Toronto Latinos · November 13, 2026

Janet Jackson walked out to honour Daddy Yankee. LL Cool J joined him for “Gasolina.” And a 20-year-old from Argentina beat some of the biggest names in Latin music for Record of the Year. The 27th Latin Grammys, hosted by Roselyn Sánchez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on November 12, had plenty going on before Rosalía picked up the last trophy of the night. 

The four biggest winners

Rosalía opened the show and walked away with Album of the Year

Rosalía opened amid clouds and dancers in halos, moving through “La Rumba del Perdón,” “La Perla” and “Dios Es un Stalker.” Hours later, LUX (Complete Works) gave her a third career Album of the Year win after El Mal Querer and Motomami. When “La Perla” won Song of the Year, she invited Yahritza y Su Esencia onstage and thanked Mexico. 

“La Perla” also won Best Pop Song, LUX took Best Alternative Music Album, and the “Sauvignon Blanc” video won Best Short Form Music Video. The engineers, mixer and mastering engineers behind LUX won Best Engineered Album.

Milo J and Aria Vega had their breakout moments

Milo J’s “Niño” won Record of the Year in a field that included Rosalía’s “La Perla,” Karol G and Marco Antonio Solís’s “Coleccionando Heridas,” and Mon Laferte’s “Femme Fatale.” The Argentine artist celebrated his country’s folk music onstage, then had the results to match. La Vida Era Más Corta won Best Folk Album, “Gil” featuring Trueno took Best Urban Performance, and art director Camilo Joaquín Villarruel won Best Recording Package for the album. Milo J also performed “Solifican12” and “Gil,” with Gustavo Santaolalla joining him onstage.

Colombia’s Aria Vega won Best New Artist and dedicated the award to Barranquilla. Venezuelan singer and former category winner Joaquina presented the trophy. Vega was still filming on her phone in the press room so she could share the moment with her mom.

Janet Jackson surprised Daddy Yankee, and LL Cool J joined him for “Gasolina”

Daddy Yankee became the first Latin urbano artist named the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year. His televised set brought a giant Puerto Rican flag and a run of hits that included “Ella Me Levantó,” “Con Calma,” “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó” and “Rompe.” Bizarrap helped kick things off, Bad Gyal joined for “Dura,” Punjabi star Diljit Dosanjh stepped in for “Pokito,” and LL Cool J joined the finale for “Gasolina.” Feid, Jay Wheeler and French Montana also appeared in the medley.

Then Janet Jackson, who collaborated with him on “Made for Now,” walked out to present the televised tribute. Daddy Yankee looked genuinely stunned. In his speech, he recalled authorities confiscating reggaeton cassettes in the 1990s and thanked the people who supported him before the genre became a global business. He and Bizarrap also won Best Urban Song for “Daddy Yankee: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 0/66,” which they co-wrote with Santiago Alvarado. 

The previous night’s gala had a lineup of its own. DJ Playero took the room back to reggaeton’s early days, and Tito El Bambino, Jowell & Randy, Feid and Trueno performed “Gasolina.” The Sugarhill Gang played “Rapper’s Delight,” Sheila E. played with Dante Spinetta, and Oscar D’León and Nathy Peluso gave “Despacito” a salsa treatment, with Tito Nieves joining in. J Balvin sang “Tu Príncipe” and presented the honour alongside LL Cool J. 

Karol G brought mariachi, Anitta celebrated Brazil and salsa honoured Willie Colón

Karol G won Best Urban Music Album for Tropicoqueta and Best Reggaeton Performance for “Verano Rosa” featuring Feid. For her live performance, she went full música mexicana with “Ese Hombre Es Malo,” backed by an orchestra, mariachi musicians and a choir. Anitta brought Brazilian funk and samba into a medley that included “Desgraça,” “Choka Choka” and “Meia Noite.” She won Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album for EQUILIBRIVM and used her speech to celebrate Black Brazilian culture. It was the first time a Portuguese-language category was presented on the main broadcast, according to El País.

The tribute to salsa legend Willie Colón brought his son Miguel to the stage alongside artists including Nathy Peluso, Niña Pastori and Luis Figueroa. The set revisited “Oh, ¿Qué Será?” and “El Gran Varón.” Earlier awards gave salsa fans more to celebrate. Luis Enrique won Best Salsa Album for El Alma En Clave, and his “Nombre y Apellido” with De La Ghetto tied Grupo Niche’s “Realidad-Es” for Best Tropical Song. Carlos Vives took Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album, Techy won Best Merengue/Bachata Album, and Gilberto Santa Rosa won Best Traditional Tropical Album.

The Warning, Xavi and Grupo Frontera had a big night for música mexicana

The José Alfredo Jiménez tribute went from rock to ranchera. The Warning played “Te Solté la Rienda,” Reik took on “La Media Vuelta,” Sofía Reyes and Yami Safdie teamed up for “Si Nos Dejan,” and Camila Fernández sang “El Rey.” Fernández also won Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album for La Fernández. The Warning won Best Rock Song for “Ego,” which has a Toronto connection through credited co-writer and Toronto native Anton Delost. 

Xavi earned his first Latin Grammy with Dosis in Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album and closed the telecast with Banda Los Recoditos. “No Capea,” his collaboration with Grupo Frontera, won Best Regional Song. Grupo Frontera also won Best Norteño Album for Lo Que Me Falta Por Llorar and performed “Ojitos Bellos” during the show. 

The performances, presenters and record worth catching up on

• Mon Laferte, Silvana Estrada and Kany García each got a showcase. Mon Laferte staged “Femme Fatale” like a cabaret number, Silvana played “Dime” on cuatro and won Best Singer-Songwriter Song for it, and Kany staged “A La Niña Que Fui” as an encounter with her younger self. 
• Jorge Drexler performed “Las Palabras” with a finger-snapping choir and collected three awards across the singer-songwriter, alternative and roots categories. Carín León sang “Desde Que Te Tengo” with Juanes, who also performed “Humano” with Vivir Quintana. Elena Rose brought armour and sword-wielding dancers to “Alma,” while Rawayana turned its set into a nightclub for “Bendito” and “Inglés en Miami.” 
• Backstreet Boys’ Howie D and Pablo Alborán handed Juanes Best Pop/Rock Album for Juanesteban. Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras joined Ryan Castro to present Best Contemporary Tropical Album to Fonseca for Antes Que El Tiempo Se Vaya. 
• Edgar Barrera won Producer of the Year and shared the Best Regional Song award for “No Capea.” Those wins brought him to 30 career Latin Grammys, passing René Pérez Joglar, better known as Residente, for the most wins in the awards’ history. CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso won with Sting in pop/rock, with Fred again.. in electronic music, and with FREE SPIRITS (The Film) in long-form video. 
• On the red carpet, Karol G, Rosalía, Anitta, Mon Laferte, Silvana Estrada and Daddy Yankee were among the arrivals.

What happened before the telecast

Most of the 60 categories were awarded at the afternoon Premiere, hosted by Lila Downs, Daniela Mercury and Niña Pastori. One of the most personal speeches came from Bobby Pulido, who won Best Tejano Album and told the room he was retiring from music. Earlier in the week, the Academy’s Lifetime Achievement honourees included Alaska, Francisco Céspedes, Lila Downs, Daniela Mercury and Chichí Peralta. 

And yes, there was soccer. Milo J and Trueno played on opposing sides at Sony Music Latin Iberia’s El Partido, with Rawayana members on Milo J’s team and Ana de Armas watching from the sidelines at Cashman Complex. By awards night, the two Argentine artists were sharing a win for “Gil.”

Which moment are you replaying first, Toronto? Rosalía’s opening, Willie Colón’s salsa tribute, or Daddy Yankee and LL Cool J doing “Gasolina”?

Full 2026 Latin Grammys winners list

The list covers all 60 competitive categories, including the tie for Best Tropical Song. For the full songwriter, production and engineering credits, see the 

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