lopez, Hi Flow, Alexis Gotay)
No. 10, Tainy x J Balvin, “Agua”
No. 19, Jhay Cortez & Bad Bunny, “Como Se Siente” (Ammunation)
No. 27, Rosalia & Travis Scott, “TKN” (Rosalia, El Guincho, DJ Nelson, Alejandro Armes, Sky Rompiendo)

Tainy has achieved three No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs as a producer: Wisin & Yandel‘s “Pam Pam” (one week, 2006); Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna and J Balvin‘s “China” (12 weeks, 2019); and “Un Dia (One Day)” (five weeks, this year).

Anitta to Take Part in Special One-On-One Conversation with Ryan Tedder at This Year’s Virtual Latin Music Week

Anitta is ready to open up about being a girl from Rio

The 27-year-old Brazilian singer, who recently released the Cardi B & Myke Towers collaboration “Me Gusta,” will take part in this year’s virtual Latin Music Week (Oct. 20-23).

AnittaAnitta joins a list of new additions to the roster that includes Anuel AA, Becky G, Nicky JamLos Tigres del Norte and Wisin.

Anitta and producer and lead singer of OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, will take part in a one-on-one conversation about working together on Anitta’s forthcoming album, Girl From Rio and much more.

Puerto Rican rapper and Billboard Latin Music Awards finalist Anuel AA will be joined by his close friend, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, to talk about their upcoming joint music and film projects, including a documentary on Anuel’s life, produced by Anuel, Foxx, and RD Whittington.

Mexican-American hitmaker Becky G will join Jorge and Hernán Hernández from the iconic norteño group Los Tigres del Norte to discuss the role artists currently play in engaging voters and the immigrant experience as seen by two generations of iconic Mexican American artists.

Reggaeton star Nicky Jam will discuss the process behind his songs with Billboard’s Latin industry lead Leila Cobo for the “Sony ATV Iconic Songwriter” panel.

And Latin urban superstar Wisin will be joined by Latin music executive Walter Kolm to chat about how the two are expanding into their own label operations, how they are discovering new talent and creating new and novel marketing and promotions strategies in the music business, in a panel moderated by Enrique Santos, chairman and chief creative officer of iHeart Latino.

The newly-announced panelists join a star-studded Latin Music Week that will also feature superstar speakers like J Balvin, Maluma, Jennifer Lopez, Rosalía, Ozuna, Carlos Vives, Sech and Camilo. This year’s Latin Music Week, which was originally scheduled to take place April 20-23 in Las Vegas, NV and was postponed due to COVID-19.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary as the longest-running and biggest Latin music industry, the three day immersive experience dedicated to Latin Music, culture and entertainment, will feature intimate artist conversations, industry panels, workshops and performances. Additional participants and schedule will be announced in the coming weeks. To reserve a spot and receive updates, RSVP here.

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

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

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.

Jessie Reyez to Perform at This Year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards,

Jessie Reyez is celebrating her Latin roots…

The 29-year-old Colombian-Canadian singer and Grammy nominee will perform at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards, which are less than a month away.

Jessie Reyez

 

Reyez joins a roster of newly confirmed A-list artists set to perform at the Billboard awards show.

Reyez joins a roster of new additions to the lineup that includes Anuel AA, Banda MS, Carlos Vives, Chesca, Daddy Yankee, Kendo Kaponi, Luis Fonsi, Manuel Turizo, Pablo Alborán, Paulina Rubio, Pitbull, Rauw Alejandro, Raymix, Reik, and Yandel.

They join the previously announced performers Armando Manzanero, Black Eyed Peas, Farruko, Gente de Zona, Gerardo Ortiz, Jesse & Joy, Maluma, Myke Towers, Ozuna, Sech, and Wisin.

The 2020 BLMAs, led by top finalists Bad Bunny and Ozuna, are the only awards show to honor the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin music, the awards are determined by the actual sales, streaming, radio airplay, and social data that informs Billboard‘s weekly charts during a one-year period from the rankings dated February 2, 2019, through this year’s January 25 charts.

The event is coinciding with Billboard’s Latin Music Week 30th anniversary, a three-day virtual experience dedicated to Latin music, culture, and entertainment, The Billboard Latin Music Awards 2020 will broadcast live from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on October 21 via Telemundo.

For more information and to RSVP for Latin Music Week, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.