Latin
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As Billboard unveils its 2024 year-end charts this Friday (Dec. 13), anticipation was met with familiar results at the top of the Top Latin Artists survey. Despite releasing no new albums this year, a notable achievement emerged as a Puerto Rican megastar continued his reign — can you guess who? — marking a record-setting sixth consecutive year leading the charts. This milestone solidifies his status as the only artist to claim the coveted title since the category’s inception in 2011. Yes, Bad Bunny does it again, maintaining his chart dominance at No. 1.
In a continued rise, Fuerza Regida, who last year held the fourth slot, just behind Karol G and Peso Pluma, comes in strong at second place this year. The prolific San Bernardino band released Pa’ La Babys y la Belikeada late last year, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 14, followed by an EP Dolido Pero No Arrepentido, and another album this year, Pero No Te Enamores, charting at No. 69 and 25 respectively.
Karol G maintains her strong presence, securing the No. 3 spot on this year’s list, consistent with her ranking from last year. She remains the only female Latin artist in the top 10, with Kali Uchis just missing the cut at No. 11. Shakira follows at No. 26, Young Miko at No. 30, Becky G at No. 34, and Anitta at No. 40. Additionally, the Colombian hitmaker achieves this remarkable feat for the sixth consecutive year.
While the top 10 Latin artists are featured below, the broader landscape of the top 20 includes, Carín León (No. 12), Myke Towers (13), Natanael Cano (14), Tito Double P (15), Luis R. Conriquez (16), Cris MJ (17), Oscar Maydon (18), Floyymenor (19), and Eslabon Armado (20). Explore the full 50 Top Latin Artists and our category-spanning 2024 year-end charts.
Billboard’s year-end music recaps represent aggregated metrics for each artist, title, label and music contributor on the weekly charts from Oct. 28, 2023 to October 19, 2024. 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 October-October time period, account for some of the difference between these lists and the calendar-year recaps that are independently compiled by Luminate.
Ivan Cornejo
Image Credit: Le3ay Studio
For the fifth consecutive year, Bad Bunny won Top Latin Artist at the Billboard Music Awards, which aired its 2024 edition Thursday night (Dec. 12).
The Puerto Rican superstar also got the Top Latin Male Artist and Top Latin Album honors, the latter for Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and led the Top Latin Albums chart for 10 weeks since its debut in October 2023.
Following with two awards is Fuerza Regida, which not only won in Top Latin Duo/Group, but also the general Top Duo/Group category, beating international stars such as Blink-182, Coldplay, Linkin Park and K-pop sensation Stray Kids. The San Bernardino, Calif., group placed three titles in the Top Latin Albums top 10 during the eligibility period (Oct. 28, 2023, to Oct. 19, 2024) for this year’s BBMAs, including Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada, which peaked at No. 1 and led for three weeks; Dolido Pero No Arrepentido (EP), which reached No. 5; and Pero No Te Enamores, which reached No. 2.
“First of all, we wanna thank all the fans, thank you guys very much, we really appreciate you guys,” said JOP, the band’s leader, accepting both awards during the ceremony. “You know, we’re making history together. We’re the best group right now in the world,” he added, also thanking their label Street Mob Records.
Karol G won Top Latin Female Artist for the third consecutive year. The Colombian superstar triumphed this year on the charts with the merengue hit “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” which led her to become the first artist since 2014 to dominate the Hot Latin Songs, Latin Airplay and Tropical Airplay charts simultaneously, achieving 22 weeks so far at No. 1 on the latter.
Meanwhile, Luis Miguel won the Top Latin Touring Artist award for his historic 2023-2024 world tour. The trek, which ends Dec. 17 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was declared the highest grossing Latin tour of all time in September, making more than $300 million in its first 146 concerts.
Newcomer FloyyMenor earned his first BBMA thanks to his mega-hit with Cris MJ, “Gata Only,” the first song by a Chilean artist in 25 years to reach No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, where it remained at the top for 14 weeks.
“I want to thank my family, my wife, my work team and my brother Cris MJ who couldn’t come, but I send him a big shout-out and a hug,” FloyyMenor said after receiving the trophy. “I feel proud to be Chilean and to represent my country. We’re going to continue carrying the Chilean flag high.” He added that fans can expect an album from him in 2025.
The 2024 Billboard Music Awards were produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
Check out the 2024 Billboard Music Awards’ Latin winners (highlighted among the finalists) in the list below.
Top Duo/Group
Blink-182
Coldplay
Fuerza Regida – WINNER
Linkin Park
Stray Kids
Top Latin Artist
Bad Bunny – WINNER
Fuerza Regida
Junior H
Karol G
Peso Pluma
Top Latin Male Artist
Bad Bunny – WINNER
Junior H
Peso Pluma
Top Latin Female Artist
Karol G – WINNER
Shakira
Kali Uchis
Top Latin Duo/Group
Eslabon Armado
Fuerza Regida – WINNER
Grupo Frontera
Top Latin Touring Artist
Bad Bunny
Karol G
Luis Miguel – WINNER
Top Latin Album
Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana – WINNER
Fuerza Regida, Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada
Grupo Frontera, El Comienzo
Junior H, $ad Boyz 4 Life II
Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Top Latin Song
Bad Bunny, “Monaco”
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
FloyyMenor & Cris MJ, “Gata Only” – WINNER
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “QLONA”
Xavi, “La Diabla”
A week after Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” broke the record as the longest-leading song in 2024 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 with 12 weeks in charge, the song adds a 13th consecutive week at the summit on the chart dated Dec. 14. The merengue-based tune also enters a tie with “Otro Trago” by the all-star team comprised of Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna and Anuel AA for the fourth-longest domination overall, both with 13 weeks at No. 1 since the tally launched in 2018.
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Both songs trail three others that have ruled for 15 weeks or more, including Karol G’s own “Tusa” with Nicki Minaj, which continues to hold the record for the most weeks at No. 1 (25 weeks atop) on the six-year-old ranking. Here is the winners recap:
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Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Peak Date
25, “Tusa”, Karol G & Nicki Minaj, Jan. 11, 202016, “Entre Nosotros”, Tiago PZK, LIT Killah, Nicki Nicole & Maria Becerra, July 31, 202115, “La Bachata”, Manuel Turizo, Sept. 10, 202213, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”, Karol G, Sept. 2113, “Otro Trago”, Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna & Anuel AA, May 25, 201912, “Hawai”, Maluma & The Weeknd, Aug. 29, 202012, “Calma (Alicia Remix)”, Pedro Capo & Farruko, Jan. 12, 2019
While the top 10 remains almost the same as the week prior, a new song lands in the upper tier on the current ranking: Myke Tower’s “Degenere,” featuring Benny Blanco, surges to No. 10 after three weeks at No. 15 for its new peak. The jump earns Towers his ninth top 10, while record producer and songwriter Blanco claims his first top 10 on his second try.
The Hot Shot Debut of the week goes to Ecuadorians Jombriel, Alex Krack and Jøtta, who score their first entry on a Billboard chart as “Parte & Choke” debuts at No.33.
Chilean Standly’s “Págate” earns the Greatest Gainer award of the week with a 38-rank climb, from No. 74 to No. 36. Plus, one other song starts above the top 50: Lali’s “No Me Importa” at No. 43, for the Argentinians 23rd career entry.
Four other songs arrive this week below the top 50, starting with Blessd and Anuel AA’s “Deportivo” at No. 61.
Belgian singer-songwriter Stromae and French singer-songwriter Pomme team-up for their first entry on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart with “Ma Meilleure Enemmie,” one of 22 songs on the soundtrack from the animated series Arcane League of Legends: Season Two which peaks at No. 24 on the overall Billboard 200 chart, jumps 3-2 on the Top Rock Albums list, and climbs 23-17 on the Top Streaming Albums survey.
Meanwhile, Argentinians Peipper, Doble P and Locura Mix add a career entry with “Si Las Gatas Se Atimonan” at No. 76.
Lastly, Miranda! and Ana Mena partner for their first collaborative entry as “Como Amigos” opens at No. 92.
Sky Rompiendo secures his first entry, and top 10, on a Billboard albums chart with his Feid collaborative set, Los 9 de Ferxxo y Sky Rompiendo, which debuts at No. 6 on the Latin Rhythm Albums chart dated Dec. 14. Feid rounds up his fourth top 10 project. Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
12/12/2024
See which is the No. 1 track of the year, according to Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors.
12/12/2024
Rising Puerto Rican rapper Clarent has signed a global recording deal with Warner Music Latina, the company tells Billboard.
The signing comes on the heels of Clarent’s success with the single “IA” alongside Puerto Rican urban artist Mora. The track has amassed more than 40 million streams on Spotify alone and topped Spotify’s Top 200 chart in Spain.
Born in Caparra Terrace, San Juan, Clarent (real name Fabián Cartagena Torres) began putting out music independently just last year. Since then, he’s amassed millions of streams thanks to tracks that sound raw and real and connected to life on the streets. His song “Traqueto” alongside iZaak has nearly 26 million streams on Spotify, while his solo track “Enzacio” has nearly 14 million.
“Ready for this new season — big thanks to the Warner fam for keeping it real. This is where boys become men,” said Clarent in a statement.
“We are thrilled to partner with Clarent and his team to help build on his unique vision and take his career to new heights,” said Alejandro Duque, president of Warner Music Latin America. “Clarent is a perfect example of how genres get disrupted and authentic sounds emerge and pave new roads in music.”
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Signing Clarent was a months-long process for Warner, added Roberto Andrade, MD of Warner Music Latina. “This isn’t just another record deal — this is an alliance,” he said in a statement. “We crafted a partnership out of months of mutual understanding, collaboration, and shared vision.”
Andrade and Duque worked closely with Clarent and his manager, Jonniel (Jadiel Nuñez Olivera) of Rythmz51, on the deal. On Dec. 13, Clarent is releasing a new track under Warner titled “Babayaga,” a moody trap song.
“Shoutout to the team at Warner Music Latina for believing in this vision and backing us all the way,” said Jonniel. “This is just the kickoff to something amazing. Clarent’s got that raw, undeniable talent, and I’m stoked to be on this journey with him.”
12/11/2024
See which is the No. 1 LP of the year, according to Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors.
12/11/2024
It’s only taken four months for Grupo Frontera to regain its No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart thanks to “Hecha Pa’ Mi,” which jumps 2-1 to lead the Dec. 14-dated ranking. Before the song took the throne, the Mexican-Americans ruled with their Maluma collab, “Por Qué Será?” for one week in August.
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“Hecha Pa’ Mi,” released on the group’s label (Grupo Frontera) Oct. 3, traces its gain to 7.8 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the Nov. 29-Dec. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate; that’s a 16% increase from the previous week. The song trades places with “Amor Bonito” by Luis Angel “El Flaco,” as the latter dips 1-2 with a 7% decline in audience for the week.
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While Frontera bags its 11th No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, the second-most in the 2020s decade (behind Calibre 50’s 12 rulers), with the new arrival, the group achieves its fifth champ in 2024 and extends its record for the most leaders in the calendar year. Let’s look at the artists with the most No. 1s on the radio tally in 2024:
5, Grupo Frontera3, Alejandro Fernández3, Eden Muñoz3, Xavi
Thanks to its 16% surge in audience, “Hecha Pa’ Mi” takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy, awarded weekly to the song with the biggest increase in impressions on the 40-deep chart. Plus, it becomes the group’s first No. 1 song unaccompanied by any other collaborator among its collection of 11 leaders. Further, continued progress among regional Mexican stations pushes “Hecha Pa’ Mi” 5-3 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for the song’s new peak there.
The song also advances 13-12 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart despite decreases in the two other metrics that inform the chart. It generated 2.5 million official U.S. streams, that’s a 15 dip in clicks during the tracking period, while declined 33% in digital sales.
“Hecha P’a Mi” went viral in October after the band crashed a wedding to perform the song, surprising the bride, groom and guests. “You won’t believe me,” leading singer Payo said on social media. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but that gig was more difficult than a concert. I swear, I was more nervous than in a concert.”
In March 2020, Elena Rose was a songwriter in her mid-twenties who had helped craft hits for Latin superstars like Becky G and Myke Towers. She was content with her day job, but as lockdown began to take hold, the Venezuelan American had an early-pandemic revelation.
“I really thought that the world was coming to an end,” she says. “When I saw that my voice had not been heard, it made me sad.”
While Rose continued to work behind the scenes — her songwriting credits to-date include Billboard chart entries and collaborations with Selena Gomez, Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony, and the Becky G-Karol G team-up “MAMIII,” which reached No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart — she made her singing debut as an independent artist that May with the Latin urban song “Sandunga.” She paired the release with a colorful music video that showcased her striking presence and alluded to her superstar capabilities.
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Today, the 29-year-old has fully realized her potential, breaking through in recent months on the Billboard charts as a performer with “Orion,” her collaboration with Panamanian star Boza.
Born Andrea Elena Mangiamarchi in Miami to Venezuelan parents, Rose grew up between Puerto Rico and Venezuela before returning to her hometown due to sociopolitical and economic crises in the South American country. No matter her location, she loved to sing anywhere and everywhere: initially, she began as a performer, singing in bars, restaurants and at parties.
She met mentor and producer Patrick Romantik in Miami in her early twenties, who brought Rose to the studio and taught her the ins and outs of the technology, while also letting her observe sessions to learn about the songwriting process. “And my years of silence began,” she reflects. “I remember they told me, ‘OK, you can be here, but we cannot feel you.’ ”
During that time, she watched writers and producers such as Servando Primera, Yasmil Murrufo and Mario Cáceres create hits including Becky G’s “Mayores” featuring Bad Bunny in 2019, which reached No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. Along the way, she gained an informal music education as a hitmaker.
“When I worked in bars in Miami, the musicians were Ricky Martin’s percussionist, Alejandro Sanz’s pianist, the bassist who had played with Stevie Wonder,” Rose says. “It was my best school because they were people who had experienced music, understood it and wanted to preserve it.”
Elena Rose photographed September 26, 2024 at Grove Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
She continued to self-release new singles through the next few years, such as “La Ducha” and “Picachu” and made appearances at key industry events such as Billboard Latin Music Week, where she has participated every year since 2021 either as a panelist or a performer. In summer 2022, she signed a record label deal with Warner Music Latina.
“Her lyrics, her voice, her presence and the ability she has to convey emotions is unparalleled,” said the label’s president Alejandro Duque at the time. In September of the following year, she agreed to a management deal with OCESA Seitrack, whose artists include superstars such as Sanz and Alejandro Fernández.
“The day I sat down a year and a half ago to have dinner with her, I was blown away,” says OCESA Seitrack founder/CEO Alex Mizrahi. He adds today that he recognized her as “a diamond in the rough” with the potential of becoming “the next Karol G” in terms of success.
In the year-plus since then, she has released soulful solo songs, including the empowering “Me Lo Merezco” in March. But her collaborations with artists spanning genres on her November EP, En Las Nubes (Con Mis Panas), and elsewhere have taken her to new markets — chiefly with “Orion.” Sophisticated in both its lyrics and production, the song is a captivating fusion of reggaetón, salsa and Afrobeats. It has an irresistibly playful bridge from Boza, and with Rose’s evocative writing, the single shows new layers to both artists.
“I made the song ‘Orion’ at a [writers] camp in Miami a year ago,” remembers Boza. “I heard it with the producer, Daramola, and the songwriters, Essa Gante and Omar, and at that moment we already knew that we needed a female voice. Together with my team, we thought of Elena.”
Adds Rose: “When this song came to me, I remember saying, ‘OK, it has a soul, it has something nice. If you allow me, I want to take it to my world and see how I can give it a little more of myself.’ I remember that was when I gave love to the chorus, changed the lyrics, and wrote my verse. I feel that, for me, the concept of ‘Orion’ became a source of information on emotional intelligence.”
The song was released May 29 on Sony Music Latin (Boza’s record label), with an official music video arriving the following day. Though Rose recorded her part separately, they got together to shoot the video in Panama, which has since tallied more than 105 million views on YouTube. “Orion” steadily began to take hold at radio as well, and by mid-September, it debuted at No. 20 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. Three weeks later, it arrived on the overall Latin Airplay ranking. It has held ever since on both, with “Orion” spending the last six weeks at No. 2 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. It has also reached a No. 15 high on Latin Airplay. “Working with her is like traveling to another planet,” Boza says of Rose.
As her public profile reached new heights fueled by the song’s success, so did her status within the industry: in September, she earned three Latin Grammy nominations, for song of the year for “Caracas En El 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di; best pop/rock song for “Blanco y Negro,” a LAGOS song featuring Rose; and best regional song for her hand in Becky G’s “Por El Contrario,” which she co-wrote with Latin hitmakers Edgar Barrera and Keityn. (The year prior, she was the only woman to be nominated when the songwriter of the year category was inaugurated.)
Rose has continued to prioritize her collaborative efforts, releasing both the country-tinged ballad “A Las 12 Te Olvidé” with Ha*Ash and a Latin pop song infused with cumbia and urban rhythms, “Pa’ Qué Volviste?” with Maria Becerra, as non-EP singles in November. And while her success with Boza has made her a recognizable face in Panama — Rose coyly says that a recent flight she was taking was delayed after the co-pilot requested a photo with her — Mizrahi teases that more duets are on the immediate horizon, which aim to bolster her following in other countries.
In the coming months, there are plans for releases with Camilo and Morat (both from Colombia), Sanz (Spain) and Los Ángeles Azules (Mexico). She is also scheduled to perform at both Lollapalooza Argentina and Lollapalooza Chile in March 2025. “The goal is to bring Elena’s music to the world,” Mizrahi says, “to make her a global artist.”
Elena Rose photographed September 26, 2024 at Grove Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
A version of this story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Apple Music is doubling down on its commitment to fuel Latin music’s global presence with the launch of its brand-new Apple Música Uno radio station, which officially went live on Tuesday (Dec. 10). The station will be free, with no subscription needed.
Música Uno is one of Apple Music’s three new global radio stations, the other two being Apple Music Club and Apple Music Chill. They joined the previously launched Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country radio stations.
Música Uno will have multiple on-air hosts — including radio personalities Evelyn Sicairos, who will host La Oficial Radio, and Lechero, who will helm ¡Dale Play! Radio — as well as exclusive special shows hosted by superstars Becky G, Rauw Alejandro and Grupo Frontera.
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“In the past we’ve been lucky to have the support of Zane [Lowe] and Ebro who’ve given us space in their shows, which aren’t necessarily Latin music shows, and that’s been great, but we need more spaces to tell the stories of many other Latin artists and for them to feel free to speak in Spanish or even Spanglish. Apple Música Uno is the place for that,” says Jerry Pulles, Latin music programmer at Apple Music. Over the past 10 years, Pulles has overseen the launch of several hosted shows, including the Apple Music 1 series La Fórmula Radio with El Guru, which is dedicated to Latin music.
Now, Música Uno will serve as a hub exclusively for all things Latin, covering every spectrum of the genre — from reggaetón to pop to Mexican music. “This radio station will allow us to continue building blocks with the artists we’ve supported since day one,” adds Marissa Lopez, Apple’s head of Latin music artist relations. “We’ve seen Latin music’s growth in real time, so this launch has been a long time coming.”
Rauw Alejandro
Apple Music Radio
The launch of Música Uno comes four years after Apple Music last launched a new radio station, when it introduced Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country. In this way, it’s hoping to tap into the growing popularity of Latin music as it continues to hit record-high revenues — largely led by paid streaming subscriptions. Over the past two years alone, a total of 134 Latin songs have reached Apple Music’s Global Daily Top 100 — up from 88 the previous two years, according to Apple. In the same time range, the number of música mexicana songs on the chart have more than quadrupled, up from 12 to more than 50.
“This was such a natural evolution for us,” Juan Paz, Apple Music’s global head of Latin music business, says of launching Música Uno. “Radio has always been the heartbeat of Apple Music, where we showcase the best and most relevant music and give artists a space for their creative output. With Apple Música Uno, we will continue to do just that, but in our language and with an opportunity for people all over the world to tune-in for free. Having this available for free globally is a truly exciting opportunity to continue to amplify what we do best — supporting artists and being at the forefront of culture.”
Since launching in 2015, Apple Music has made a name for itself in the industry as an artist-first service, and the launch of Música Uno aligns with that identity, says Patty Flores, head of U.S. Latin, music business partnerships at the company.
“By creating a space like this, we are filling a void where the artist is in charge of their own narrative. And a space where we lead by culture and human curation,” Flores says. “Our tagline roughly translates to the culture that moves you, and we really want to make this station come to life through the voices of our hosts and artists. Whether that is sharing track-by-track commentaries explaining the process and story behind new songs, or checking in to share influences or a special story behind their latest release, we want to tell those stories.”
Becky G
Apple Music Radio
Hosted by the Latin pop hitmaker, The Becky G Show will “give people a real sense of what life on tour is like — from the encounters with my incredible fans to the challenges, the highs, and everything in between,” says Becky G. “This show captures a special moment in my career, where I get to fully represent my culture and all the different layers that shape who I am.”
On Grupo Frontera’s show, meanwhile, the band says that “people will get to see us in a more relaxed environment, hanging out, goofing around and talking about music which is what we do in our regular lives. I think people are going to see that we are just a bunch of regular guys living our dreams. We had a lot of fun with our surprise guests.”
For Krystina DeLuna, Apple Music’s head of música mexicana editorial, Música Uno is an opportunity to continue the growth of a genre that was long considered niche. But today, thanks to a new generation of música mexicana hitmakers, that has totally changed. “The fact that this station is going to be global and free, that’s only going to help continue the conversation of taking música mexicana to the next level, which is what we’ve been trying to do for many years,” she says. “That’s why it was important to have Grupo Frontera host a show and have our playlist música mexicana playlist La Oficial come to life with a hosted show that will be focused on the culture, creating a safe space for artists to speak about their craft.”
The first song played on Música Uno when it launched Tuesday was Bad Bunny’s “El CLúB.” That marks a full circle moment for Apple Music, as the superstar launched the streaming service’s first Latin playlist, ¡Dale Play!, in 2018. “It’s a testament to the building blocks I mentioned before,” says Lopez. “Being there from the beginning of his career and seeing that growth. It’s just so exciting all around.”