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For a quarter of a century, the Latin Grammys have given legends like Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin, Juan Luis Guerra and Gloria Estefan their flowers while boosting acts like Juanes, Shakira, Residente and others.
Latin music spans subgenres and cultures across the world, riding the global success of such artists as Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Karol G, Peso Pluma and Edgar Barrera. The most recent iterations of the Latin Grammys were among the first to put these superstars in front of a mainstream TV audience.
Now, with Latin music one of the most popular and fastest growing genres in the world, it’s even more important for the Latin Grammys to not only showcase established stars but also rising talent.
While the Grammy Awards have long celebrated Spanish-language music, the competition is stiff and only a rare few have been nominated in general categories against non-Latin acts. With the creation of the Latin Grammy Awards in 2000, the Latin Recording Academy opened the door for the diversity of genres, sounds and cultures throughout the U.S., Latin America and Spain to be represented across 58 categories.
The first telecast was especially historic for putting a bilingual Latin music awards show on a CBS primetime TV slot.
Here are 10 standout Latin Grammy moments.
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Christina Aguilera Performs at the Inaugural Latin Grammy Awards (2000)
Image Credit: Getty Images The launch of the Latin Grammy Awards coincided with the rise of Christina Aguilera. In 2000, the 19-year-old embraced her Ecuadorian roots with her album “Mi Reflejo,” which contained Spanish-language versions of her hits. Aguilera brought her star power to the Latin Grammys inau- gural ceremony in 2000 and belted out the bolero classic “Contigo en la Distancia.” She then sang “Genio Atrapado,” a Span- ish-language version of her breakthrough hit “Genie in a Bottle.” Aguilera’s versatile performance was pivotal in bringing a mainstream audience to the first Latin Grammys telecast.
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Celia Cruz Had That “Tumbao” (2002)
Image Credit: Getty Images Celia Cruz became known as the queen of salsa music decades before the inception of the Latin Grammy Awards. But she did perform twice on the show before her death in July 2003. The Cuban icon brought down the house with a fiery performance of “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” which celebrated her Afro-Latina heritage. She began her acceptance speech for the best salsa album award with a memorable line that’s still quoted today: “Ladies and gentlemen, excuse my English because it’s not very good looking.” She died the following year at age 77. In 2003, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Olga Tanon led a tribute to her during the Latin Grammys ceremony.
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Los Lonely Boys and Santana Keep “La Bamba” Alive (2004)
Image Credit: Getty Images Ritchie Valens was a Latin music pioneer. The Mexican American rocker, who paved the way for Chicano rock with hit “La Bamba,” died in the 1959 plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. At the fifth Latin Grammys, Los Lonely Boys teamed up with Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana to perform “La Bamba” to pay tribute to Valens on the 45th anniversary of his death. The artists rounded out the tribute with more Chicano rock excellence, incorporating Los Lonely Boys’ “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” into the medley.
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Shakira Becomes First Woman to Win Record, Song and Album of the Year (2006)
Image Credit: Getty Images Shakira dominated the seventh Latin Grammy Awards while making history: The ceremony followed the blockbuster success of her “Fijación Oral, Vol. 1,” which was her first Spanish-language album in seven years (and her first as a global super-star). The album’s reggaeton-infused “La Tortura,” featuring Spanish crooner Alejandro Sanz, was a Top 40 hit, and Shakira brought her hip-shaking moves from the music video to life in a hypnotizing performance with Sanz on the show. She became the first female artist to win song of the year and record of the year for “La Tortura,” and also became the first woman to win album of the year.
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Thalia’s Gender-Bending Performance of “Seducción” (2006)
Image Credit: Getty Images Thalía put on one of the most popular performances at the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards with her sophisticated rendition of “Seducción.” Thalía appeared to pull from Madonna’s Marie Antoinette-inspired performance of “Vogue” at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards but flipped the gender roles by dressing more like Louis XVI, while getting cozy with both her female and male dancers. Following an epic sword fight, Thalía changed into a lace bodysuit to end her performance on a fiercely feminine note.
“I don’t remember exactly when was the first time I attended the Latin Grammys, but I remember that live performance at the seventh gala in 2006, as if it were the first time,” Thalía tells Variety. “It was one of my funniest performances; I did several costume transformations on stage, something quite striking for that time.”
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“Despacito” Takes Its Victory Lap at the Latin Grammys (2017)
Image Credit: Getty Images Two Puerto Rican veterans, pop star Luis Fonsi and reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee, got a second wind in their careers in 2017 with the record-smashing global hit “Despacito.” Following the release of the song’s remix with Justin Bieber, “Despacito” topped the Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 16 consecutive weeks. At the 18th Latin Grammy Awards, Fonsi performed a salsa-infused version of “Despacito” that celebrated Puerto Rico. Though the absence of Daddy Yankee was felt, Fonsi breathed new life into the song with guests Bomba Estéreo, Víctor Manuelle and Diplo. That night, Fonsi and Daddy Yankee also swept the song of the year and record of the year categories.
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Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny and Residente Bring Puerto Rico to Las Vegas (2019)
Image Credit: Getty Images for LARAS Three different generations of Puerto Rican stars united at the 20th Latin Grammy Awards. Ricky Martin, who broke barriers for Latin music acts in the late ’90s, teamed up with Calle 13’s Residente and Bad Bunny for a commanding performance of “Cántalo.” (Incidentally, Residente holds the record for the most Latin Grammy wins with 27 awards.) At the heart of Martin’s performance was a celebration of their island’s culture and resistance, following the ousting of Governor Ricardo Rosselló earlier that year.
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“Patria o Vida” Wins Song of the Year (2021)
Image Credit: Getty Images for The Latin Recor n 2021, Cuban acts Yotuel, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo and El Funky turned a motto from Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s repressive regime, “Patria o Muerte” (“Homeland or Death”) into an anthem of freedom, “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”). Co-written by Beatriz Luengo, it became a song of resis- tance and hope during the protests against Cuba’s Communist Party that July. Osorbo was put in prison for “crimes against state security,” where he remains, while Yotuel is barred from entering Cuba. At the 22nd Latin Grammys, Gloria Estefan introduced the powerful performance of “Patria y Vida” featuring all the acts sans Osorbo. The song of the year win amplified its message.
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Best New Artist Tie (2022)
Image Credit: Getty Images for The Latin Recor At the 23rd Latin Grammy Awards, history was made in the best new artist category as two artists were announced as winners. Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada tied with Cuban artist Angela Alvarez, who, at age 95, was the oldest person ever nominated in the category. Estrada’s win signified the future of Latin music, as she’s since blossomed into a masterful folk musician. Alvarez’s grandson had convinced her to record decades-old songs, proving that dreams can come true at any age. She has since been the subject of a documentary and appeared in “Father of the Bride” with Andy Garcia.
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Peso Pluma and Eslabon Armado Tout Música Mexicana‘s New Wave (2023)
Image Credit: Getty Images for Latin Recording Though the Gen Z artists who redefined música mexicana started emerging in late 2019, there was resistance from Latin Recording Academy voters at first. Thanks to the success of “Ella Baila Sola,” Eslabon Armado’s global hit with Peso Pluma, attitudes towards corridos and sierreño have changed. In a moment that was a big win for Mexican youth on both sides of the border, the Mexican American group and Peso Pluma performed the song together at the 24th Latin Grammy Awards. This year’s awards now include best contemporary Mexican music album to be more inclusive to the new wave of música mexicana.
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