The 31st Billboard Latin Music Awards will be broadcast on Oct. 20 to award the best Latin artists, songs, albums, songwriters, producers, publishers, and record labels in categories like Latin Pop, Latin Rhythm, Tropical, and Regional Mexican. Leading up to the award show is Billboard’s annual Latin Music Week in Miami from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18 which features various music industry panels and artists like J Balvin.
Colombian urban music artist Karol G continues to be up for the most awards with 17 nominations this year, right behind are Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma with 15 nominations each, respectively. The award show will feature performances from artists like Prince Royce, Chencho Corleone, Fuerza Regida, J Balvin, Xavi, and Yandel.
Below are the nominees for the prestigious general categories, like Artist of the Year and Album of the Year, along with an explanation of who we think will win.
Artist of the Year: Junior H, Fuerza Regida, Bad Bunny, Karol G, Peso Pluma
While all these artists are deserving of the award, our top three contenders are Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Peso Pluma. Not only are they considered for one of the biggest awards for a solo artist, but they also lead Billboard’s nominations overall. It would be a huge deal for Peso Pluma to win considering he won New Artist of the Year at last year’s show. Despite his niche of Regional Mexican Music, various urban artists have collaborated with him, leading Peso Pluma to be all over the charts and radio no matter what genre of Latin music you prefer.
Bad Bunny has successfully secured Artist of the Year since 2020. Billboard certainly recognizes the global impact of his music. Even without an album nominated last year, he still earned the award. His latest album released last year wasn’t as commercially successful as Un Verano Sin Ti, though.
It might be time for a new winner. There’s no denying the impact Karol G has with Mañana Será Bonito and her world tour in support of it, soaring her popularity. She’s also making waves in American pop culture with a recent performance at the VMAs in September.
Pick: Karol G
New Artist of the Year: Young Miko, Oscar Maydon, Xavi, Gabito Ballesteros, Tito Double P
We think the clear winner for New Artist is rapper Young Miko. She has been all over the charts by scoring collaborations with Bad Bunny, Feid, and Bizarrap. The openly queer artist even performed an energetic set at Coachella.
Pick: Young Miko
Tour of the Year: Luis Miguel, Aventura, Bad Bunny, Karol G, RBD
No doubt all these artists gave their fans the best night of their year. However, I think the top three contenders are Aventura, Bad Bunny, and Karol G. The reunion of Aventura was huge news for the Latin community and every bachata listener was fighting for a ticket to hear their favorite bachata classics live. The initial dates for their tour sold out the day of, leading Aventura to add even more dates in cities like Washington DC.
Bad Bunny, on the other hand, did not sell tickets as fast as he did for his previous albums. The initial high prices for the Most Wanted Tour shocked fans. However, prices went down closer to concert dates and Bad Bunny managed to perform in front of full arenas. He proved his concert worthy as he made sure there was not a single bad seat. With colorful lasers, he performed on two stages on opposite ends of arenas and on a beam up in the air. Not only did he play songs from his last album but he also played trap songs as early as “Diles.”
Karol G’s world tour will not be forgotten any time soon, though. While other nominees are also popular, I think Karol G’s tour was most talked about on social media, especially with fans embracing the reggaetonero’s feminine look in the outfits they put together. The last night of her tour was huge as it was streamed online for all fans to view and was an emotional night for Karol G.
Pick: Karol G
Crossover Artist: ATL Jacob, Cardi B, Marshmello, Rema, Tiesto
It is always a treat when artists from outside the Latin music scene join our favorite artists to create fresh, new songs. Our top contenders for this award are Cardi B and Marshmello. “Punteria” is the first song on Shakira’s latest album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran and was a collaboration with Cardi B. It’s no doubt the Dominican rapper added some flair to the song with her verse.
However, Marshmello produced the hit single “El Merengue” with Manuel Turizo. Not only was he behind the upbeat tropical song, but he also released an album called Sugar Papi in November last year which featured other huge Latin artists like Young Miko, Farruko, and Fuerza Regida. It only makes sense to award the crossover artist who has immersed themself the most in Latin music this year.
Pick: Marshmello
Hot Latin Song of the Year: Bad Bunny, “Monaco”; Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”; FloyyMenor & Cris Mj, “Gata Only”; Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”; Xavi, “La Diabla”
If you’re an avid Latin music listener, then at least one of these songs has been stuck in your head at some point. When Bad Bunny released his album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, “Monaco” quickly became popular, especially on platforms like TikTok. “Perro Negro” is also a strong collaboration between him and Feid as well as “Qlona” with Karol G and Peso Pluma. But, “Gata Only” by Cris Mj and FloyyMenor has solidified itself as a club staple in urban music. The beat is very easy to vibe and dance to. The song itself is quite an earworm.
Pick: “Gata Only” by FloyyMenor & Cris Mj
Top Latin Album of the Year: Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana; Fuerza Regida, Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada; Grupo Frontera, El Comienzo; Junior H, $ad Boyz For Life II; Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Last year, Mañana Será Bonito won album of the year. While Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) is also solid with hits like “Qlona” with Peso Pluma and “Una Noche En Medellin – Remix” with Cris Mj and Ryan Castro, it’s not as strong as its predecessor and has way less songs than this year’s competition. While the rest of the albums are successful in their respective genres, it seems Bad Bunny’s album is the strongest contender for the award considering his streak for Artist of the Year and his song “Perro Negro” with Feid from the album being up for five awards. As he says in “Vuelve Candy B,” “El que tiene Billboard no tiene GRAMMY, el que tiene GRAMMY no tiene Billboard / Mira mi trophy case, cómo los combino.”
Pick: Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana by Bad Bunny
Whether or not you agree with our choices, be sure to tune into the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Telemundo, Peacock, or Universo this Sunday at 9 pm EST.
Below are more picks by Melodic Magazine for some category-specific awards:
Latin Pop Artist of the Year Pick: Shakira
Latin Pop Album of the Year: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran by Shakira
Tropical Artist of the Year Pick: Romeo Santos
Tropical Album of the Year Pick: Generation Next by Aventura
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year: Peso Pluma
Regional Mexican Album of the Year Pick: El Comienzo by Grupo Frontera
Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year Pick: Bad Bunny
Latin Rhythm Album of the Year Pick: Data by Tainy
Follow Billboard Latin: Instagram // Website // Complete Nominees List
