Latin Grammys week kicked off with a wave of industry events that led to the 2025 Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday night (Nov. 13).
Prior to the awards ceremony—where Bad Bunny, Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso, and Edgar Barrera led the nominations—Billboard took over the bustling Las Vegas to take readers inside the coveted invite-only Best New Artist Showcase and Person of the Year in celebration of Raphael.
The latter gathered artists such as Carín León, David Bisbal, Elena Rose, Pepe Aguilar, Aitana, Susana Baca, Jesse y Joy, Ivan Cornejo, Enrique Bunbury, and many more paying tribute to the Spanish singer-songwriter, whose prolific career has spanned more than 65 years.
“We are celebrating a living legend of Latin music,” Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy, said at the gala before inviting the 82-year-old artist to the stage. “Let’s welcome an iconic artist who is undoubtedly a legend in Spanish-language music. He created a personal style that has transcended generations and borders. Today, we will be telling your story through your music. We’ve invited friends and colleagues, but also artists from the new generation who recognize your career.”
Similar to Person of the Year, which is not a televised event, Billboard was present at the Latin Grammys red carpet and media center on Thursday (Nov. 13) capturing exclusive, behind the scenes content from the awards show.
The 26th annual awards ceremony is co-hosted by Maluma and Roselyn Sánchez. While the Colombian star makes his hosting debut, Sánchez returns for the eighth time as host. Below, check out things you didn’t see at the Latin Grammys 2025.
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Pepe Aguilar Shares Nom with Nodal
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}Pepe Aguilar’s happy mood radiated at the red carpet as he celebrated his nominations for best ranchero/mariachi album with his Mi Suerte Es Ser Mexicano — a category that also included his son-in-law, Christian Nodal’s ¿Quién + Como Yo? “It was funny because we were actually at a dinner together [when we found out] and I turned to him and said, ‘you better not beat me,’” the Mexican singer joked. “I’m really in love with my family, Christian is my family. If he wins, the award stays in the house.” Later in the night, during the televised show, Nodal was named winner of the category.
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Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso Smooch Backstage
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}Top winners of the night, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, completely took the media center room by storm when they arrived with their five awards. While celebrating their big win, Paco Amoroso expressed his love and gratitude for Ca7riel. “The most important thing here is that we’ve known each other since we were six years old — all of this wasn’t planned, it just happened. I want to tell Ca7riel that he’s my friend, that I love him,” he said, before Ca7riel surprised Paco with a steamy make-out session backstage.
The Argentine pair, who also announced their upcoming album Top of the Hills, won best pop song, best alternative music album, best alternative song, best short form music video, and best long form music video.
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Bobby Pulido’s Retirement
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}After winning best tejano album for Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya y Una Mía (Vol.1/En Vivo) — the first Latin Grammy of his career — Bobby Pulido headed to the media center to talk about his next move: retirement.
“Next year I’m going to become a congressman,” he told the press. “I feel very fortunate to have won as I’m exiting my [music] career. There won’t be any more nominations, and I felt more pressure because I’m not going to record any more material; I was nervous. I studied political science; my original plan was to be a lawyer, but music beckoned, and I’ve done quite well. I’ve been blessed to do this for 30 years and have achieved what I’ve wanted to achieve. But now I’m going to fulfill my dream of serving my community.” Pulido also announced that Vol. 2 is on the way and he has a farewell tour in the works.
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Morat’s First Latin Grammy Win
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}Morat’s Ya Es Mañana won best pop/rock album, becoming the Colombian band’s first-ever Latin Grammy career win. Backstage at the media center, the Bogota-based group expressed the excitement of not only winning their first golden gramophone but also performing at the awards for the first time. “For all of this to happen on the same night is crazy. This album is everything we always wanted to be as a band. This gives us a boost of energy to go back to the studio and record,” the group told the press.
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Trueno’s Go-To Gym Song
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}After winning best rap/hip hop song for “Fresh,” Trueno headed to the media center to talk to the press. In the midst of the Q&A, one journalist asked what was the song that most inspires him, to which he simply replied: “I listen to a lot of 50 Cent when I train. I put his music on and I lift triple the weight that I used to.” The Argentine rapper also revealed that his upcoming album will have a combination of rap music and Argentinean culture.
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A Best New Artist’s Dream Come True
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}After nabbing best new artist, rising act Paloma Morphy officially captivated the press at the media center with her bubbly and charming personality. Still very much stunned with her win, the newcomer broke down into tears and said: “I was very sad and unmotivated, and I don’t know where I got the strength to move forward, but I connected with my dream since I was little that I never thought could be real.”
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