Among the lessons learned at the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards: Shakira might be better off without Beyoncé, Ricky Martin can still shake his bon-bon, Calle 13 was more than just a flash in the pan and you can't escape Las Vegas without running into the Blue Man Group and a few showgirls.
And there's not one of them who can stop Juan Luis Guerra.
The Dominican singer-songwriter, who already headed into the genre and country-spanning kudosfest as the Latin Recording Academy's Person of the Year, led the night with five wins, including honors for Album, Song and Record of the Year, Best Merengue Album and Best Tropical Song for La Llave De Mi Corazón and its title track. The album's producers were also honored for engineering.
"I want to dedicate this award to the Dominican Republic," said Guerra, who cut La Llave De Mi Corazón with his band 440, upon accepting his Person of the Year trophy. "In recent days, we've had some difficult moments...But we are a strong and courageous people."
Guerra's energetic tune bested the Spanish-language version of the Shakira-Beyoncé duet "Beautiful Liar" ("Bello Embustero"), Martin's "Tu Recuerdo" and Paulina Rubio's "Nena" in the top record category.
"Juan Luis Guerra is…the father of Latin American poetry and whoever thinks the contrary, well, get off the bus," Martin said backstage.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old former boybander showed that he doesn't need la vida loca to make his critics happy.
Martin notched two wins Thursday, Best Male Pop Vocal Album and Best Long Form Video, both for his recent MTV Unplugged.
The Puerto Rican crossover star also opened the ceremony at Mandalay Bay Events Center, performing a medley of "Lola" and "La Bomba" while the Blue Man Group provided their rhythmically charged visuals in the background.
This marked the Latin Grammys' first trip to Las Vegas after bouncing around among New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Performers from Sin City staples such as Folies Bergere, HavanaNightShow and Stomp Out Loud added a little Vegas flavor to the increasingly international event—at last count, 16 countries were represented among the nominees.
And because of the all-inclusive nature of the event, most of the 49 awards were handed out before Thursday's live broadcast on Univision.
Puerto Rican hip-hop duo Calle 13 backed up last year's win for best new artist by beating out reggaeton star Daddy Yankee and collecting their second Latin Grammy in a row for Best Urban Music Album for their somewhat eponymous, politically charged sophomore effort Residente O Visitante.
Emcees Residente and Visitante, aka René Pérez and Eduardo Cabra, also won Best Urban Song for "Pal Norte," which focuses on the hardships facing illegal immigrants in the U.S.
"We are super-thrilled, nervous, this has been a lot of pressure," Perez said. "To all of Mexico, Colombia, from the heart—to all Latinos: From here, no one will remove us."
It was Mexican brother-sister pop duo Jesse & Joy, coming off the success of their debut album Esta Es Mi Vida, that was named Best New Artist this year.
In addition to Martin, Guerra, Daddy Yankee, Shaila Durcal and Pepe Aguilar all took to the stage to perform.
Also walking the red carpet Thursday were Mario Lopez, Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto, Paul Rodriguez, singer and WWE announcer Lilian Garcia, reggaeton artist Miguelito and telenovela actress Nora Salinas.
Here's a complete list of winners from the 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards:
- Record of the Year: "La Llave De Mi Corazón," Juan Luis Guerra 440
- Album of the Year: La Llave De Mi Corazón, Juan Luis Guerra 440
- Song of the Year: "La Llave De Mi Corazón" Juan Luis Guerra 440
- Best New Artist: Jesse & Joy
- Female Pop Vocal Album: You Canto, Laura Pausini
- Male Pop Vocal Album: MTV Unplugged, Ricky Martin
- Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocals: El Mundo Se Equivoca, La Quinta Estación
- Urban Music Album: Residente O Visitante, Calle 13
- Urban Song: "Pal Norte," Calle 13 featuring Orishas
- Rock Solo Vocal Album: El Mundo Cabe En Una Canción, Fito Pÿez
- Rock Album, Duo or Group with Vocal: Kamikaze, Rabanes
- Rock Song: "La Excepcion," Gustavo Cerati
- Alternative Music Album: Oye, Aterciopelados
- Alternative Song: "Me Llaman Calle," Manu Chao
- Salsa Album: Arroz Con Habichuela, El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico
- Merengue Album: La Llave De Mi Corazón, Juan Luis Guerra 440
- Cumbia/Vallenato Album: Son…Para El Mundo, Jorge Celedón y Jimmy Zambrano
- Contemporary Tropical Album: Fuzionando, Oscar D'León
- Traditional Tropical Album: Romÿnticos De Ayer, Hoy y Siempre, Bobby Cruz
- Tropical Song: "La Llave De Mi Corazón," Juan Luis Guerra
- Singer-Songwriter Album: Cê, Caetano Veloso
- Ranchero Album: Enamorado, Pepe Aguilar
- Banda Album: ¡Desatados!, Los Horoscopos De Durango
- Grupero Album: Solo Pienso En Ti, Grupo Bryndis
- Tejano Album: Evoluciones, Los Palominos
- Norteno Album: En Vivo, Michael Salgado
- Regional Mexican Song: "A Las Escondidas," Freddie Martinez Sr.
- Folk Album: Un Fuego De Sangre Pura, Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto
- Instrumental Album: The Enchantment, Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
- Tango Album: Te Amo Tango, Raúl Jaurena
- Flamenco Album: Techarí, Ojos De Brujo
- Latin Jazz Album: Rumba Palace, Arturo Sandoval
- Christian Album, Spanish: Alegría, Marcos Witt
- Christian Album, Portuguese: Caminho De Milagres, Aline Barros
- Brazilian Rock Contemporary Pop Album: Acústico MTV, Lenine
- Brazilian Rock Album: Acústico MTV, Lobão
- Samba/Pagode Album: Acústico MTV 2 Gafieira, Zeca Pagodinho
- Musica Popular Brasileira Album: Ao Vivo, Leny Andrade & Cesar Camargo Mariano
- Romantic Music Album: Eternamente Cauby Peixoto, 55 Anos De Carreira
- Brazilian Roots/Regional Album: Balé Mulato Ao Vivo, Daniela Mercury
- Brazilian Song, Portuguese: "Não Me Arrependo," Caetano Veloso
- Latin Children's Album: Cómo Se Llega A Belén, Voz Veis
- Recording Package: Los Vallenatos De Andrés: Catalina Díez, art director
- Classical Album: Beethoven Abertura Consagracão Da Casa Sinfonia No. 6
- Engineered Album: La Llave De Mi Corazón
- Producer of the Year: Sebastian Krys
- Short Form Music Video: "Ven A Mi Casa Esta Navidad," Voz Veis
- Long Form Music Video: "MTV Unplugged," Ricky Martin