Karol G, Shakira Were Unofficially Crowned the Reinas of the 2023 Latin Grammys

Colombian artists saw some big wins at the Latin Grammys last night. From Shakira‘s big comeback to the awards show to Karol G‘s historic wins, there’s lots to talk about after the biggest night in the genre.

It was an especially big night for women in the industry, Colombian superstars Karol G and Shakira tied with Mexican artist Natalia Lafourcade with three major wins each.

Lafourcade currently holds the record for most Latin Grammys wins in history. She held onto that record after winning Record of the Year.

We also saw Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny switch genres for the night. He celebrated a win for Best Regional Song alongside Grupo Frontera with their song “un X100to.” Songwriters Egdar Barrera and Andrés Jael Correa Rios accepted the award on behalf of the group.

Karol G made history after winning

Not only did Karol G’s “Mañana Sera Bonito” win for Album of the Year, it also took the prize of Best Urban Music Album. The Colombian singer is the first female artist to win in that category at the Latin Grammys. Her song, “TQG” featuring Shakira also won the Grammy for Best Urban/Fusion Performance.

Many on social media are crowning la Bichota herself as the winner of the night.

In the pressroom, she was sure to mark how important the night was for women in the industry.

Fashion is always top of mind on a night like this and Karol G did not disappoint in Balmain for her awards show dress and her sparkly red carpet look.

All eyes were on Colombia at this year’s celebration of Latino talent

Karol G wasn’t the only Colombian artist raking in the wins this year. Longtime genre icon, Shakira and Bizarrap won Song of the Year for their collaboration on “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vo. 35.”

And as she says in her now-famous line “las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan,” she also promised her kids that she would be “happy,” and that they would “have a mother who will laugh as hard as she can, because they deserve it.”

Later, she took the stage to sing “Acróstico,” a song dedicated to her sons, Milan and Sasha. It was a heartwarming moment when she played footage of her two kids singing along to the lyrics.

While that performance melted hearts across social media, she also reminded everyone of her ability to put on a show-stopping performance.

Immediately people reacted to tango-inspired routine with glee.

Other comments on TikTok celebrated her Colombian roots and crowned her the “Reina” of the show. “46 years old and still winning like always!!” wrote on viewer. “Madre mía!! Shakira una vez más demostrando porque es la Reina,” commented another.

It was the first time the awards show took place outside the US

For 24 years, the Latin Grammys took place in the US, usually on the Las Vegas stage but this year, artists travelled to Seville, Spain. This change stems from a three-year sponsorship deal with Andalucía’s government. According to El Mundo, that contract allocated almost €22,750,000 to the ceremony and satellite concerts.

Some have criticized the move, saying it shows how disconnected the ceremony is from actual Latin music representation. “The Latin Grammys are from the US, they’re gringo,” said Francisco Solís Monroy, a Chilean pop culture critic from music podcast Clase Básica told The Guardian.

In a statement announcing the move, the Latin Recording Academy said they hoped this would elevate Latin music to a global stage. “International growth is consistent with our mission,” said CEO Manuel Abud.

But for many critics, this move marks another way that the music industry is trying to discredit predominantly Black Latin American artists.

Once again, the choice has sparked a debate in the comments over what does and doesn’t count as Latin culture. Some commenters pointed out that it makes just as much sense to host them in the US as it does in Spain since neither are technically Latin America. “This is such a reach. The majority of artists showing up to the award show are of Mexican/Colombian descent,” said one commenter.

Despite the back and forth, artists were thrilled to be celebrating in Spain and gave a shout-out to the city for hosting them.