The 2023 Latin Grammys are hours away and one of the biggest guessing games of the evening will be in the album of the year field. A total of 10 contenders were selected by the Academy this year following Rosalía‘s big win in 2022 when the songstress beat out massively successful records from Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny and Jorge Drexler, to name a few.
Representing female singer-songwriters this year are Paula Arenas, Natalia Lafourcade and Karol G — the only women in the category. Arenas, a Colombian composer known for her piano-imbued pop ballads, is nominated for her first full-length album since 2019, “A Ciegas.” Lafourcade, whose 2022 record “Un Canto Por Méxito – El Musical” was up for best folk album last year, finds herself in the album of the year category for the sixth time in her career with “De Todas Las Flores.”
Karol, the Colombian superstar who just recently wrapped a trek of stadium shows in the United States, is nominated for her “Mañana Será Bonito,” which included features from Shakira and production work from Billie Eillish’s brother and go-to producer Finneas, among others.
Elsewhere, Pablo Alborán is nominated for his 11-song “La Cu4rta Hoja,” which is influenced by pop and flamenco. Alborán is one of the biggest-selling artists in Spain, with all five of his first studio albums hitting No. 1 in the region. Camilo‘s “De Adentro Pa Afuera,” a record the singer told PvNew was inspired by his first year of fatherhood, is the Colombian artist’s third time appearing in the album of the year category though he has never won.
Andrés Cepeda‘s “Décimo Cuarto,” with features from Joss Favela and Reik, appears in the field for the first time since 2013 though Cepeda’s work has been consistently recognized at the awards show ever since the early 2000s. The romantic singer-songwriter began his career in 1990.
Another mainstay of the Latin Grammys, Juanes finds himself up for album of the year and nods for best rock song and album with his 2023 record, “Vida Cotidiana.” For me, this is my best album, my best composition — in all aspects,” Juanes toldPvNew when the album was released earlier this May. “It’s not an album that I made with the thought that it had to be the most commercial by any means, but rather it is an album that I feel really reflects what’s in my soul and it’smysound.”
Ricky Martín‘s “Play” was the follow-up to the globally recognized singer’s “Pausa,” an EP that won best pop vocal album at the 21st annual ceremony. “Play” is similarly an EP of six songs with a 16-minute run-time. Reik also scores his second appearance in the field as a featured artist on an album of the year-nominated record.
Along with the album of the year nod, Fito Páez’s “Eadda9223” gave way to the Argentine musician’s fourth nomination at the U.S.-based Grammys for best Latin rock/alternative album category. “Eadda9223” is comprised of new renditions of his 1992 record, “El Amor After Del Amor.”
Last, but certainly not least, Carlos Vives‘ “Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así” rounds out the list and is an homage to Colombian vallenato composer, Rafael Escalona, and marks 30 years of Vives’ storied career.
The album of the year award is one of the four main fields along with song of the year, record of the year and best new artist. Find out who wins when the Latin Grammys air on Univision, UniMás, and Galavisión at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 16.
