Latin Grammys

A total of 18 musical performances took center stage at the 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17) including from heavy hitters such as Romeo Santos, Karol G, and Rosalia, to name a few.

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Thalia, Luis Fonsi, Laura Pausini, Sin Bandera, Carin Leon, Gente de Zona, Goyo, and Aymee Nuviola joined forces on stage for the evening’s grand opener, a tribute to person of the year Marco Antonio Solis.

An eclectic medley by Rauw Alejandro followed with his bangers “Lejos del Cielo,” “Mas de Una Vez,” “Desesperados,” and “Punto 40;” Christina Aguilera and Christian Nodal wowed the crowd with their power-vocals in “Cuando Me Dé la Gana;” and Karol G had the entire venue on their feet with her certified club bangers “Gatubela,” “Provenza,” and “Cairo;” to name a few.

In a soulful performance that united two generations of musicians, Carlos Vives, Camilo, Nicole Zignago and Silvana Estrada — who shared the best new artist win with Ángela Álvarez — gave the audience a new, more instrumental version of “Baloncito Viejo” that marked Vives’ and Camilo’s first-ever collaboration.

What was your favorite performance at the 23rd annual awards? Vote below!

The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 in the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision. 

While artists graced the red carpet, gave memorable speeches, and took center stage during the televised 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17) via Univision, here’s what Billboard observed behind the scenes.

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Check out the things you didn’t see on TV below:

1. A heartfelt moment. Yahritza y Su Esencia, the youngest-nominated best new artist at 15, and Angela Alvarez, the oldest best new artist nominee at 95, interchanged hugs and kisses on the red carpet. Later in the night, Alvarez and Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada tied for the coveted best new artist award.

2. Also on the carpet, Estrada expressed that one of her best moments of 2022 so far was when Rosalia DM’ed her on Instagram. “I did a poem and tagged her on my stories, and a couple of weeks later, she responded. I totally fangirled! Now I imagine us being the best of friends,” she laughed.

3. Meanwhile, we asked Nicki Nicole to describe the ultimate girl group if she were to be in one with two of her colleagues. “It would have to be Emilia Mernes because she’s a great dancer, and going to think very big here, but I would love it to be Karol G. She’s amazing!”

4. At the media center, best new artist nominee Angela Alvarez crooned the crowd with her powerhouse vocals. “I never took singing lessons. This is my natural voice,” she said to the press. Estrada, who said backstage that she dedicates the award to her mom and women everywhere, felt honored to share the best new artist award with Alvarez. “She reminds me a lot of my mother, who abandoned so many things to become a mom. And this award is a call to hope that there are no limits.”

Silvana Estrada; Angela Alvarez

Mindy Small/WireImage; Frazer Harrison/GI

5. The night’s big winner, Jorge Drexler, expressed backstage how he’s a big admirer of Bad Bunny’s work and even joked about wanting to do a reggaeton album himself. “I like it a lot,” he said of the genre. “We are a continent that has a wide musical record.”

6. Rauw Alejandro was rooting for his girlfriend Rosalia from afar while she talked to the press at the media center. The Spanish singer, who nabbed the coveted album of the year for Motomami, expressed how important it is for her to have the support of her loved ones.

7. The media backstage loudly chanted and sang to Los Bukis‘ “Tu Carcel” as we watched their special closing performance from the media center.

The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision. 

Eight months after unleashing their first-ever collaboration, Sebastian Yatra and John Legend debuted the track live for the first time at the 2022 Latin Grammys on Thursday night (Nov. 17).

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Accompanied by 10 female dancers dressed in long blazers and top hats, and with a full-on cabaret stage setting, Yatra and Legend’s bromance oozed as they sang the feel-good Spanglish bop live. Both artists not only flaunted their vocal chemistry on stage but also rocked matching bow ties.

Yatra and Legend performed the track shortly after Yatra won best vocal pop album for Dharma.

“John is miraculously talented and musically he can go anywhere. He’s someone I admire, and vocal-wise, it’s very intriguing to see how he’s going to sound in a song like this because of his vocal capacity,” Yatra previously told Billboard.

Legend wrote the English lyrics to the song, which Yatra originally co-wrote with Juan Jo, Lofty, Manuel Lara, and Pablo.

“When you have a song you love so much, you want to give it to someone who has a stroke of genius like John has, and who will keep the essence instead of just a translation,” adds Yatra.

The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — were held Thursday (Nov. 17) in the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and aired live on Univision.