Bad Bunny & Paquita La Del Barrio Stole Show At Billboard Latin Music Awards + 4 More Top Moments
The 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards were live from Miami last night. Out of his 22 nominations, Bad Bunny won 10 awards. Though he wasn’t a presenter or performer, the Puerto Rican superstar stole the show with Mexican icon Paquita La Del Barrio. There were also standout performances from Camila Cabello, Karol G, Tokischa, Rosalía, and more. Here’s our top five moments from the show.
Camila Cabello Shouts Out Cuba During Performance
Camila Cabello opened the show with a rousing rendition of her song “Don’t Go Yet.” The Cuban-Mexican pop star channeled Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine with a full-band behind her. Unlike the Miami Sound Machine, Cabello’s band was comprised of all women. At the end of the performance, she put her fist in the air and shouted “Patria y Vida,” a phrased coined by Yotuel and Gente De Zona in their song that was embraced by protests in Cuba.
Bad Bunny & Paquita La Del Barrio Were The Dream Duo
Even before the awards started, Paquita La Del Barrio went viral online thanks to the video she posted of her red carpet meeting with Bad Bunny. As if we didn’t get enough of those two together, Bad Bunny walked Paquita up the stage to receive her Lifetime Achievement award.
When the microphone was too high for Paquita’s stature, Bad Bunny returned to the stage and held it to her face. Paquita playfully called him “inútil” like in her song “Rata De Dos Patas.” He stood by her as she was getting emotional while accepting her award. Bad Bunny definitely won the hearts of the señoras watching from home. Hopefully we get a collaboration from them in the future.
Tokischa Shares A Kiss With Rosalía
Rising Dominican star Tokischa made her Billboard Latin Music Awards debut. She performed her new single “Linda” alongside Spanish pop star Rosalía. In the song Tokischa sings about kissing her “homies” because they’re cool like that. At the end of the performance, Tokischa shared a quick kiss with Rosalía. It was a cute moment. Don’t call it queerbaiting because Tokischa is openly queer.
Christian Nodal Meets Banda MS
Two titans in today’s regional Mexican music scene collided for a special collaboration. Gen-Z star Christian Nodal teamed up with top-selling group Banda Sinaloense de Sergio Lizárraga for their song “La Sinvergüenza.” Mexico was proudly in the house during their soaring performance.
Karol G’s Greatest Hits
Karol G was the biggest winner of the night among the women. She won two awards: Hot Latin Songs Female Artist of the Year and Top Latin Albums Female Artist of the Year. As a victory lap for her big year, Karol G performed a medley of her hits from her KG0516 album. She fit a bunch of songs into four minutes, including “El Makinon,” “Bichota,” and “Tusa” (sans Nicki Minaj).
