Havana/Cuban music will have eight representatives between the nominees to the 27th edition of the Latin Grammy Awards, announced this Wednesday by the Latin Recording Academy. Omara Portuondo, Leoni Torres, Dayhan Díaz, Alex Cuba, Yeisy Rojas, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta and Tania León will compete in categories ranging from tropical music to jazz, instrumental and classical.
The greatest Cuban concentration is in Best Traditional Tropical Album, where three of the five candidates are from the Island. Omara Portuondo aspires to the award with Eternally OmaraLeoni Torres competes with Anyone falls in love and trumpeter Dayhan Díaz does it with Something new from yesterday.
For Torres it will be his third candidacy for the Latin Grammy and, again, in the same category. The singer had previously been nominated for Cuban Soul and Singwithout getting the gramophone until now. His new album, Anyone falls in loveonce again places it in one of the categories where the Cuban presence has historically been stronger.
Dayhan Díaz arrives with an eight-track album released in May that revisits the tradition of Cuban popular music from a contemporary perspective.
The album dedicated to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole also comes with an important endorsement: it already won the US Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in February
Gonzalo Rubalcaba is the Cuban with the most presence on the list, with two candidates. The Havana pianist appears in Best Instrumental Album for A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Colealong with Yainer Horta and Joey Calveiro, and also in Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album for Gonzalo Plays Pino. Horta, saxophonist and arranger born in Cuba, thus adds his own nomination thanks to the first of these works.
The album dedicated to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole also comes with an important endorsement: it already won the US Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album in February, before now entering the race for the Latin Grammy.
Another well-known name from the diaspora, Alex Cuba, born as Alexis Puentes in Artemisa and established for years in Canada, is nominated for Best Contemporary Tropical Album for Nature.
In Best Tropical Song, Yeisy Rojas appears as composer of Latinperformed alongside Manolito Simonet and Ricardo Amaray. In the latter case, the nomination formally corresponds to Rojas as the author of the song.
Outside Cuba, Edgar Barrera once again leads the general count with ten nominations
The composer and director Tania León completes the Cuban representation. Born in Havana and winner of the Pulitzer Music Prize in 2021 for Strideis among the candidates for Best Classical Work/Composition for Roots (Origins) – Live.
Outside of Cuba, Edgar Barrera once again leads the general count with ten nominations. They are followed, with seven each, by Karol G, Rosalía, Jorge Drexler and the Argentine duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso. Silvana Estrada and Mon Laferte obtained six candidates each, confirming the strong weight of Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Uruguay and Argentina in the main categories.
Competing in Record of the Year are, among others, Ha Haby CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso; How do you love?by Drexler; Tell meby Silvana Estrada; Collecting woundsby Karol G with Marco Antonio Solís; femme fataleby Mon Laferte; Since I have youby Carín León; Childby Milo J, and The pearlby Rosalía with Yahritza and Her Essence. The category is completed O Love Found Usby Loulu Gilberto, and Soulby Elena Rose.
The Academy chose Daddy Yankee as Person of the Year 2026 and he will be honored on November 11, on the eve of the gala
Rosalía is also back in the running for Album of the Year with LUX (Complete Works)while Karol G appears with Tropicochaete. Anitta also appears with EQUILIBRIVMCA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Jorge Drexler, Silvana Estrada, Mon Laferte, Carín León, Milo J and Rawayana. No Cuban appears this year in the four general categories of Album, Recording, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
The ceremony will be held on November 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on Univision. The Academy brings together some 7,000 voting members from 62 countries and this edition also comes with changes in the eligibility rules and in some categories.
One of the most recognizable names in urban music, Daddy Yankee, will have a different role this time than the competitors. The Academy chose him as Person of the Year 2026 and he will be honored on November 11, on the eve of the gala. He also becomes the first artist from Latin urban music to receive that distinction.
