The 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards finalists have been announced. Billboard and Telemundo announced the musicians nominated for Artist of the year, Tour of the year, Global 200 Latin Artist of the year, and Artist of the Year, fresh today (Aug. 24).
Peso Pluma, a Mexican celebrity, is this year’s main finalist, with 21 nominations, including Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year, new. Three of the five contenders in the latter category — Peso, Grupo Frontera, and Chino Pacas — are Mexican music acts, reflecting the scene’s present dominance on the charts. This year alone, 27 regional Mexican songs have entered the Billboard Hot 100. (On his own, Peso has premiered 21 tracks on the 2023 tracklist.)
Bizarrap, a non-regional Mexican musician, is also a finalist in that category. His “Music Session” session with Shakira earlier this year set numerous records. The diss track reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart for nine weeks. Following the success of his “La Bebe” remix with Peso, Mexican reggaetón musician Yng Lvcas was also nominated in the category.
The 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards will air live on Telemundo on Thursday, October 5, at 7 p.m. ET from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The show will also air simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and Telemundo Internacional across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Here is a tweet that the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards finalists have been announced.
.@ElPesoPluma leads the list of finalists for #Billboards2023, with 21 nods across 15 categories including Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year, and Top Latin Album of the Year. 🔥https://t.co/CVUzFmlvST
— billboard latin (@billboardlatin) August 24, 2023
Finalists and winners are determined by significant fan engagements with music recorded by Billboard and its data partner, Luminate, such as audio and video streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay, and touring. The chart period for this year’s awards is August 13, 2022, through August 12, 2023. Meet the finalists for Artist of the year, a new category at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Peso Pluma![]()
Number of entries: 21
Accomplishments: Over the course of the year, Peso Pluma has become one of Latin music’s biggest stars. The “Por Las Noches” singer has had a momentous 2023, with over 700 million on-demand official streams in the United States, according to Luminate, and 21 entries on the Billboard Hot 100. In June, he became the first artist to ever lead both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. lists simultaneously with different songs: the sierreño anthem “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado and his Bizarrap-produced track “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55,” respectively. His new album, Génesis, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (dated July 1) — the highest rank ever for a música mexicana album on the chart. Peso Pluma is also up for artist of the year, alongside Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, Karol G and Grupo Frontera.
Yng Lucas
Number of nominations: 6
Accomplishments: Rising reggaetón artist Yng Lvcas has earned a nomination in the category mainly thanks to his blockbuster collab with Peso Pluma, the “La Bebe” remix. The song has so far spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 11 on the tally. “La Bebe” peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. In May, Yng Lvcas unleashed his second all-reggaetón album Six Jewels 23, which captured the singer-songwriter his second top 10 entry on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart when it debuted at No. 5 on the June 10-dated ranking.
Grupo Frontera
Number of nominations: 15
Accomplishments: Like Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera is also up for both artist of the year and artist of the year, new. After breaking out last year with their “No Se Va” cover, Grupo Frontera has been on a winning streak — scoring major collaborations, including one with Bad Bunny. Their team-up “Un X100to” earned the Texas-based group four nominations, including regional Mexican song of the year. Five of their nods are for “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida, including Hot Latin Song of the Year and Sales Song of the Year. Grupo Frontera is also up for Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year.
Chino Pacas
Number of nominations: 1
Accomplishments: Part of the new generation of Mexican music artists, Chino Pacas broke through with his songs “Dijeron Que No La Iba a Lograr” with Fuerza Regida and “El Gordo Trae El Mando.” With the latter, Chino Pacas officially became a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, after it debuted on the April 1-dated list at No. 84. The Mexican artist is signed to Street Mob Records, founded by Jesús Ortiz Paz (of Fuerza Regida), which most recently signed a worldwide deal with Cinq Music to distribute the label and expand its opportunities in branding, sponsorships, merchandising and synchronization.
