Prince Royce Speaks Out About Omission of Bachata in 2026 Latin Grammys Nominations: ‘It’s About Representation’

Prince Royce may be disappointed that his highly anticipated collaboration with Romeo Santos , Better Late Than Never , did not receive a nomination for the Latin Grammys on Wednesday (Sept.

16).

But what seems to hurt him the most is that the best merengue/bachata album category did not include a single bachata production.

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“I’ve always understood that awards are subjective and that no artist is guaranteed a nomination.

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 wrote.

“This year, when looking at the projects nominated for best merengue/bachata album, I noticed that there isn’t a single bachata album and that approximately only 15% of the music in these albums is bachata.

Let’s think about that,” he continued.

“This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected.

It’s about asking a very simple question: if bachata is in the name of the category, where is the representation of bachata?” The nominees for best merengue/bachata album this year are Fariana ( Música Para Bailar ), Manerra ( Todo Llega ), Gabriel Pagán ( No Era El Plan ), Covi Quintana ( Oye Eta Vaina ) and Techy ( Chula ).

Better Late Than Never , released as a surprise in November 2025, debuted at No.

1 and No.

2 on the Tropical Albums and Top Latin Albums charts, respectively, with nine of its songs debuting on the Hot Latin Songs chart — a career high for both artists.

The album also marked a long-awaited collaboration between the two greats, featured on the cover of Billboard Español .