Bad Bunny wins Best Latin at the 2026 MTV VMAs for “NuvaYOL”

Latin music had another big moment at the 2026 MTV VMAs. While there may have only been one category, it brought together some of the biggest names in música, with Anitta, Shakira, Bad Bunny, Fuerza Regida, KAROL G, Rosalía, Ryan Castro ft. Kapo, and GANGSTA, and Shakira and Burna Boy all competed for the Moon Person. After a night filled with major performances and plenty of surprises, there could only be one winner, which went to Bad Bunny for “NUEVAYoL.”

“NUEVAYoL” appeared on Bad Bunny’s 2025 album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, his incredible Puerto Rican project that blends modern urbano with traditional sounds including salsa, plena, bolero, and jíbaro music.

Why Bad Bunny called the song “NUEVAYoL”

© GC Images

“NUEVAYoL” is a Puerto Rican pronunciation of “Nueva York,” with the final “r” becoming an “l.” The choice reflects the way Puerto Rican Spanish sounds while also tying the song directly to the island’s long history with New York and its Puerto Rican diaspora.

Bad Bunny explained that the album is dedicated to Puerto Rico, but he wanted the story to begin somewhere else.

The song connects Puerto Rico and New York

© Cheery Viruet

“It’s funny because it’s an album dedicated completely to Puerto Rico, but it starts in New York,” he told Rolling Stone. He explained that, historically, saying “Me voy pa’ Nueva York” was almost shorthand for leaving the island for the United States.

“NUEVAYoL” opens DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS and immediately establishes the album’s larger themes of home, nostalgia, and Puerto Rican identity.

The track samples El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and Andy Montañez’s 1975 salsa classic “Un Verano en Nueva York,” bringing an older generation of Puerto Rican music directly into Bad Bunny’s modern sound.

© Cheery Viruet

Bad Bunny also went digging through Puerto Rican musical history while creating the song. In a Rolling Stone interview, he recalled discovering an older version of a song that included a powerful “Nueva York!” shout from Puerto Rican folk singer Andrés Jiménez.

“I said, ‘Bro, we have to add this,’” Bad Bunny recalled. “It goes with everything the song is saying.”  The lyrics reference figures and pieces of Latin and Puerto Rican culture, including Big Pun, Juan Soto, Frida Kahlo, and salsa legend Willie Colón.