11 of the Most Iconic Latin Grammys Moments Ever

11/01/2024 08:00 AM

The 2024 Latin Grammy Awards will take place on November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami

The Latin Grammys are back!

The awards ceremony, now in its 25th year, will take place on November 14 in Miami, with artists including Bad Bunny, Anitta, Karol G and Shakira vying for one of the year's gramophones. Over the years, the award show has been the site of numerous big moments including star-studded tributes, milestone makers and even — at least once — a sweet smooch between exes.

Ahead of this year's big event, here's a look back at some of the most iconic moments to take place at the Latin Grammys.

Shakira Cleans Up at the First Ever Ceremony

At the first ever Latin Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Shakira not only took home two awards for both female pop vocal performance and female rock vocal performance, she performed her award winning song "Ojos Así" complete with her famous belly dancing.

Christina Aguilera Performs at 2000 Ceremony

Christina Aguilera was also nominated at the inaugural event for her song "Genio Atrapado." While she lost to Shakira, the following year she took home an award for her album Mi Reflejo and more than 20 years later, won the award for best traditional pop vocal album for Aguilera.

Juanes Wins Best New Artist

Juanes has brought home 25 Latin Grammy Awards since the ceremony began, but it all started in 2001 when he took home the trophy for best new artist (along with two others for rock solo vocal album and rock song).

Because that year's ceremony was set to take place on Sept. 11, recipients received their awards at a press conference later on.

Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan Pay Tribute to Tito Puente

Following his death in 2000, the Latin Grammys paid tribute to the legendary Puerto Rican musician Tito Puente. In her introduction to the performance, Jennifer Lopez said "perhaps more than any other artist in history, his contribution has influenced the spread in popularity of Latin music" before introducing a star-studded group of performers that included Celia Cruz, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Puente's son Tito Puente Jr.

Celia Cruz Wins Best Salsa Album for 'La Negra Tiene Tumbao'

In 2002, Celia Cruz made her final appearance at the Latin Grammys where she took home the award for best salsa album for La Negra Tiene Tumbao. She gave much of her acceptance speech in English and started off by saying "excuse my English because it's not very looking... not very good looking," getting a laugh from the audience.

Cruz died the following year, the age of 77.

An A-List Group Honors Celia Cruz

Following Cruz's death, a group of her peers gathered together on stage to pay tribute to the star including Estefan and Marc Anthony as videos of the salsa icon played in the background.

Ricky Martin Wins Person of the Year

With 24 nominations over the course of the ceremony's history, it's no surprise Ricky Martin has taken home the Latin Grammy's Person of the Year Award. As is the tradition with the honor, Martin took the stage to perform, first singing his song "Tu recuerdo" and later getting up from his seat, taking off his coat, and showing off his dance moves as he sang "Pégate."

Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez Lock Lips Following Their Split

In 2016, Marc Anthony received the Person of the Year award — and despite having split years prior, Jennifer Lopez reunited with her ex-husband to both perform a duet and present him with the award.

"You are giving us classics that will remain in us forever," Lopez said in Spanish in her speech to Anthony. "You will always be many things in my life — a mentor, a soulmate, a father. He is not only a Person of the Year, he is a living legend."

As the crowd began to chant "kiss" — the former couple responded with a quick and sweet smooch.

Alejandro Sanz Welcomes Dreamers to the Stage

The following year, Alejandro Sanz was joined on stage by a group of DACA DREAMers to help him perform his song as 2017's Person of the Year — an honor he dedicated to DACA recipients.

Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony and Will Smith Hit the Stage

This dynamic trio opened up the 2018 awards to perform their song "Esta Rico."

"Will and I have always wanted to work on a musical collaboration," Anthony said of the song in a press release via Billboard. "This song seems perfect for this moment we're both experiencing creatively. Working with Bad Bunny for the first time has been a great surprise. We all had a magnificent chemistry, and that energy is palpable in both the music and the video."

Maluma and Susana Gomez Celebrate Their Growing Family

The 17-time Latin Grammy nominee and his girlfriend Susana Gomez shared some adorable moments on the red carpet in Seville, Spain in 2023. At one point, the singer paused to place his hands on Gomez's belly and give her baby bump a kiss. Making the moment even more cute was Maluma's purple gloves that matched Susana's gorgeous gown.

The couple's first child was born in March 2024.