Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro explored new frontiers for urbano with his 2022 album Saturno, blending dembow with futuristic electropop, R&B and underground dance beats. The boundary-pushing album earned Alejandro a nomination for Best Urban Music Album at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs — and it also brought him together with Colombian superstar Juanes for an awe-inspiring performance.
Alejandro regaled the audience with a medley of songs: “Se Fue,” by Italian superstar and 2023 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Laura Pausini, as well as two tracks from Saturno, “Dime Quien” and “Baby Hello.” After taking the first two on his own — initially wearing a white suit surrounded by flames, then with a troupe of dancers — the reggaetonero met with the Colombian superstar for the final tune.
As Juanes offered scorching guitar for “Baby Hello,” the two stars were backed by more fire to take the performance home. The pair turned Rauw’s electronic collaboration with Bizarrap into stadium rock, bringing the energy to a headbanging crescendo — and even interpolating a bit of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for a thrilling finale.
Juanes walked into the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs a winner, as his 2023 album, Vida Cotidiana, was awarded Best Pop/Rock Album in the Premiere Ceremony. The LP also received a nomination for Album Of The Year, with the track “Gris” receiving a nod for Best Rock Song as well; additionally, Juanes production work on Fonseca’s and Juan Luis Guerra‘s “Si Tú Me Quieres” earned him a Record Of The Year nomination.
Both Alejandro and Juanes received nominations for the 2024 GRAMMYs as well. Saturno is nominated for Best Música Urbana Album, while Vida Cotidiana is nominated for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album.
