5 Latin Grammys 2026 Things You Didn’t See on TV: Rosalía’s Big Win
Rosalía takes top honors
Spanish singer Rosalía won album of the year on Thursday for Lux, her 2025 album. She also opened the 27th annual Latin Grammy Awards with a medley of “La Rumba Del Perdón,” “La Perla” and “Dios Es Un Stalker.” “La Perla” won song of the year. In her acceptance speech, Rosalía thanked Mexico and invited the song’s collaborators, American urban sierreño trio Yahritza Y Su Esencia, onto the stage.
Daddy Yankee receives tribute
Daddy Yankee was named the 2026 Latin Grammys’ person of the year, becoming the first Latin urbano artist to receive the honor. About an hour into the show, he performed hits including “Gasolina,” “Despacito” and “Con Calma,” with appearances by Bizarrap, Bad Gyal, Feid, Jay Wheeler, French Montana, LL Cool J and Diljit Dosanjh. Janet Jackson presented the award, saying she did so “with admiration and respect.” Daddy Yankee closed his acceptance by saying Puerto Rico was not small, but the map was.
Performances span styles
Karol G performed her música mexicana ballad “Ese Hombre es Malo” with a full orchestra and 12 Mariachis. Mon Laferte sang “Femme Fatale,” while Silvana Estrada performed “Dime” with a Venezuelan cuatro. Kany García delivered an acoustic, aflamencado version of “La Niña Que Fui.” Jorge Drexler performed “Las Palabras,” and Argentine rapper Milo J sang “Solifican12” and “Gil” alongside Gustavo Santaolalla. Carín León performed “Desde Que Te Tengo,” while Juanes and Vivir Quintana sang “Humano.” Elena Rose appeared with sword-wielding dancers for “Alma.”
Ceremony details and awards
The ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and aired live on Univision, UniMás, Galavisión and ViX. Roselyn Sánchez hosted the show. Pablo Alborán and Backstreet Boys’ Howie D presented Juanes with the first award of the night, best pop/rock album, for Juanesteban.
Key points
- Rosalía won album of the year for Lux and song of the year for “La Perla.”
- Daddy Yankee was honored as person of the year, with Janet Jackson presenting the award.
- The Las Vegas ceremony featured performances across orchestral, mariachi, folk and other styles.
- Juanes won best pop/rock album for Juanesteban.