\n\tOver the last few years, Latin artists have become increasingly open to experimenting with rhythms and sounds beyond their own realms \u2014 whether regional Mexican, Latin pop, urbano, rock or tropical.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe last year has been especially remarkable, with acts like Car\u00edn Le\u00f3n, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso and Rosal\u00eda passionately embracing artistic freedom and expanding the notion of what Latin music can sound like.<\/p>\n
\n\tAt the 2025 Latin Grammys, Bad Bunny won the award for album of the year with his acclaimed LP DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200<\/a>. He competed with acts including CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso (Papota) and Car\u00edn Le\u00f3n (Palabra De To\u2019s (Seca)), both of whom are eligible for the top prize again this year.<\/p>\n \n\tBad Bunny\u2019s DeB\u00cd TiRAR M\u00e1S FOToS ended up receiving the same recognition at the 2026 Grammy Awards, too, making history as the first album in Spanish to take home album of the year. This year, a similar scenario could occur with Rosal\u00eda, whose impressive album LUX includes 13 different languages, but is mostly sang en espa\u00f1ol.<\/p>\n \n\tThe 27th annual Latin Grammy Awards will take place on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The eligibility period runs from June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026, with the first round of voting scheduled from July 27 to Aug. 10.<\/p>\n \n\tOn Sept. 16, when 10 Latin Grammy album of the year nominees will be announced, these five boundary-pushing projects are most likely to make the list. Artists have been listed in alphabetical order.<\/p>\n \n\tA version of this story appears in the July 18, 2026, issue of Billboard.<\/p>\n \tCA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Free Spirits<\/p>\n \n\tLess than a year after receiving their first Latin Grammy nominations \u2014 10 total \u2014 and winning five for Papota, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso could once again vie for the top prize that eluded them in 2025, this time with Free Spirits. On this acclaimed 12-track set \u2014 which ranked at No. 2 on Billboard\u2019s midyear list \u201cBest Latin Albums of 2026 (So Far)\u201d and reached No. 11 on Top Latin Pop Albums<\/a> \u2014 the breakout Argentine duo reflects on the highs and lows of its meteoric rise and newfound fame with vulnerability, while maintaining its signature irreverence. Taking the genre-blending style that made the act an international sensation even further, the pair experiments with Middle Eastern rhythms, dance-pop, rock, bossa nova, bachata and more, inviting stars such as Sting, Anderson .Paak, Jack Black and Fred again.. to the party.<\/p>\n \tFonseca, Antes Que El Tiempo Se Vaya<\/p>\n \n\tOn his 11th studio album, Fonseca sings about life, love, identity and gratitude from a more mature perspective, taking the passage of time and an appreciation of the present as his starting point. Across 12 tracks, the nine-time Latin Grammy winner presents a remarkable set that is intimate and deeply connected to his tropical roots, while also venturing into genres such as merengue, salsa and cumbia alongside acts like Rawayana, Rub\u00e9n Blades and Juanes (the lattermost on the catchy title track). Previously nominated for album of the year with Fonseca Sinf\u00f3nico (2014), Conexi\u00f3n (2016), Agust\u00edn (2019) and Viajante (2022), the Colombian singer-\u00adsongwriter \u2014 the veteran artist on this list \u2014 has yet to win this category. Antes Que El Tiempo se Vaya reached No. 23 on Top Tropical Albums<\/a> and ranked at No. 5 on Billboard\u2019s \u201cBest Latin Albums of 2026 (So Far)\u201d list.<\/p>\n \tCar\u00edn Le\u00f3n, MUDA<\/p>\n \n\tThe four-time Latin Grammy winner\u2019s last two releases \u2014 Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 (2024) and Palabra de To\u2019s (Seca) (2025) \u2014 have been nominated for album of the year. In his third consecutive year vying for the prize, MUDA could be a strong contender. Ranked at No. 3 on Billboard\u2019s \u201cBest Latin Albums of 2026 (So Far)\u201d list, the 14-track set continues demonstrating his much-praised versatility, with the regional Mexican star exploring ska, soul, salsa, disco and even carranga (a popular Colombian genre) without turning his back on his original sound. The set also includes two collaborations with acts Le\u00f3n has said to be a fan of: Colombian rocker Juanes and Venezuelan trippy-pop band Rawayana.<\/p>\n \tRawayana, \u00bfD\u00f3nde Es El After?<\/p>\n \n\tAfter being nominated for best new artist in 2017 and winning its first Latin Grammy last year for best Latin electronic music performance with \u201cVeneka,\u201d the Venezuelan band seems ready to jump into the album of the year category with its latest production: the ambitious, uber-fun \u00bfD\u00f3nde Es El After? (Where Is the Afterparty?). The 23-track album navigates from reggae to electronic to funk, pop and tropical music, resulting in the band\u2019s characteristic \u201ctrippy pop\u201d sound while addressing both mundane and profound topics \u2014 including the political situation in the group\u2019s home country. Led by vocalist Beto Montenegro, the album wittily plays with double meanings in sultry songs like the act\u2019s first Billboard No. 1 single, \u201cIngl\u00e9s en Miami\u201d \u2014 a viral track featuring singer Manuel Turizo that topped the Latin Rhythm Airplay<\/a> chart in May. Ranked at No. 1 on Billboard\u2019s \u201cBest Latin Albums of 2026 (So Far)\u201d list in June, \u00bfD\u00f3nde Es El After? also includes guests Grupo Frontera, Jowell y Randy, Elena Rose and DannyLux.<\/p>\n \tRosal\u00eda, LUX<\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s impossible to imagine that one of the most internationally acclaimed albums of 2025 wouldn\u2019t make the cut this year. Rosal\u00eda\u2019s LUX is a towering, one-of-a-kind achievement on which she sings in 13 different languages but enough Spanish to make the cut. (The Latin Grammys require at least 60% of the songs on an album contain at least 60% lyrics in Spanish, Portuguese and\/or languages, dialects or idiomatic expressions recognized in Ibero-\u00adAmerica.) LUX is a complex orchestral and operatic album recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra on which Rosal\u00eda not only stretches the meaning of what a pop album can be but also reaches new vocal heights. Upon its release, LUX made history: Rosal\u00eda became the first artist to secure No. 1 debuts across five Billboard charts (Top Latin Albums<\/a>, Top Latin Pop Albums, Classical Albums<\/a>, Classical Crossover Albums<\/a> and World Albums<\/a>). On the all-genre Billboard 200, it reached No. 4. The set follows her 2022 Latin Grammy-winning album of the year, Motomami, which makes her the only previous winner of the category here.<\/p>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n