Bad Bunny leads the list of finalists for the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, with 27 entries, setting a historic record for the awards.

The Puerto Rican superstar is followed by Fuerza Regida with 15 mentions and Rauw Alejandro with 14. Leading the female artists is Karol G with 10 mentions, matching those of rising regional Mexican artist Tito Double P who also has 10, while Peso Pluma is a nine-time finalist.

Broadcasting live via Telemundo on Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. ET from Miami, this year the awards will be presented in 49 categories, spanning leading genres including Latin pop, tropical, Latin rhythm and regional Mexican. In addition, Billboard will recognize select artists with prestigious honorary awards, which will be announced soon.

Bad Bunny is competing across categories such as artist of the year, songwriter of the year and Top Latin Album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, among others. California-based regional Mexican powerhouse, Fuerza Regida, follows with 15 mentions, including artist of the year, Global 200 Latin artist of the year and Top Regional Mexican Album of the year for 111XPANTIA.

Rauw Alejandro is a finalist in top categories, including artist of the year, tour of the year and Top Latin Album of the year for Cosa Nuestra. Meanwhile, Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” earned five mentions, including Latin Airplay song of the year, while she is also a finalist for Global 200 Latin artist of the year, Hot Latin Songs artist of the year, female and Top Latin Rhythm Album of the year for Tropicoqueta.

Tito Double P’s mentions include artist of the year, Global 200 Latin artist of the year and Top Latin Album of the tear for Incómodo, which also competes for Top Regional Mexican Album of the year. Peso Pluma is up for artist of the year, Hot Latin Songs artist of the year, male and multiple album categories for Exodo.

Other artists with multiple mentions include Netón Vega (eight), Grupo Frontera (seven), Shakira (six), Óscar Maydon and Romeo Santos (with five each). Finalists, and the eventual winners, reflect performance of new recordings on Billboard’s albums and songs charts for the period covering rankings dated Sept. 14, 2024 through the Sept. 6, 2025, charts. Determinations are based on key fan interactions with music, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay and touring, tracked by Billboard and its data partner, Luminate.

The 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards will broadcast live from Miami’s James L. Knight Center on Telemundo but fans around the world can also stream the show live on the Telemundo app, Peacock and Telemundo Internacional across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Produced by Telemundo and MBS Special Events, the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returns to Miami Beach Oct. 20-24 with a roster of star speakers including Kali Uchis, Daddy Yankee, Xavi, Laura Pausini, Ozuna and many more. Get your tickets today for the Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 here.

See the complete list of finalists below:

OVERALL ARTISTS CATEGORIES

Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny

Fuerza Regida

Peso Pluma

Rauw Alejandro

Tito Double P

Artist of the Year, New

Aleman

Clave Especial

FloyyMenor

Kapo

Netón Vega

Tour of the Year

Aventura

Chayanne

Luis Miguel

Rauw Alejandro

Shakira

Crossover Artist of the Year

Ayra Starr

benny blanco

Bruno Mars

ROSE

Rvssian

Ty Dolla $ign

Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny

Fuerza Regida

Karol G

Netón Vega

Tito Double P

SONGS CATEGORIES

Global 200 Latin Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”

Bad Bunny, “DTMF”

Bad Bunny, “Nuevayol”

Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”

Óscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”

Hot Latin Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”

Bad Bunny, “DTMF”

Bad Bunny, “EOO”

Bad Bunny, “Nuevayol”

Óscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”

Hot  Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event:

Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera, “Me Jalo”

Óscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”

Rauw Alejandro & Bad Bunny, “Qué Pasaría…”

Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, “Khe?”

Tito Double P & Peso Pluma, “Dos Días”

Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Male

Bad Bunny

Netón Vega

Peso Pluma

Rauw Alejandro

Tito Double P

Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Female

Karol G

Selena Gomez

Shakira

Yailin La Más Viral

Young Miko

Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Clave Especial

Fuerza Regida

Grupo Frontera

Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda

The Marias

Hot Latin Songs Label of the Year

Double P

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

Warner Latina

Latin Airplay Song of the Year

Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera, “Me Jalo”

Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”

Natti Natasha, “Desde Hoy”

Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, “Khe?”

Shakira, “Soltera”

Latin Airplay Label of the Year

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Warner Latina

Sales Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”

Bad Bunny, “DTMF”

Bad Bunny, “Nuevayol”

Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”

Xavi & Manuel Turizo, “En Privado”

Streaming Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”

Bad Bunny, “DTMF”

Bad Bunny, “Nuevayol”

Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”

Óscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”

ALBUM CATEGORIES

Top Latin Album of the Year

Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Netón Vega, Mi Vida Mi Muerte

Peso Pluma, Éxodo

Rauw Alejandro, Cosa Nuestra

Tito Double P, Incómodo

Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Male

Bad Bunny

Junior H

Peso Pluma

Rauw Alejandro

Tito Double P

Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Female

Becky G

Cazzu

Kali Uchis

Karol G

Shakira

Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Aventura

Clave Especial

Fuerza Regida

Grupo Frontera

Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda

Top Latin Albums Label of the Year

Double P

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

LATIN POP CATEGORIES

Latin Pop Artist of the Year, Solo

Danny Ocean

Enrique Iglesias

Kali Uchis

Luis Fonsi

Shakira

Latin Pop Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Ha*Ash

Jesse & Joy

Maná

Morat

Sin Bandera

Latin Pop Song of the Year

Danny Ocean & Kapo, “Imagínate”

Maluma, “Cosas Pendientes”

Rauw Alejandro, “Carita Linda”

Selena Gomez, benny blanco & The Marias, “Ojos Tristes”

Shakira, “Soltera”

Latin Pop Airplay Label of the Year

AP Global

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Warner Latina

Top Latin Pop Album of the Year

Cazzu, Latinaje

Danny Ocean, Babylon Club

Kapo, Por Si Alguien Nos Escucha

Latin Mafia, Todos Los Días Todo El Día

Quevedo, Buenas Noches

Top Latin Pop Albums Label of the Year

Insterscope Capitol Labels Group

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Enterprises

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Warner Latina

TROPICAL CATEGORIES

Tropical Artist of the Year, Solo

Elvis Crespo

Jerry Rivera

Marc Anthony

Prince Royce

Romeo Santos

Tropical Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Aventura

Chino & Nacho

Grupo Niche

La Sonora Dinamita

Monchy & Alexandra

Tropical Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”

Grupo Frontera & Romeo Santos, “Ángel”

Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”

Rauw Alejandro, “Tú Con Él”

Xavi & Manuel Turizo, “En Privado”

Tropical Airplay Label of the Year

Grupo Frontera

Insterscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

Warner Latina

Top Tropical Album of the Year

Grupo Kual? Dinastía Pedraza, Los Reyes De La Cumbia Sonidera: En México

Los Hermanos Rosario, Grandes Éxitos

Natti Natasha, En Amargue

Prince Royce, Eterno

Rubby Pérez, Rubby Pérez ¡Grandes Éxitos!

Top Tropical Albums Label of the Year

Discos Fuentes

Sony Music Latin

The Orchard

Universal Music Enterprises

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

REGIONAL MEXICAN CATEGORIES

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Solo

Ivan Cornejo

Junior H

Netón Vega

Peso Pluma

Tito Double P

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group:

Clave Especial

Fuerza Regida

Grupo Frontera

Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda

Los Tigres del Norte

Regional Mexican Song of the Year

Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera, “Me Jalo”

Fuerza Regida, “Por Esos Ojos”

Óscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida, “Tu Boda”

Peso Pluma & Netón Vega, “La Patrulla”

Tito Double P & Peso Pluma, “Dos Días”

Regional Mexican Airplay Label of the Year

Afinarte

Azteca

Socios

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Top Regional Mexican Album of the Year

Fuerza Regida, 111XPANTÍA

Ivan Cornejo, Mirada

Netón Vega, Mi Vida Mi Muerte

Peso Pluma, Éxodo

Tito Double P, Incómodo

Top Regional Mexican Albums Label of the Year

Double P Records

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Warner Latina

LATIN RHYTHM CATEGORIES

Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year, Solo

Bad Bunny

Feid

Kapo

Karol G

Rauw Alejandro

Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

Alexis & Fido

Baby Rasta & Gringo

J-King & Maximan

Jowell & Randy

Mambo Kingz

Latin Rhythm Song of the Year

Bad Bunny, “DTMF”

Bad Bunny, “EOO”

Bad Bunny, “Nuevayol”

Rauw Alejandro & Bad Bunny, “Qué Pasaría…”

Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, “Khe?”

Latin Rhythm Airplay Label of the Year

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Warner Latina

Top Latin Rhythm Album of the Year

Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos

FloyyMenor, El Comienzo

Karol G, Tropicoqueta

Omar Courtz, Primera Musa

Rauw Alejandro, Cosa Nuestra

Top Latin Rhythm Albums Label of the Year

Interscope Capitol Labels Group

Rimas

Sony Music Latin

United Masters

Universal Music Latin Entertainment

WRITERS / PRODUCERS / PUBLISHERS CATEGORIES

Songwriter of the Year

Armenta

Bad Bunny

Jorsshh

Netón Vega

Roberto “La Paciencia”

Publisher of the Year

Downtown DMP Songs,BMI

Josa Publishing,BMI

Sony Latin Music Publishing,LLC,BMI

Street Mob Publishing,BMI

Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp,BMI

 Publishing Corporation of the Year

Downtown Music Publishing

Rimas Entertainment

Sony Music Publishing

Universal Music

Warner Chappell Music

Producer of the Year

Ernesto “Neto” Fernández

JOP

MAG

Roberto “La Paciencia”

Tito Double P

Cardi B and Offset aren’t a couple anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t support his ex’s upcoming album. When TMZ caught up with the “Bodies” rapper on Tuesday (Sept. 9), they asked if he’s worried that Cardi’s eagerly anticipated sophomore album, Am I the Drama?, might bump his recently released LP Kiari off the charts.

“Are your kids gonna have both their parents nominated for album of the year?,” the TMZ photog asked. “For sure,” Offset assured him. “You guys gonna go up against each other maybe?” TMZ asked.

“Never. No, no, no,” Offset said. “I just want all peace, man, for us to win, everybody gotta win. We got kids to take care of, we got to catch the dubs.” The couple share three children together, daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus, 7, son Wave Set Cephus, 4, and one-year-old daughter Blossom.

Though Cardi filed for divorce — for a second time — from Offset in July 2024, ‘Set said he will absolutely support his ex when she drops finally drops the long-awaited follow-up to her 2018 Billboard 200 chart-topping debut studio album Invasion of Privacy.

“For sure,” he said. “That s–t hard, she’s gonna do her big one, too.”

Cardi — who was honored with the 2025 Billboard Impact of the Year Award at the R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event in Brooklyn earlier this week — recently took to the streets of New York City to promote her LP. She set up shop on Saturday on a busy sidewalk, where she laid out copies of her album on a sheet and shouted out wildly bargain prices to passersby. “My label said I gotta get out in these streets and sell this album,” Cardi captioned the video of her stunt on Instagram.

Am I the Drama? is slated to drop on Sept. 19.

  

Spotify has announced that it is rolling out its long-awaited lossless audio feature for premium subscribers in 50 markets worldwide. With the new feature, subscribers can stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC (or CD-quality audio) on “nearly every song available on Spotify,” says a Spotify press release on the matter.

Lossless audio will roll out gradually across the 50 qualifying markets through October. Premium users in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK have already started to get access.

Spotify’s high fidelity listening feature has been a long time coming. It was first announced in Feb. 2021 at the company’s Stream On event and promoted by Billie Eilish and Finneas. Originally, the plan was to roll out high fidelity audio “in select markets later [that] year” according to the original 2021 announcement, but it never materialized. In early 2022, Spotify posted a status update to its community board, stating that HiFi was now on hold. “We know that HiFi quality audio is important to you,” the statement reads. “We feel the same, and we’re excited to deliver a Spotify HiFi experience to Premium users in the future. But we don’t have timing details to share yet. We will of course update you here when we can.”

At the time, many onlookers believed this higher quality listening experience was an opportunity for Spotify to raise prices, which would, in turn, amount to greater profits for the streaming service and more royalties for artists and songwriters. In 2015, Tidal launched a HiFi audio plan for $19.99 a month. In 2019, Amazon did the same by launching Amazon Music HD, a new HiFi tier that offered 50 million songs in 16 bit, 44.1kHz and “millions” more in Ultra HD (24-bit and up to 192 kHz) for an additional cost of $5 per month for existing Amazon Music subscribers.

But the hope for a new, higher-priced tier came to a halt in May 2021 when Apple Music entered the high fidelity race by announcing its “Spatial Audio” tier with Dolby Atmos at no additional cost to its users. Later that day, Amazon Music announced that its HD tier would now also be free for all users.

In 2023, Bloomberg reported that a so-called “Supremium” tier was in the works at Spotify. The tier was intended to be a higher-priced upgrade from its premium offering, likely including special features like lossless audio. To date, it has not come to fruition.

The announcement of its integration of lossless audio comes just weeks after Spotify announced its Mix With Spotify feature, allowing premium users to create DJ-level mixes and transitions between songs in a playlist. The company also recently added the ability to direct message (DM) other account holders.

After pulling their tunes from Spotify, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are flipping the script once again by inviting fans to download their catalog on Bandcamp at whatever price they choose.

The prolific Australian psych-rock outfit have tagged all their downloadable albums as “name your price,” a generous promotion that has the hallmarks of Radiohead’s groundbreaking In Rainbows experiment from 2007, when the British band invited fans to pay whatever they wanted to download the then-new album, their first outside of the EMI machine.

King Gizz, as they’re known in their homeland, and with their loyal fans everywhere, has applied the pay-what-you-want offer to their considerable catalogue, and fans have got into the spirit of the exercise.

At the time of writing the entire top 25 digital albums on Bandcamp are from King Gizz.

The rockers are in a giving mood, after recently pulled their music from Spotify, a protest to CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek’s personal investment in military AI.

“Hello friends… A PSA to those unaware,” read a message on the band’s later Instagram Story, posted in late July. “Spotify CEO Daniel Ek invests millions in AI military drone technology… We just removed our music from the platform… Can we put pressure on these Dr. Evil tech bros to do better?… Join us on another platform.”

They’ve done just that.

King Gizz are no ordinary recording artists. At the time of writing, their discography numbers 27 studio albums, three EPs, and six live albums, a figure that could change any day now.

In 2017, the Melbourne act promised, and delivered, five studio albums in a calendar year. Five years later, they did it again, by releasing five albums in the calendar year 2022.

If Radiohead’s honest box concept is anything to go by, consumers won’t dig deep for King Gizz downloads. According to a 2007 study by Internet research group ComScore, which examined how consumers reacted to that unusual digital release strategy, 38% paid an average of $6. The rest paid nothing. The physical release was a conventional one, and a hit.

Since it was founded in 2008, Bandcamp boasts more than $1.57 billion paid to artists using the platform. Bandcamp downloads are available in MP3, FLAC and more, and supporters get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.

K-pop visionary J.Y. Park is making the leap into politics.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has appointed Park (Park Jin-young), CEO of JYP Entertainment, as co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange.

Announced Tuesday, Sept. 9, the new presidential committee has a mission to promote South Korean culture abroad while expanding exposure to international pop culture domestically.

Park shared his thoughts on his Instagram account. “I thought long and hard about taking on a government role, as it felt burdensome and worrisome in many ways for someone from the entertainment industry. But with K-pop facing such a special opportunity right now, I decided to embrace it and make the most of it,” he added.

Widely loved by the public, Park debuted as a solo artist in 1994, and last year presented a solo concert in Seoul to celebrate his 30th anniversary.

After founding JYP Entertainment in 1996, he launched artists including Rain, Wonder Girls, 2PM, TWICE, Day6 and Stray Kids, elevating the company to one of Korea’s top entertainment agencies.

In 2009, at the height of the Wonder Girls’ domestic popularity, he moved to the United States and essentially started from scratch. He secured the group a spot as the opening act for the Jonas Brothers’ North American tour, and guided the English-language version of the Wonder Girls’ “Nobody,” which became the first Korean song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, debuting and peaking at No. 76, for what turned out to be a week-long stay on the chart.

Park also posted a photo of the Wonder Girls from 2009 on his Instagram, remarking “My dream remains the same as it was in 2003 when I went to the U.S. to promote Korean artists to American record labels, in 2009 when the Wonder Girls became the first Korean act to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and now: for K-pop to be loved worldwide.”

Park isn’t the first entertainer to enter politics in Korea. Yoo In-chon — a widely beloved actor from the 1980s through the 1990s — served twice as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It is unprecedented, however, for someone who remains an active artist to be appointed to a minister-level position.

Meanwhile, shares of JYP Entertainment — where Park is the largest shareholder — were up 4.93% from the previous day as of 9 a.m. KST, and are currently trading 2.8% higher.

The company’s outlook itself also appears solid, thanks to the ongoing success of its frontline acts. Among them, TWICE, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and is currently on the road for their fourth worldwide concert tour. Stray Kids recently set a new K-pop record as Karma became their seventh consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, beginning with ODDINARY in 2022 (all debuted at the top spot). Also, Park has introduced localized idol groups through the affiliates of JYP Japan, JYP China, and JYP America.