2024 Latin Grammy Nominations: Nominees and Surprises

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Latin Grammys have added a number of new categories, including Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album. This is a nice surprise for the new generation of artists who are driving the movement.

The following albums have been nominated for the inaugural category: Natanael Cano’s Nata Montana; by DannyLux Evolution; from Grupo Frontera Playing Where Nothing Matters; by Carín León Boca Chueca, part 1; Michelle Maciels Destroyed; and Peso Plumas Genesis. Each artist behind these sets contributed to the rise of the genre música Mexicana.

Xavi, who Billboard predicted it would receive a nomination for Best New Artist, but it wasn’t nominated at all.

He may not be eligible for the coveted Best New Artist award because he has released more than 15 singles, as defined by the Latin Grammys, but at 20 years old, the artist born Joshua Xavier Gutiérrez is one of the biggest hitmakers working today, releasing some of the year’s highest-charting songs with his signature tumbados románticos sound.

Last December he scored his first top 10 hit on Advertising boards Hot Latin Songs chart with “La Victima.” In January, “La Diabla” topped the Hot Latin Songs chart for 14 weeks. In May, he scored another No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay with “Corazón de Piedra.” Each of those songs earned a nomination.

For the second year in a row, Edgar Barrera is the top nominee, with nine nominations. While he more than deserves all of his nominations, it’s a surprise because it’s not often that a producer becomes the most nominated person — usually it’s an artist. Other producers who have received the most nominations in the past include Eduardo Cabra and Julio Reyes Copello.

Last year, Barrera took home three of his 13 nominations: producer of the year, songwriter of the year, and best regional song for Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera’s “un x100to.” During his speech, he thanked the Academy “for opening a space for those of us who are dedicated to writing songs but don’t sing them, who are usually not seen — but show our faces once a year.”

With six nominations, Keityn (real name: Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno) is one of this year’s top Latin Grammy nominees. In fact, three of the songs he wrote are up for song of the year: Shakira and Grupo Frontera’s “(Entre Paréntesis),” Karol G’s “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” and Maluma and Carin León’s “Según Quién.”

The Colombian hitmaker, however, is not nominated for songwriter of the year, which we find a surprising snub. His colleagues Edgar Barrera, Yoel Henríquez, Manuel Lorente Freire, Horacio Palencia and Pablo Preciado are nominated this year.

It’s a pleasant surprise to see the new wave of salsa artists dominate the Best Salsa Album category. This year, Latin Grammy darlings Marc Anthony and Rubén Blades are nominated for their respective albums Worth it And Sun: 45° Birthday — but so does emerging artist Christian Alicea with his album Yo LuxeRonald Borjas with The Joy of Bailan and Luis Figueroa with CoexistenceThe last of the three is also nominated for Best Tropical Song, with “Llorar Bonito.”

Billboard Latin Music Week returns to Miami Beach October 14-18, with confirmed superstars including Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit Billboardlatinmusicweek.com.