Bad Bunny in Socks, Karol G’s Selena Vibes, Mexico Wins Big — Latin Billboard Awards Must-See Moments
Last night’s Billboard Latin Music Awards were every bit as fun and heartwarming as they were chaotic. Yes, there was chaos, and yes — it kept us watching. While Bad Bunny, 29, accepted an award in gym shorts and tube socks (more on that in a bit), we loved seeing música Mexicana win in a big way.
In fact, Peso Pluma, 24, became the biggest winner of the night, taking home eight awards including New Artist of the Year, Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. We also got a gorgeous tribute from cumbia sonidera icons Los Ángeles Azules, and big wins for Grupo Frontera, Eslabon Armado, and Fuerza Regida.
The performances also brought us tons of Regional Mexican acts giving the stage their all, including Grupo Frontera’s rousing performance of “El Amor De Su Vida,” Calibre 50 singing about having a rowdy time in “Borracho Pero Buen Muchacho,” and Pepe Aguilar, even teaming up with Marc Anthony, in “Ojalá Te Duela.”
We also got Peso Pluma singing with his possible girlfriend, Argentine singer-rapper Nicki Nicole, Manuel Turizo, giving us all the merengue vibes, and Olga Tañon, being very, very fierce.
All in all, the performances were epic — as were Ivy Queen, Karol G, and Los Ángeles Azules’ speeches for accepting each of their tribute awards. Still, we had to round up all the chaotic, emotional, and fun moments you may have missed last night.
The Billboard Latin Music Awards were fun, unhinged, and emotional
Let’s start by unpacking one of Bad Bunny’s acceptance speeches after winning the Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year. It seems like Benito did not realize he could actually win in this category, and was busy backstage getting ready for his performance.
Once he won, though, he ran onstage in gym shorts and white socks:
The singer’s speech was pretty rushed, followed by him running offstage. At least Benito didn’t slip in his socks? He quickly said, “Thank you, I make music because I love it and it’s my passion,” and seemed to cut his speech short — and this was definitely our reaction to all of it:
That being said, not everyone found the move so hilarious. In fact, one X user said the “Moscow Mule” singer’s speech gave them the “ick”:
It is notable that Bad Bunny has never given an acceptance speech in any English-speaking, American awards show in socks and basketball shorts. Where was this energy at this year’s Grammy Awards?
Still, many people thought the moment was iconic. Benito will always do “lo que le da la gana,” after all:
And that sometimes includes wearing a $7.5 million diamond necklace:
One moment during the awards show that admittedly made us shed a tear? Reggaetonera Ivy Queen’s acceptance speech for her Icon Award.
With her award in hand, la reina de reggaeton told the audience, “The [urbano] genre has shown me many things. And one of the biggest things was not selling my essence, and staying firm.”
Adding, “The genre also showed me to embrace my masculine side, because when I started out in the genre, I had to fight against men and not women.”
In a heartwarming moment, Ivy Queen added, “I am thankful that I can accept every one of these flowers while I am alive.” The music pioneer gave us “Yo Quiero Bailar,” which will make her icon status stand the test of time. The sheer vision of writing, “Eso no quiere decir que pa’ la cama voy” in 2003? Legendary.
Karol G also won the night in a big way
Medellin-born singer Karol G also won big last night, taking home five awards, including the major Espíritu de la Esperanza honor for her foundation, Con Cora.
The “Gatúbela” singer reportedly became the female artist with the most Latin Billboard wins in one night, which made her all smiles throughout the ceremony. Something else caught fans’ eyes, though — Karol G’s outfit seemed to honor Selena Quintanilla‘s 1994 Grammy Awards look:
This side-by-side comparison is uncanny, showing how Karol G styled her hair in a similar way and wore a white, beaded dress. As one X user wrote, the two artists have “the same vibes.”
Other Karol G moments we couldn’t forget included her acceptance speech for Top Latin Album of the Year. First, she sang to her own hit “Gatúbela” while walking through the crowd and up the stairs, and we just love her:
Later, she continued singing from the stage, finishing off with the iconic, “Uf, que chimba un verso de Maldy.” LOL:
And while we didn’t get to see a romantic couple moment with reported boyfriend Feid, eagle-eyed fans did catch them embracing backstage. Swoon!
Speaking of couples, we also have to talk about Peso Pluma and Nicki Nicole’s joint performance of “Por Las Noches (Remix).” While the rumor mill says the Mexican singer and Argentine songstress may just be in a relationship — we’re somehow even more confused than before.
The performance was epic, with both stars giving it their all with their vocals, exuding sultry, cute vibes. Nicki Nicole wowed us with her gorgeous voice, and we were very into their matching, white, Y2K-inspired outfits. Here’s the full performance for reference:
That being said, why did they keep around a one-foot distance between them at all times? Why all the social distancing?
Do they love each other? Hate each other? Have they ever met before? The world will never know. Props to them for keeping their cool amid all the gossip about their relationship status, though!
And by the end, for one split second, we got a side hug from them — and some hand-holding:
As one X user hilariously put it, though, they “thought it was the first time [Peso Pluma and Nicki Nicole] had ever met each other”:
However, we also got some sneaky backstage moments from the would-be couple, including them leaving the awards show holding hands:
They were also spotted arriving together at the Latin Billboard afterparty in LIV Miami, so they may actually be an item? Stay tuned!
Grupo Frontera spoke about winning their first-ever Latin Billboard award — and some questioned Paris Hilton’s attendance
As aforementioned, música Mexicana won big last night, and we loved to see it. For one, Mexican-American banda Eslabon Armado won four awards for their record-breaking Peso Pluma collab, “Ella Baila Sola”:
Grupo Frontera also nabbed their first-ever Latin Billboard award, taking home Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Duo or Group. They later told Billboard backstage, “We are very excited, because it is one of our first awards… [it’s] our third award, and well, we never thought we were going to be there.”
They later joked they were still looking for quinceañera performances, and… if they’re being serious, can we book them? The band continued, “It feels so nice, because our hard work since we started, has been fruitful. This is a dream for us.”
Also, get a glimpse of iconic Mexican band Los Ángeles Azules serenading the crowd with a medley of their biggest hits, bringing in Sofía Reyes, Ximena Sariñana, and Nicki Nicole:
On a very different, much more random note, we had to include the fact that Paris Hilton, attended the Billboard Latin Music Awards. While the celebrity was there to present Karol G with her Spirit of Hope award, people still had many questions about her attendance:
Immediately, many X users‘ posts looked a bit like this:
And this:
And this:
Mi gente Latino!
On yet another note, we also had to include Bad Bunny’s medley of hits, which brought the Latin Billboard’s attendees to their feet:
The performance was admittedly epic, bringing fire, fancy cars, “Moscow Mule,” and yes, the new (slightly debatable) track “Un Preview.”
As one X user wrote, the awards show “turned into a Bad Bunny concert” for a second:
And yes, Benito once again became a meme we will go back to time and time again:
