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Why Bad Bunny’s Grammy nominations mark a symbolic moment for Latinos

Bad Bunny’s nods for the 2026 Grammy Awards serve as a ‘very welcome recognition of Latin music that is growing’ on the global stage

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Bad Bunny performs during the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025. His critically acclaimed album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, is only the second Spanish-language record to be nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards. Photo: AP
Associated Press

The Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has redefined what it means to be a global giant – and he may once again make history at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

The artist, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is up for six awards at the February 1 show, becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated simultaneously for album, song and record of the year.

His critically acclaimed album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, is only the second Spanish-language record to be nominated for album of the year. The first? Well, that also belonged to Bad Bunny, 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti.

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Win or lose, experts say that Bad Bunny’s Grammy nominations mark a symbolic moment for Latinos. Just a week later, after all, he will headline the Super Bowl half-time show.

Vanessa Diaz, associate professor of Chicano and Latino studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, and co-author of P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance, says Bad Bunny’s nods extend beyond his own art and serve as a “very welcome recognition of Latin music that is growing”.

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Albert Laguna, associate professor of American studies and ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University in Connecticut, adds: “Music from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean has been shaping global music tastes since the 19th century. Bad Bunny is another link in a much longer chain of the popularity of Caribbean music on a global stage.”
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