By Cata Balzano

The idea of creating a separate organization to honor the diversity of Latin music was a discussion that took place for years before it actually happened, but an event driven by one of pop music’s most important crossover artists solidified it.

During the 41st Grammy Awards ceremony, a young Ricky Martin was scheduled to perform “La Copa de La Vida (The Cup of Life)”, the theme to the 1998 World Cup. The success of the song put Martin on the map, and with the help of Miami Sound Machine producer-executive Emilio Estefan, the Recording Academy booked him to perform at the 1999 Grammy Awards.

Martin’s voice, moves and charisma so captivated the audience that a phenomenon the press called the “Latin Pop Explosion” ensued.

“It was a ‘before and after’ for my career when I had the opportunity to perform at the Grammys,” Martin says. “Things were never the same.”

Martin not only won a Grammy and got a sales boost from his performance that night, but his following album, released three months later, also became the one of the biggestselling of all time.

“Because of the success of that evening, it was a green light to now start celebrating the Latin Grammys,” Martin adds. His breakout year cemented the game-changing music being made by legendary Latin artists ranging from Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Willie Colon to Ruben Blades, Gloria Estefan and so many others. In 2000, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences was founded as an independent entity. Mike Greene, Rob Senn and Michael Melvoin were appointed as founding directors and the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was held that year at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“I remember the first time I walked onstage at the Latin Grammys,” says Martin, who performed alongside Cruz and Estefan. “Just being able to walk with these two amazing legends – people that I love, that I respect, that brought our language to the rest of the world before the phrase ‘crossover’ was even invented.”

Martin