The Heat Latin Music Awards will take place July 11 at Cap Cana in The Dominican Republic, Billboard can announce.
The 2024 Heat Latin Music Awards will include 10 new categories this year: producer of the year; music video director of the year; album of the year; best viral song; composer of the year; best song for video games, series, movies; best tropical artist; best salsa artist, fan club of the year; and best religious song.
This year’s full nominees will be announced on May 9.
Founded 10 years ago by Colombian music executive Diana Montes, the awards show (popularly known as Premio Heat), recognizes renowned and up-and-coming artists who are making a buzz in the Caribbean and Latin American regions.
Every year, the awards show—which officially launched in 2015 via the HTV and TBS networks and counted on the support of artists such as Juanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Nicky Jam and a then-rising J Balvin—is celebrated on the beach, offering the ultimate “summer experience” to artists, media, and attendees.
“It’s the musical platform where you can make a real connection—the beach gives us that feeling of closeness,” Montes, a 2023 Billboard Latin Power Player, previously told Billboard. “What was clear to me when we did the treatment of the awards is that I did not want to do them in the United States for various reasons, beginning with that we did not have the resources to compete with the larger awards show. Initially, we spoke with Cartagena de Indias but for some reason, we arrived in Cap Cana, and we’ve been hosting the awards here for nine years now. That’s the difference from a traditional award, here you see everyone working and networking but in a bathing suit and with a beer in hand.”
In celebration of the award’s 10-year anniversary, Billboard will celebrate with a special edition of Premios Heat and the Dominican Republic in the April-May print issue of Billboard.
