We Speak Latin

Becky G Plays Her Own Hand: ‘Baraja Bendita’ Deals a Genre-Less Fifth Album Into the Top Latin Albums Chart

Published

2 months ago

August 14, 2026

Becky G is done asking which lane she belongs in. The singer released her fifth studio album, Baraja Bendita — Spanish for “Blessed Deck of Cards” — on August 14, 2026, through RCA Records, her first project not also released through Kemosabe Records. The standard edition runs 17 tracks across 47 minutes, sung in English and Spanish — her first bilingual project — and it is her first album issued on CD and vinyl.

The album was announced on June 25 alongside its third single, “Patrona,” following “Marathon,” a collaboration with British producer Elkan released March 27, and “Epa,” released May 15. After two albums exploring regional Mexican music — Esquinas (2023) and Encuentros (2024) — Becky G framed Baraja Bendita as a “reverse crossover,” recombining her Los Angeles rap roots with her Mexican heritage. She has described the record as “genre-less,” telling UPROXX’s Visionaries: “My proudest part about the album is that it’s genre-less… I’m the common thread throughout everything.”

The track list backs her up, moving from the EDM opener “5’5” and reggaetón cuts like “+Pretty” and “Perreo Triste” through the kizomba and R&B of “Chula,” the merengue of “Mal Tiempo” and the reggae of “Bandera Blanca,” with a bachata bonus track, “Te Va a Doler,” on the vinyl edition. Explaining the title to Rolling Stone, she said: “You can’t control the cards you were dealt… but you can control how you play them.”

The hand played well on the charts. Baraja Bendita debuted at No. 12 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums and in the top five on Latin Pop Albums — where it went on to peak at No. 2 — with 7,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the tracking week ending August 20, according to Luminate. Streaming accounted for 5,000 of those units, from 4.6 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs, and traditional album sales accounted for 3,000. The album also reached No. 7 on Latin Rhythm Albums.

We Speak Latin

Fuerza Regida Rules the Night: Eight Wins Lead the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami

Published

3 days ago

October 23, 2026

We Speak Media

Mexican music owned the biggest night in Latin music. Fuerza Regida led all winners at the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday, October 22, taking home eight trophies at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, where hosts Carmen Villalobos and Javier Poza emceed a ceremony aired live on Telemundo and streamed on Peacock.

Four of the group’s eight awards came from a single song. “Marlboro Rojo” won Hot Latin Song of the Year, Streaming Song of the Year, Global 200 Latin Song of the Year and Regional Mexican Song of the Year, and the quintet added Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Duo or Group; Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group; and Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group. The night was capped by the Billboard Vanguard Award, honoring the innovation and creative vision that helped carry Mexican music to global audiences.

Bad Bunny followed with seven awards, including Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. Top Latin Album of the Year went to DINASTÍA, the joint album from cousins Peso Pluma and Tito Double P, which also claimed Top Regional Mexican Album of the Year, while their collaboration “daño” won Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event. KAROL G collected four awards — among them Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Female — and made history as the first winner of the Fan Favorite Artist award, the first category in the show’s history decided directly by fans.

The honors kept coming. Rosalía won Top Latin Pop Album of the Year for LUX and received the Billboard Hall of Fame Award; Omar Courtz was named Artist of the Year, New; Rubén Blades took the Billboard Icon Award and Cristian Castro the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award, and the show paused for a tribute to Juan Gabriel marking ten years since his passing. Peso Pluma had entered the night as the most-nominated artist with 17 finalist nods — but by the final envelope, the night belonged to Fuerza Regida.