This is the first time the reggaeton star, who is set to headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, has won in this category at the Latin Grammys.
For the first time in his career, Bad Bunny won the Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
After “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” lost record of the year to Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz’s song “Palmeras en el Jardín,” Bad Bunny’s album of the same name took home the night’s top prize. (He won Record of the Year in 2024 for “Monaco.”)
Nominated for a total of 12 awards at the 26th Latin Grammy Awards held on Thursday, November 13th, the 31-year-old global superstar swept the other four categories: Best Urban Music Performance, Best Urban Song, Best Urban Music Album and Best Reggaeton Performance.
In his final acceptance speech of the night, Bad Bunny thanked God, but “first and foremost, my mother for giving birth to me.” He continued, “Mom and Dad, I love you. I love my brothers and I love music. I love music. I love what I do. I love being around passionate people and doing what I enjoy the most.”
Bad Bunny wins album of the year award for first time at Latin Grammy Awards
This is the first time the reggaeton star, who is set to headline the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, has won in this category.
Bad Bunny was last nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards for “Un Verano Sin Ti,” but lost to Spanish singer Rosalía for “Motomami.”
In 2021, “El Último Tour Del Mundo” was nominated in the same category. At the 2020 awards ceremony, his collaborations with Colombian reggaeton artist J Balvin, OASIS and YHLQMDLG, were both nominated for Album of the Year. Until then, Bad Bunny had not yet appeared on the Latin Grammy nomination list.
Now, Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for four weeks after its release in January, and will be nominated for six Grammy Awards at the 2026 ceremony.
“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” also spawned a 30-day concert residency in Puerto Rico, “No Me Quiero Ir de Aqui,” which has been nominated for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Global Music Performance, Best Album Cover, and Best Urban Music Album.
Bad Bunny shouts out collaborators in Latin Grammy Awards speech
“Thank you to everyone who worked on this album. There are so many of you, and you are all dear to my heart,” he continued in his speech. The album pays homage to Bad Bunny’s Boricua roots and finds the singer incorporating traditional genres like plena, salsa, and jivaro into his signature Latin urbano sound.
“I’m grateful for all the collaborations, because I don’t think this album would be the same without the contribution of each artist who put their soul and emotion into this project,” he said, thanking Los Sobrinos, Los Planeros de la Cresta, Tiny, Chewie and Omar Coates.
Bad Bunny talks about “patriotism” in speech
Bad Bunny said earlier in the night that he rarely practices his speeches before award ceremonies, but there’s no denying that he knows how to give a speech.
“Love me as much as you can,” he said in his speech, adding that he wanted to dedicate his Album of the Year award to “all the children and young people of Latin America, especially the people of Puerto Rico.” Straight to the camera, he said, “Never stop dreaming and be yourself. It doesn’t matter where you come from. Don’t forget where you came from and where you’re going.”
“There are ways to show patriotism and protect our land. We chose music,” he concluded.
Bad Bunny will headline the next Super Bowl halftime show
Thursday’s Latin Grammy win only adds to his reputation before he is widely introduced to English-speaking America and international audiences as halftime performer at February’s Super Bowl, a choice that has angered some American traditionalists, including President Donald Trump, who has never heard his music.
He is also likely to be the first artist to perform entirely or largely in Spanish. In 2020, he was a guest at the halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
The fast-growing Latin music sector will generate a record $1.4 billion in 2024, account for 8.1% of total U.S. music revenue, and is shaping culture faster than any other genre, the Recording Industry Association of America said.
The “Tití Me Preguntó” artist will begin her 24-date Debi Tilar Mas Fotos World Tour on November 21st in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Ahead of the Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday, November 13, it was announced that Hennessy has partnered with Bad Bunny as a global presenting sponsor for their upcoming world tour.
“This collaboration celebrates creativity, culture, and the global Latinx community, and Hennessy will create an immersive fan experience throughout the tour, including signature cocktails inspired by Bad Bunny himself,” the new release reads.
The tour includes visits to Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Contributed by: Reuters
