Edgar Barrera, MAG, Eslabon Armado & More Among 2024 BMI Latin Awards Top Winners

Edgar Barrera, Eslabon Armado, MAG and Horacio Palencia were among the big winners at the 2024 BMI Latin Awards Wednesday night (March 13) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.

During the ceremony, Palencia was honored with the BMI President’s Award for his contributions as a songwriter in the música mexicana genre throughout his career, which spans over two decades. The singer-songwriter also performed some of his biggest hits such as “A Través Del Vaso,” “2 VECES” and “Ya Es Muy Tarde.”

BMI also saluted the top Latin songwriters, publishers and administrators of the past year’s most-performed Spanish-language songs in the U.S. at the private event hosted by BMI president & CEO Mike O’Neill, BMI chief revenue & creative officer Mike Steinberg and BMI vice president of creative Latin, Jesus Gonzalez.

Mexican-American songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera was named regional Mexican songwriter of the year for the second year in a row for writing seven of BMI’s most performed regional Mexican songs of the past year, including “Bebe Dame”(Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera), “CHANEL” (Becky G and Peso Pluma) “Frágil” (Grupo Frontera and Yahritza y Su Esencia), “UN X100TO” (Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny) and “Ya No Somos Ni Seremos” (Christian Nodal).

Meanwhile, Puerto Rican-Dominican hitmaker MAG received the contemporary Latin songwriter of the year award for his work on 10 of the most-performed BMI Latin songs of 2023, including “Andrea,” “Después de la Playa,” “El Apagón,” “La Jumpa” and “Otro Atardecer” — all recorded by Bad Bunny.

Eslabon Armado not only performed their global smash hit “Ella Baila Sola” during the ceremony, but also took home regional Mexican song of the year for their track with Peso Pluma. Bad Bunny’s “Efecto” — penned and produced by MAG, La Paciencia and Cesar Americo, Feli Ciano, Harissis Tsakmaklis and Luzian Gregor Tuetsch of Bass Charity — was named contemporary Latin song of the year. 

For a second year in a row, Sony Music Publishing took home the award for contemporary Latin publisher of the year. The regional Mexican publisher of the year award went to Prajin Music Publishing and Downtown DMP Songs.