The Latin Grammys exult in spectacle. Last year, Karol G danced on a pink platform between two unicorns, J Balvin sang under a giant pair of praying hands and Bad Bunny belted “Bichiyal” from a moving car.
This year, Bad Bunny will return as part of a lineup stocked with big names, including Myke Towers and Christina Aguilera. In-person acceptance speeches and performances will take place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, at a ceremony hosted by the actresses Ana Brenda Contreras and Roselyn Sánchez and the singer Carlos Rivera.
The 22nd annual Latin Grammys will be shown live on Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern on Univision and available on the Univision app, although subscription fees may apply. The event will also air on TNT at 7 p.m. in Mexico, 8 p.m. in Panama and Colombia, 9 p.m. in Venezuela and 10 p.m. in Argentina and Chile.
Gloria Estefan will kick off the show with a three-song medley and guests including Anitta, Carlinhos Brown, Laércio da Costa, Pedro Capó, Farina Giulia Be and Diego Torres.
Other performers include Rubén Blades (who will be honored as the person of the year) with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta, as well as Maná, Pablo Alborán, Alejandro Fernández, Nella, Ozuna, Paula Arenas, Danna Paola, Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga, Calibre 50, Los Dos Carnales, Camilo, Julio Reyes Copello, DJ Nelson, Sergio George, Grupo Firme and Jay Wheeler.
Juanes will be joined by Rubén Albarrán and Meme del Real of Café Tacvba for Juan Gabriel’s “No Tengo Dinero,” and C. Tangana will take the stage with Antonio Carmona, Diego del Morao, Jorge Drexler, Israel Fernández, La Húngara, Natalia Lafourcade and Omar Apollo. Descemer Bueno, Gente de Zona and Yotuel will debut an acoustic performance of “Patria y Vida,” nominated for song of the year. Mon Laferte and Gloria Trevi will team with La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho for “La Mujer,” nominated for best pop song.
And Christina Aguilera, who last took the Latin Grammys stage in 2000, has announced an extended performance that includes her latest single, “Pa Mis Muchachas,” with Nicki Nicole, Nathy Peluso and Becky G.
Keep an eye out for the ever-contested record of the year category, this year an 11-track race among “Si Hubieras Querido” by Pablo Alborán, “Todo De Ti” by Rauw Alejandro, “Un Amor Eterno (Versión Balada)” by Marc Anthony, “A Tu Lado” by Paula Arenas, “Bohemio” by Andrés Calamaro and Julio Iglesias, “Vida De Rico” by Camilo, “Suéltame, Bogotá” by Diamante Eléctrico, “Amén” by Ricardo Montaner, Mau y Ricky, Camilo and Evaluna Montaner, “Dios Así Lo Quiso” by Ricardo Montaner and Juan Luis Guerra, “Te Olvidaste” by C. Tangana and Omar Apollo and “Talvez” by Caetano Veloso and Tom Veloso.
The official premiere ceremony — the show before the main event where 45 of the 53 categories will be awarded — begins at 4 p.m., hosted by the singer-songwriter Kany García and the actress Carolina Dieckmann. It will be held at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay, and webcast globally via the Latin Grammys’ Facebook Live and YouTube channel.
The premiere ceremony will also feature performances by a host of nominees, including Gera Demara, Nora González, Zoe Gotusso, Love of Lesbian, Luedji Luna, Os Barões da Pisadinha, Nando Reis, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Jon Secada. Lupita Infante, who was previously nominated, will appear as a special guest.
For the second time, all Portuguese language categories will be awarded separately in a premiere ceremony for Brazilian audiences that follows the 4 p.m. event.
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