A 95-Year-Old Collecting An Award For Best New Artist? These Are The Top 5 Moments Of The Latin Grammys

The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas to honor the best musical releases within Latin music released from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022. Hosted by Luis Fonsi, Anitta, Thalia, and Laura Pausini, the biggest night in Latin music honored the contributions to Latin music of the past year.

The Latin Recording Academy® is an international nonprofit dedicated to nurturing, celebrating, honoring, and elevating Latin music and its creators. The annual Latin GRAMMY Awards® honors excellence in the recording arts and sciences, in addition to providing educational and outreach programs for the music community through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®.

There were so many highlights and extravagant performances at this years celebration, from Rosalía’s Motomami (which won Album of the Year) to Marc Anthony’s Pa’lla Voy (which won Best Salsa Album), and Angela Alvarez winning a Latin Grammy award at 95 year old. Industry veteran Jorge Drexler ultimately took home the most awards last night with seven wins. Leading with 10 nominations, Bad Bunny took home five Latin grammys (even though he was not in attendance due to his tour), including Best Urban Album for Un Verano Sin Ti. The award-winning Puerto Rican singer/ rapper gave his props to Reggaetones roots and trailblazers." And to the dembow movement, the artists, producers, dancers, and music video directors," he wrote. "Thank you for the inspiration, this Grammy is yours." Mexican icon Marco Antonio Solís was honored with the 2022 Latin Recording Academy Award for Person of the Year.

1. The star-studded glorious show opener

Thalía, Luis Fonsi, and Laura Pausini performed "Si No Te Hubieras Ido"; joined by Mexican duo Sin Bandera they led a tribute to the Latin Recording Academy’s “Person of the Year” Marco Antonio Solís of Los Bukis fame. The tribute also featured Gente de Zona, the Cuban duo who appeared on the 2021 ceremony’s song of the year — the protest anthem “Patria y Vida.” They were also joined by Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola and Goyo, of the Colombian hip-hop trio Chocquibtown.

2. Anitta not only hosted the event but she performed and embraced her roots bringing the sounds of Brazil to the stage

The Brazilian singer, songwriter didn't just host the Latin Grammys; Anitta embraced her Brazilian roots by performing a mash-up of her baile funk bangers at the show. Rising to national fame since 2013, embarking on numerous collaborations and catapulting critical acclaim with her trilingual fourth album, Kisses, released in 2019 and earning her a nomination for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album. She began her set with a sexy performance of the mega-hit “Envolver,” which got her a Guinness World Record by making her the first Latin artist to reach number one on Spotify. She then performed a mash-up of dance tracks “Movimiento de Sanfoninha,” “Rave de Favela,” “Vai Malandra,” “La Mama de La Mama,” and “Machika.” Anitta then joined her dancers in twerking into the audience and giving Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra an unexpected lap dance.

Anitta received two Latin Grammy Awards nominations this year. “Envolver” was nominated for both Record of the Year and Best Reggaeton Performance. Earlier this week, Anitta received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.

3. Ángela Álvarez wins Latin Grammy award at 95 years old

Grammy Historic moments, include the Cuban singer-songwriter Angela Alvarez, 95, winning best new artist. The 95-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter won best new artist, sharing the award with 25-year-old Mexican singer Silvana Estrada. Alvarez is the oldest musician to be nominated in the best new artist category at the awards show, proving it's never too late to chase after your dreams "with faith and love." Accepting her award, the Gospel singer said "I want to dedicate this award to God and to my beloved country Cuba, which I will never be able to forget."

4. Rosalía wins album of the year

With eight nominations, singer, songwriter Rosalía concluded the night with four honors including Album of the Year for "Motomami," her third studio album. When accepting the honors, the 30-year-old was in tears and said, in Spanish: "Thank you so much. 'Motomami' was a record I had to fight really hard to create … but it has brought me so much happiness. Thank you for always supporting my music even when it's constantly changing."

Fans witnessed the romance of the power couple as she confirmed her love for fellow Latin pop star Rauw Alejandro — the second-most nominated artist this year, with eight nods. During Rosalia’s performance of “Despechá” the couple playfully danced, and during her acceptance speech, the "Hentai" singer gave the "love of my life" a shoutout. "Baby, I love you," she said to Alejandro.

5. Marco Antonio Solís honored with the 2022 Latin Recording Academy Award for Person of the Year

One of the night's highest honors belonged to Marco Antonio Solís, one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters in Latin music. The Mexican icon was honored with the 2022 Latin Recording Academy Award for Person of the Year. "My heart is flooded with gratitude. … Congratulations to all the nominees, all the winners, and to everyone who's dreaming of being up here one day," Solís said during his speech. "Don't lose your faith. One day you'll be up here."

See Full Nominees and Winners HERE

About The Latin Recording Academy®

The Latin Recording Academy® is an international nonprofit dedicated to nurturing, celebrating, honoring, and elevating Latin music and its creators. Established as the global authority on Latin music, the membership-based organization composed of music professionals, produces the annual Latin GRAMMY Awards®, The Biggest Night in Latin Music®, which honors excellence in the recording arts and sciences, in addition to providing educational and outreach programs for the music community through its Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®.