While big names and big songs have long dominated Latin music charts, the finalists for the 2016 Billboard Latin Music Awards — which will air live from Miami on April 28 on Telemundo — offer a striking view of two contrasting sides of the U.S. Latin music market.
Well-established, pop-leaning acts Juan Gabriel and Mana, who dominate album sales and touring, are both seven-time nominees this year. Top album finalists likewise represent the veteran wing of Latin music: Gabriel’s Los Duo and Mana’s Cama Incendiardada, along with Ricky Martin’s A Quien Quiera Escuchar and Gerardo Ortiz’s Hoy Mas Fuerte. Tour of the year finalists are Gabriel, Enrique Iglesias (with Pitbull), Ricardo Arjona and Romeo Santos, who is the leading finalist with 12 nods.
In contrast, uptempo, urban-centric artists like Nicky Jam (up for 11 awards) and J Balvin (eight nods) dominate the airplay and streaming charts. They’re both up for Hot Latin Song artist of the year, male, along with Santos and Iglesias.
The split reflects the two main segments of U.S. Latin-music consumers: U.S.-born millennials (who are mostly bilingual or English-leaning, according to census data) and older, often foreign-born people who speak mostly Spanish at home. It’s rare to find artists who appeal to both audiences, and accordingly, two of them are the year’s leading finalists: Santos with 12 nods and Iglesias with 11.
Two other trends are on display. One is the growth of regional Mexican music, a genre that embraces both youth and tradition. Three of the best new artist finalists are regional Mexican outfits (Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho, Banda Clave Nueva de Max Peraza and La Septima Banda), with Colombian urban star Maluma the outlier.
The other trend: collaborations between established acts and newcomers. Along with Iglesias and Jam’s “El Perdon,” Marc Anthony and Gente de Zona are up for three awards for “La Gozadera” and Farruko’s “Sunset,” featuring Shaggy and Nicky Jam, is up for one.
Finalists and winners for the 2016 awards are determined by performance on Billboard‘s sales, airplay, streaming and touring charts.