The 25th annual Latin Grammy Awards were presented in Miami last Thursday, and the occasion was a look at the past, present and future of Latin music.
Veteran Dominican merengue star Juan Luis Guerra and his group 4.40, an artist who won two Latin Grammys during the very first ceremony presented in 2000, collected a total of four trophies. That included the top honors of both record of the year and album of the year for his release Radio Güira.
His competition in the record of the year category featured a who's who of much younger musicians, including Puerto Rico's Bad Bunny, Brazilian pop sensation Anitta, Colombian Karol G and breakout Mexican star Peso Pluma. But Guerra's win seemed to reflect his peers' admiration not just for the longevity of his career, but also the legacy of the last 25 years of Latin music.
The future of Latin music was also reflected in three wins by Mexican American songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera.
He's already collected over 20 Latin Grammys, as well as a Grammy for songwriter of the year and billions of streams for writing or producing songs by Bad Bunny, Karol G, Peso Pluma, Shakira, Maluma, and crossover acts like Camila Cabello and Ariana Grande.
At 34 — just slightly older than the Latin Grammys themselves — Barrera reflects the vitality of talent in Latin music not just in the moment, but for at least a few more decades to come.
Other highlights included Puerto Rican vocalist Kany García winning best traditional pop vocal album for García, as well as Venezuelan upstarts Rawayana besting favorites Kali Uchis and Peso Pluma for best pop song.
Bad Bunny won the best reggaeton performance category, which was crowded with top names including J Balvin, Álvaro Díaz and Rauw Alejandro. And OG reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee beat out younger artists for best urban song.
Carin León edged out a crowded best contemporary Mexican music album category that included Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, Grupo Frontera and DannyLux, while former boy band member turned deep thinker Draco Rosa won best pop/rock album for another of his highly conceptualized albums, Reflejos de lo Eterno.
The best new artist category is always a glimpse at the changing sound of Latin music. This year's winner, Colombian vocalist Ela Taubert, was recognized for her deeply personal songwriting, a glimpse of the highly personal turn songwriting has taken in recent years.
A lot has changed in Latin music since the first awards were handed out. For one, the market has grown exponentially as the Latino population here in the United States has grown substantially.
According to the U.S. Census, the number of people who self-identify as Latino has grown from just over 12% in 2000 to almost 19%. In the first half of 2024, Latin music revenue grew 7% to a record $685 million, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Changes in technology have fueled not only the growth of sales, from CDs to streaming, but have also catapulted Latin musicians to a global level. Today, songs by nominees like Bad Bunny, Carin León, Camilo and Karol G stream in the billions, with name recognition well beyond Latin America, Spain and the U.S.
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