By BERENICE BAUTISTA Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fight of titans is coming up for the 27th edition of the Latin Grammys with singers Karol G, Rosalía, Jorge Drexler and hip hop duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso as the most nominated artists revealed on Wednesday.
The four acts have seven mentions each and compete in the categories of album, song and record of the year. They have very varied styles, ranging from reggaeton to alternative music inspired by folklore and a little bit of rock. Most of them are in their thirties while the revered Drexler is days away from his 62nd birthday.
They are closely followed by Silvana Estrada and Mon Laferte with six nominations each, including their own for record of the year, album of the year, and song of the year. Argentine rapper Milo J with five, and the nominee for best new artist Arath Herce, with four, are the other top nominees.
Looking at them all from above is once again Edgar Barrera with 10 nominations, including producer and composer of the year, in addition to two nods for song of the year.
The Latin Grammy ceremony will be broadcast live on Nov. 12 from the MGM Grand Las Vegas and promises to be a night of high stakes as those tied for the most nominations have previously been awarded by the Latin Recording Academy.
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are the most recent winners to join the group of Latin Grammy holders since last year. Drexler is the group’s top winner with 16, followed by Rosalía with 11.
Here’s what to know about this very competitive group, their nominated albums and their musical projects.
Rosalía, “LUX (Complete Works)”
Since it was announced that Catalan star Rosalía would be releasing a multilingual album inspired by the lives of female saints, the bells of a probable Latin Grammy nomination began ringing and suspicions were confirmed on Wednesday when “LUX (Complete Works)” was nominated for album of the year. Rosalía won best new artist in 2017 for her debut “Los Angeles” and has since been an academy favorite with releases such as “El mal querer” and “Motomami.” For the 27th edition of the Latin Grammys, her anthem of spite “La Perla” with Yahritza y Su Esencia, which she has said is inspired by Paquita la del Barrio’s “Rata de dos patas,” is nominated for record and song of the year. Rosalía is also competing in the categories of pop song, alternative music album, Portuguese language song and short form music video.
Jorge Drexler, “Taracá”
Every time Jorge Drexler wins a Latin Grammy, the Uruguayan-born musician seems dumbfounded by the academy’s recognition, although he should already be used to it with three Latin Grammys for song of the year under his belt. Once again, he competes in his strong category with “¿Como se ama?,” thanks to his album “Taracá.” He will also compete for alternative song, singer-songwriter album, singer-songwriter song and roots song. We hope that this time he will go with a prepared speech.
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, “FREE SPIRITS”
Argentinian duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso made waves with their 2024 debut “BAÑO MARÍA,” which led to a celebrated Tiny Desk concert, international tours and over-the-top fame that they later criticized on their subsequent album “PAPOTA.” That second disc saw them enter the Latin Grammys in a big way as nominees for album of the year and winners of five gramophones, including best alternative music album. After this, they tried to return to their origins with a spiritual introspection helped by Sting. The result is the nominated album “FREE SPIRITS” and the candidate for song of the year “Hasta Jesús Tuvo Un Mal Día.” They will also seek awards for pop/rock song, alternative music album and long form music video for “FREE SPIRITS (The Film).”
Karol G, “Tropicoqueta”
Colombian star Karol G gave her all for Afro-Caribbean genres in “Tropicoqueta,” her fusion album of Latin urban music with merengue, salsa, bachata, and even a little technocumbia, and even embodied a mambo diva for the cover. But she didn’t just stay in tropical music, she included regional Mexican songs and was rewarded. Her duet with Marco Antonio Solis, “Coleccionando heridas,” is nominated for record and song of the year, while “Ese Hombre es Malo” will compete for best regional Mexican song. The first female artist to win the urban music album, Karol G will again compete in this category as well as urban performance and reggaeton performance.
Other notable nominees
In addition to Laferte, nominated for her album “FEMME FATALE” and Estrada, for “Vendrán suaves lluvias,” the nominees for album of the year are Anitta for “EQUILIBRIVM,” Carín León for “MUDA,” Milo J for “La vida era más corta,” and Rawayana for “¿Dónde Es El After?”
The coveted best new artist category, which this year was changed to limit participation to artists with fewer than three albums or 25 singles released, grew this year to include 11 contenders. The nominees are Delilah, FABIAN, Loulu Gilberto, Arath Herce, Macario Martinez, maye, Sofia Monroy, Kendall Peña, Dora Sanches, ARIA VEGA, and Zeca Veloso.
The song of the year will also be decided between “Dime” by Estrada, “Femme Fatale” by Laferte, “Humano” by Juanes and Vivir Quintana, “Mi gran amor” by Santana with Becky G, “Nilo” by Zanna and “Solifican12” by Milo J.
Daddy Yankee will be hailed as the Person of the Year, the first Latin urban artist to receive this accolade.