Spanish singer Rosalía has made history at the Latin Grammys, becoming the first woman to win the best album award three times after her 2025 release Lux won the category at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Rosalía collected five trophies in total, including song of the year and best pop song for her track La Perla, which was also nominated for record of the year but lost to Argentine Milo J's Niño.
Collecting her award, Rosalía said: “To all the people who told me I wasn’t good enough, or that my music was too weird, I’m thankful I didn’t listen.” She added: “Now I’m winning these prizes.” The Barcelona-born artist also won best alternative music album and best shortform music video for Sauvignon Blanc.
Rosalía previously won the best album prize for El Mal Querer in 2019 and Motomami in 2022. Lux, released last year to strong reviews, is also expected to be a contender when Grammy nominations are announced next week.
Puerto Rican reggaeton star Daddy Yankee was named person of the year and received a lifetime achievement award, presented by Janet Jackson, who said in Spanish that his music “has inspired an entire generation”. He performed some of his best-loved tracks, including Gasolina and Con Calma, and was joined on stage by rappers including LL Cool J and French Montana. Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, the first Indian artist to perform at the Latin Grammys, also performed at the ceremony. Devanshi Arora, a fan of Dosanjh, described the appearance as “a cultural revolution” and said: “It’s really invigorating and motivating to see someone from my country has made it all around the world.”
The 20-year-old Argentine Milo J won record of the year for Niño and took home four awards. He described Niño as the song “I’m most proud of out of everything I’ve created so far” and added “Long live Argentine folk music”.
ARIA VEGA was named best new artist, and songwriter of the year went to Sara Schell.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Rosalía's third best album win cements her place as a leading force in Latin music and highlights the growing global reach of Spanish-language pop and alternative music.
- The recognition of reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee and the debut performance by Indian star Diljit Dosanjh underscore the Latin Grammys' expanding cultural crossover.
Background
The Latin Grammy Awards are presented by the Latin Recording Academy to honour excellence in Latin music. Rosalía is the first woman to win the best album category three times, a feat previously achieved only by male artists. The 2026 ceremony was held in Las Vegas.
What to Watch
- Grammy nominations are due next week; Rosalía's Lux is tipped as a strong contender.
- Diljit Dosanjh's performance may encourage further collaborations between Punjabi and Latin music scenes, with fans already calling for a link-up with Bad Bunny.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedRosalía became the first woman to win the Latin Grammy for best album three times.BBC News: “Spanish star Rosalía has made history as the first woman to win the best album award at the Latin Grammys three times, after being recognised for her project Lux.”
- SupportedRosalía took home five prizes, including song of the year for La Perla.BBC News: “The singer took home five trophies in total, including two for her track La Perla which was named song of the year and best pop song.”
- SupportedLux was a 2025 release and won the best album award at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday.BBC News: “Rosalía released Lux last year to rave reviews and collecting her award at the ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday, she said:”
- SupportedRosalía said, “To all the people who told me I wasn’t good enough, or that my music was too weird, I’m thankful I didn’t listen.”BBC News: ““To all the people who told me I wasn't good enough, or that my music was too weird, I'm thankful I didn't listen.””
- SupportedRosalía added, “Now I’m winning these prizes.”BBC News: “The Barcelona-born artist then added: “Now I'm winning these prizes.””
- SupportedLa Perla was nominated for record of the year but lost to Milo J’s Niño.BBC News: “La Perla was also nominated for record of the year but missed out to Argentine singer Milo J's song Niño.”
- SupportedDaddy Yankee was named person of the year and received a lifetime achievement award.BBC News: “It was also a big night for Puerto Rican reggaeton legend Daddy Yankee, who won the person of the year award.”
- SupportedJanet Jackson presented Daddy Yankee’s lifetime achievement award and said in Spanish that his music “has inspired an entire generation”.BBC News: “Daddy Yankee was presented with the lifetime achievement award by Janet Jackson, who told him in Spanish that his music "has inspired an entire generation".”
- SupportedDiljit Dosanjh was the first Indian artist to perform at the Latin Grammys.BBC News: “Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh, who collabed with Daddy Yankee on Pokito, even took a break from his Aura India tour for the set, making him the first Indian artist to perform at the Latin Grammys.”
- SupportedDevanshi Arora called Dosanjh’s appearance “a cultural revolution” and said it was “really invigorating and motivating” to see someone from her country make it around the world.BBC News: “Dosanjh superfan Devanshi Arora described the singer's appearance as "a cultural revolution". "It's really invigorating and motivating to see someone from my country has made it all around the world," she tells Newsbeat.”
- SupportedMilo J, aged 20, won record of the year for Niño and took home four awards.BBC News: “The 20-year-old took home four trophies in the end”
- SupportedMilo J described Niño as the song he was “most proud of” and said, “Long live Argentine folk music”.BBC News: “He described Niño as the song "I'm most proud of out of everything I've created so far". "Long live Argentine folk music," he added.”