Arcángel’s Sober Album ‘La 8va Maravilla’ & More Best New Music Latin

Trending on Billboard New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below. Arcángel, La 8va Maravilla (Rimas Entertainment) Arcángel is celebrating his 20-year music trajectory with the release of his eight studio album, La 8va Maravilla . With collaborations that include Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, Grupo Firme, Kapo, Sech, Beéle, and his son Austin San, the 20-track set is Arca’s more mature and experimental album to date. Sonically, it’s packed with merengue (“Hoy Se Guaya”), afro house (“Chula”), banda (“Cuánto Cuesta”), Jersey club (“Ese Labial”), pop (“Lluvia”) and his signature R&B and reggaetón sound. Lyrically, he focused on romantic, tasteful and faith-based lyrics, such as “Di Amén” - far from the underground, polemical, and racy identity that helped fuel his success. In a recent Billboard Español cover story , the Puerto Rican artist proudly shared that beyond his musical evolution, La 8va Maravilla is his first sober album, one that was born following an open-heart surgery: “It made me realize that I don’t need [to consume] anything to create. I can create at any time, even in my worst moments. If for 20 years I created music in a not-so-healthy way, making music during very dark times, imagine what I can do now that I’m sober and feeling better personally.” - JESSICA ROIZ Codiciado, “Todo Pendejo” (CodiRecords / ADA) For his first release of the year, Codiciado bares it all with “Todo Pendejo,” a heart-wrenching, tequila-soaked anthem for the brokenhearted. Opening with a melancholic harmonica that flirts with a country twang, the track feels unfiltered as Eric Aragón (real name) sings of regret and the sting of love gone wrong. The song’s confessional tone is best summed up in the lyric: “Me diste en el ego, qué triste aceptar, y así de pendejo sé que me quieres mucho.” (“You hurt my ego, how sad to admit, and I know you love me so much.”) It’s three minutes of vulnerability and pain, wrapped in a deceptively simple yet emotionally gripping melody that sticks with you long after the final note. If this is how the Tijuana star is kicking off the year, expect 2026 to be drenched in tear-soaked corridos. - ISABELA RAYGOZA Joaquina, “Pelinegra” (Universal Music Latino) The love between sisters is beautifully encapsulated in “pelinegra,” the latest single from Venezuelan singer-songwriter Joaquina, dedicated to her younger sister, Guillermina (Kiki). Driven by gentle electric guitar riffs and drums, this sublime pop ballad captures the purest feeling inspired by someone who shares our same upbringing and DNA. “We’ll leave this house in a few years, no longer sharing adjoining rooms, but I’ll always be by your side,” Joaquina sings soulfully. The music video, directed by Zárate, features young Venezuelan dancer Salomé Rivas (or Baby Salomé) sweetly dancing alongside Joaquina as if she were her younger sister, before the real Kiki appears to embrace the singer at the end. - SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Banda...

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