Reggaetón heavy-hitters Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Latin pop icon Luis Fonsi and rising urbano star Sech are up for top latin album of the year at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards after dropping Grammy-nominated and chart-topping albums in 2019.
Bad Bunny has two entries in the category thanks to his debut album, X 100Pre, and his joint album, Oasis, with friend and fellow reggaetonero J Balvin. Meanwhile, Fonsi's acclaimed Vida became a contender after earning his No. 1 on Top Latin Albums since 2011 and Sech entering with his first studio album Sueños which gave the Panamanian artist his first-ever chart entry.
Here's a break down of the albums up for this top category.
Bad Bunny, X 100Pre
The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter's album debuted and peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart dated Jan. 5, 2019. Furthermore, Bad Bunny's X 100Pre debut set spent 34 weeks at No. 1 on the survey during the 2019 chart year. The album includes collabs with artist including Diplo, El Alfa and Nitti Gritti. X 100Pre also includes the Drake-assited track "Mía" which became the 2019 year-end No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs recap. With 14 entries each, Bunny and Ozuna lead the list of finalists.
J Balvin & Bad Bunny, OASIS
The eight-song set earned both artists their first top 10 on the Billboard 200 where it entered at No. 9. (chart dated July 12, 2019). The Grammy-nominated album debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums scoring the biggest streaming debut for a Latin album released in 2019. Additionally, Oasis became the first collaborative No. 1 on Top Latin Albums in two years. Balvin is a 12-time finalist.
Luis Fonsi, Vida
The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter's Vida debuted and peaked at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated Feb. 16, 2019). His tenth studio album became Fonsi's first chart-topping album in nearly eight years and earned him his third No. 1 since his 2011 album Tierra Firme. The set features artists like Demi Lovato, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and Karol G. Vida also includes the smash hit "Despacito" remix ft. Justin Bieber and Yankee. Fonsi is up for a total of four awards this year.
Sech, Sueños
The Panamanian artist's first studio album effort debuted at No. 8 on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated May 4, 2019), marking Sech's first-ever chart entry. For his Latin Grammy-nominated album, the rising urbano artist tapped reggaetoneros Maluma, Nicky Jam and Farruko. Sech is a seven-time finalist including top category new artist of the year.
Both J Balvin and Sech are confirmed speakers at Billboard and Telemundo's LatinFest+. Balvin will be one of the marquee speakers this year while Sech is a panelist for our On the Rise – The New Generation of Urban Men and Women: A Candid Conversation.
The awards show is the culmination of LatinFest+, produced by Billboard and Telemundo, which is a three-day immersive experience dedicated to Latin music, culture and entertainment taking place April 20-23 at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, LatinFest+, formerly known as Billboard Latin Music Week, will include superstar conversations, workshops, live concerts, fan experiences, and will feature artists such as J Balvin, Rosalía, Los Tigres del Norte, and Ozuna, among many others. For registration and more information visit www.latinfestplus.com.
