The nominees for the 2023 Latin Grammys were announced on Tuesday (Sept. 19) with Mexican producer-songwriter Edgar Barrera as the most nominated person with a total of 13 nominations. Barrera is followed by Colombian stars Camilo, Karol G, Shakira and composer Kevyn Mauricio Cruz (also known as Keityn), each with seven nominations. Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap received six.
While remarkable, it’s not the first time that a producer leads the list of nominees. In 2014 Eduardo Cabra (Calle 13) led with 10 nominations. A major surprise this year is that, for the first time ever, two regional Mexican songs are up for the top category song of the year: Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma‘s “Ella Baila Sola” and Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “Un x100to.”
But just as there were big surprises, there were striking snubs. For starters, Mexican music’s biggest star, Peso Pluma, who appears in two categories (song of the year and best regional song with “Ella Baila Sola” because he was a collaborator) would not even receive an award if the song wins either of those two categories, because it would go to the song’s songwriter: Pedro Tovar. Peso, who’s had a breakout 2023 — entering 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 this year alone — is not up for any awards himself. He was also passed over in best new artist, a category that seemed fitting for the artist.
Grupo Frontera was also a sure bet for the best new artist category but the Mexican-American group did not make the cut. Both Peso and Frontera are up for artist of the year and artist of the year, new at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
The 24th annual Latin Grammys are set to take place for the first time outside the U.S., in Seville, Spain, on Nov. 16. “This group of creators reflects musical excellence and the richness of Latin music, and I look forward to celebrating them during Latin Grammy Week in Sevilla which will be a truly historic moment for our organization,” says Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, in a statement, adding that they received more than 19,000 entries overall this year.
Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from Tuesday’s nominations.
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Surprise: Edgar Barrera
Producer-songwriter Edgar Barrera is this year’s most nominated artist with 13 nods across pop, urban and regional Mexican categories. He also scored nominations for songwriter of the year and producer of the year. In 2021, he won producer of the year. It’s not often that a producer becomes the most nominated person — typically, it’s an artist. Other producers who’ve led nominations include Eduardo Cabra and Julio Reyes Copello.
Last year, Bad Bunny was the lead nominee with 10, with Barrera coming in second for his nine nods. The Mexican hitmaker has proven to be a chameleon, working with a wide range of artists, including Maluma, Christian Nodal, Camilo and Grupo Frontera. In January 2021, he scored No. 1s on each of the four Latin genre charts: pop, rhythm, tropical and regional Mexican airplay.
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Snub: Peso Pluma
Peso Pluma received zero nominations.
As Mexican music’s biggest star today, Peso has had a massive year, scoring hit collabs like “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, “AMG” with Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros and “La Bebe” with Yng Lvcas. This year alone, the Mexican corridos singer has notched 21 songs on the Hot 100. His album Génesis became the highest-ranking regional Mexican album on the Billboard 200 after it peaked at No. 3 on the tally.
Peso’s name does appear in two categories — song of the year and best regional song for “Ella Baila Sola,” since he is a collaborator on the song. But he would not receive an award if the song wins either of those two categories because the award would go to the song’s songwriter: Pedro Tovar.
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Surprise: Two regional Mexican tracks up for song of the year
Regional Mexican music has almost always been passed over at the Latin Grammys, and it’s rare when there’s a música mexicana artist, song or album in the top four categories. This year, for the first time ever, two Mexican music songs are competing in song of the year: Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” and Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “Un x100to.”
“Ella Baila Sola,” a sierreño song, made history by becoming the first regional Mexican song to score a top five entry on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 4. It also topped the Billboard Global 200 chart for six weeks. Meanwhile, Frontera and Bad Bunny’s cumbia — produced by Edgar Barrera — peaked at No. 5 on the all-genre tally.
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Snub: No regional Mexican in album of the year
While two regional Mexican songs are up for song of the year, not a single música mexicana album scored a nomination in the album of the year category. While some, like Peso Pluma’s Génesis, did not qualify since it was released after the deadline, others like Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado and Carin Leon’s Colmillo de Leche, which were formidable, critically acclaimed albums and met the deadline.
Desvelado, which includes the smash hit “Ella Baila Sola,” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It also scored the Mexican-American group their sixth No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart. Meanwhile, Carin Leon’s Colmillo de Leche, the first set released under his new label Socios Music, earned the Sonora-born artist his first top 10 album on Top Latin Albums. The set peaked at No. 8 earlier this month.
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Surprise: Shakira’s song of the year triple-up
Out of the 10 nominees up for song of the year, Colombian superstar Shakira has three songs in the top category. Two are collaborations — “TQG,” with fellow Colombian hitmaker Karol G, and the Bizarrap-produced “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” — and she is also up for the power ballad “Acróstico.” A category that awards songwriters, Shakira shares all three entries with her go-to co-writer Keityn.
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Snub: Ovy on the Drums
For a second consecutive year, Colombian hitmaker Ovy on the Drums is passed over in the producer of the year category. Karol G’s longtime producer, Ovy — who is currently No. 2 on Billboard‘s Latin Producers chart, behind Edgar Barrera — has been a consistent hitmaker for the past decade. He is also the main producer on her history-making set Mañana Será Bonito, which is up for album of the year.
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Snub: Grupo Frontera
Like Peso, Grupo Frontera was also worthy of a best new artist nomination. After breaking out last year with their “No Se Va” cover, Grupo Frontera has been on a winning streak — scoring major collaborations, including “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny, which is up for best regional song and song of the year. The Mexican-American group has a total of eight songs on the Hot 100 and their latest album, El Comienzo, earned them their first top 10 album on the Top Latin Albums chart.
