The 2024 Latin Grammy Awards are here – and it’s a milestone anniversary. This year the event celebrated the 25th anniversary of honoring the best Latin music in Spanish and Portuguese.

Thursday night’s ceremony at Miami’s Kaseya Center, considered the epicenter of Latin culture in the US, was packed with star-studded performances that highlighted the explosive growth of Latin music in recent years – it’s now the fastest growing streaming genre in the country.

More than 700 artists have been nominated in 58 categories this year, according to Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy.

Merengue and bachata great Juan Luis Guerra was the biggest winner of the evening, taking home the top prize: album of the year for ‘Radio Güira’.

The Dominican singer set the stage on fire with an inventive performance of his hit ‘Mambo 23’, which also won best tropical song and the prestigious record of the year.

In a win that surprised many, including Jorge Drexler himself, the Uruguayan singer-songwriter took home the other top prize, winning song of the year with “Derrumbe,” a two-minute song he described as simple and introspective.

Drexler dedicated his award to his father, who died two weeks ago. He is “the one who taught me to understand the complexity of love in all its shades, from the best to the saddest moments,” Drexler said.

Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives gave a special opening performance celebrating his 30-year career, which focused on reinterpreting “vielto” and other folkloric sounds from his home country for a mainstream global audience.

Vives sang some of his biggest hits such as “Fruta Fresca” and “La Bicicleta” and closed his performance accompanied by fellow Colombian singers Camilo, Juanes, Sebastian Yatra and others.

Rock icon Bon Jovi appeared to present Vives with a special award recognizing him as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year.

“This is for my country Colombia, because I continue to believe that music contains the ideas necessary to live united in diversity,” Vives said in his acceptance speech.

Bon Jovi didn’t leave the Latin Grammys without performing a remixed version of his megahit ‘Now Or Never’ with Cuban-American rapper and producer Pitbull.

According to the Latin Recording Academy, more than 30 artists took the stage to perform breathtaking tributes honoring the memories of key figures who made great contributions to Latin music.

The first epic tribute of the evening was dedicated to crooner José José, mariachi singer Vicente Fernández and singer-songwriter – all three late Mexican cultural icons. The tribute was performed by Reik, Leonel García, Alejandro Fernández, David Bisbal and Carlos Rivera.

Brazilian pop star Anitta performed a stripped-down version of her nominated hit “Mil Veces” alongside musician Tiago, as well as some of the most recognizable bossa nova songs made famous by the late Sérgio Mendes.

The show also aimed to embrace younger artists breaking new ground in the industry – from a medley featuring emerging urban artists Eladio Carrión, Quevedo, Myke Towers, to a spanglish performance from Joe Jonas and Ela Taubert, who won Best New artist.

Also reflecting this spirit were performances by Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean, Puerto Rican experimental musician Álvaro Díaz and Trueno, who already won best urban fusion/performance.

Latina singer-songwriters Elena Rose, Kali Uchis and Emilia Mernes dazzled the audience with their distinctive vocal performances and charismatic stage presence.

Latin music icon Marc Anthony performed and produced a special segment with salsa great Sergio George to pay tribute to the tropical music genre. It ended with a duet of Anthony’s and La India’s memorable hit “Vivir Lo Nuestro.”

With nine nominations, producer and songwriter Edgar Barrera is the most nominated artist. It is his second year in a row that he leads the nominations. Barrera is responsible for hits like “Un x100to” by Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, as well as “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” by Karol G, to name a few.

Among the winners who received their prizes during the television show were Carin León’s “Boca Chueca, Vol. 1” for best contemporary Mexican music album, Draco Rosa’s “Reflejos De Lo Eterno” for best pop/rock album and Kany García’s “García” for best traditional pop vocal album.

Karol G won best urban music album for “Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)” and “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi won best pop vocal album for “El Viaje”.

Most of the winners had already received their phonograph-shaped trophies during the Latin Grammy premiere event Thursday afternoon at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Barrera won three awards: songwriter of the year, best regional song and producer of the year.

“I can’t believe this one,” Barrera, a Mexican-American, said after winning third prize. “Because all the producers I have been nominated with are a source of inspiration for me.”

Spanish-Argentine singer Nathy Peluso, known for her powerful vocals and genre-bending music, also picked up three awards during the pre-show. Her song “El Día Que Perdí Mi Juventud” earned her an award for Best Alternative Song, “Aprender A Amar” won for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song, and her album “Grasa” earned her a win for Best Longform music video. .

“Art is about using your heart and faith,” Peluso said when accepting the latest award. “Thank you to the music and ‘Grasa’ for bringing me so many blessings. It has pushed me to find myself and create something I am proud of.”

Peluso ended the night as the most awarded female artist at this year’s Latin Grammys.