Prince Royce is turning his 2026 Latin Grammys disappointment into a broader challenge over bachata’s place in the awards conversation.
After Wednesday’s Sept. 16 nominations, Royce addressed the absence of his Romeo Santos collaboration Better Late Than Never from the Latin Grammy field. But in an open letter posted to his Instagram Stories, the artist made clear that his larger concern was not only his own omission: it was the fact that the best merengue/bachata album category, in his view, did not include a single bachata album.
“I’ve always understood that awards are subjective and that no artist is guaranteed a nomination,” Royce wrote. “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.”
The category’s 2026 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 Questions Bachata’s Place in Its Own Category
Royce wrote that, after reviewing the projects nominated for best merengue/bachata album, he found “there isn’t a single bachata album” and said that “approximately only 15% of the music in these albums is bachata.”
He emphasized that his argument was not aimed at merengue. “This isn’t about discrediting merengue, a genre that also deserves to be celebrated, respected and protected,” he wrote. “It’s about asking a very simple question: if bachata is in the name of the category, where is the representation of bachata?”
Royce also drew a distinction between Dominican identity and the genre itself. “And having Dominican artists nominated doesn’t automatically mean that bachata is being represented,” he wrote. “Being Dominican is a nationality. Bachata is a genre, a culture and a history with its own identity.”
In the letter, Royce framed the issue as part of a longer struggle for recognition. “For decades, bachata has fought to be respected and to occupy the place it deserves on the global stage,” he wrote. “If including the word ‘bachata’ in this category is intended as a way to recognize, preserve and include the genre, then that representation has to go far beyond simply putting its name in the title.”
He added that the matter, for him, moved beyond whether he personally earned a nomination. “But when not a single bachata album is included in the only ‘bachata’ category, this stops being about whether I receive a nomination or not,” he wrote. “It’s about representation.”
Better Late Than Never Misses the Field
Better Late Than Never, Royce’s collaboration with Romeo Santos, was released as a surprise in November 2025. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Tropical Albums chart and No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart, while nine of its songs debuted on the Hot Latin Songs chart — a career high for both artists.
The album also marked a long-awaited collaboration between Royce and Santos, who appeared together on the cover of Billboard Español. Its total absence from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was described by Billboard as one of Wednesday morning’s most notable snubs.
Asked about the omission by Billboard, Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abud said the outcome rested with voters. “At the end of the day, it is our membership that votes, and we manage the process,” Abud said. “If, for one reason or another, our membership has not recognized these works, I can’t tell you why. I’m neither qualified, nor is it my role.”
Royce, meanwhile, acknowledged in his letter that the Latin Recording Academy awards are not supposed to be determined by commercial metrics. “We are always told that the Latin Recording Academy awards should not be based on streaming numbers, chart positions, or popularity, but on musical excellence,” he wrote. “On that, we agree.”
But he argued that the process should not become “a popularity contest within the industry itself,” where “relationships, campaigns or who has more friends carry more weight.”
“Bachata deserves more than just being included on paper,” Royce wrote. “It deserves representation. It deserves to be understood. And it deserves respect.”
Awards History Adds Context
The debate lands against the backdrop of both artists’ histories with the Latin Grammys. Santos has received four Latin Grammy nominations since launching his solo career in 2011 and has won once: in 2023, for best merengue/bachata album with Fórmula, Vol. 3. Royce has been nominated 15 times and has yet to win.
Both artists have multiple No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts. For Royce, however, the central issue he raised this week was not chart performance, popularity or even the omission of Better Late Than Never alone. His letter positioned the 2026 nominations as a test of whether a category bearing bachata’s name is meaningfully recognizing the genre it claims to include.