The following is a list of events and new music that happened in 2021 in theLatin music industry. Latin regions includeIbero-America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.

• February 18 – The33rd Annual Lo Nuestro Awards are held at theAmerican Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida.
  • YHLQMDLG byBad Bunny wins Album of the Year.
  • "Tusa" byKarol G andNicki Minaj wins Song of the Year
  • Nicki Nicole andCamilo win New Female Artist and New Male Artist, respectively
• March 2 – JournalistLeila Cobo publishesLa Fórmula "Despacito": Los Hits de la Música Latina Contados por sus Artistas.
• March 10 – The 2nd Annual Premios Odeón take place virtually fromMadrid.^[2]
  • David Bisbal wins Best Pop Album forEn Tus Planes.
  • Posible byEnrique Bunbury wins Best Rock Album.
  • Back to Rookport by Kid Keo takes the award for Best Urban Album.
  • Amor byIsrael Fernández andDiego Del Morao wins Best Flamenco Album.
  • De Vent i Ales byTxarango wins the award for Best Alternative Album.
• March 12 – Revelación, the first Spanish-language project bySelena Gomez, is released. It debuted at number 22 on the USBillboard 200, shifting 23,000equivalent album units in its first week of release, marking the biggest sales week for a Latin album by a woman sinceShakira'sEl Dorado in 2017. It also debuted atop theBillboard Top Latin Albums chart, becoming the first album by a woman to do so, also sinceEl Dorado.^[3]
• March 14 – The63rd Grammy Awards are held atLos Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.
  • Bad Bunny receives his first ever Grammy Award by winningBest Latin Pop or Urban Album forYHLQMDLG.
  • Fito Páez also wins his first Grammy Award by winningBest Latin Rock or Alternative Album forLa Conquista del Espacio.
  • Natalia Lafourcade receives her second career Grammy Award by winningBest Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) forUn Canto Por México, Vol. 1.
  • Grupo Niche's40 winsBest Tropical Latin Album.

• April 15 – TheLatin American Music Awards of 2021 take place atBB&T Center inSunrise, Florida.
  • Bad Bunny wins a total of five awards including Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist and Album of the Year forYHLQMDLG.
  • Anitta wins Favorite Female Artist
  • Rauw Alejandro wins New Artist of the Year
  • "De Una Vez" by Selena Gomez wins Favorite Video
• April 30 – The Recording Academy drop anonymous nominating committees after controversies surrounding previous Grammy Award ceremonies but remain in-place forLatin Grammys.^[4][5] Urbano music receives its own category at the Grammys named Best Música Urbana Album, expanding to five the Latin categories within future galas.^[6]
• May 4 – TheLatin Alternative Music Conference takes place inNew York City.^[7]
• May 9 – The Latin Recording Academy presentEllas y Su Música to celebrate the experience of women in music with a television special.^[8]
• May 17 – ThePremios Nuestra Tierra 2021 take place virtually fromBogotá to celebrate the best inColombian music.^[9]
  • Camilo wins Artist of the Year.
  • Colores by J Balvin wins Album of the Year.
  • "Hawái" by Maluma wins Song of the Year.
  • Kali Uchis wins Best New Artist.
• May 19 – Balearic groupAntònia Font announce their reunion concert after an eight-year hiatus, scheduled for June 11, 2022 atPrimavera Sound.^[10]
• May 23 – The28th AnnualBillboard Music Awards are held atMicrosoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.
  • Bad Bunny winsTop Latin Artist.
  • YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny winsTop Latin Album.
  • "Dakiti" by Bad Bunny andJhay Cortez winsTop Latin Song.
• May 25 – Spanish hip hop supergroupLa Mafia del Amor announce their reunion concert, scheduled for June 11, 2022 atPrimavera Sound.^[11]
• May 27 – The8th iHeartRadio Music Awards are held at theDolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
  • J Balvin wins Latin Artist of the Year.
  • YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny wins Latin Album of the Year.
  • "Tusa" by Karol G and Nicki Minaj wins Latin Song of the Year.
  • Rauw Alejandro wins Best New Latin Artist.
• June 9 – The 5th Premios Pulsar take place live from a studio in Santiago to celebrate the best inChilean music.^[12]
  • Cami wins Artist of the Year.
  • Naturaleza Muerta by Como Asesinar a Felipes wins Album of the Year.
  • "Flotando" by Francisca Valenzuela wins Song of the Year.
  • Pau wins Best New Artist.

• July 1 – The 5thHeat Latin Music Awards take place inDominican Republic.^[13]
  • Nicky Jam wins Best Male Artist
  • Danna Paola wins Best Female Artist
  • "Mi Niña (Remix)" byWisin,Myke Towers andMaluma featuringAnitta wins Best Video
  • "Ella No Es Tuya" by Rochy RD, Myke Towers andNicki Nicole wins Best Collaboration
  • Boza wins Best New Artist
• July 23 – The23rd Annual Premios Gardel take place live from a studio inBuenos Aires to celebrate the best inArgentinian music.^[14]
  • La Conquista del Espacio byFito Páez wins Album of the Year.
  • "Ladrón" byLali featuringCazzu wins Song of the Year.
  • "Buenos Aires" byNathy Peluso wins Record of the Year.
  • Nathy Peluso wins Best New Artist and becomes the most awarded act of the night after also winning Best Alternative Pop Album forCalambre and Best Urban/Trap Song for "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 36".^[15]
• August 1 – Gabriel Abaroa steps down as the CEO of theLatin Recording Academy, withManuel Abud taking his place. Abaroa is namedpresident emeritus.^[16]
• September 12 – "Lo Vas a Olvidar" byBillie Eilish andRosalía winsBest Latin at the2021 MTV Video Music Awards.
• September 23 – The28thBillboard Latin Music Awards take place atWatsco Center inCoral Gables, Florida.
  • Bad Bunny wins Artist of the Year.
  • Myke Towers wins New Artist of the Year.

• October 18 –Billboard celebrates the 2021 Latin Power Players event in Miami with more than 65 executives representing top music companies.
• October 22 –El Alfa becomes the first dembow artist to sell outMadison Square Garden.
• November 8 –Spotify launches a new campaign titledElevando Nuestra Música around the platform's flagship Latin music playlist, Viva Latino.
• November 12 – The16th LOS40 Music Awards take place atVelòdrom Illes Balears inPalma de Mallorca.
  • Vértigo byPablo Alborán winsBest Spanish Album.
  • "Portales" byDani Martín winsBest Spanish Song.
  • Sebastián Yatra winsBest Latin Artist.
  • "Todo de Ti" byRauw Alejandro winsBest Latin Song.
• November 14 – The28th MTV Europe Music Awards air onMTV live fromBudapest.
  • Maluma wins Best Lati
  • Manu Gavassi winsBest Brazilian Act.
  • Alemán winsBest Latin America North Act.
  • Sebastián Yatra winsBest Latin America Central Act.
  • Tini winsBest Latin America South Act.
  • Diogo Piçarra winsBest Portuguese Act.
  • Aitana winsBest Spanish Act.
• November 18 – The22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards take place atMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas.
  • Salswing! byRubén Blades andRoberto Delgado & Orquesta winsAlbum of the Year.
  • "Talvez" byCaetano Veloso and Tom Veloso winsRecord of the Year, becoming the first Portuguese-language song to do so.
  • "Patria y Vida" written byYotuel,Gente de Zona,Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo,Beatriz Luengo, and El Funky winsSong of the Year.
  • Juliana Velásquez winsBest New Artist.
  • Camilo becomes the most awarded act of the night, winning four out of ten nominations.
• December 19 –Aventura'sreunion tour finalizes at theOlympic Stadium inSanto Domingo.

• List ofBillboard Argentina Hot 100 number-one singles of 2021
• List of number-one albums of 2021 (Portugal)
• List of number-one albums of 2021 (Spain)
• List of number-one singles of 2021 (Spain)
• List of number-oneBillboard Latin Albums from the 2020s
• List ofBillboard number-one Latin songs of 2021

TheBillboard Global 200 is a weekly record chart published byBillboard magazine that ranks the top songs globally based ondigital sales andonline streaming from over 200 territories worldwide. So far, in 2021, a total of 14 Spanish- and Portuguese-language songs have debuted in theBillboard Global 200.

TheBillboard Hot 100 ranks the most-played songs in the United States based on sales (physical anddigital),radio play, andonline streaming. Also included are certifications awarded by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based on digital downloads and on-demand audio and/or video song streams: gold certification is awarded for sales of 500,000 copies, platinum for one million units, and multi-platinum for two million units, and following in increments of one million thereafter. The RIAA also awards Spanish-language songs under theLatin certification: Disco de Oro (Gold) is awarded for sales 30,000 certification copies, Disco de Platino (Platinum) for 60,000 units, and Disco de Multi-Platino (Multi-Platinum) for 120,000 units, and following in increments of 60,000 thereafter. So far, in 2021, four Spanish-language songs have debuted in theBillboard Hot 100.

The following is a list of notable Latin albums (music performed in Spanish or Portuguese)^[A] that have been released in Latin America, Spain, Portugal, or the United States in 2021.

The following is a list of the 10 best-performing Latin albums in the United States according toBillboard andNielsen SoundScan, which compiles data from traditional sales andalbum-equivalent units.^[118] Equivalent album units are based on album sales, track equivalent albums (10 tracks sold equals one album sale), and streaming equivalent albums (3,750 ad-supported streams or 1,250 paid subscription streams equals one album sale).^{[citation needed]}

The following is a list of the 10 best-performing Latin songs in the United States according toBillboard and Nielsen SoundScan, which compiles data from streaming activity, digital sales and radio airplay.^[119]

The following is a list of the 10 most-played radio songs in Latin America in the tracking period of January 1, 2021 through November 28, 2021, according toMonitor Latino.^[120]

The following is a list of the 10 most-heard radio songs in Latin America in the tracking period of January 1, 2021 through November 28, 2021, according to Monitor Latino.^[121]

• January 1 -Carlos do Carmo, Portuguesefado singer and recipient of theLatin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, 81^[122]
• January 5 –Raúl Jaurena, 79, Uruguayan tango composer and bandoneon player^[123]
• January 7 -Genival Lacerda, Brazilian forró singer-songwriter, 89^[124]
• January 9 –Carlos Pérez-Bidó Puerto Rican percussionist
• January 13 –Alex Malverde, Mexican hip hop producer-^[125]
• January 16 –Claudia Montero, 58, Argentine classical composer,Latin Grammy winner (2014,2016,2018), cancer.^[126]
• January 28 -César Isella, Argentine singer-songwriter, 82^[127]
• February 4 –Jaime Murrell, 71, Panamanian Christian singer and songwriter, COVID-19.^[128]
• February 5:
  • Jaime Murrell, Panamanian singer, 71^[129]
  • Mario Kaminsky, 87, Argentine record label executive^[130]
• February 9 –Chick Corea, 79, American jazz keyboardist (Return to Forever) and songwriter ("Spain", "500 Miles High"), 23-timeGrammy winner, cancer.^[131]
• February 15 –Johnny Pacheco, 85, Dominican-American musician (Fania All-Stars) and label executive (Fania Records), complications from pneumonia.^[132]
• February 27 -Gipsy Bonafina, Argentine actress and singer, 63^[133]
• February 28 -Jorge Oñate, Colombianvallenato singer, 71 (COVID-19)^[134]
• March 8 –Cepillín, 75, Mexican clown, singer, TV host and actor, complications from spinal surgery.^[135]
• March 9 –Federico Fabregat, 46, Mexican visual artist, writer and musician.^[136]
• March 11 -Florentín Giménez, Paraguayan pianist and composer, 95^[137]
• March 15 –Oscar Guitián, 52,^[138]
• March 17 –Horacio Valdés [es], Panamanian singer, songwriter, actor, and guitarist^[139]
• March 30 –Salvador Lizárraga, 88, founder ofLa Original Banda El Limón [es]
• April 3:
  • Agnaldo Timóteo, Brazilian singer, composer and politician, 84 (COVID-19)^[140]
  • Viti Paz, 89, Panamanian trumpet player^[141]
• April 5 –Henry Stephen, 79, Venezuelan singer, complications from COVID-19.^[142]
• April 19 – Dedim Gouveia, Brazilian forró singer, 61 (COVID-19)^[143]
• April 24 –Sergio Esquivel, 74, Mexican singer-songwriter.^[144]
• April 30 –Ray Reyes, 51, Puerto Rican singer (Menudo,El Reencuentro), heart attack.^[145]
• May 7 –Cassiano, Brazilian singer and composer, 77 (COVID-19)^[146]
• May 17 –MC Kevin, Brazilian singer, 23^[147]
• May 21 –Roberto González [es], 68, Mexican singer, songwriter^[148]
• July 3 – Rudy Rodríguez, American saxophonist^[149]
• July 4 –José Manuel Zamacona, Mexican singer and musician^[150]
• July 22 –Palo Pandolfo, 56, Argentine singer-songwriter and musician (Don Cornelio y la Zona).^[151]
• July 28 –Johnny Ventura, 81,Dominican merengue and salsa musician, mayor ofSanto Domingo (1998–2002) anddeputy (1982–1986), heart attack.^[152]
• August 20 –Larry Harlow, 82, Americansalsa musician and composer, kidney disease.^[153]
• September 14 –Vicente Zarzo Pitarch, 83, Spanish horn player and writer.^[154]
• September 19 –José Alfredo Jiménez Jr., 63, Mexican singer and songwriter, son ofJosé Alfredo Jiménez,^[155]
• September 21
  • La Prieta Linda (Enriqueta "Queta" Jiménez Chabolla), Mexican singer and actress, 88^[156]
  • Roberto Roena, Puerto Rican salsa percussionist and bandleader, 81^[157]
• September 25 –Patricio Manns, 84, Chilean singer, composer ("Arriba en la Cordillera") and writer, heart failure.^[158]
• October 10 –Luis de Pablo, 91, Spanish composer (Generación del 51).^[159]
• October 18 –Concha Márquez Piquer [es], 75, Argentine-Spanish singer and actor^[160]
• October 23:
  • Alfredo Diez Nieto, 102, Cuban composer and conductor.^[161]
  • Mauricio Garza, 26, Mexican singer^[162]
• October 27 –Letieres Leit, 61, musician, arranger, composer^[163]
• October 28 –Jorge Cumbo, 78, Argentinequena player (Los Incas), cancer.^[164]
• November 1
  • Nelson Freire, Brazilian classical pianist, 77^[165]
  • Gilberto Grácio, Portuguese guitar maker, 85^[166]
• November 1 –Nelson Freire, 77, Brazilian classical pianist.^[167]
• November 4 –Mario Lavista, 78, Mexican composer and writer.^[168]
• November 5 –Marília Mendonça, Brazilian singer andGrammy winner (2019), 26 (air crash)^[169]
• December 6 – Hector Emaides, Argentinian music and festival producer (Cosquin Rock), 66 (pneumonia)^[170]
• December 11 –Monarco [pt], Brazilian sambista (Portela), 88^[171]
• December 12 –Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer and actor, multipleGrammy Award winner, 81^[172][173]
• December 15 –Flow La Movie, 36, Puerto Rican music producer (Ozuna,Bad Bunny), plane crash.^[174]
• December 19 –Carlos Marín, 53, German-born Spanish singer (Il Divo), COVID-19.^[175]
• December 24 –Oscar López Ruiz, 83, Argentine composer, record producer and guitarist.^[176]