GRAMMY CHEW: LATIN

It’s been another historic year for Latin music and Spanish-language artists. Will Grammy reward the Latin genre’s biggest artists and releases with General Field love as it did Bad Bunny last year?

If any Latin act scores 2023 nominations in the Big Four, expect it to be KAROL G, Peso Pluma, Myke Towers or Bad Bunny. This year established Bichota/Interscope's KAROL G as among the most decorated female Latin artists ever—with a groundbreaking #1 album, a U.S. stadium tour and a global #1 song. “TQG” f/Shakira could earn multiple nods outside the Latin categories, and MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO heads into the season as 2023’s biggest Latin album.

Bad Bunny's "Where She Goes" (Rimas) is submitted in Record and Song of the Year. The Puerto Rican superstar, who opened the Grammy broadcast last year, could be appealing to voters that agree that he's overdue for some General Field attention. Another Latin smash, Towers' "LALA," has a shot at earning a Record or Song nod by having the most recognizable hook this summer. Towers' biggest year yet positions him as a contender in the Best New Artist pool.

Pluma, whose rise has been even faster than that of Bad Bunny, has arguably the strongest case for a Best New Artist nomination. The música Mexicana sensation has proven a mainstream-market phenomenon, moving hundreds of thousands of tickets in his first year of prominence while rising to the top of virtually every DSP chart. Along with a handful of high-profile song collaborations, Pluma’s GÉNESIS (Double P/Prajin Parlay) hasn’t left the Top 20 since it arrived early this summer.

As for the genre categories, no song categories exist in the Latin field—only albums. That makes the urbana album and música Mexicana album categories highly competitive. Carin León's Colmillo De Leche and Pluma's GÉNESIS stand out among the fast-rising group of música Mexicana acts. On top of impactful and acclaimed projects, León and Pluma also mounted major U.S. tours in 2023.

This will be the first time since the category's inception in 2022 that Best Música Urbana album won’t go to Bad Bunny. Rimas-repped KAROL G should be the favorite in this category—the Colombian superstar previously earned a nod for KG0516. NEON16’s Tainy could benefit most from Benito’s absence as his star-studded DATA is most representative of what the genre is capable of and where the sound is headed. Fan-favorite track “Mojabi Ghost” f/Bad Bunny could earn additional accolades outside the Latin categories.

Others in the mix for Música Urbana Album include Universal Music Latino’s Feid, Sony Latin’s Rauw Alejandro, Warner Latina’s Maria Becerra and One World/Warner Latina’s Myke Towers.

Could the Recording Academy over-correct its handling of Latin superstars? Bad Bunny, for instance, apparently didn't appreciate the lack of trophies for Un Verano Sin Ti. What better time than Grammy season?