Women Take Top Honors In Historic 2023 Latin Grammy Awards

There’s been much talk about women leading the charge in the entertainment industry, and that notion remains strong following a historic night Thursday for the 24th Latin Grammy Awards, which was held in Sevilla Spain, marking the first time the ceremony was produced outside of the States. Karol G won the Album of the Year honor and an additional two awards, tying Colombian compatriot Shakira, Mexico’s Natalia Lafourcade and hitmaking producer and songwriter Edgar Barrera for winning the most gramophones in Seville, Spain.

Karol G was elated to take home the Best Urban Music Album award, an honor that no woman had previously won.

“I can’t believe the album for Best Urban [Album] belongs to a woman,” she said after winning the award.

She also won for Best Urban/Fusion Performance and got emotional following her biggest victory of the night.

“This album is very special,” she said of her award-winning album Mañana Será Bonito. “It changed my life, and I find it incredible that it changed the lives of so many other people.”

See Sin Fronteras: Latin Grammys In Spain Underlines Música Latina’s Globalization

It was also a big night for Shakira, who shared a win with Karol G on the song “TQG” and also took home Song of the Year and Best Pop Song for her collaboration with Bizarrap, “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” She dedicated one of her big wins to her kids.

“I promised them that I would be happy,” Shakira said after receiving the Song of the Year award. “So, from now on, I’m thinking about what’s to come: the songs that I’m going to write, the tour I’m about to do … because like one of my friends says: in the past, there is nothing; only the future is remembered.”

Lafourcade won Best Singer-Songwriter, Best Singer-Songwriter Song and Record of the Year for “De todas las flores,” and Barrera took home awards in the Producer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Best Original Song categories.

Adding to the theme of leading ladies, an emotional 19-year-old Venezuelan Joaquina accepted the Best New Artist honor.

The ceremony leaned heavily on Spanish and European themes with artists like Rosalía, Alejandro Sanz, Pablo Alborán and Andrea Bocelli taking the stage. Rauw Alejandro got people on their feet singing “DIME QUIÉN????” with Colombia rockstar Juanes, who showed his guitar chops with a killer solo. Sebastián Yatra was also electric on stage as well as Bizarrap, Shakira, Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma, Maluma, Carin León and Maria Becerra, who showed her range as a vocalist.

The celebration continued for Laura Pausini, an Italian artist who has had a remarkable career singing in Spanish and received the prestigious Person of the Year honor. She said that the adoption of her as a Latina is now complete and was thankful to the Latin Recording Academy for the award. The Academy celebrated her with a special dinner on Wednesday that left her emotional as she saw friends and fellow singers like Sanz, David Bisbal, Niña Pastori, Mon Laferte, Christian Nodal, Carlos Vives and Luis Fonsi singing her songs, paying tribute to her storied 30-year career.

See Cover Story: Laura Pausini Building Bridges Across Ibero America

“People who have been adopted know well that it is not necessary to have the same blood when you are raised by someone you consider family; the Latin people are my family,” Pausini said after receiving the award from Karol G on Thursday.

Other winners included Julieta Venegas for Best Pop Vocal Album, Carin León for Best Norteño Album, Andrés Cepeda for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Tego Calderón for Best Reggaeton Performance, Christian Nodal for Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album and Carlos Vives for Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album.