Latin

In December, Billboard highlighted the 25 best Latin albums of 2022, according to the Latin editorial team. The list included a wide variety of titles, from Bad Bunny’s historic Un Verano Sin Ti to Romeo Santos’ Fórmula, Vol. 3 to Paulo Londra’s comeback set Back to the Game, and beyond.

Billboard also asked readers to vote for their favorite album, and the results are now in.

With more than 40 percent of the votes (43.4% to be exact), Sebastián Yatra’s Dharma (Universal Music Latino) was crowned the best studio album by fans. The 17-track set, which nabbed the best pop vocal album award at the 2022 Latin Grammys, is Yatra’s most eclectic album yet, featuring him dabbling in punk rock (“Las Dudas”), cumbia (“Amor Pasajero”), vallenato and flamenco (“Dharma”), reggaeton (“Si Me La Haces”) and pop (“Modo Avión”). Dharma also debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart-dated Feb. 12, 2022.

“[This album] taught me that you don’t have to limit your creativity,” the Colombian singer-songwriter previously said to Billboard. “If I tell myself that I’m only good at making ballads or that I’m only good at making pop, I will only be good at that. But I’ve never questioned if I would sound good in a rhythm or not. I’m also not thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to show everyone that I can be good in every genre.’ I just try to make an amazing song that goes with who I am and it just happens to be that type of music.”

A very close second on the fan poll was Yuridia’s first-ever Regional Mexican album Pa’ Luego Es Tarde, helmed by Eden Muñoz as producer, with 40 percent of the votes. The 14-track set that includes the Ángela Aguilar-assisted “Qué Agonía,” debuted at No. 7 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart (dated Nov. 5, 2022) and earned the Mexican powerhouse her first-ever Top 10 title on the chart.

See where other Latin albums in the fan poll landed below.

Bad Bunny never confirmed he’s retiring from music, but his latest moves on social media seem to indicate he’s stepping back. 
At 44.9 million followers and with 17 posts, the Puerto Rican artist decided to make his Instagram profile private. Meanwhile, on Twitter — where he boasts nearly five million followers — he shared a cryptic message in his bio: “me van a extrañar…,” which translates to “you will miss me.” Both his Facebook page (with 14 million followers) and TikTok (more than 30 million followers) remain public. 

The changes on his social media pages come just one week after the artist made headlines for throwing a fan’s phone in the Dominican Republic. In a video that went viral during the holidays, the “Tití Me Preguntó” singer is seen walking with his group of friends and team when an excited fan approached him with her phone and began recording in selfie mode. Just seconds later, an annoyed Bunny grabbed the phone and threw it into the bushes. 

In a since-deleted tweet, he expressed that “the person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect. Those who come to put a freaking phone in my face I will consider it for what it is, a disrespect, and I will treat it as is.” 

Bunny wrapped 2022 as Billboard’s year-end Top Artists chart for the first time, while his Un Verano Sin Ti made history as the first all-Spanish album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 year-end albums chart. He also closed out the year with a record-breaking $435 million in tour grosses that combine more than 80 concerts from two separate tours (El Último Tour del Mundo and The World’s Hottest Tour).

Although it’s uncertain whether Bad Bunny will release music or not this year, he recently confirmed to Billboard that “I’m taking a break. 2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements,” he said. “We’re going to celebrate. Let’s go here, let’s go there, let’s go on the boat. I have a couple of sporadic commitments, and I’ll go to the studio, but there’s no pressure. Remember yourself, cabrón. You’ve worked your a– off.”

The Latin Alternative Music Conference, or LAMC, has set dates for both its 2023 virtual and in-person events, Billboard can exclusively announce.

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The LAMC, which spotlights Spanish-language alternative music —  as well as artists in rock, hip-hop, and electronic music — will return in virtual form April 26-28. Its in-person conference, which will be a five-day event, is set to take place from July 11 to 15 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square in New York City.

Both the virtual and in-person events will feature panels, workshops, showcases, and networking opportunities for attendees. According to figures provided to Billboard, more than 100,000 registrants tuned in online, and more than 5,000 people from 150-plus cities in 17 countries attended the conference and events in New York last year.

The LAMC has also confirmed the return of the Wonder Women of Latin Music recognitions, presented by Amazon Music LAT!N, celebrating women “making a difference” in the industry, according to a press release. Launched in 2020, past honorees include Jennifer D’Cunha (Apple Music), Yvonne Drazan (peermusic), Celeste Zendejas (CESAC), Fabiana Kulick (Live Nation), Martha Ledezma (Fonovisa/Universal) and Amy Roland (Sony Music Publishing), among others.

Registration for the in-person July conference begins at $99. Registration for the virtual event is free via www.latinalternative.com, where the latest updates, option to contact the LAMC team with questions, and reserve a hotel for the in-person event are available.

The full schedule for the virtual and in-person conference will be revealed in the coming weeks, along with the Wonder Women of Latin Music Class of 2023 and additional details.