With 14 entries each, Latin trap, reggaetón powerhouses Bad Bunny and Ozuna lead this year’s 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards list of finalists.
Vying for multiple top categories like artist of the year, songwriter of the year and hot Latin song of the year (Bad Bunny with “Callaíta” and Ozuna with “Otro Trago”), it’s no surprise that our No. 1 and No. 2 year-end Top Latin Artists lead the tally after dominating Billboard’s charts with chart-topping albums and smash hit singles/collaborations in 2019.
Here’s why Bad Bunny and Ozuna became this year’s top finalists.
Bad Bunny’s X100Pre debut album spent 34 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums survey during the 2019 chart year, which also secured the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter’s No. 1 title on the year-end Top Latin Albums roundup. With numbers to back him up, El Conejo Malo closed 2019 as the No. 1 artist on the year-end Top Latin Artists chart and the year-end Top Latin Artists – Male.
It wasn't just his debut album that gave him the prestigious title. Bad Bunny placed 32 tracks on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2019 including "Callaíta," which peaked at No. 2 (chart dated July 5, 2019). Aside from hot Latin song of the year, the Tainy-produced single is up for hot Latin song of the year, vocal event, digital song of the year and Latin rhythm song of the year.
Furthermore, Bad Bunny was the only Latin artist to appear on the overall all-genre year-end Top Artists list, taking spot No. 31. J Balvin and Bad Bunny's surprise album Oasis –– up for Latin Album of the Year — peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.
Sharing the spotlight with Bad Bunny is Ozuna.
Top year-end Latin Artist runner up in 2019, Ozuna is most nominated thanks to his collaborations with artists like Sech ("Otro Trago"), Anuel AA ("China) and Daddy Yankee whom he tapped for "Baila baila baila" — all top 10 hits on the Hot Latin Songs chart.
He's also up for top Latin albums artist of the year, male thanks to his 2017 debut Odisea and his 2018 album Aura. Both continue to rule the Top Latin Albums chart: Odisea, which spent 46 weeks at No. 1 on the survey — the second longest ever — currently No. 7 is now in it's 127th week on the chart and Aura, sitting at No. 17, in its 75th week.
Last year, Ozuna became the artist with most finalist nods (23) in a single year. Additionally, he is now the artist with the most wins in a single year taking home 11 awards at the 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
How many will each take home this year? Tune in to the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to take place April 23 in Las Vegas, to find out.
