Puerto Rican reggaeton sensation Daddy Yankee topped the list of finalists for the 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards with 10 nominations, including artist of the year, hot Latin songs artist and songwriter of the year, Billboard announced Thursday.
Mexico’s pop group RBD earned nine nominations, while Colombian crossover artist Shakira got eight. Fellow Colombian Juanes followed behind with five nominations, tying Puerto Rican artist Olga Tanon.
The award show will take place April 27 and will be broadcast live on Telemundo, but organizers have remained tightlipped about the program’s venue.
The awards show honors the most popular albums, songs and performers in Latin music as determined by sales and radio airplay data published on Billboard’s weekly charts.
The event will feature an unusual category this year — top Latin ringtone for cell phones.