The Latin Grammys are always a special night, but this time around there was a special sense of unity and Latin power.
From Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's intense duet of "Olvídame y pega la vuelta" to the powerful bilingual performance of Rachel Platten and Diego Torres' "Siempre estaré ahí," Billboard rounded up the top five outstanding performances of the 17th edition of the Latin Grammys on Thursday night at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
Pablo López feat. Juanes "Tu enemigo"
Given the political climate after the U.S. presidential election, there was no better way to start the Latin Grammys than with Lopez and Juanes' powerful and provocative collab. The spectacular and colorful performance of "Tu enemigo," a thought-provoking song with topical lyrics about a "monster of rage," was backed up by a gospel chorus and Cirque du Soleil's acrobats.
--Tu Enemigo-- @PabloLopezMusic featuring @juanes ------ #LatinGRAMMY pic.twitter.com/oP2xYDXMNm
- Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 18, 2016
Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez's "Olvídame y pega la vuelta"
Anthony and Lopez had everyone on the edge of their seat with their dramatic duet of Pímpinela's classic "Olvídame y pega la vuelta." The Latin Recording Academy's person of the year and took the stage with his ex-wife and the mother of his 8-year-old twins Max and Emme to perform the Spanish track for a surprise performance sealed by a kiss after the rowdy crowd started chanting "beso, beso." It really did feel like the whole performance was taken out of a Hollywood film.
--OLVÍDAME Y PEGA LA VUELTA -- @MarcAnthony y @JLo ------ #LatinGRAMMY pic.twitter.com/nAZpFDs8YO
- Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 18, 2016
J Balvin, Pharrell and BIA "Safari"
It's safe to say that Balvin's performance was one of the most anticipated of the night. The Colombian singer, who won two Latin Grammys on Thursday, sang his chart-topping track "Safari," featuring Pharrell, Sky and BIA, for the first time on television.
--Safari-- @JBALVIN featuring @Pharrell, Bia & Sky ------ #LatinGRAMMY pic.twitter.com/er0BDgEKy4
- Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 18, 2016
Diego Torres and Rachel Platten "Siempre estaré ahí"
Nothing yelled unity more than Platten and Torres' bilingual performance of their powerful song "Siempre estaré ahí." The idea behind this powerful collaboration was to prove that language is not a barrier between music.
--Siempre Estaré Ahí-- @diegotorres featuring @RachelPlatten ❤️❤️❤️ #LatinGRAMMY pic.twitter.com/ges9dkWgnF
- Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 18, 2016
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs "El rey del swing" & "Matador"
The Argentine band's performance was long overdue. LFC, who won two Latin Grammys on Thursday night, for best rock song and best rock album, rocked the Latin Grammys stage for the first time ever with a medley of new and old songs. They started off with "El rey del swing" and ended with the rock anthem "Matador." In true rock fashion, Flavio didn't leave the stage without smashing one of their guitars.
--Matador--@lfcoficial ------ #LatinGRAMMY pic.twitter.com/Qim3EWAdj4
- Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 18, 2016
