To celebrate 25 years of the Latin GRAMMY Awards, the Latin Recording Academy opened a new exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. The entire second floor of the museum is dedicated to capturing the growth of Latin music that has gone hand-in-hand with the Latin GRAMMYs through awards, artifacts, outfits, and instruments from previous winners and nominees like Shakira, Karol G, Peso Pluma, Juan Luis Guerra, Celia Cruz, and many more.
“Today, Latin artists are crafting pop culture, influencing everything, and breaking all the charts,” Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abud tells GRAMMY.com. “For the Latin Recording Academy, it’s been a privilege to be with them on this journey, and this exhibit tries to bring this journey closer to the people. For us, this is an attempt to bring this journey and this legacy closer to the audience.”
The newly opened exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum, officially named Latin GRAMMYs 25: A Legacy of Musical Excellence, is one of three that the Latin Recording Academy is presenting as part of the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMYs celebration happening throughout this year, all of which will highlight the magic of the Latin GRAMMYs. The Paley Museum in New York City will host its exhibit, which opened Sept. 13, and runs through Nov. 3; the exhibit at Miami’s Gary Nader Art Centre will open Sept. 26 and run through Dec. 20. The GRAMMY Museum’s exhibit closes Dec. 18.
The series of multi-city exhibits leads up to the 2024 Latin GRAMMYs, which officially mark the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMY Awards. Taking place Thursday, Nov. 14, in Miami, the 2024 Latin GRAMMYs will debut of a new field and two new categories: Best Latin Electronic Music Performance, housed within the new Electronic Music field, and Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album. Ahead of the 2024 Latin GRAMMYs, the Latin Recording Academy will host the official Latin GRAMMY Week 2024, which includes multiple events throughout Miami-Dade County including the 2024 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year gala, which this year honors 18-time Latin GRAMMYs winner and two-time GRAMMY winner Carlos Vives, and the 2024 Special Awards Presentation.
Ahead of the GRAMMY Museum’s exhibit opening, Abud and Jasen Emmons, Chief Curator and Vice President of Curatorial Affairs of the GRAMMY Museum, took GRAMMY.com on a tour. Below, learn more about the GRAMMY Museum’s monumental, history-filled display.
Learn more about the Latin Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Museum’s Latin GRAMMYs 25: A Legacy of Musical Excellence exhibit.
All photos by Rebecca Sapp.
A Timeline Of Latin GRAMMY Milestones
When entering the second floor of the GRAMMY Museum, one of the walls is covered with a giant timeline of major moments and milestones from the Latin GRAMMYs. The timeline starts with the 1st Annual ceremony in 2000, where Ricky Martin, Celia Cruz, and Gloria Estefan paid tribute to mambo legend Tito Puente, who had passed away a few months prior.
From there, moments highlighted include Luis Fonsi‘s performance of “Despacito” in 2017 with Diplo, Bomba Estéreo and Victor Manuelle, and Bad Bunny‘s win for Best Urban Album in 2019 where he advocated for more respect for reggaeton music and its artists. Edgar Barrera, who won the first Songwriter Of The Year award at last year’s ceremony, also has his history-making Latin GRAMMY on display. The timeline not only shows the growth of the awards, but its impact on Latin music going mainstream.
“We created a platform for new artists to evolve and to present their craft, but also a way to celebrate established artists,” Abud says as he looks at the timeline. “I think the beauty here is that we celebrate both at the same time that we are nurturing the next generation [or artists]. I love to see an artist like Karol G be Best New Artist in 2018 and winning Album Of The Year in 2023 and breaking all the records. It’s the concept of how we bring it all full circle.”
Read More: 2023 Latin GRAMMYs: Karol G Wins Album Of The Year For ‘Mañana Será Bonito’
The Latin GRAMMY Awards By the Numbers
There’s also a few more giant graphics on the other walls of the exhibit that are informational and educational. One graphic — which could be useful for either the GRAMMYs or Latin GRAMMY Awards — explains the difference between the Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year categories; another graphic shows the legacy of the Latin GRAMMYs by the numbers. The number 18 is shown next to Eduardo Cabra, who has the most wins for a producer, while his former Calle 13 associate, Residente, is highlighted for the most wins by a male artist with 28. Meanwhile, 2006 is shown next to Shakira’s name for the ceremony where she made history as the first woman to win Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Album Of The Year.
“I would like for visitors to feel the emotions because music is all about the emotions,” Abud says. “I would like for them to go through the journey and remember what they were doing in 2006 or 2016, for example. I hope this exhibit brings them memories and gets them excited about the future. It’s a combination of celebrating our past, but also enjoying the present, and preparing for the future.”
The Diversity Of Latin Music Through Instruments
Another way the GRAMMY Museum’s Latin GRAMMYs exhibit is hoping to educate visitors is through the instruments on display. Mexican group Intocable loaned a series of instruments that highlight the sounds of música Mexicana, including the bajo sexto guitar, the accordion, and a Djembe drums.
To highlight other genres in Latin music as well, Juan Luis Guerra loaned a güira, which is used in his merengue with “Punta Cana” written across it. The drums that Sheila E. played during her performance with Guerra at the 8th Annual Latin GRAMMYs are also present. The instruments exemplify not only different genres, but also different Latin cultures and countries.
“We really wanted to show a number of different instruments that we used in Latin music, like timbales or bajo sexto because for many people they may have heard them, but they haven’t seen them before,” Emmons says. “It’s fun for people to be able to go, ‘Oh! That’s what that looks like, so it’s making that sound.’ We’re really always trying to have that educational element to what we do.”
Iconic Performances Revisited
The history of career-defining performances at the Latin GRAMMYs is captured in the fashion at the exhibit.
The colorful spirit of Celia Cruz, who passed away in 2003, is captured in a white and blue wig at the exhibit. The Cuban legend wore the wig during the 2002 Latin GRAMMYs — her last televised performance.
The outfits on display also further exemplify the diversity of Latin music. Mexican icon Pepe Aguilar‘s traditional charro suit is next to Peso Pluma’s Givenchy and Alexander McQueen outfit from last year’s ceremony that exemplifies his more urban approach to música Mexicana. Rauw Alejandro, who has gone from reggaeton hit-maker to global pop star, mixed both worlds with his red-hot Enfants Riches Déprimés look at last year’s ceremony. Rosalía‘s white bodysuit from her flamenco-infused debut on the Latin GRAMMYs stage in 2018 is also on display.
“It’s fun to see the growth of both Latin music, but also the Latin GRAMMYs,” Emmons says. “It’s extraordinary when you think in just 25 years how massive it’s become and incredibly exciting. It was really fun to go through that [legacy of the Latin GRAMMYs] and figure out what were those moments that helped expand awareness of this and celebrate it.”
Red Carpet Fashion At The Latin GRAMMYs
The iconic fashion of the Latin GRAMMY Awards isn’t only limited to the performances. On the red carpet, many nominees and winners have made statements with their outfits.
One standout fashion moment in particular at the exhibit is Mon Laferte‘s purple suit at the 2021, where she proudly flaunted her pregnancy at the time. Karol G’s metallic Balmain dress from last year’s ceremony — where she later won Album Of The Year — is another stunning highlight among the outfits.
Barrera’s fashion-forward suit that he wore during his historic Songwriter Of The Year win in 2023 is also on display. Beatriz Luengo, who won Song Of The Year for the Cuban protest anthem “Patria o Vida” in 2021, paid tribute to Celia Cruz with a blue gown that had the late legend’s face emblazoned on it.
“The biggest thing I want is for visitors to go away saying, ‘I want to listen to these artists,’ if they haven’t already,” Emmons says. “Also, to have more appreciation for the artistry, and the showmanship because a lot of what we have on display are some of the performance outfits, red carpet outfits, and amazing style. At the heart of this exhibit is to inspire people to go discover artists that maybe they haven’t listened to in awhile, or they never heard of before.”
