NEW YORK — Latin music has taken the world by storm, sparking industry conversations for the past few years. Across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, numbers have skyrocketed, making it the fastest growing streaming genre in the United States.
The Latin Grammy Awards, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has worked to recognize and promote Latin music worldwide. This year, the Latin Recording Academy brings its star-studded celebration to Miami, the heart of Latin culture in the U.S., where they are headquartered. Here is what to know:
The 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards will take place Nov. 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. It will air live on Univision, UniMás, Galavisión and ViX beginning at 8 p.m. EST.
For the second consecutive year, producer and songwriter Édgar Barrera leads the nominations. Known for his work with artists like Madonna, Karol G, Peso Pluma, Shakira and Grupo Frontera — Barrera is up for nine awards. Last year he received 13 nominations and won three.
Close behind him are some of his collaborators, reggaetón superstars Karol G and Bad Bunny, who are tied with eight nominations each.
Performers at this year’s bash include Barrera, Residente, Myke Towers, DJ Khaled, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Jonas, Anitta, Becky G, Eladio Carrión, Grupo Frontera, Kali Uchis, Pitbull, Luis Fonsi, Juan Luis Guerra, Carín León and more.
Colombian singer Carlos Vives, the recipient of the 2024 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, will also perform.
There are also two new categories this year: best Latin electronic music performance, housed within the new electronic music field, and best contemporary Mexican music album.
Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abud likens the Recording Academy — the governing body behind the Grammys — and the Latin Recording Academy to sister organizations.
“Or maybe even mother and daughter,” he laughs. “The basis is the same: We are membership-based organizations for music creators and music professionals. So, we’re celebrating musical excellence. We have the exact DNA. Our entire process is a Grammy process.”
While the Grammys focus on the U.S. market, he says, the Latin Grammys have different global considerations. “Our voting process is, I would say, identical, but it has some adjustments for the international component that we have that they don’t.”
He adds that artists can be dual members of the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy, if they are Latin artists based in the U.S.
The trophies themselves are also very similar: Both are gramophone-shaped, but the base of a Latin Grammy is burgundy, while the Grammys’ is black.
“We are a licensee of the Recording Academy,” said Abud. “The Recording Academy has four members on my board, including their chair and their CEO.”
In the late ’90s and early ’00s, Latin artists had success when they “crossed over” and performed in English: “The Ricky Martins and the Gloria Estefans,” as Abud describes them. But today, he said, artists are singing in Spanish. “They don’t have to do the crossover.”
And even more noteworthy: English-speaking artists now want to work with Spanish-speaking artists in their native language.
Gabriel Abaroa Jr., the Latin Recording Academy’s former president and CEO and current president emeritus agrees.
He traces the story of the Latin Grammys to 1997, when the Recording Academy started paying closer attention to Latin music. That same year, the Latin Recording Academy was established to celebrate the diverse musical landscape of Latin music in Latin America, Spain, Brazil, Portugal and beyond — not just the artists breaking through in the U.S.
The inaugural Latin Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles in 2000, followed by shows in Miami, New York City, Houston, Seville, Spain and Las Vegas.
Initially, the awards ceremony was broadcast in English, a decision that proved to be a misstep. “Asking our talent to communicate in English was pretty bad,” recalls Abaroa Jr. “The artists didn’t want to because they felt that we were disrespecting them by making them speak in a language other than theirs.”
The worst part, he said, was that even the Mexican audience, which “comprised 75% of the market at the time,” didn’t turn on the TV to watch the show because “they hated to see it in English.”
In response, the Latin Grammys transitioned to Spanish-language broadcasts in 2005, a transformative decision for its audience — and one that directly reflects the ways in which Latin music would be enjoyed in the years to come.
The Latin Grammys will continue its global expansion by holding future awards shows in various international locations.
Last year, the 2023 Latin Grammys were held in Seville, Spain, marking the first time the show took place outside the U.S.
The move, facilitated by a nearly 19 million-euro deal between the government of Andalusia and the Latin Recording Academy, sparked some controversy, with some criticizing the Latin Grammys decision to hold the show in the very European country that colonized much of Latin America.
Both Abud and Abaroa Jr. consider the Seville event a great success.
“In the next couple of years, you will see another international edition of the Latin Grammys,” said Abud.
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