Just a week after Sean Paul and Colombian singer Feid topped the Billboard Latin Airplay charts with their collaboration Niña Bonita; Paul received a nomination from Billboard for the Crossover Artist of the Year category for their Latin Music Awards.

In an interview with DanceHall Magazine Sean described his elation with the news expressing that it “is the result of an intentional and long-running desire to ‘bridge the gap’ with his Latin fan base.” He elaborated that, “I was digging deep to try to connect with my Latin fans and that’s really all that is.”

This effort to connect with the Latin community has been a theme throughout Sean’s career as he has collaborated with prominent Latin singers like Enrique Iglesias in the past. However, this year, his passion for connecting with his Latin fans has become more prominent as he has released a series of Latin crossovers and has many more in the works.

Sean Paul told Dancehall Magazine, “Within the last year, I’ve been gravitating more towards that Latin community, just to reach out and have them feeling closer to my career and music. This year alone, I’ve been able to do quite a few songs in the Latin community.”

Niña Bonita features an upbeat rhythm typical of Sean Paul’s distinctive style enhanced by Latin instruments. The show-stopping collaboration sings about a man who falls in love with a woman after vowing never to fall in love again. The verses interchange between Spanish and English so that fans of both languages can grasp the meaning of the song without having to think too hard. The delicate balance between Spanish and English is testimony to Sean’s intention to bridge the gap between his two fan bases.

Released in April 2023, the collaboration has received over 41 million views on YouTube and 140 million streams on Spotify. No doubt, this collaboration has brought Sean Paul closer to his goal of connecting with his Latin Fans.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to this insatiable collaboration we highly recommend that you do so now. Or, if you have already, there is no harm in listening again. Also, don’t forget to tune into the Billboard Latin Music Awards on October 5th to see if Sean Paul beats his fellow nominees: Justin Timberlake, Lil Jon, Marshmello, and Maitré Gims to win his first ever Billboard Latin Music award.

References

DanceHall Magazine https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/08/25/features/interviews/sean-paul-reacts-to-his-2023-billboard-crossover-artist-of-the-year-nomination.html

Jamaica Gleaner

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20230827/its-about-hard-work-not-looks-says-sean-paul-latin-music-award-nom

NyCaribNews

Sean Paul Nominated for Billboard Latin Music Awards andReleases Sensational Music Video “Summa Hot” – NY Carib News