Why Bad Bunny could (and should) win Album of the Year at 2022 Latin Grammys

Bad Bunny is having the year of his life. The Puerto Rican artist has been on top of charts across the globe with his massive record “Un Verano Sin Ti.” The album is easily the biggest of the year both in the US and in Latin America, producing multiple hit singles as well. So it’s not surprising that he was this year’s biggest nominee at the Latin Grammys, racking up 10 nominations across the general field and the urban music field. However, the Latin Grammys are not the Billboard Awards, and as such Bad Bunny is not assured big wins just based on sales. But what if he actually does take the big awards?

Bad Bunny has a few advantages. As mentioned above, he easily has the most successful record in the category. That isn’t always an important factor, but it could be when you take into account the fact that while all four of Bad Bunny’s albums have been huge moments in Latin music, this one has crossed over the most to worldwide audiences. As such, voters could feel like it’s time to finally award him Album of the Year to honor more than half a decade of mainstream success and to acknowledge his huge impact as one of the main figures in the global Latin music boom right now.

Another advantage Bad Bunny has is the musical diversity of the album itself. Contrary to his past albums, “Un Verano Sin Ti” features a wide array of musical styles, shying away from his usual reggaeton and trap in a lot of songs like “Yo No Soy Celoso,” “Aguacero,” “Otro Atardecer,” and “Me Fui de Vacaciones,” among others. This means the album isn’t as urban-heavy as his others, and many might consider it riskier and more experimental than his previous records and thus appreciate his artistry way more. This bodes well at the Latin Grammys, where voters are typically hesitant to award urban songs and albums, usually going for the most pop or traditional pick among their established faves.

Finally, the competition is key. No other urban album made the cut for Album of the Year this year, which means that there’s less risk of vote-splitting. A lot of the front-runners are also more alternative-leaning (Jorge Drexler‘s “Tinta y Tiempo,” Rosalía‘s “Motomami,” Bomba Estereo‘s “Deja”). And most remaining nominees are straight-up pop albums like Alejandro Sanz‘s “Sanz,” Sebastian Yatra‘s “Dharma,” and Christina Aguilera‘s “Aguilera,” which could split votes as well. So the urban vote could be a huge factor concentrated on one artist, not to mention that Bunny will likely get votes from academy members from other genres as well.

Bad Bunny would be the first urban artist to win Album of the Year. The genre could thus be considered under-rewarded by the Latin Grammys, which is even more glaring knowing that urban music is what has been carrying Latin music to new places these days, and just like hip-hop on the English-speaking scene, it’s easily the biggest genre in the market right now. So it’s weird it would make so little of an awards impact. That said, Bad Bunny is typically more accessible to non-urban listeners than other Latin rappers and urban singers, and his material on “Un Verano SIn Ti” is less explicit than his first two records, even if it still has that same Bad Bunny energy.

In 2022 no artist has reached the level of success that Bad Bunny has, and it’s the Latin Grammy voters’ responsibility to award him for that. Not only is he extremely commercially successful, but he has managed to maintain the quality of his music instead of selling out. So don’t be shocked to see Bad Bunny pick up his first Album of the Year award in November. It would surely be a moment to remember.

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