2026 Latin Grammys: Romeo Santos & Prince Royce’s Total Omission and Other Snubs & Surprises

Nominations for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday (Sept. 16), with Edgar Barrera leading the list with 10 nods, including for album of the year, record of the year and song of the year, as well as songwriter and producer of the year.

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Jorge Drexler, Karol G and Rosalía follow with seven nods each, while Silvana Estrada and Mon Laferte received six. Each of them are vying for album of the year, alongside Anitta, Carín León, Milo J and Rawayana.

Many of the nominations were anticipated by Billboard, which accurately predicted the inclusion of CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Carín León, Rawayana and Rosalía’s all in album of the year. But there are always snubs and surprises to be had at the Latin Grammys, and this year was no exception.

Among the most notable omissions: Romeo Santos & Prince Royce’s Better Late Than Never, a highly anticipated surprise set which debuted at No. 1 and 2 on Billboard‘s Tropical Albums and Top Latin Albums, received no nominations. The same goes for Maluma’s Loco X Volver, a beautiful love letter to Colombia infused by salsa, vallenato, música popular and acoustic pop — and collaborations with Beéle, Ryan Castro, Kany García and Grupo Frontera — that we felt deserved love.

The nominees for the 27th edition of the Latin Grammys were selected across 60 categories, with recordings released during an eligibility period of June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Here are some of the biggest surprises and snubs from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations.

• Surprise: Anitta

  For the first time in her career, Anitta is competing for the Latin Grammy for album of the year. The Brazilian superstar, who has received 12 nominations (including two this year) without yet securing a win, received the nod with EQUILIBRIVM, a 32-track two-part album that embraces the diversity of Brazilian music, incorporating rhythms like samba, reggae, axé and bossa nova.

  Also nominated for best Portuguese language contemporary pop album, the set features collaborations with Brazilian and international artists, from Liniker, Marina Sena and Luedji Luna to Shakira. Last July, it won Billboard‘s Latin New Music poll as the best release of the week, with over 70% of the votes.

• Snub: Romeo Santos & Prince Royce

  It’s hard to believe, but Romeo Santos, arguably the biggest bachata star since the ’90s when he rose to fame as the leader of Aventura, has only received four Latin Grammy nominations since launching his solo career in 2011 — and only won once: in 2023, for best merengue/bachata album for Fórmula, Vol. 3. Prince Royce, on the other hand, has been nominated 15 times, but has yet to win.

  On Wednesday, the artists known as the King and Prince of Bachata, respectively, were snubbed for their surprise joint album Better Late Than Never. The 13-track set, impeccably produced by Santos, debuted last December at Nos. 1 and 2 on Billboard‘s Tropical Albums and Top Latin Albums charts (respectively), while nine of its songs entered Hot Latin Songs, a career high for both.

  The album also marked a long-awaited collaboration between the two greats, featured on the cover of Billboard Español.

• Surprise: Milo J

  At just 19 years old, Milo J surprises as one of the biggest nominees this year, with six nominations, including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year. And the Argentine urban music singer doesn’t do it with a rap/hip-hop album, but with a folk music set: La Vida Era Más Corta.

  The teenage musician had already received a nomination in the past, in 2023, for best rap/hip-hop song for “Dispara***” alongside Nicki Nicole. His nods this year also include nominations for best urban performance and best folk album.

• Snub: Maluma

  For his seventh album, Loco X Volver, Maluma returned to his roots and created a beautiful love letter to Colombia, moving away from the pop reggaeton that has defined his music in favor of rhythms like salsa, vallenato, música popular and acoustic pop. Featuring collaborations with Beéle, Ryan Castro, Kany García and Grupo Frontera, the 14-track set is a gem in his discography. However, on Wednesday, it didn’t receive a single nomination at the Latin Grammys.

  Maluma, who has earned 20 nominations and one win so far in his career, was snubbed for one of his most mature, authentic works.

• Surprise: Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso

  Judging by their musical quality, it’s no surprise that Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso received seven nominations for the Latin Grammys on Wednesday — after winning five awards in 2025. The surprise lies in the fact that this happens after they snubbed the Academy by releasing a music video for their song “Gimme More” in which they irreverently appeared burning Latin Grammy trophies, just days after their 2025 victory.

  “We had conversations with them about it and cleared up many things… That tension was completely resolved,” Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, tells Billboard Español.

  The sensational Argentine duo’s new nods include album of the year for FREE SPIRITS, record of the year for “Ha Ha” and song of the year for “Hasta Jesús Tuvo Un Mal Día” featuring Sting.

• Snub: Fonseca

  For an album as rich and profound as Antes Que El Tiempo Se Vaya, Fonseca deserved more than just a single nomination for best contemporary tropical album. The Colombian singer-songwriter, a nine-time Latin Grammy winner who has garnered 32 nods throughout his career, presented 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, Rubén Blades and Juanes.

  With lyrics about life, love, identity and gratitude — and standout songs like the title track — we expected to see this set receive multiple nominations, including for album of the year.

• Surprise: Karol G

  Of course we expected to see Karol G shine among the biggest nominees of 2026 with Tropicoqueta, but it was a pleasant surprise to see her for the first time among the regional Mexican music nominees.

  The Colombian superstar, better known for her música urbana and tropical hits, appears for the first time in the field, with “Ese Hombre Es Malo” vying for best regional song against heavyweights like Intocable, Xavi, Grupo Frontera and Eden Muñoz.

  Co-written by Karol, Edgar Barrera and Andres Jael Correa Rios, the track is included in Tropicoqueta, whose seven nominations include album of the year, record of the year and song of the year (the last two for “Coleccionando Heridas” with Marco Antonio Solís).

  Karol now claims 35 nods total, with eight victories to date, at the Latin Grammys.

• Surprise: Omara Portuondo

  At 95, Omara Portuondo has received her 10th nomination at the Latin Grammys. The Cuban legend, who rose to international stardom in the ’90s as the main singer of Buena Vista Social Club, is back with Eternamente Omara, which was nominated for best traditional tropical album.

  Known as the “Queen of Filin” (a Cuban musical style derived from the English word “feeling”), Portuondo has won two Latin Grammys, as well as a Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her life and rise to fame with the band that brought her to global audiences are portrayed in the Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club, which won five awards at the 2025 Tony Awards.