meta-scriptRubén Blades Wins Album Of The Year Latin GRAMMY | 18th Latin GRAMMYs | GRAMMY.com
Rubén Blades

Rubén Blades

Photo: David Becker/Getty Images

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Rubén Blades Wins Album Of The Year Latin GRAMMY | 18th Latin GRAMMYs

Panamanian singer/songwriter takes home the top album prize at The Biggest Night in Latin Music

GRAMMYs/Nov 17, 2017 - 08:59 am

Panamanian singer/songwriter Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta took home a second Latin GRAMMY of the night when they won Album Of The Year for Salsa Big Band at the 18th Latin GRAMMY Awards.

"Good Evening.  I am absolutely surprised. Sincerely, and very grateful to the people that made this possible.  But I want to say what I said previously when we won the Salsa Album. … Success is never one person's material. I have had the luck and the common sense to work with people who know more than I do and that are better than me. … I'm embarrassed in some ways because I know the talent that is here, and casually I said, 'I feel badly when one wins and maybe the one who loses feels worse.' But sometimes when one wins you also feel badly because you don't want anyone to lose. And in reality here, there are no losers. So this award we dedicate to all of the artistic class, to Latin America, to Panama, of course. To our orchestra, to Roberto Delgado, who is responsible for all of these arrangements. To this band who has made this honor possible. To the guys who are working with us on the recordings in the tiny recording studio where we work, but where there is a big heart. To all of the people who have collaborated. For example, Roman DeLaGuardia, who made all of the graphic designs. The guy, the Argentinian Daniel, who is [doing] the mastering. I know that I am going to forget to thank all of the people I am supposed to thank, but this is an award that truly surprises us. We are so grateful in the name of Panama and all of the artistic class. So thank you very much." — Rubén Blades

Blades has previously been nominated for Album Of The Year for Mundo (2003), Tangos (2014) and Son De Panamá (2015), but this marks his first win in the category. At the 18th Latin GRAMMYs he also took home the Latin GRAMMY for Best Salsa Album, bringing his total Latin GRAMMY career wins to eight.  

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/rubenblades?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rubenblades</a> is in shock! Him along with Roberto Delgado and Orchestra won Album of the Year. He said: “Success in never a one person thing. I’ve had luck and the common sense of working with people who know more than me and are better than me.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/salsabigband?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#salsabigband</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LatinGRAMMY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LatinGRAMMY</a> <a href="https://t.co/nDywyDhWts">pic.twitter.com/nDywyDhWts</a></p>&mdash; Karina Ramírez (@KarinaFRamirez) <a href="https://twitter.com/KarinaFRamirez/status/931371775056900102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2017</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The other nominees for Album Of The Year were Antonio Carmona's Obras Son Amores, Vicente García's A La Mar, Nicky Jam's Fénix, Mon Laferte's La Trenza, Natalia Lafourcade's Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos, Vol. 1), Residente's Residente, Shakira's El Dorado, and Danay Suarez' Palabras Manuales.

Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste

Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Jon Batiste’s Encouraging Speech For His 2022 Album Of The Year Win For 'We Are'

Jon Batiste accepts the Album Of The Year award for We Are, a win that he dedicated to "real artists, real musicians."

GRAMMYs/Apr 26, 2024 - 04:50 pm

Jon Batiste walked into the 2022 GRAMMYs with a whopping 11 nominations, making him the most recognized artist of the evening. By the end of the night, he received five GRAMMYs for Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, Best Music Video, and the highly coveted Album Of The Year.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, watch Batiste take the stage to accept the award for Album Of The Year for his sixth studio album, We Are

Batiste began his praises by acknowledging God: "I just put my head down and work on the craft every day. I love music, he said. "I've been playing since I was a little boy. It's more than entertainment for me — it's a spiritual practice." He also thanked the "many people that went into making this album," including his grandfather, nephew, father, and executive producer, Ryan Lynn.

"This [award] is for real artists, real musicians. Let's just keep going. Be you! That's it. I love you even if I don't know you," Batiste cheered.

Press play on the video above to hear Jon Batiste's complete acceptance speech and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Watch: Jon Batiste Delivers A Heartfelt Performance Of “Ain’t No Sunshine” & “Lean On Me” | 2024 GRAMMYs Performance

Taylor Swift hold her GRAMMY Awards from the 2016 GRAMMYs
Taylor Swift at the 2016 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Taylor Swift Become The First Woman To Win Album Of The Year Twice

Celebrate the release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ by revisiting the night Taylor Swift made history as the first woman to win Album Of The Year twice at the 2016 GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Apr 18, 2024 - 10:32 pm

At the 2024 GRAMMYs, Taylor Swift became the artist with the most Album Of The Year awards in GRAMMY history with four total wins. But her first record-breaking AOTY moment traces back eight years ago, when she became the first woman to win the category twice.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, relive the moment she won the historic golden gramophone for her iconic fifth studio album, 1989, at the 2016 GRAMMYs.

“I want to thank the fans for the last 10 years,” Swift beamed, praising her loyal fanbase, the Swifties. She later acknowledged the Recording Academy for “this unbelievable honor” and the project’s main producer, Max Martin, who “deserved to be up there for 25 years.”

Before she left the stage, she offered an inspiring message to aspiring female musicians in light of her groundbreaking win. “To all the young women, there are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” she explained. “But if you just focus on the work and don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday, when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. That will be the greatest feeling in the world.”

Check out Taylor Swift’s complete acceptance speech for her second Album Of The Year win, before diving into the release of The Tortured Poets Department, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Get Ready For Taylor Swift's ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album Release: Everything You Need To Know

Taylor Swift AOTY Win Photo
Taylor Swift accepts Album Of The Year at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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2024 GRAMMYs: Taylor Swift Makes GRAMMY History With Fourth Album Of The Year Win For 'Midnights'

'Midnights' earned Taylor Swift her fourth Album Of The Year win at the 2024 GRAMMYs — the most of any artist of all time.

GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 04:42 am

Taylor Swift has made GRAMMY history once again.

The pop superstar won the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Midnights at the 2024 GRAMMYs, marking her fourth win in the Category — the most Album Of The Year wins of any artist at the GRAMMYs. (She had been tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon.) 

Swift was shocked as she accepted the award, bringing up her producer Jack Antonoff — who had already won the GRAMMY for Producer of the Year — and collaborator Lana Del Rey, who was also nominated for Album Of The Year for Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. She acknowledged both in her acceptance speech, calling Antonoff "a once in a generation producer" and Del Rey "a legacy artist, a legend in her prime right now." 

She continued, "I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack to code to a bridge I love, or when I'm shortlisting a music video, or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers or my band, or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show. For me the award is the work. All I wanna do is keep being able to do this. I love it so much, it makes me so happy." 

The 66th GRAMMY Awards were already a big night for Swift before her Album Of The Year victory. Midnights won Best Pop Vocal Album earlier in the telecast, marking her 13th win; as Swifties know, 13 is Swift's lucky number because of her Dec. 13 birthday.

And at the 2024 GRAMMYs, it was her lucky number indeed: along with making history, Swift used her first win to announce a brand-new album. Swift will release her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

All Things Taylor Swift

Karol G poses with awards during the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain
Karol G poses with awards during the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain

Photo: Courtesy of The Latin Recording Academy/Borja B. Hojas, Getty Images © 2023

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2023 Latin GRAMMYs: Karol G Wins Album Of The Year For 'Mañana Será Bonito'

Karol G won the Latin GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for 'Mañana Será Bonito' at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Nov 17, 2023 - 12:57 am

Karol G won the Latin GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Mañana Será Bonito at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs.

Pablo Alborán's La Cu4rta Hoja, Paula Arenas' A Ciegas, Camilo's De Adentro Pa Afuera, Andrés Cepeda's Décimo Cuarto, Juanes' Vida Cotidiana, Natalia Lafourcade's De Todas Las Flores, Ricky Martin's Play, Fito Paez's Eadda9223, and Carlos Vives' Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así were the other nominees in the category.

Karol G first made a splash by cross-pollinating reggaeton and Latin trap; these days, she has eyes on an entire country: her native Colombia.

Musical powerhouse, reggaetonera and general bichota, Karol G is one major reason why all eyes are on Colombia. After establishing herself as a hit-making star in the adjoining worlds of reggaeton and Latin trap, she is clearly enjoying her success and savoring the moment.

As its sunshine-and-rainbows-festooned cover suggests, Mañana Será Bonito was one of 2023's most irresistible albums — it radiates verve, panache and sexuality. Not only that: it’s filled with inspired features by the likes of Romeo Santos, Shakira, Carla Morrison, and Sean Paul. Mañana Será Bonito debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 200, making it the first all-Spanish language album by a female artist to hold that impressive distinction.

Check out the complete list of winners and nominees at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs.