The 24th edition of the Latin Grammys gave us much to discuss. To start, the highly-anticipated event went international for the first time. Hosted by Danna Paola, Sebastián Yatra, Roselyn Sánchez, and Paz Vega, the ceremony took place yesterday (Nov. 16) in Seville, Spain — a major change from Las Vegas, which has been the host city for the past few years.
For those on the other side of the pond, the prestigious award show still gave us incredible televised moments through different networks. From start to finish, viewers were left intrigued as each artist was called to the podium to accept their hard-earned trophies. This year’s most-awarded winners included Karol G, Shakira, and Natalia Lafourcade, with three top wins each. We also had Portuguese language representation with the win from Brazilian singer Xenia França. How’s that for Latina power?
But the award show was so much more than just the winners. The ceremony also featured jaw-dropping performances from the get-go. For example, Rosalía’s emotional cover of Rocío Jurado’s “Se Nos Rompió El Amor” gave us chills and immediately hooked us to the television screen. It instantly became one of the most talked about performances of the star-studded night.
Not only did we experience heartfelt performances, but the red carpet gave us must-see moments with some relationships making their debut and, of course, the standout looks.
With that being said, there’s a lot that went down during the entire evening. From Peso Pluma and Nicki Nicole’s smitten affection on the red carpet to the Colombian pop star Karol G’s stunning dress and huge wins, here are our top six highlights from the 2023 Latin Grammys.
1
Peso Pluma & Nicki Nicole Go Red Carpet Official
Peso Pluma and Nicki Nicole have been among the most talked about rumored couples of 2023. It all started when the lovebirds were captured on public dates, like strolling in Disneyland and attending sports games together. It appears that the two are now going public with their relationship with the 2023 Latin Grammys, marking the first time the two walked a red carpet together. They also shared a kiss for the cameras. During the interviews, Nicki revealed that the two have been in the studio together. She told a media outlet that they have a lot of chemistry with each other, to which the Mexican singer followed by saying that there might be surprises coming. In another red carpet-interview, she also seemingly confirmed the two’s relationship. Though it’s not official if they’ll release new music soon, we at least know that the two seem to be fond of each other’s company.
2
Rosalía’s Powerful Cover of “Se Nos Rompió El Amor”
The prestigious ceremony started with one of the year’s arguably best and most passionate performances with an added twist. The chameleon-like Spanish singer-songwriter covered the Spanish singer and actress Rocío Jurado’s iconic song “Se Nos Rompió El Amor” accompanied by strong guitars, flamenco palmas, and her raw, heartwrenching emotional signature vocals as she narrated a song about the loss of a true love. Though we might now know if the particular song choice has to do with her recent separation from Rauw Alejandro, the heartbreaking ballad appeared to move her audience – both in the venue and across global waters. The result of the grand opening? A well-deserved standing ovation from the ceremony’s public, which is yet another demonstration of the Latin Grammy nominee’s great talents. Though she didn’t win any awards this year, Rosalía was nominated for Record of the Year with “Despechá.” Last year, she won a total of four awards: Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Best Recording Package, and Best Alternative Music Album for MOTOMAMI.
3
Rauw Alejandro’s Emotional Cover & Unexpected Juanes Feature
Rauw Alejandro didn’t shy away from letting his emotions be heard during the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards. To continue the celebration of Laura Pausini’s Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year award, the Puerto Rican singer took the opportunity to sing a cover of her iconic song “Se Fue” in a ring of fire. Social media users took this as an indirect message to Rosalía. While we may never know if the two chose these two specific songs to describe their breakup’s aftermath, what’s sure is that they respectively delivered breakup anthems that can easily resonate with someone dealing with the same sentiment. He later followed the song with an alternative version of his Bizarrap collaboration “BABY HELLO,” featuring an electrifying guitar feature by Juanes. The cherry on top? The Colombian icon gifted Rauw the autographed guitar after the performance. How’s that for a souvenir? Moreover, Rauw also took the sweetest date to the red carpet: his mother.
4
Bizarrap Shines Light on Emerging Argentinian Talent
One thing about Bizarrap is that he’s innovative and a tastemaker. He doesn’t just perform his joint tracks – he makes art from his performances. And this time, it wasn’t any different. For his Latin Grammy performance, Biza brought the emerging Argentinean rapper Milo J to perform their newest collaboration, “BZRP Music Session #57.” It’s no surprise since Biza recently shared that he was “mindblown over the quality” of Milo J’s talent to create music. In doing so, he introduced the rising star to the masses.
Moreover, he reimagined his hit “BZRP Music Sessions #52” with Quevedo into a tango-tinged anthem and later performed his smashing hit “BZRP Music Sessions #53” with Shakira’s immaculate moves. The three hits combined made for one of the night’s most exciting performances, topped with traditional dancers that added Argentinean culture to the mix. The Argentinean producer took home three trophies – including Song Of The Year and Best Pop Song for “BZRP Music Sessions #53” with the Colombian superstar.
5
Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma Finally Share Stage
This year, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” undoubtedly took over the airwaves and streaming charts. Heck, the earworm even got a KIZ BOP cover. The two música mexicana artists took the hit and made history with it all year long. For example, with “Ella Baila Sola,” Peso Pluma became the first regional Mexican singer to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The same catchy collaboration made the Mexican-American group the first regional Mexican band to perform at Good Morning America. Fast forward to yesterday (Nov. 16), the two skyrocketing música mexicana stars finally graced a television stage together and sang the hit joint track live, in front of a stage that echoed the song’s music video’s masquerade theme. Though “Ella Baila Sola” didn’t end up receiving any awards, it earned two nominations for Song Of The Year and Best Regional Song.
6
Karol G’s Stunning Red Carpet Dress & Historic Wins
Karol G was a huge winner of the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards. But first, let’s talk about her standout look. The Colombian superstar stunned with a Balmain rose gold-colored short dress. The dress is described as a “glittering mini” and “complete with feminine floral details and sharply tailored waist.” It made for the perfect fairytale dress that started a memorable night. Karol scored major wins, including Album of the Year for her chart-topping album Mañana Será Bonito. The same album earned her Best Urban Music Album, which made her the first woman ever to receive the recognition. To top it off, Karol G shared a warm embrace with rumored boyfriend Feid after winning Best Urban Music Album, which has social media users gushing over the two Colombian stars. That’s not all: She also won Best Urban/Fusion Performance for her Shakira-assisted “TQG.”