Latin Grammys: Moments you might have missed, including Alicia Keys, Juanes and Vicente Fernández
Latin music's biggest stars were on hand to celebrate the Latin Grammy Awards, and they didn't disappoint with a jam-packed three-hour show Thursday night.
The Latin Grammys celebrated its 20th anniversary with a multi-artist opening act – featuring Prince Royce, Anitta, Fito Páez, Natalia Jiménez, Beto Cuevas, Calibre 50, Carlos Rivera, Draco Rosa, Leonel García, Milly Quezada, Olga Tañón, Reik and Tony Succar – in a tribute to Latin music's legacy.
The six-minute opener honored icons Celia Cruz, Juan Gabriel, Joan Sebastian and Gustavo Cerati, with Cruz's anthem "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" getting folks on their feet. It was followed by covers of Gabriel's "Querida" and Sebastian's "Secreto de Amor."
Host Ricky Martin, who opened the first Latin Grammys in 2000 singing a tribute to Tito Puente with Cruz and Gloria Estafan, finished off the opening act with a cover of Cerati's hit "De Musica Ligera."
From emotional tributes to scintillating performances, here are five star-studded moments that stood out at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:
Bad Bunny lashed out at Latin Grammys for reggaeton, Latin trap slight
The Puerto Rican star didn't mince words when addressing the Latin Recording Academy's decision to omit reggaeton and Latin trap artists in the top categories.
"To all musicians, to all members of the academy, with all due respect, reggaeton is part of Latino culture," said Bad Bunny after receiving the best urban music album award for "X 100Pre." "To my fellow reggaetoneros: Keep giving it your all, and we will continue to bring creativity and ingenuity. Our genre has become views, numbers, and let's keep going and giving people new things."
'For the culture and movement': J Balvin, Daddy Yankee and others call out Latin Grammys for sidelining reggaeton, trap
The night's biggest ovation belonged to Vicente Fernández
For the first time, legendary ranchera singer Fernández performed alongside his son, Alejandro, and grandson, Alex, with the crooners matching in traditional charro outfits and signing "Volver, Volver," which received the night's loudest ovation and encore calls from the Vegas crowd.
“I still needed to sing 50 more songs, but I'll owe it to you," said Vicente Fernández after the memorable performance. "All I want to say to God and my public is that you know you are a part of me until the day they bury me. Thank you.”
Latin Grammys 2019: Here are the night's biggest winners
Alicia Keys and Miguel added spice to beach anthem 'Calma'
Keys, who donned a bright pink jumpsuit to perform her new single, “Show Me Love” featuring Miguel and 21 Savage, tried her hand at Spanish as she joined Pedro Capó and Farruko for a feel-good performance of "Calma."
Capó, who nabbed song of the year earlier in the night for "Calma," struck poses with Keys while Miguel played acoustic guitar as the performers danced around the stage.
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Man of the hour Juanes gets a heavy (metal) surprise
Before accepting the Latin Recording Academy person of the year award, Colombian rocker-activist Juanes played some of his greatest hits, including "A Dios Le Pido" and "Camisa Negra."
Juanes, one of Latin America’s most influential artists, has used his voice in support of peace and social justice through his music and various foundation projects. Metallica's Lars Ulrich surprised Juanes after the singer's final performance, awarding the 23-time Latin Grammy Award winner his new honor.
"First of all, I want to tell you something, man: One of the reasons why I'm making music is because of you guys. … You guys changed my life," an emotional Juanes told the legendary heavy metal drummer.
Rosalía joins elite company with shiny cosmetic accessories
The Spanish singer, who won three awards Thursday night, including album of the year and best contemporary pop vocal album, brought down the house as she performed “A Palé" and her summer hit "Con Altura" with a bright-red outfit, bedazzled nails and a shiny grill.
"To my fans, I love you with all my heart," Rosalía said. "Thanks for embracing my music."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latin Grammys 2019: Juanes and other moments you might have missed
