It has been a week since the Latin Grammy nominations rolled out, setting the stage for one of the most unpredictable and historically significant award cycles in recent memory. From global pop powerhouses pushing genre boundaries to celebrated veterans eyeing career milestones, this year’s field reflects a vibrant, shifting landscape across Latin music.
Beyond celebrating individual artistic achievements, these nominations serve as an important bellwether for momentum heading into the mainstream Grammy race. Now that we’ve had some time to digest the announcement and pore over the nominees, here’s our breakdown of the early front-runners, the toughest categories to predict, the biggest snubs and surprises, and how the Latin Grammys could impact the Grammy Awards ahead of nomination voting.
The top contenders
Karol G, Jorge Drexler, and Rosalía lead this year’s nominations, and all three are strong contenders in the General Field.
Rosalía is pursuing a historic third Album of the Year win with Lux, which combines Latin music with classical and alternative influences and has received rapturous critical acclaim. If she wins, she will tie veterans Juanes and Alejandro Sanz as the second-most-awarded artist in the category, behind only Dominican icon Juan Luis Guerra, who has won five times. Her hit “La Perla” could also contend in the song categories.
Another returning champion is Karol G, who is nominated for her 2025 album, Tropicoqueta, whose single “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” won Song of the Year at last year’s ceremony. Karol G would become the second woman to win the category twice — after Rosalía — and could be helped by the success of the global No. 1 hit “Bby Wow,” which appears on a different album but has kept Karol’s momentum alive heading into voting.
Meanwhile, Jorge Drexler’s Taracá is seeking his first Album of the Year win, despite his six General Field victories in Record of the Year and Song of the Year. As a result, Drexler is widely viewed as overdue for the award, which could come with Taracá, a richly textured album that explores personal connection, roots, the history of Latin music and even artificial intelligence. Given his track record in the song categories, he is also an artist to watch there.
Paco Amoroso and Ca7riel perform at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival 2025Katie Flores/Billboard
Other major nominees expected to contend for awards across the General Field include urban folklorist Milo J, alt-pop sensations Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso and singer-songwriters Mon Laferte and Silvana Estrada.
The most competitive categories
Beyond the General Field, this year’s most competitive race is undoubtedly Best Singer-Songwriter Album, where three Album of the Year nominees will face off: Drexler’s Taracá, Estrada’s Vendrán Suaves Lluvias, and and Laferte’s Femme Fatale. The category will likely tip off the top prize later in the ceremony.
Silvana Estrada at Billboard Latin Music Week Miami 2025Christopher Polk/Billboard
Likewise, Best Alternative Music Album will be a showdown between two Album of the Year nominees and previous category winners, Rosalía, and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso. The latter won five awards at last year’s ceremony.
Another race to watch is Best New Artist. In recent years, the category has been filled with surprising and inspired choices, and this year could follow the same pattern. Among the nominees, Aria Vega and Macario Martínez stand out for their commercial potential, but the award remains wide open.
Surprises and snubs
Perhaps the biggest snub of the year is Rawayana, whose hit album ¿Dónde Es El After? missed every category except Album of the Year. The album was expected to earn nominations for Best Pop Song (“Inglés en Miami”), Best Alternative Music Album and Best Urban Song (“Se Vienen Cositas”). Category confusion may have hurt the record, with many voters questioning why it competed in Alternative rather than Contemporary Pop Album.
Beto Montenegro of Rawayana at Billboard En VivoNick Vega/Billboard
Other notable snubs involve specific tracks from major albums. Rosalía and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are absent from Best Alternative Song, despite the latter’s “Ha Ha” appearing in Record of the Year and both artists emerging as front-runners for Alternative Album.
Likewise, Karol G and Marco Antonio Solís’ “Coleccionando Heridas” is nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year but missed the cut for Best Pop Song.
Among the surprises, several General Field nominations stand out. Perhaps the biggest is “Nilo” by Zanna, a relatively unknown Brazilian artist whose song had fewer than 2,000 streams as of Sept. 25. Its Song of the Year nomination highlights how the process can reward smaller artists making quality work, regardless of their fame.
Similarly, Loulu Gilberto’s “Ou Amor Nos Encontrou,” a bossa nova track by another relatively unknown Brazilian artist, earned a Record of the Year nomination. It is another welcome surprise in the General Field.
What do these nominations mean for the Grammys?
The Latin Grammy results will help set the tone for the upcoming Grammy race, whose first-round voting period begins Oct. 12, with the nominees unveiled Nov. 16, and the final balloting commencing Dec. 10. Rosalía’s Lux is in the mix for Album of the Year at the 2027 Grammys, and a strong showing at the Latin Grammy ceremony on Nov. 12 would boost its profile. Likewise, a Best Alternative Album win at the Latin Grammys would strengthen her case for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the Grammys and potentially give her a third win in that category. An upset by Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso could signal that Rosalía is vulnerable.
Mon Laferte at the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards Christopher Polk/Billboard
Just as he has never won Album of the Year at the Latin Grammys, Jorge Drexler has never won a Grammy, despite being an Oscar winner (for “Al Otro Lado del Río” from the 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries). If Taracá defeats Lux for Album of the Year, it could signal that Drexler is a strong contender for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album (or Best Latin Pop Album, where he might have an easier path to victory).
For the inaugural Best Latin Song category, the nominees could include five of the seven artists nominated in all three General Field categories: Karol G, Rosalía, Jorge Drexler, Silvana Estrada, Milo J, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, and Mon Laferte. The Latin Grammy results could establish the favorite for the new award.
Ultimately, this year’s nomination slate illustrates a Latin Recording Academy balancing commercial dominance with artistic risk-taking. By placing underdog indie gems alongside stadium-level megastars, the voting body has created a narrative in which momentum, industry goodwill and critical reception will all play decisive roles. As the voting period draws to a close, the results will not only crown a new group of Latin Grammy champions but also shape the crossover narratives heading into next year’s Grammy Awards.