MIAMI - Chart-topping group Eslabón Armado, Édgar Barrera, MAG, and Horacio Palencia emerged as the big winners of the BMI Latin Awards 2024, celebrated at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, marking a new era for Mexican music.
BMI's recognition extended to the leading songwriters, publishers, and administrators of the most performed Spanish songs in the United States over the past year. The private event, hosted by BMI president and CEO Mike O'Neill, creative and revenue director Mike Steinberg, and vice president of Latin music from the creative department, Jesús González, was a testament to the flourishing Latin music scene.
The winners of the 2024 BMI Latin Awards
The night was especially memorable for Horacio Palencia, a stalwart in Mexican music, who was honored with the BMI Presidential Award for his extensive contributions spanning over two decades.
Palencia's influence as a songwriter was celebrated through performances of his biggest hits, including crowd favorites "A través del vaso," "2 veces," and "Ya es muy tarde," which painted a picture of his musical journey and impact.
"A dream come true, thanks to all my friends in the music industry who gathered last night at the Wilshire Beverly Hills to celebrate with me as I received the #BMI2024PresidentialAward. The BMI Presidential Award is given to a songwriter, producer, or artist who has had a great influence in the world of entertainment, and thank God tonight it was my turn to receive this honor, which has already been won by great artists such as Carlos Vives, Gloria Trevi, Juanes, Luis Fonsi, Pitbull, Sergio George, Wisin, & Yandel, among others. Thank you, @bmi for this recognition and giving me this great noche🙏🏻✍🏻🎤," Placencia wrote on Instagram.
Pedro Tovar, the lead singer of the Regional Mexican Group Eslabón Armado, captured the spotlight by winning the "Regional Mexican Song of the Year" Award for the songwriting behind the group's smash hit "Ella Baila Sola."
Eslabón Armado's "Ella Baila Sola" ft. Peso Pluma not only garnered awards but also dominated charts, being named the Latin Song of the Year by Billboard, Best Song of 2023 by Rolling Stone, and achieving the status of the most streamed Latin Song of 2023 on Spotify. Their groundbreaking success, including becoming the first Musica Mexicana group to top Billboard's Global 200, has set new standards for the genre and promises an exciting future for Eslabón Armado and Musica Mexicana worldwide.
Mexican-American composer and producer Édgar Barrera was another notable winner, being named Regional Mexican Composer of the Year for the second consecutive year. Barrera's prolific output included writing seven of BMI's most performed regional Mexican songs of the past year, such as "Bebe dame" (Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera), "CHANEL" (Becky G & Peso Pluma), and others, showcasing his versatility and consistent excellence.
Barrera was the most nominated performer at the 2023 Latin Grammys, and was the first composer working only in Spanish to be nominated to the Grammys in the category of Best Composer. He has also worked with Maluma, Camilo, Christian Nodal, Karol G, and Shakira, among many others.
MAG, the hitmaker of Puerto Rican-Dominican descent, was awarded the Contemporary Latin Composer of the Year for his work on ten of BMI's most performed Latin songs of 2023, including hits like "Andrea" and "El apagón," all recorded by Bad Bunny. This recognition highlights MAG's significant influence in shaping the contemporary Latin music soundscape.
The BMI Latin Awards 2024 not only celebrated individual artists but also recognized the achievements of music publishers. Sony Music Publishing clinched the Contemporary Latin Publisher of the Year for the second year running, while Prajin Music Publishing and Downtown DMP Songs were honored as the Regional Mexican Publisher of the Year.
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