Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Latin Grammys send love to Puerto Rico
LAS VEGAS — The Latin Grammy Awards were a love letter to Puerto Rico, with several artists dedicating their performances and awards to the island hard hit by Hurricane Maria.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, rapper Residente and singersongwriter Luis Fonsi, all of Puerto Rican heritage, dedicated their awards to their homeland.
Fonsi’s global hit “Despacito” was Thursday night’s big winner, making good on all four of its nominations, including record and song of the year.
“This song is a hymn to Puerto Rico,” Fonsi said backstage. “Everything I do, and everything I will do ... is to continue celebrating my island, my culture, my homeland and my music, and to make sure the public knows that Puerto Rico needs help.”
Miranda, recognized for his artistic and philanthropic work with the President’s Merit Award, thanked his wife, his parents, his many collaborators and his Puerto Rican roots. He said he intended to remind the U.S. government that the residents of the island territory “are human beings too.”
The ceremony, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and broadcast live on Univision, opened with a moment of silence for Puerto Rico, followed by a performance by one of its native sons. Residente wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the Puerto Rican flag as he performed his song “Hijos del Canaveral” (“Sons of Canaveral”), a tribute to his country the island. He also won two awards: urban album for his self-titled solo debut and urban song for “Somos Anormales” (“We Are Abnormal”).