The 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards are sneaking up on us, and this year, five popular tracks are up for the coveted Hot Latin Song of the Year award.
Bad Bunny, a 23-time finalist this year, is up with three titles in the same category for his songs “Me Porto Bonito” in collaboration with Chencho Corleone, “Titi Me Pregunto” and “Yonaguni.” Becky G and Karol G’s empowering “Mamiii” and Farruko’s EDM banger “Pepas” are also finalists.
The Hot Latin Song of the Year title is awarded to the best-performing singles on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, which measures the most popular Latin recordings in the U.S. The finalists are determined by the actual sales, radio airplay, online streaming and social data on the Billboard weekly charts.
Formerly called Hot Latin Track of the Year, the award was first received by La Mafia in 1994 with their timeless hit “Me Estoy Enamorando.” In the following years, from 1995 to 1998, each musical genre had its own Hot Latin Track of the Year category. The award returned in 1999 when Pepe Aguilar’s “Por Mujeres Como Tu” nabbed the title.
Enrique Iglesias and Nicky Jam are the most awarded artists in the category with three wins each: the former with “Cuando Me Enamoro,” “Bailando” and “El Perdon”; the latter with “El Perdon,” “Hasta El Amanecer” and “Te Bote.” In 2021, Bad Bunny and Jhayco won Hot Latin Song of the Year with “Dakiti,” which spent 27 weeks at the top of the chart.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards airing Sept. 29 on Telemundo, check out all of the Hot Latin Song of the Year winners over the years, and listen to the playlist below:
1994 – “Me Estoy Enamorando,” La Mafia
1999 – “Por Mujeres Como Tu,” Pepe Aguilar
2000 – “Loco,” Alejandro Fernandez
2001 – “A Puro Dolor,” Son By Four
2002 – “Abrazame Muy Fuerte,” Juan Gabiel
2003 – “Y Tu Te Vas,” Chayanne
2004 – “Tal Vez,” Ricky Martin
2005 – “Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor,” Juanes
2006 – “La Tortura,” Shakira feat. Alejandro Sanz
2007 – “Aliado del Tiempo,” Mariano Barba
2008 – “Mi Corazoncito,” Aventura
2009 – “Te Quiero,” Flex
2010 – “El Amor,” Tito el Bambino
2011 – “Cuando Me Enamoro,” Enrique Iglesias feat. Juan Luis Guerra
2012 – “Taboo,” Don Omar
2013 – “Ai Se Eu Te Pego,” Michel Telo
2014 – “Vivir Mi Vida,” Marc Anthony
2015 – “Bailando,” Enrique Iglesias feat. Descember Bueno & Gente de Zona
2016 – “El Perdon,” Nicky Jam feat. Enrique Iglesias
2017 – “Hasta El Amanecer,” Nicky Jam
2018 – “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber
2019 – “Te Bote,” Casper Mágico, Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, and Bad Bunny
2020 – “Con Calma,” Daddy Yankee feat. Snow
2021 – “Dakiti,” Bad Bunny feat. Jhayco
