Maluma at Agganis Arena in Boston, MA on October 3, 2019 – Photo by: Maria Vasallo
Despite the reggaeton controversy at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards where the genre was practically excluded, resulting in a boycott by some of its biggest artists, the Recording Academy seems to have redeemed itself with its 2020 Grammy Award nominations. Released this week, they include two for flamenco-inspired hip hop artist Rosalía, who is the first Latin artist ever nominated in the category of Best New Artist for music in Spanish (and who just won four awards at the Latin Grammy Awards and), competing with the likes of Billie Eilish, Lil Nas, X, Tank and the Bengas, Yola and the Black Pumas. She is also included in the list of nominees for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes received a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group performance, and Maluma, who posted an emotional reaction on Instagram, was nominated for his first ever Grammy for Best Latin Album 11:11. He was among the artists who felt excluded at the Latin Grammy Awards earlier this month, so this news has probably been very cathartic for him. Other Latin artists nominated in the same category include Luis Fonsi ( Vida ), Sebastian Yatra ( Fantasía ), Ricardo Montaner ( Montaner ) and Alejandro Sanz ( #ElDisco ).
PREMIOS BILLBOARD DE LA MÚSICA LATINA 2019 — Pictured: Rosalía backstage at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV on April 25, 2019 — (Photo by: Denise Truscello/Telemundo)
In addition, in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album category, Bad Bunny was nominated twice – once for his solo album X 100Pre , and the second for his collaboration on the Oasis album with J Balvin. Other artists competing for this award include Flor de Toloache and iLe (along with Rosalía). In addition, Marc Anthony, Luis Enrique + C4 Trio, Vicente Garcia, Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 and Cuban artist Aymée Nuviola snagged nominations in the Best Tropical Album category. And Newcomer, Canadian-Colombian singer Jessie Reyez was included among the list in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category.
It’s exciting to see the Recording Academy recognizing some of Latin music’s biggest artists during the Grammy Awards. It would have been impossible not to, as the Latin Music explosion has dominated the air waves for the last couple of years and has influenced many other genres and non-Latin artists alike. The list of contenders is impressive, although not comprehensive: no mention of Ozuna, Romeo Santos and others. But for now, we’ll take it!
The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards® will air Live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, 2020.
