NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/Telemudo) - Finalists for
the 2004 Billboard Latin Music Awards were announced by Telemundo and Billboard. Ricky Martin, Juanes, Celia Cruz, Thalia,
David Bisbal, India, Chayanne, Mana,
Marco Antonio Solis, and
Obie Bermudez are featured among finalists in multiple categories.
The ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 29th at the Miami Arena and will be produced broadcast live on Telemundo.
Topping the finalist list is the Latin music legend Celia Cruz, a finalist for Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year; Tropical Album of the Year-Female for "Exitos Eternos", "Hits Mix" and "Regalo del Alma"; Latin Greatest Hits Album of the Year for "Exitos Eternos" and "Hits Mix"; and Tropical Airplay Track of the Year "Rie y Llora".
Among the major categories, Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year finalists include Regional Mexican Group Intocable, Latin rock group Mana and singer/songwriter Marco Antonio Solis. Featured for Hot Latin Track of the Year are Obie Bermudez for "Antes", Chayanne for "Un Siglo Sin Ti", Juanes with Nelly Furtado for "Fotografia," and Ricky Martin for "Tal Vez." Finalists for Latin Tour of the Year include Ricardo Arjona, Vicente Fernandez, Mana and Luis Miguel.
Colombian rocker Juanes is a finalist in five categories as is Puerto Rican artist, Ricky Martin. Also a standout at this year's event, and a finalist up for four awards is Mexican songstress Thalia and up-and-coming Puerto Rican singer/songwriter Obie Bermudez.
Finalists up for three awards include A.B. Quintanilla III & Kumbia Kings, Akwid, Chayanne, Conjunto Primavera, David Bisbal, India, Intocable, Mana, and Marco Antonio Solis. Several artists are competing for two awards including Gloria Estefan, Jaci Velasquez, Jerry Rivera, Luis Miguel, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Olga Ta�on, Ana Barbara, Briseyda y Los Muchachos, Divino, Jae-P, Fabian Gomez, Sin Bandera, Limite, Pepe Aguilar, Lunytunes & Noriega, Son de Cali, Tiziano Ferro, and Valentin Elizalde.
The Billboard Latin Music Awards honor the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin music, as determined by the actual sales and radio airplay data during a one-year period from the issue dated February 15, 2003 through this year's February 7 issue. Albums that charted before Nov. 16, 2002 and albums that won the previous year are ineligible.
