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This past week, Team De Los was in Las Vegas to cover the 26th annual Latin Grammy Awards. The weeklong marathon of events, which included luxe parties hosted by labels and streamers, culminated on Thursday with the ceremony.
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Missed the show? Fret not, for my colleagues Suzy Exposito and Cerys Davies live-blogged the show. Below are the biggest takeaways from the 2025 Latin Grammy ceremony.
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Tejano singer and congressional candidate Bobby Pulido speaks out against ICE raids
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(Greg Doherty / Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy)
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As soon as the “Desvelado” singer entered the media center, wearing a bright yellow velvet suit to match with his golden Latin Grammy in hand, he was greeted with cheers from the room of journalists. Some let out a “Woo!” Others uttered a “Go Bobby!” from under their breaths.
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The Tejano singer had won in the Tejano album category for “Bobby Pulido & Friends: Una Tuya y Una Mía,” which featured artists such as Majo Aguilar, Alicia Villareal and his father, Tejano music pioneer Roberto Pulido.
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Over the summer, the younger Pulido announced his candidacy to run for Congress in south Texas to challenge Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz. He says that because of the upcoming race, he’s grateful to have won an award as he exchanges his music career for that of a politician.
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“I’ve had the joy of doing this [music] for 30 years now, and finally, I feel that I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve in music. I sincerely feel that it’s a very important role for us in the country,” Pulido said. “I’m going to fulfill my dream of serving my audience. … Right now is a very difficult time in my country, the United States. If you look Mexican, [if] you look Latino — they’re stopping people, they’re asking for papers. It’s not a good time for our people, that’s the reality.”
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He said that his path to Congress will be tough because of the power that the Republican Party has at the moment.
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“With the support of the people, if they go out and vote, they can’t beat us,” Pulido said. — Cerys Davies
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Carin Leon and Kacey Musgraves team up for a sultry performance of “Lost in Translation.”
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Música Mexicana singer Carin León and country singer Kacey Musgraves got close and personal for their bilingual duet. Both decked out in elegant all-black formal wear, the two displayed the commonalities between the two folk-rooted genres. Musgraves, who regularly performs with mariachis, has previously spoken about her love for música Mexicana and how it shaped her Texas upbringing. — C.D.
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Karol G wins song of the year for “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
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“Everyone has an opinion [on] what you can do, what you can’t do,” said Karol G, who carried a gift from a fan — a plush red heart that spelled “Te Amo” — as she accepted the honors for song of the year. “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” a pop merengue number she wrote with Edgar Barrera, Alejandro Ramírez Suárez, Andrés and Jael Correa Ríos, is also nominated for record of the year.
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“Forget about the world, forget about the noise,” she added during her rapid-fire speech onstage. She professed that she nearly lost her magic to bouts of insecurity while making her hit songs, then closed by urging viewers to prioritize their passions — and added a few other words that were spicy enough to get bleeped from the broadcast. — Suzy Exposito
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Alejandro Sanz beats Bad Bunny and Karol G for his eighth record of the year award
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(Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy)
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It wouldn’t be a classic Latin Grammys broadcast without somebody apologizing to millennials. On Thursday night it was Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, who won record of the year for his 2025 ballad “Palmeras en el Jardín.”
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Sanz has won record of the year more than any other artist in Latin Grammys history; this year marked his eighth win. “Benito, te he robado, perdóname,” said Sanz to Bad Bunny, who responded with a tight-lipped smile. “Karol, perdóname,” he added for good measure — calling to mind the multiple times when Latin Grammy-winning artist Jorge Drexler extended his sympathies to reggaetón artists in ceremonies past.
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It’s no mystery that the Latin Recording Academy has long established favorites in its “Big Four” categories. But at this point, it’s not just the viewers who take umbrage with voters’ conservative picks in the general categories; even the LARAs’ own members are fatigued by this cycle. — S.E.
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Los Tigres del Norte delved into U.S. politics, but just barely
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Ten years after they joined Maná in protest at the Latin Grammys — decrying the xenophobic remarks by now-President Trump — Los Tigres del Norte returned to perform their latest immigrant anthem, “La Lotería.” The screen behind them played scenes from immigrant rights protests across the United States, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have targeted the Latino community with mass arrests and deportations. For as long as they’ve been a band, Los Tigres could always be counted on to be brave in the face of oppression. But what was stopping anyone else from speaking out tonight? —S.E.
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Los Tigres elaborated on their song backstage in the media room. “La Lotería’ speaks precisely to the social problems we experience in our countries of origin,” said Luis Hernandez, the band’s baja sexto player. “But also, once you emigrate to a country, you are seeking that shade of the tree and wanting to progress for those who want equal rights and for those of us who come in search of a better future.” — C.D.
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Bad Bunny bounced back, winning album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos”
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(Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy)
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Despite the upset of this year’s record of the year snub, Bad Bunny fans in the crowd — and undoubtedly watching at home — rejoiced when the Boricua superstar claimed the honors for album of the year.
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It is the first time Bad Bunny has won in this category; and if it had to be any of his albums, his sixth one is undeniably it. “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” is a cultural revolution in song, fueled by Bad Bunny’s profound love and righteous defense of the Puerto Rican people.
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“I dedicate this award to all the young people of Latin America, especially from Puerto Rico,” said Benito during his speech. He shouted out an all-star crew of Puerto Rican artists and producers who appeared on “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” such as Los Sobrinos, Los Pleneros de la Cresta, Tainy, Chuwi and Omar Courtz.
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“Don’t forget where you come from, don’t stop being yourselves,” he added. “There are many ways to fight for your homeland. We chose music.” — S.E.
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My personal highlights from Latin Grammy Awards week
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- Catching up on sleep. This is my first work trip since my daughter was born, which also means it’s the first time in nine months that I’ve been able to have at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. I give it a 10 out of 10, would recommend.
- Getting my steps in. One of my favorite things about staying on the Vegas Strip is the amount of walking you do — and the weather is actually very nice at the moment!
- The steak tartare and wedge salad at Bavette’s. It’s been a hot minute (about a year and a half?) since I’ve been in Vegas — and in that time, I’ve been dreaming of eating these two dishes again.
- Attendees singing along to Shakira’s “Ciega, Sordomuda” at the Spotify party. In the waning moments of the streamer’s event at the Latin Grammy Awards week, a group of six or seven people danced in a circle and belted out the Shakira classic, which in my opinion, is the best use of mariachi horns in pop music history.
- Running into Francisco “Shrek” Rodriguez. As the De Los team was leaving the YouTube Music day party to eat dinner, we bumped into Shrek, the lead singer of Arsenal Efectivo, the underrated godfathers of the trap corridos subgenre. According to video fellow Brenda Elizondo, Shrek tried to dap me as I said goodbye, but I didn’t see him. Sorry Shrek! — Fidel Martinez
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Stories we read this week that we think you should read
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Unless otherwise noted, stories below were published by the Los Angeles Times.
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Politics
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Arts, culture and entertainment
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Miscellanea
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