At the Latin Grammys, there is perhaps no category as coveted as best new artist, a launching pad for future stars through the years. There’s also no category as confounding. The first winner was Ibrahim Ferrer in 2000 at the age of 72; Joaquina won it last year at 18 years old. In 2022, Angela Alvarez, 95, split the prize with 25-year-old Silvana Estrada.
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And while the award has gone to talents who are relatively unknown, as well as those who have more public-facing major-label support, the rules are clear: Contenders must release a minimum of three singles/tracks or one album during the eligibility period. An artist who has previously released more than three albums and/or more than 15 singles is not eligible. Here are five contenders with a strong shot at scoring a nomination this year.
DARUMAS
What do you get when an Argentine bassist, a Cuban singer-guitarist and a Haitian vocalist unite? DARUMAS — an all-women U.S.-based trio comprising Aldana Aguirre, Ceci León and Vedala Vilmond — defies every stereotype of what Latin girl groups sound like. The three expert musicians play a tight mix of old-school funk, R&B and Motown, with Spanish lyrics and plenty of attitude. Named for the traditional Japanese daruma doll, DARUMAS are not cutting corners when it comes to honing their sound, resulting in an act that puts musicianship at the forefront.
Iván Cornejo
Though Cornejo and Xavi espouse a new Mexican sound, Cornejo uses traditional Mexican instrumentation as his foundation and also leans into electric guitar for some rock’n’roll angst. The result is a sound that’s weary — his biggest hit is titled “Está Dañada” (“She’s Damaged”) — but relatable. (Cornejo writes all of his material.) He has placed 15 entries on Billboard ’s Hot Latin Songs chart, and his second album, Dañado , ruled Regional Mexican Albums for 37 nonconsecutive weeks. In 2022, Cornejo became the youngest act to win new artist of the year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Xavi
At 20 years old, Xavi has been making noise in the new Mexican music scene since last year. In January, “La Diabla” topped Hot Latin Songs for 14 weeks, setting a record so far this year. In May, he scored another No. 1, on Regional Mexican Airplay , with “Corazón de Piedra.” Both songs were co-written by Xavi (real name: Joshua Xavier Gutiérrez), who calls his sound tumbados románticos , a hybrid of corridos tumbados with a twist of romance and heartache. His music has a young, avid fan base that straddles both sides of the border but has the potential to expand much further.
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Ela Taubert
Like labelmate (and 2023 Latin Grammy best new artist winner) Joaquina, Colombian singer-songwriter Taubert is a graduate of producer Julio Reyes Copello’s Art House Academy, signaling just how seriously she takes her craft. The 23-year-old writes convincingly about love and loss with immediately relatable lyrics set to catchy, midtempo pop arrangements reminiscent of Miley Cyrus. Following the release of her debut EP last year, Taubert is slowly but steadily gaining steam, as her new single, “Cómo Pasó?,” has reached a No. 12 high on the Latin Pop Airplay chart.
Latin Mafia
Freshly signed to Rimas Entertainment (home to Bad Bunny), Latin Mafia balances fun — with its childlike single covers — and moodiness with R&B and touches of reggaetón. Made up of twin brothers Milton and Emilio de la Rosa and their older brother Mike, the trio grew organically in Mexico as a fully independent act, amassing 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, playing Coachella and catching the ear of Rimas vp Junior Carabaño. “I can’t wait to write their next chapter together and make history,” he previously told Billboard .
This story will appear in the July 20, 2024, issue of Billboard.
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