2023 Latin Grammys: No Love for Peso Pluma and Other Snubs & Surprises

The nominees for the 2023 Latin Grammys were announced on Tuesday (Sept. 19) with Mexican producer-songwriter Edgar Barrera as the most nominated person with a total of 13 nominations. Barrera is followed by Colombian stars Camilo, Karol G, Shakira and composer Kevyn Mauricio Cruz (also known as Keityn), each with seven nominations. Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap received six.

While remarkable, it’s not the first time that a producer leads the list of nominees. In 2014 Eduardo Cabra (Calle 13) led with 10 nominations. A major surprise this year is that, for the first time ever, two regional Mexican songs are up for the top category song of the year: Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma‘s “Ella Baila Sola” and Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s “Un x100to.”

But just as there were big surprises, there were striking snubs. For starters, Mexican music’s biggest star, Peso Pluma, who appears in two categories (song of the year and best regional song with “Ella Baila Sola” because he was a collaborator) would not even receive an award if the song wins either of those two categories, because it would go to the song’s songwriter: Pedro Tovar. Peso, who’s had a breakout 2023 — entering 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 this year alone — is not up for any awards himself. He was also passed over in best new artist, a category that seemed fitting for the artist.

Grupo Frontera was also a sure bet for the best new artist category but the Mexican-American group did not make the cut. Both Peso and Frontera are up for artist of the year and artist of the year, new at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.

The 24th annual Latin Grammys are set to take place for the first time outside the U.S., in Seville, Spain, on Nov. 16. “This group of creators reflects musical excellence and the richness of Latin music, and I look forward to celebrating them during Latin Grammy Week in Sevilla which will be a truly historic moment for our organization,” says Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, in a statement, adding that they received more than 19,000 entries overall this year.

Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from Tuesday’s nominations.