Key Takeaways
- Prince Royce called on the Latin Recording Academy to respect and represent bachata after his Romeo Santos collaboration, Better Late Than Never, received no 2026 Latin Grammy nominations.
- Royce questioned why the Best Merengue/Bachata Album category included “not a single bachata album,” arguing that Dominican nominees alone do not constitute representation for the genre.
- Santos has yet to address the snub.
Prince Royce is speaking out after being shut out of the 2026 Latin Grammys nominations.
On Wednesday (Sept. 16), the 37-year-old singer issued a statement to his social media accounts after Better Late Than Never, his joint album with Romeo Santos, received zero nominations across any of the Latin Grammy’s 60 categories.
“I have always understood that awards are subjective and that no artist is guaranteed a nomination,” he wrote in Spanish. “But when an institution decides to include the name of a culture and a genre in a category, it also assumes the responsibility of knowing, respecting, and representing them"
He pointed to the list of Best Merengue/Bachata Album nominees—which include albums from artists Fariana, Manerra, Gabriel Págan, Covi Quintana, and Techy—noting that "there isn’t a single bachata album, and that only approximately 15% of the music on those albums is bachata.”
“This is not about taking anything away from merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected, and protected,” he clarified. “It’s about asking a very simple question: If 'Bachata' is in the name of the category, where is the representation of bachata?"
He added, "And having Dominican artists nominated does not automatically mean that bachata is represented. Being Dominican is a nationality. Bachata is a genre, a culture, and a history with an identity of its own.”
Royce explains that the genre fought “to be respected and occupy the place it deserves on the global stage,” but that the Latin Recording Academy must go beyond just including the word “bachata” on a category if it intends to faithfully recognize the genre.
“But when not a single bachata album is included in the only ‘Bachata’ category, this stops being about whether or not I receive a nomination. It’s about representation,” he continued. “We are always told that the Recording Academy’s awards should not be based on streaming numbers, chart positions, or popularity, but on musical excellence. We agree with that. But they also shouldn’t become a popularity contest within the industry itself, where relationships, campaigns, or who has the most friends carry more weight.”
"Bachata deserves more than simply being included on paper. It deserves representation. It deserves to be understood. And it deserves respect,” he concluded.
Santos has yet to comment on the matter.
Better Late Than Never, a surprise project released in November 2025, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Tropical Albums chart, hit No. 2 on Top Latin Albums, and reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200, according to Billboard.
Prince Royce has collected 15 Latin Grammy nominations and never won. Santos has four nominations but earned one win for his Fórmula, Vol. 3 album in 2023. As a former member of bachata group Aventura, Santos has an additional two Latin Grammy nominations.
Karol G, Rosalía, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, and Jorge Drexler are the performers leading the nominations with seven nods each.
The 27th Annual Latin Grammy Awards air November 12 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Univision.
