Seven Conversations That Define Latin Music Right Now

Faena Forum is the right room for this. High ceilings, serious acoustics, a building that doesn’t apologize for itself. October 19–22, Billboard brings seven of the most significant voices in Latin music to Miami Beach for four days of Q&As, panels, and one very loud Tuesday night. The week closes with the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards live on Telemundo and Peacock. If you care about where Latin music is and where it’s going, this is the room to be in.

Kany García: The Stories Behind the Songs Superstar Q&A She opens the week, which is the right call. The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has spent her career writing songs that feel like they were written specifically for whoever is listening — which is the hardest thing to do. Her August Billboard Español cover story was one of the better artist profiles of the year. This conversation will go deeper. Expect specifics.

Fuerza Regida: Vanguard Award Superstar Q&A + Billboard En Vivo: One Night Only The 2026 Billboard Vanguard Award goes to a group currently running the first U.S. stadium tour ever mounted by a corridos act. Jesús Ortiz Paz and the rest of the San Bernardino five — Moisés López, Samuel Jaimez, Khrystian Ramos, José Garcia — have 35 billion career streams and 46 million monthly Spotify listeners. 111XPANTIA is the album. This Is Our Dream Tour is the proof. The Q&A is the afternoon. That night, they headline Billboard En Vivo: One Night Only.

Anuel AA: Premiere Party Superstar Q&A Before Latin trap had a name, Anuel AA was building the architecture. The Puerto Rican artist’s influence on música urbana runs deeper than the chart numbers suggest — it’s in the cadence, the production choices, the way the genre carries itself now. His Q&A is presented as a premiere party. Come for the conversation. Stay for what it reveals about what comes next.

Becky G Superstar Q&A Baraja Bendita debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Pop Albums. Her fifth studio album. The Mexican-American artist has spent her career moving between English and Spanish, between pop and música mexicana, between Becky G the brand and Rebbeca the person. The album is about closing that gap. “It’s about trusting myself enough to stop choosing between different parts of who I am.” That’s the conversation worth having. Wednesday afternoon, Faena Forum.

Maluma: Sony Music Publishing Icon Q&A Icon Q&A + “Like Minded” Mental Health Panel Two appearances, two registers. The Sony Music Publishing Icon Q&A covers the career — a decade-plus of Latin pop and música urbana that turned a kid from Medellín into one of the most recognizable artists on the planet. The BetterHelp “Like Minded” panel goes somewhere more personal. Both are worth your time.

Rubén Blades: Icon Q&A Moderated by Leila Cobo, Billboard The day before he receives the 2026 Billboard Icon Award, the Panamanian singer-songwriter, musician, and actor sits down with Billboard co-chief content officer Leila Cobo for what will be one of the most substantive conversations of the week. Five decades reshaping salsa through socially conscious storytelling — “Pedro Navaja,” “Decisiones,” “El Padre Antonio y Su Monaguillo Andrés.” Migration, corruption, inequality, hope. The music has always been about something. This conversation will be too.

Pitbull: Chart History Live Superstar Q&A Armando Christian Pérez closes Wednesday. The Cuban-American superstar arrives fresh off his I’m Back Tour and a Guinness World Record set at BST Hyde Park in London. Decades of chart hits, billions of streams, hundreds of Gold and Platinum certifications. But the more interesting story is what he’s built around the music: Mr. 305 label, Globalization on SiriusXM, Voli 305 Vodka, and SLAM! — a tuition-free charter school network serving more than 10,000 students across the country. Chart History Live will cover all of it.

2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards Live on Telemundo and Peacock The week closes the way it should. Fuerza Regida receives the Vanguard Award. Rubén Blades receives the Icon Award. The rest of the night belongs to the music. Broadcast live from Faena Forum on Telemundo and Peacock.

Tickets and full programming at billboard.com/latin-music-week. The full Miami Beach calendar for that week is at premierguidemiami.com/events-calendar.