The Unforgettable Night of the 2024 Latin Grammys

November 14th was the largest night for Latin/Brazilian artists as we witnessed the 2024 Latin Grammys in all its glory. This incredible night was full of performances and heartfelt moments as we revisited significant moments from the award show’s past, celebrating 25 years.

To kick off the night, they held a pre-show with different artists, both old and new, answering questions from multiple interviewers. This included chats about their clothing and their excitement for the show. Danny Ocean, Kali Uchis, and even Grupo Frontera were among those interviewed.

I could go on about the night as a whole. Instead, I want to focus on some of my favorite (sometimes shocking) performances. Many artists won major categories, and some moments shocked both the audience live at the show as well as the thousands of people sitting in front of their TVs squealing and screaming their heads off.

Performances

One performance that truly had me dancing was Album of the Year winner Juan Luis Guerra performing “Mambo 23”.

To say that this performance was energetic would be an understatement, as everything about it was so lively and never felt dull.

Guerra showed the audience that age is just a number as he kept up with the dancers. I should mention that the song was incredible. I’m adding it to one of my playlists.

The Sets of Trios

Two performances I enjoyed were the mash-ups of three artists. Three artists with different styles gave us about 30 seconds to a minute of one of their songs.

Díaz’s “Quien Te Quiere Como El Nene” hit the audience in the heart, while Ocean’s song “Amor” was more tropical in tone.

The live instruments from both sets tied the two songs together, ending with Trueno and his hit song “Tranky Funky”. This single brought a modern rendition of retro funk and hip-hop, which served as a breath of fresh air with its vibrant instrumentals on par with Ocean’s mini-set.

For the next performance, Kali Uchis, Elena Rose, and Emilia stood out as possibly the best trio set of the night.

Uchis started off with her bolero song “Te Mata”, backed up with grand violins and strings to support her.

“Te Mata” would then lead into Rose’s song “Caracas En El 2000”, which celebrates her culture as a Venezuelan in all its beauty. This set also ended off on a high-energy note with “No se ve” by Emilia.

It comes from her album .mp3, which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album alongside Kali Uchis’ Orquideas. The song itself takes inspiration from Y2K as well as infuses Brazilian beats towards the end of the song.

An Homage to Salsa

The last performance was an homage to salsa as a genre, which they knocked out of the park. The background for this performance was meant to re-imagine the era when salsa was at its most popular and also capture the sounds of Miami, which they accomplished.

Throughout the set, different neon signs lit up to tell you what song was going to play. The band was also amazing, as each transition to the next song went so smoothly that I didn’t realize until a new neon sign lit itself.

There were five iconic songs played during the set: Tito Nieves’ “De Mi Enamórate”, Frankie Ruiz’s “Tu Me Vuelves Loco”, Oscar D’Leon’s “Llorarás”, La India and Marc Anthony’s hit song “Vivir Lo Nuestro”, and Grupo Niche’s favorite song “Una Aventura”.

We can’t forget about the icons that were also out there singing. Marc Anthony and La India performed their song “Vivir Lo Nuestro” for the first time together in 25 years, making the ending of this homage that much more special.

You could tell that both artists were deeply into the show as a whole as the crowd roared when they came onto the stage.

Alongside them were also Nieves and D’Leon singing their hit songs, joined by Grupo Niche and two rising stars in the music industry, Christian Alicea and Luis Figueroa.

Nominations

The main course of the night, as we all know, was the winners across a wide variety of categories, some of which piqued my interest and left me shocked.

Song of the Year, for example, was one of those categories that was hard for me to guess because of what was all nominated. Karol G’s “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” was one that I thought for sure was in the bag for the Colombian artist. However, it surprisingly went to Jorge Drexler with his song “Derrumbe”.

After listening to the song, I understand why it won. It is a great piece that is constantly building up until the very end, where Drexler releases all the tension building throughout the song. The theme of the song itself is also such a relatable one, and his use of words beautifully communicates what happens when a relationship essentially collapses, just like the name of the song says.

Album of the Year was another category that I thought would be a close call, considering that there were many popular names in the running, such as Shakira and Karol G.

I’m glad that it ended up going to the Dominican artist Juan Luis Guerra with Radio Güira. His performance that night was so energetic and fun that I feel like I missed out on a spectacular album this entire year. I will be listening to Radio Güira whenever I get the chance.

Best New Artist

The second biggest category of the night would have to be the Best New Artist award, and there was some tough competition up there.

Latin Mafia (my personal favorite) was on that list, which is a huge thing considering they are now featured on a huge artist’s album, that being Rauw Alejandro’s Cosa Nuestras.

It ended up going to Ela Taubert, and she gave a heartfelt speech, trying to hold back tears on stage. You could see Karol G in the crowd smiling and congratulating her when she went upstage.

In English, Taubert thanked everyone from her producers to her fans who have loved and supported her throughout her career.

Shocking Moments

The night had many more surprises in store both for viewers at home as well as the guests in attendance.

The show opened with the Person of the Year, Carlos Vives, singing songs from his discography as other Colombian artists joined him on stage.

He was later recognized by Jon Bon Jovi, who happened to be the Person of the Year for the 2024 Grammys that happened earlier this year.

Vives acceptance speech had him reminiscing about his career and thanking the Academy for giving him the award.

“It means that rhythms and genres are like trees when one sees the countryside that the trees seem seemingly are not connected and if we go down to earth we see that the roots are connected. We are all connected at the roots despite our differences and the walls that sometimes the industry imposes.”

That wouldn’t be Jovi’s last appearance, though, as he later performed one of Pitbull’s new songs that sampled one of his famous songs “It’s My Life”.

That wasn’t the only surprise appearance, as Joe Jonas was also there with Best New Artist Ela Taubert, performing a remix of one of her songs “¿Cómo Pasó?”, which was released a day after the broadcast.

Final Thoughts

The 2024 Latin Grammys was an amazing night for all the Latin nominees and winners. The flashbacks to significant moments of the Latin Grammys’ past also add to the flare of the awards.

This year’s performances, as well as winners, will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.