fuerza regida

The Latin Recording Academy has added even more names to its already star-studded lineup of artists slated to perform at the 26th Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held Nov. 13.

Among the acts announced are album of the year nominee Bad Bunny, breakout Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, song of the year nominee Karol G and San Bernardino-based música mexicana powerhouse group Fuerza Regida

Also added to the performers list was Mexican musical icon Marco Antonio Solís and Puerto Rican band Chuwi, who was featured on Bad Bunny’s latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

Next week’s show will mark the first time Bad Bunny has performed on the Latin Grammy stage since 2021, when he sang “Maldita Pobreza” from his 2020 album “El Último Tour Del Mundo.” It also will be the first time that Fuerza Regida and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso perform on the Latin Grammy stage.

Album of the year nominee Rauw Alejandro, legendary rocker Carlos Santana, ranchero/mariachi album nominee Christian Nodal and country darling Kacey Musgraves were among the acts previously announced as performers at the Las Vegas awards show.

Other artists slated to take the stage at the show’s 26th iteration include 22-time Latin Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz; the Argentine singer Nathy Peluso; Tejano band Grupo Frontera; former best new artist winner Joaquina and Venezuelan singer-songwriter Elena Rose.

Additional artists set to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena are música Mexicana acts Carín León, Pepe Aguilar and Los Tigres del Norte; sad sierreño singer-songwriters Iván Cornejo and DannyLux; Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan and Colombian rock band Morat.

This year’s list of top nominees include Bad Bunny (12), Edgar Barrera (10), Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso (10), Rafa Arcaute (eight), Natalia Lafourcade (eight) and Federico Vindver (eight).

Bad Bunny’s 12 nominations this year will bring his total career nods to 52. With her eight nominations this year, Lafourcade looks to bolster her collection of 18 trophies from the awards show — the most wins for any female artist.

Nabbing eight more nominations, Edgar Barrera continues to pad his stats as the awards show’s most nominated person of all time with 72 nods, along with 24 wins. Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz received four nods this year, which brings his career total to 51.

This month’s show will be the debut of the new Visual Media field and its new category, Music For Visual Media, which will honor scores for film and television. Also added to this year’s awards is the category for best roots song.

It’s been a big year for música Mexicana. Corridos tumbados are still dominating the global charts, with a handful of established stars leading the charge — among them Fuerza Regida, Peso Pluma, Tito Double P, Junior H and genre newcomer Netón Vega.

But amid this flurry of new releases, you might have missed an album or two worthy of recognition. Here are five música Mexicana records you should check out.

Chino Pacas, “Cristian”

Chino Pacas has staked his claim to the spotlight following the release of his sophomore album, “Cristian,” which came out earlier this month. At just 18 years old, he’s amassed over 17 million monthly Spotify listeners, largely due to his uniquely gritty vocals that pair well with the genre’s thunderous instrumentation.

Now with “Cristian,” Chino Pacas looks to stand out among other corridos tumbados stars by exploring a range of sounds, including traditional banda rhythms in “No Es Un Juego” (ft. Banda Otro Pedo) and the hip hop-infused “GTO” (ft. Santa Fe Klan). (The latter’s music video is filmed in some iconic Boyle Heights locations, including Mexican deli Los Cinco Puntos and El Mercado’s Virgin Mary shrine.) Pacas also picks up the pace with his rendition of Tropicalísimo Apache’s 1993 song “Ojitos Mentirosos,” a song currently trending on TikTok; Pacas’ version has risen considerably on Mexico’s Top 50 chart on Spotify.

Armenta, “Portate Bien”

After producing some of Fuerza Regida’s most iconic hits, Armenta seized the opportunity to release his own debut album, “Portate Bien,” in early August. At its core, the project captures the depths of love and heartache across 15 melancholic tracks, carried by the Mexican singer’s crisp and bold vocals.

Sonically, the LP is a blend of corridos tumbados with the occasional touch of reggaeton and harmonious pop, which shines brightest in tracks like “Ansiedad” and “AbrilSinTi” (ft. Alex Garcia). The crooner also plays with traditional bolero rhythms for his last track “Bolerito” (ft. Manuel Medrano). Already a growing hit for the singer-songwriter is the love-struck ballad “Pensando y Pensando,” which deals with ruminating thoughts of love and loss.

Kane Rodriguez, “La Batuta”

Like many before him in the genre, newcomer Kane Rodriguez first debuted his signature raspy vocals on TikTok, where he would upload acoustic covers of popular corridos. Now the Houston native is using the same platform to promote “La Batuta,” his first album of all-original songs, which was released in April.

In a genre obsessed with flashy gimmicks, Rodriguez sticks to the traditional corrido sound across 13 tracks, setting himself apart from the crowd with his raw vocals and prickly guitar style. Like most of his contemporaries, the 22-year-old explores themes of illicit activity, touting a risqué lifestyle in popular numbers like “La Batuta” and “Morro Mañoso.” In the fierce standout track “Se Volvieron Locos,” he lambastes haters for not believing in him.

Clave Especial, “Mija No Te Asustes”

Clave Especial released their highly-anticipated debut studio album, “Mija No Te Asustes,” this past February — and the 16 hard-hitting tracks were well worth the wait. Since forming in 2021, the trio has transformed their tempered banda sound into a more boisterous affair, likely drawing inspiration from other acts on their label, Street Mob Records, led by Fuerza Regida frontman, Jesús Ortiz Paz. The LP remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 11 weeks, peaking at No. 91.

Clave Especial and Fuerza Regida join forces in their brassy mobster-core singles “Como Capo” and “No Pasa Nada.” The possessive love song “Tu Tu Tu,” which features vocalist Edgardo Nuñez, reached the top of the Regional Mexican Airplay chart just this week — marking a first for the band from Salinas, Calif. Clave Especial is set to kick off their first U.S. headlining tour this fall.

Chuy Montana, “No Fue Suerte”

In 2024, the rising corridos bélicos singer Chuy Montana was murdered in Tijuana after singing songs that authorities said “displeased his aggressor.” It’s a tragic fate that has met other legendary Mexican singers, including the narcocorrido trailblazer Chalino Sanchez in 1992. In June, Street Mob Records released Montana’s posthumous debut album, “No Fue Suerte,” after finishing his songs in close collaboration with his family.

Using his rugged vocal delivery, Montana peppers his lyrics with amusing vulgarities. His most popular song, “Qué Bendición,” tells tales of his trials and tribulations, and his mother’s blessing that follows him wherever he goes — although some songs sound haunting now, in light of Montana’s passing. Among those songs is the accordion-riddled track “Perdón Mamá” featuring Juanpa Salazar, in which Montana foreshadows his tragic death and delivers a heartbreaking, preemptive apology to his grieving mother.

Premios Juventud announced its nominees for its 22nd annual award ceremony. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny and Venezuelan balladeer Danny Ocean both lead with six nominations each.

Not far behind are hitmakers Anitta, Beéle, Carín León, Emilia, Myke Towers, Netón Vega and Peso Pluma, who each count five nominations. Other nominees include Becky G, Camilo, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera, Kapo, Karol G and more.

It’s a monumental year for the awards ceremony, which began back in 2004 as part of the Univision network, now under the media conglomerate TelevisaUnivision.

The live broadcast will take place in Panama City, Panama, which is the first time the show will be held outside of the U.S. The decision to host abroad follows TelevisaUnivision’s “commitment to honoring the strength, values, and traditions of Latin American communities,” the network writes in a press release statement.

But location is not the only new element in the works. The theme this year is “Evolucionando al ritmo de la música,” and that certainly seems to be the case.

This year, Premios Juventud is introducing eight new categories to its lineup that better reflect evolving youth interest, including best alternative Mexican music song, best pop/rhythmic song, Afrobeat Latino of the Year.

While there has historically been an emphasis on music and television, this year the organization is also honoring creators in the beauty and fashion industry as well as podcasters, streamers, travel vloggers and soccer enthusiasts. In recent years, the award show has opened up new categories for digital creators, advocates and comics as social media platforms have become a hot spot for growing Latino talent.

Winners of Premios Juventud 2025 are determined by votes from viewers, which can be cast at premiosjuventud.com from now until September.

Hosted by Dominican actor Clarissa Molina (and others TBA), the awards show will broadcast live on Sept. 25 from the Figali Convention Center on Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavisión and ViX at 4 p.m. PT, 7 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. CT.

Bad Bunny has chimed in on the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that are taking place in his native Puerto Rico and all over the country.

The 31-year-old “Nuevayol” singer posted to Instagram a video, with commentary, of ICE agents conducting a raid on the island.

“Look, those mother— are in these cars, RAV4s. They’re here on [Avenida] Pontezuela,” he said of the officials arriving in the Puerto Rican city of Carolina, “instead of leaving the people alone and working.”

Since the onset of President Trump’s second term, the U.S. territory has been subjected to ICE raids, which have targeted the island’s largely Dominican immigrant population. For years, immigrants from the neighboring Caribbean island have been allowed to open bank accounts and obtain special driver’s licenses that indicate their immigration status. The Associated Press estimates that over 55,000 people from the Dominican Republic live in Puerto Rico.

Rebecca González-Ramos, ICE’s top investigator in Puerto Rico, told NPR that the agency has made nearly 500 arrests, of which roughly 75% have involved Dominicans. NPR further noted that fewer than 80 of the 500 people arrested have a criminal record, with the most common charge being reentry into the country following a deportation.

An added barrier for those apprehended on the island is that they must be transferred to the U.S. mainland to be processed.

“It’s something that creates a great difficulty because people who had ongoing immigration cases here have been detained — meaning their legal representation is in Puerto Rico,” ACLU lawyer Annette Martínez Orabona said in a news conference earlier this month. “I know it’s terrible anywhere in the United States, but in Puerto Rico’s case, it’s worse because we are not contiguous to the mainland. It’s not a matter of just getting in a car and getting there.”

Bad Bunny’s calling out of ICE’s activities comes as other major Latin American music acts have used their platforms to condemn the ICE raids and align their sympathies with immigrants. Becky G, Ivan Cornejo, Fuerza Regida, Junior H, Grupo Frontera and Maná are among the acts to have voiced concerns recently for the immigrant community.

Amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids happening in Los Angeles and across the country, Shakira is opening up about the realities of being an immigrant in the United States.

The 48-year-old singer spoke with the BBC last week about moving as a teenager from her native Colombia to Miami in the ’90s.

“I was only 19 when I moved to the US, like many other Colombian immigrants who come to this country looking for a better future,” she said. “And I remember I was surrounded by Spanish-English dictionaries and synonym dictionaries because back in the day I didn’t really have Google or ChatGPT to [help].”

Further commenting on her “very precarious” situation, Shakira noted that she used the works of poet Walt Whitman and singer-songwriters Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan to refine her English skills.

But beyond the language learning pains, the “Estoy Aquí” artist spoke on the emotional toll of the immigrant experience.

“It means living in constant fear. And it’s painful to see,” Shakira said. “Now, more than ever, we have to remain united. Now, more than ever, we have to raise our voices and make it very clear that a country can change its immigration policies, but the treatment of all people must always be humane.”

This isn’t the first time Shakira has touched on the subject of immigration in recent months.

While accepting the Latin pop album Grammy for “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” in February, the “Whenever, Wherever” singer dedicated her award to her “immigrant brothers and sisters in this country”

“You are loved, you are worth it and I will always fight with you,” she said.

Shakira’s recent words of solidarity with the immigrant community came as other major Latin American music acts used their platforms to condemn the ICE raids and align their sympathies with immigrants. Becky G, Ivan Cornejo, Fuerza Regida, Junior H, Grupo Frontera and Maná were among the acts to publicly voice concern for the immigrant community.

Latin music reigns supreme in los Estados Unidos.

Bad Bunny and Fuerza Regida just made history for Spanish-language music. As of this week, the Puerto Rican artist’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” and the San Bernardino group’s “111XPANTIA” became the first-ever Spanish-language albums to simultaneously sit at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Fuerza Regida’s album, which dropped May 2, debuted in the No. 2 spot on the chart. According to Billboard, it became the highest-charting música regional album and Spanish-language album by a group or duo.

Bad Bunny’s wide-spanning love letter to his beloved Puerto Rico — “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” — regained the top spot in the charts after he released a vinyl edition of the album. It was previously sitting in the seventh position on the Billboard 200 and has lingered in the top 10 since it debuted on Jan. 5.

Bad Bunny announced a 23-date stadium tour in support of the album that will kick off Nov. 21 in the Dominican Republic, followed by shows in Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. There are currently no U.S. dates scheduled for the tour.

“111XPANTIA,” Fuerza Regida’s ninth studio album, released under Rancho Humilde and Street Mob Records, marks the group’s return to its original corrido style, in contrast to its last album, 2024’s “Pero No Te Enamores,” which explored more electronically-geared genres like Jersey club, drill and house music.

The album title itself, “111XPANTIA,” is made up of two parts: the first is a palindrome, “111,” which some call an “angel number,” or a sign of luck; the second part stems from the Nahuatl word for manifestation, “ixpantia.”

“The meaning of this album is to manifest an idea, to think your dreams into reality and to prove something through the power of the mind and the concept of the law of attraction,” said Fuerza Regida frontman Jesús Ortiz Paz, a.k.a. JOP, in a press release.