Billboard has unleashed its much-anticipated Year-End Charts, which includes the top five new Latin artists among its many lists. While Bad Bunny finalized 2023 as Billboard’s top Latin artist of the year, five newcomers also made really strong waves.
Crowning the year-end “Top Latin Artist – New” chart is Guadalajara-born breakthrough act Peso Pluma (real name: Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija), whom this year alone earned 22 songs on the all-genre Hot 100 chart — including his Eslabon Armado collab “Ella Baila Sola” reaching No. 4 and his Yng Lvcas team-up “La Bebe” reaching No. 11.
Following Peso at No. 2 — and another clear representation of música Mexicana’s global effect — is Grupo Frontera. After gaining virality with their Norteño version of Morat’s pop hit “No Se Va,” the local McAllen, Texas group — composed of Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr., Alberto Acosta, Carlos Guerrero and Brian Ortega — has notched remarkable collaborations with big-name acts such as Bad Bunny, Carin León, and Arcangel.
Furthermore, Yng Lvcas, Bizarrap and Chino Pacas appear on the year-end Top Latin Artist – New chart that is based on performance on both Hot Latin Songs and Top Latin Albums (the date range for the chart goes from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023).
Below, see how each artist performed on the Billboard charts in 2023:
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. Rankings for Luminate-based recaps reflect equivalent album units, airplay, sales or streaming during the weeks that the titles appeared on a respective chart during the tracking year. Any activity registered before or after a title’s chart run isn’t considered in these rankings. That methodology detail, and the November-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
At only 16 years old, Chino Pacas — signed to Street Mob Records, Jesús Ortiz Paz’s (Fuerza Regida vocalist) label — scored three Hot Latin Songs chart entries during the eligibility period, including “Que Onda” with Calle 24 and Fuerza Regida, which peaked at No. 6 on the chart dated Nov. 18. The artist born Cristian Humberto Avila Vega in Guanajuato, Mexico, was also a finalist at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards for best new artist.
Known for his innovative “BZRP Music Sessions,” for which he’s reeled in top-notch artists such as Rauw Alejandro, Peso Pluma, Residente, Eladio Carrion, and Nicki Nicole, Bizarrap placed three top 10s on Hot Latin Songs (during the eligibility period), including “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” with Shakira, a five-week No. 1. The unapologetic dance track, where the Colombian artist opens up about her breakup with soccer star Gerard Piqué, won song of the year at the 2023 Latin Grammys.
Guadalajara-born artist Yng Lvcas went viral on social media when he dropped the remix to his reggaetón banger “La Bebe” alongside Peso Pluma. The track, about a girl who likes to dance to reggaetón music at the club, reached No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart-dated April 15. Yng Lvcas has placed two top five albums on Top Latin Albums: LPM (La Perreo Mixtape) peaked at No. 3 on chart dated April 29, while Six Jewels 23 peaked at No. 5 on the June 10-dated list.
During the eligibility period, Grupo Frontera placed seven top 10s on Hot Latin Songs, including “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida, which topped for two weeks between January and March. The Tejano group also earned eight Hot 100 entries, including their Bad Bunny-assisted “Un x100to,” which reached No. 5 in April. Frontera’s debut studio album, El Comienzo, reached No. 4 on Top Latin Albums in August. The group recently signed a management deal With Noah Assad’s Habibi firm and will be managed by Raymond Acosta.
Read more in Grupo Frontera’s Latin Artist on the Rise story
Peso Pluma has earned three No. 1s on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including the 19-week champ “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado. The song also became his first top 10 on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4. His studio album Génesis earned the Mexican corrido star his first No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, where it reigned for 15 weeks. Home to hits such as “Lady Gaga” and “PRC,” the set reached the summit in its second week, after its first full-tracking week (chart dated July 8).