Two new categories were included in the nominations for the 2025 Latin GRAMMYs, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Best Roots Song, part of the Traditional field, highlights six songs that showcase Latin America’s folkloric diversity. 

The new category honors songwriters of new songs that reflect the roots, cultures,and social groups of Ibero-American communities, and incorporate traditional genres such as tango, folk, flamenco. This year’s nominees are: "Aguacero" by Luis Enrique & C4 Trío, "Como Quisiera Quererte" by Natalia Lafourcade & El David Aguilar, "El Palomo y La Negra" by Natalia Lafourcade, "Jardín del Paraíso" by Monsieur Periné & Bejuco, and "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" by Bad Bunny.

The Best Roots Song category was created following extensive research and was unanimously approved by the Latin GRAMMYs Board of Directors. "We received over 300 songs [to be considered]," Luis Dousdebes, Chief Awards, Membership and Preservation Officer of the Latin Recording Academy, tells GRAMMY.com. "The variety of the six nominees reflects the cultural richness and Latin American roots. It’s a pride to see this category."

It also reflects the Latin Recording Academy’s commitment to the legacy of Latin music and the industry's constant evolution. "Caring for the roots, but also developing youth with new rhythms, new fusions, while maintaining the roots," Dousdebes adds. 

Learn more about the inaugural nominees in the brand-new Best Roots Songs Category below, and be sure to tune into the 2025 Latin GRAMMYs, officially known as the 26th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards, Thursday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT (7 p.m. CT) on Univision, Galavisión and ViX to see who wins. 

Luis Enrique, C4 Trío - "Aguacero"

Songwriters: Luis Enrique, Fernando Osorio & Rodner Padilla

The opening notes of "Aguacero" immerse the listeners in the roots of Venezuela, the country and people for whom this song is intended. The Venezuelan cuatro is the instrumental protagonist of this single performed by the three-time Latin GRAMMY-winner Nicaraguan singer Luis Enrique, and two-time Latin GRAMMY-winning group C4 Trío.

"Aguacero" channels through its lyrics the plea, or prayer, of the Venezuelan people, incorporating fragments of the national anthem, which further roots the message of this song. The result is a battle cry that resonates with millions of Venezuelans in exile, each with their unique stories of resilience and renewal.

The song, while not directly a political denunciation, incorporates phrases used by the Venezuelan opposition as symbols of resistance, such as "Hasta el Final" within the lyrics. 

Natalia Lafourcade feat. El David Aguilar - "Como Quisiera Quererte"

Songwriters: El David Aguilar & Natalia Lafourcade

What happens when two friends get together at dawn to share love stories over shots of mezcal? The result — if those friends are musicians — is songs like "Como Quisiera Quererte." 

This is precisely how the song was born, part of Cancionera, Natalia Lafourcade’s twelfth album, in which she continues her deep exploration of the roots and sounds of her native Mexico and Latin America.

Written by Lafourcade alongside fellow singer/songwriter El David Aguilar, "Como Quisiera Quererte" is a musical time machine to the boleros of yesteryear, where heartbreak coexists among gentle guitars and subtle pianos. At the forefront are lyrics that capture what the singer herself defines as the "diffuse feelings of love."

"At the time, we didn't even understand it in all its strength," Natalia Lafourcade shared on Instagram in February about the song. "We didn’t even expect to write about the feeling we shared during conversations on highways, while traveling to southern Veracruz, and listening to Agustín Lara with Toña la Negra. Between waves and dunes. Like that, by surprise, among other songs we were writing, it came like an arrow of feeling."

Natalia Lafourcade - "El Palomo y La Negra"

Songwriters: El David Aguilar & Natalia Lafourcade

Cancionera gave birth to luminous songs that led Natalia Lafourcade and El David Aguilar to share a double nomination in this same category.

Contrary to "Como Quisiera Quererte," in "El Palomo y La Negra," Lafourcade celebrates love with a track that pays musical tribute to Mexican weddings through an exquisite fusion of Veracruz son jarocho and tropical rhythms that at times transport the listener to 1960s Cuba.

In a bold yet captivating move, Natalia gives her fans a love story told over seven minutes, allowing herself to take a journey through Latin America. The narrative includes direct references to Peru and Venezuela’s mountains through verses, as well as musically evoking the southern Mexican and Caribbean tropicalities.

This is the second time that 18-time Latin GRAMMY winner Natalia Lafourcade has worked with French-Mexican musician and director Adán Jodorowsky on the production of one of her albums. Besides Cancionera, Jodorowsky also produced the Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY-winning LP De Todas las Flores. 

Anita Vergara, Tato Marenco - "ELLA" 

Songwriters: Tato Marenco

Twenty-eight years ago, singer and plastic surgeon Anita Vergara experienced one of the darkest times in her life: she was unjustly imprisoned. Vergara’s life story and resilience so impacted Colombian musician, producer, and composer Tato Marenco that he turned her experience into a song.

Released in May, "ELLA" was written and produced by Marenco. "Her life story conveyed to me the powerful message of: don’t give up," he shared in a press release. "Each obstacle teaches and reveals how strong you can become. It inspired me to write something that represented that."

In "ELLA," Marenco drew upon the drums, gaita, and brass characteristic of Barranquilla’s sound, as well as chandé, the signature rhythm of Barranquilla’s Carnival, an event that is part of the city’s idiosyncrasy and cultural fabric, represented in artistic expressions like "Danza del Garabato."

Marenco has been nominated twice for the Latin GRAMMYs, and has collaborated with artists such as Carlos Vives, Shakira, and Ryan Castro, among others.

Monsieur Periné feat. Bejuco - "Jardín del Paraíso" 

Songwriters: Catalina García Barahona, William Martínez, Juan Carlos Mindinero Satizabal & Julio Reyes Copello

Colombia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, so when the COP16 World Biodiversity Summit was coming to Colombia, organizers wanted an artist from the host city, Cali, to create one of the meeting’s anthems.

Written by Cali native Catalina García — Monsieur Periné’s vocalist — members of Bejuco, including William Martínez (vocalist) and Juan Carlos Mindinero, aka "Cankita" (pianist and musical director), along with renowned Colombian producer and composer Julio Reyes Copello, "Jardín del Paraíso" invites listeners on a journey throughout Colombia, in a heartfelt tribute to the Latin American nation’s flora and fauna.

According to WWF Colombia, the song was created after an environmental experience that Monsieur Periné and Bejuco had in Tumaco, a coastal municipality in southern Colombia. There, the bands heard the stories and dreams from children who are part of the National Participation Network: We Lead Change, supported by Save the Children. 

"Jardín del Paraíso" was released on July 26, 2024, on International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem and was part of WWF Colombia’s efforts to showcase the biodiversity of the country’s Pacific shore. 

Two-time Latin GRAMMY winner Monsieur Periné is a band that has become known in Latin America and around the world not only for its eclectic sound but also for its environmental and social consciousness. Their vocalist, Catalina García, is also part of WWF Colombia’s Team Panda, serving as an environmental ambassador for the organization. Bejuco is a 10-member group created in 2015 among Tumaco’s mangroves, recognized for their ability to spread and perpetuate the traditional rhythms of the southern Pacific. 

Bad Bunny - "Lo Que Le Pasó A Hawaii"

Songwriters: Bad Bunny, Luis Amed Irizarry, MAG, Marcos Efrain Masis, Flor Morales Ramos, Jay Anthony Nuñez & Roberto Jose Rosado Torres

Bad Bunny took the entire music industry by surprise when he released his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FoToS on a day when Puerto Rico, Spain, and some Latin American countries celebrate Three Kings Day (in Catholicism, the celebration of Epiphany). 

Not only did the unorthodox release date make an impact, but so did the album’s overall concept: A profound tribute to Puerto Rican sound, in which Benito Martínez Ocasio, the artist’s name at birth, connects directly with his roots through the jíbaro, the island’s quintessential cultural symbol.

Although the album enjoys worldwide success (it made Bad Bunny the first Latin artist to obtain 100 career entries on the Billboard Hot 100), it was written with Puerto Ricans in mind; it’s Bad Bunny’s gift to his people and the artist’s plea for defending their island.

Within this fight against gentrification stands out "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" — one of the most political songs in his repertoire. In the track, Bad Bunny establishes a direct dialogue with his fellow citizens on various social struggles, such as beach privatization and the defense of identity and legacy through an emotional plea in the verse "No suelten la bandera, ni olvide' el lelolai," (Don’t let go of the flag, don’t forget the lelolai) referencing a jíbaro vocalization characteristic of the island’s folk music.

Bad Bunny references Hawaii’s history — an island that was annexed by the United States in 1898 and has fought against gentrification and colonialism — to encourage historical memory and prompt reflection by Puerto Ricans.