For any emerging act, one of the biggest breaks in their career can come from being nominated for Best New Artist. The previous winners at the Latin Grammy Awards include acts that have made a lasting impact, like Juanes, Calle 13, and Karol G. With the eligibility window for the 2025 Latin Grammys coming to a close on May 31, Remezcla is looking at the next generation of musicians and bands that should be nominated next for the 2025 Latin Grammy for Best New Artist.
The Latin Grammy eligibility season is in full swing this month with many artists dropping albums to make the May 31 cutoff for the 2025 ceremony, which will take place on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas, NV. As aforementioned, a major category to keep an eye for the future of Latine music is Best New Artist. The past winners of this category are a mix of legends and reigning superstars. The first person to win the Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist was Cuban icon Ibrahim Ferrer at the inaugural ceremony in 2000. The following year, Juanes took home the award. Other acts who have continued to have storied careers following their Best New Artist wins include David Bisbal, Jesse y Joy, Kany García, and 3BallMTY.
Acts aren’t always nominated for Best New Artist for their debut album, but rather their LPs or EPs that have caught the attention of the Latin Recording Academy. In 2020, Anuel AA was nominated in the category based on the success of his second album Emmanuel, and Venezuelan singer Lasso was nominated in 2021 for his third album.
While Remezcla is naming acts that should be nominated for Best New Artist later this year, it’s important to note that it’s up to their teams to submit their music for consideration to the Latin Recording Academy. Here are 11 rising artists from across Latin America and the U.S. that should be considered, in our humble opinion.
Netón Vega has made the jump from Peso Pluma’s co-writer to the top-selling música mexicana artist of the year. After having a hand in penning hits like “Rubicon” and “La Patrulla,” the rising Mexican star released his debut album Mi Vida Mi Muerte in February. Vega has infused corridos with hip-hop in the swaggering title track and even embraced reggaeton in his viral smash “Loco.” Upon the release of his refreshing LP earlier this year, he told Remezcla, “The music that I listen to most of the time is hip-hop and rap, so when I’m writing, that influence automatically comes out of me.”
El Malilla
From Valle de Chalco to the world, El Malilla has spent the past year leaving his mark in the mainstream. At the same time, the Mexican heartthrob is leading and bringing the emerging reggaeton mexicano scene to the forefront. In July 2024, he released his debut album ÑEROSTARS with his perreo-ready bangers like “B de Bellako” featuring Yeyo, “Rebote,” and “Mali Sácatela.” Last month, the chacalón made history as the first reggaeton mexa artist to perform his own set at Coachella, and recently played Sueños Music Festival. At the time, El Malilla also told Remezcla, “I love singing in the barrios, it’s my favorite place, but [Coachella] is not a barrio show, you know? It’s like, from there, the world is next.”
Six Sex
Six Sex is giving el movimiento a fierce makeover. In the past few years, the Argentine provocateur has uniquely blended neo-perreo with elements of rave, techno, and trance music. In March, Six Sex released her breakthrough EP X-Sex. She continues to find power in her femininity and sexuality and channel that into her frenetic bangers like “Tócame” featuring Dillom and “Performance Actitud” with Bbynito. Last year, she told Remezcla, “I’d love to be a guiding light for any young people who feel lost or confused, and that through my music, can be empowered to do whatever the hell they want without being judged.”
Sophie Castillo
Sophie Castillo is showing that Latinas are taking over every corner of the world. The soulful singer-songwriter hails from London, and she imbues her songs with her Colombian and Cuban roots. Much like bicultural pop stars Kali Uchis and Omar Apollo, Castillo also seamlessly switches between singing in English and Spanish in her debut EP. Like a Star was released last month, and the EP includes the reggaeton-infused “Supernova” and the sultry title track. Last year, Castillo told Remezcla, “I think people get used to being told there’s one standard narrative, but really Latinos can just go to other countries for a new life. We’re everywhere.”
Martox
Martox is redefining the sound of music from the Caribbean. The duo from the Dominican Republic includes producer Eduardo Baldera and singer Juan Miguel Martínez. In 2019, Martox received a huge co-sign from Dominican icon Juan Luis Guerra when he reposted their cover of his classic “Amapola.” After dabbling in genres like R&B, folk, and dance music, Baldera and Martínez found their footing with their breakthrough EP Que Bien Te Queda El Caribe, which was released last July. They have pushed dembow and other tropical sounds from their country into the future in feel-good songs like “Canela” and “Y Qué” featuring Lena Dardelet.
La Cruz
La Cruz is blazing a trail for gay men in the reggaeton scene. The rising Venezuelan star first broke through during LGBTQ+ Pride Month with 2023’s “Quítate La Ropa,” which featured shirtless men twerking in a locker room. After signing with Warner Music Latina, La Cruz released his EP El Nene, Vol. 1 last October. He broke the queer Latine Internet when he joined forces with Puerto Rican rapstress Villano Antillano for the alluring “Privado” while calling himself a “bad bitch.” In 2023, La Cruz told Remezcla, “The message I want people to take away is there are men who can perrear with other men. It’s completely normal and natural.”
Matt Louis
This past year could be defined by Puerto Rican pride with albums like Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestra. Matt Louis showed his pride for his island through a Black and queer lens in his debut EP. Last month, the Puerto Rican maverick released Gamma, where he fuses genres like R&B, reggaeton, amapiano, and house music into a neo-Caribbean fantasy. Louis also got a co-sign from one of Bad Bunny’s recent collaborators, RaiNao, in the sensual “ABA.” Earlier this year, he told Remezcla, “My responsibility as an artist is to disrupt, and I love the idea of people seeing such a masculine body being so comfortable with my femininity. Especially in the Latin community.”
Xavi
Though 2024 was Xavi’s breakthrough year, it was shocking to see him get snubbed at last November’s Latin Grammy Awards. The Mexican-American star’s massive hits like “La Diabla” and “La Víctima” received zero nominations. Latin Grammy voters have a chance to redeem themselves this year by nominating Xavi for Best New Artist for his debut album Next, which was released last October. He has continued to grind with his recent smashes like the corrido-bachata anthem “En Privado” with Manuel Turizo and the Netón Vega-assisted “Hija de Papi.” Upon the release of his LP, Xavi told Remezcla, “Next can mean whatever you want it to mean, but for me personally, it’s like the next move or what’s next.”
Akriila
Earlier this year, Remezcla highlighted Akriila as one of the artists who is reshaping the future of el movimiento and reggaeton in Chile. The Maipú native first broke through by pushing Latine trap into the future in her singles “Xekerau” and “Mona Xina.” Akriila has since proven that her talent and success aren’t bound to one genre. Last August, she released her debut album Epistolares, in which she embraced reggaeton, K-pop, trap, U.K. garage, and more. Earlier this month, Akriila dropped a deluxe edition of the genre-bending LP with the captivating “Mal Comunicada” featuring previous Best New Artist nominee Latin Mafia.
Beéle
Beéle is leading the new wave of Afrobeats in Latine music. The Colombian singer, who hails from Barranquilla, has pushed the genre to the forefront with his recent hit “Sobelove” and the viral smash “La Plena (W Sound 05)” with Ovy on the Drums and Westcol. Earlier this month, Beéle released his debut album Borondo, where artists like Marc Anthony and Carla Morrison are embracing Afrobeats with him. The Nuyorican icon joins the breakout star for the soulful and anthemic “Dios Me Oyó.” More artists from Colombia, like Kapo, Juan Duque, and Miguel Bueno, are following Beéle’s lead with Afrobeats hits of their own in Spanish.
Johann Vera
Nearly a decade into his career, Johann Vera is making a splash in Latine pop with his debut EP Nada Importa En Verdad. Last August, the Ecuadorian heartthrob came out as queer in his song “Closet.” Vera wrote the soaring LGBTQ+ anthem with last year’s Best New Artist winner Ela Taubert. Puerto Rican icon Ricky Martin has also shown him love for coming out. Vera has since embraced and celebrated his queerness in his fierce EP, which dropped in January. In the music video for the euphoric “Nada Importa En Verdad,” he puts on a sexy vaquero outfit and encourages queer folks to block out the negativity and party like a pop star.
