Tonight is the night for Latin music as the Latin Grammy Awards get ready for the 16th annual extravaganza at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The slate, as always, is full, with live performances by Ricky Martin (by now a requirement at all Latin music awards shows), as well as gigs by reggaeton superstars J Balvin and Farruko, Afro-Colombian hip-hop group ChocQuibTown, Mexican rockers Maná, Dominican crooner Juan Luis Guerra and Mexican regional legends from Sinaloa, Banda El Recodo de Don Cruz Lizárraga.
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Ricky Martin surrounded by his backup dancers.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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J Balvin, center, accepts the urban song award for “Ay Vamos.”
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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From left, recording artists Juan Calleros, Fher Olvera, Alex Gonzalez and Sergio Vallin of music group Mana perform.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Camila Cabello of music group Fifth Harmony.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Recording artists OMI, left, and Nicky Jam.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Recording artists Joy Huerta, left, and Jesse Huerta of the music group Jesse y Joy.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Recording artists Miguel “Slow” Martinez, Gloria “Goyo” Martinez, and Carlos “Tostao” Valencia of music group ChocQuibTown.
(Paul Buck / EPA)
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Natalia Lafourcade, left, and Leonel Garcia, right, accept the award for song of the year for “Hasta La Raiz.”
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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The music group Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga.
(Paul Buck / EPA)
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Tego Calderon accepts the award for urban music album for “El Que Sabe, Sabe.”
(Paul Buck / EPA)
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Members of the music groups Mana and Los Tigres Del Norte.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Alejandro Sanz, seen at the 2015 Latin Grammys, has eight nominations for the 2019 ceremony. (Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)
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Recording artist Pablo Alboran.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Roberto Carlos, recipient of the person of the year award.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Nicky Jam.
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Julieta Venegas, left, and Diego Torres present the award for banda album.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Members of the group Recodo de Don Cruz Lizarraga accept their award for banda album and regional song.
(Paul Buck / EPA)
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Actress Rita Moreno has some fun with radio/TV personality Enrique Santos.
(Mark Ralston/ AFP/Getty Images)
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Co-hosts Roselyn Sanchez and Jacqueline Bracamontes perform together onstage.
(Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)
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Sergio Vallin, Juan Calleros, Fher Olvera and Alex Gonzalez of music group Mana accept the pop/rock album award.
(Mark Ralston /AFP/Getty Images)
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J Balvin takes the stage.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Genesis Rodriguez, left, and Yandel present the award for record of the year.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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From left, Andee Zeta, Juan Galeano and Daniel Alvarez of Diamante Electrico accept the award for rock album for “B.”
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Juan Luis Guerra accepts the award for contemporary tropical album for “Todo Tiene Su Hora.”
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Alejandro Sanz and Paula Fernandes perform a duet.
(Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images)
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Alex Cuba accepts the award for singer-songwriter album for “Healer.”
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Recording artist Raquel Sofia hits all the right notes.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Pedro Fernandez accepts the award for ranchero album.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
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Musician Wisin, center, performs with members of Banda El Recodo onstage.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Recording artist MO busts out dance moves onstage.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Co-host Roselyn Sanchez, center, poses for a selfie with fans.
(Christopher Polk/Getty Images for LARAS)
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Musician Ricky Martin makes his way down the red carpet.
(Al Powers/Invision/AP)
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Recording artists, from left, Lauren Jauregui, Normani Hamilton, Ally Brooke, Camila Cabello and Dinah-Jane Hansen of music group Fifth Harmony arrive on the red carpet.
(David Becker/Getty Images for LARAS)
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Will Smith, left, and Trey Smith pose in the press room.
(Powers Imagery/Invision/AP)
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Mexican rock band Mana hits the red carpet.
(Mike Nelson / EPA)
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Actress Zoe Saldana and artist Marco Perego walk the red carpet.
(David Becker / Getty Images for LARAS)
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Gabriel Orengo arrives on the carpet.
(Mike Nelson / EPA)
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Venezuelan rock band Charliepapa hits the red carpet.
(Mike Nelson / EPA)
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Singer Julieta Rada preps for the perfect shot.
(ChrisFarina/AFP/Getty Images)
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Recording artist Jesse Huerta of the music group Jesse y Joy poses for a selfie with fans.
(Christopher Polk/Getty Images for LARAS)
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Actress Jessica Cediel hits the red carpet.
(David Becker/Getty Images for LARAS)
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Diego Boneta arrives on the red carpet.
(Al Powers/Invision/AP)
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Recording artist Prince Royce and actress Emeraude Toubia attend the event.
(David Becker/Getty Images for LARAS)
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But perhaps the most talked-about gig of the evening will be the pairing of Colombian electronica outfit Bomba Estéreo — The Times featured that group in June — who will be joined onstage by Will Smith, who recently made a guest appearance on the band’s single “Fiesta.” It is the actor-singer’s first music act since the release of his album “Lost and Found” in 2005.
It certainly will be an intriguing awards show in terms of winners. The big nominees this year aren’t massive-selling Latin pop acts. Instead, they are a pair of low-key Mexican singers known more for their intricate lyricism and moody songwriting than for onstage antics and shake-yer-booty bombast.
Leading the nominations is Leonel García, formerly of the pop group Sin Banderas, who raked in six nominations. Three are for his album of indie ballads, “Amor Futuro.” The other three are for production work on fellow singer Natalia Lafourcade’s well-reviewed album “Hasta La Raíz.”
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In fact, it is Lafourcade who has the second-most nominations: a total of five, including nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. The gamine singer is known for biting lyrics and an experimental sound that fuses rock and pop with everything from bossa nova to jazz. (She is frequently compared to Björk and PJ Harvey. We featured her new album in July.)
Other nominees include perennial pop favorite Alejandro Sanz, from Spain, and Guerra, the lyrical Dominican merengue singer — each of whom received four nominations. Rounding out the nominees are Enrique Iglesias and Nicky Jam, who dominated the airwaves with their reggaeton-spiked single “El Perdón,” and J Balvin, the Colombian reggaeton sensation, who was unavoidable with his groovy paean to bumpy relationships: “Ay Vamos.”
Moreover, legendary Brazilian singer, songwriter and composer Roberto Carlos, who over half a century has won fans all over the continent for his romantic ballads in both Portuguese and Spanish, will give a special performance as the Academy’s Person of the Year. He was honored Wednesday in a special ceremony at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The Latin Grammy Awards air on tape delay at 8 p.m. PST on the Univision Network, KMEX Ch. 12 in Los Angeles. To see the awards live at 5 p.m. PST, tune in to Univision’s live broadcast on Ch. 802 on Time Warner Cable. For more information, visit latingrammy.com.
I will be live tweeting the awards this evening starting at 5 p.m. PST. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
Carolina A. Miranda is a former Los Angeles Times columnist who focused on art and design, with regular forays into other areas of culture, including performance, books and digital life.