Prince Royce has spoken publicly about the absence of bachata from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations, after the nominees for the 27th annual ceremony were announced Wednesday, Sept. 16. The singer addressed the issue in an open letter shared on his Instagram Stories, focusing on the representation of the Dominican genre within the awards.
Royce specifically pointed to the Best Merengue/Bachata Album category, noting that none of this year’s five nominated albums is a bachata project. The nominees are Fariana’s “Música Para Bailar,” Manerra’s “Todo Llega,” Gabriel Pagán’s “No Era El Plan,” Covi Quintana’s “Oye Eta Vaina” and Techy’s “Chula.” Royce said that, based on the nominated projects, only a portion of the music represented in the category is bachata.
The singer said his comments were not intended to discredit merengue, but to question how bachata is represented in a category that carries the genre’s name. He also distinguished between Dominican nationality and bachata as a musical genre and cultural tradition, saying that having Dominican artists among the nominees does not automatically constitute representation of bachata.
Royce’s comments came after his joint album with Romeo Santos, Better Late Than Never, was left out of the 2026 nominations. Released as a surprise project in November 2025, the album reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Albums chart and No. 2 on Top Latin Albums. Nine of its songs also entered the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
The complete omission of Better Late Than Never means neither Royce nor Santos received recognition for the collaboration in this year’s Latin Grammy nominations. The album was also absent from the general Album of the Year field and the tropical categories.
Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, addressed the absence when asked by Billboard, explaining that nominations are determined by the Academy’s membership and that he could not say why voters did not recognize the project.
Royce has previously received 15 Latin Grammy nominations, according to the Latin Recording Academy, while Santos has earned four nominations since beginning his solo career. Santos won Best Merengue/Bachata Album in 2023 for Fórmula, Vol. 3.
The 2026 Latin Grammy nominations were announced Sept. 16 ahead of the 27th annual ceremony, which is scheduled for Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The eligibility period for this year’s awards ran from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026.
