Grammys will celebrate Latin music with prime-time CBS musical special

by

Latin music frequently gets missed during the main Grammy Awards, but the Recording Academy will be honoring it later this month with a separate event.

CBS will air a two-hour TV special called “A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music” on December 28th at 8 p.m. Pacific time. The show will celebrate the significant and ongoing impact of Latin music in the United States.

Wilmer Valderrama and Roselyn Sánchez will host the show, with performances by a diverse lineup of artists including Ángela Aguilar, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Gloria Estefan, Luis Fonsi, Maren Morris, Laura Pausini, Prince Royce, Carín León, the Warning, Robin Thicke, and Billy Idol.

The talented cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway show “Buena Vista Social Club,” also nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, will be performing.

The nominations for the 68th Grammy Awards were announced Friday, and several well-known Latinx artists—including Bad Bunny, Karol G, The Marías, and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso—received nods in various categories.

The show will include conversations with major figures in Latin music and Grammy winners like Daddy Yankee, Emilio Estefan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, and Carlos Santana.

Rita Moreno received her first and only Grammy Award at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards for her work on the children’s album “The Electric Company.” This Grammy was the second step in her journey to becoming an EGOT – someone who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award – a feat she accomplished in 1977 with an Emmy for her guest appearance on “The Muppet Show.”

In 1999, Santana’s album “Supernatural” won eight Grammy Awards, equaling the record previously held by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” from 1984 for the most wins in a single night.

This program will be similar to past Grammy shows that honored artists like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Prince, Whitney Houston, and many others – shows often referred to as “salutes.”

As a huge fan of Latin music, I was really excited to hear that almost a third of the new members joining the Recording Academy are Hispanic or Latino – that’s a big increase! It got me thinking though, will this finally translate into more recognition for the biggest Latin artists on a broader, mainstream level? It feels like a step in the right direction, but I’m curious to see if it actually makes a difference.

“A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music” will broadcast just over a month before the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, happening February 1st at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

The upcoming awards show will heavily feature Latin artists, most notably Bad Bunny. He’s made history as the first Spanish-language artist nominated in major categories – including Record, Album, and Song of the Year – thanks to his highly praised album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”

Argentine musicians Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso have earned their first Grammy nomination for their nine-song EP, “Papota,” in the Latin rock or alternative album category. If they win, they’ll be the second Argentine group to achieve this, following Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, who won the same award in 1998 when the category was created.

Edgar Barrera, a favorite of the Recording Academy, has been nominated for songwriter of the year (nonclassical) for the third year in a row. He earned the nomination for his collaborations with major artists like Karol G, Juanes, Shakira, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera, Young Miko, Marco Antonio Solís, Manuel Turizo, and Santana.

The indie band the Marías received a nomination for best new artist, along with the international girl group Katseye, which includes dancer and singer Daniela Avanzini, who is Venezuelan, Cuban American.

Read More

2025-12-03 05:31