New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Univision) Univision pulled out all the stops to celebrate the network's historic 25th anniversary edition of its "Premio Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina" (Lo Nuestro Latin
Music Awards), hosted by renowned singer/actress Ninel Conde and Mexican icon Pedro Fernández. The longest running Latin music awards show in the U.S. was broadcast LIVE from the AmericanAirlines
Arena featuring 18 star-studded production numbers, and recognizing musical excellence across various categories including tropical, pop, regional Mexican, rock alternative and urban.
"Exiliados en la BahÃa: Lo Mejor de Maná"
The night's biggest winners included Prince Royce, who walked away with six awards, and the late regional Mexican music megastar Jenni Rivera, who garnered five awards. In one of the most emotion-filled moments in the history of the show, Rivera's children accepted the awards on behalf of the late superstar.
Opening the broadcast with a crowd-pleasing performance, Dominican singer/songwriter Juan Luis Guerra paid homage to the show's 25-year history by singing a medley of songs he has performed on previous "Premio Lo Nuestro" award shows. The arena then glowed in florescent lights as celebrated pop duo Jesse & Joy sang their hit track "Llorar." Making her highly anticipated return to the Latin music scene, international pop-phenomenon ThalÃa graced the stage alongside bachata royalty Prince Royce with a performance of her latest single "Te Perdiste Mi Amor."
The musical momentum continued as Colombian singer/songwriter Carlos Vives returned to the "Premio Lo Nuestro" stage after a 10-year hiatus to debut the first single from his long awaited studio album "Volvà a Nacer." Additional highlights included Spanish singing sensation David Bisbal's performance of "Y si fuera ella," and regional Mexican music singer/songwriter América Sierra who teamed up with tribal-guarachero Latin house group 3BallMTY on an urban-graffiti inspired set to perform their hit single "Porque el Amor Manda."
In an unprecedented larger-than-life production, the night hit another high note when Pitbull, aka "Mr. Worldwide," sent shock waves through the audience with an energetic gym-inspired performance of his chart-topping single "Echa Pa'lla."
For his musical legacy and exemplary 35-year career, Mexican icon Pedro Fernández was honored with the Premio Lo Nuestro a la Trayectoria ArtÃstica, and entertained the crowd with a mega Mariachi-folkloric inspired medley of his most popular hit songs.
In one of the most talked about moments of the evening, long-time friends and former Menudo band mates Ricky Martin and Draco reunited for the first time on LIVE television to perform their lyrical ballad "Más y Más," the new advance single from Draco's forthcoming album, "Vida" (Life). Also, La Arrolladora Banda El Limón performed their popular single "Llamada de mi Ex," while "Bachata King" Romeo captivated the audience performing his hit track, "Llevame Contigo," and regional Mexican music star Gerardo Ortiz performed his hit song, "Damaso."
In addition, Olga Tañón performed her energetic single "Todo lo que sube, baja," while tropical-fusion dynamic duo Chino y Nacho transformed the "Premio Lo Nuestro" stage into a hotel lobby, checking in with a stellar performance that got the crowd moving.
Then, Spanish-singer, and the night's "Premio a la Excelencia" award recipient, Alejandro Sanz premiered his latest single, "Mi Marciana," and delighted the crowd with a bonus performance of one of his greatest hits, "Corazón PartÃo." Later, a Miami-beach inspired theme came to life as Elvis Crespo partnered with Fito Blanko to perform their sultry hit, "Pegaito, Suavecito."
In one of the most anticipated moments of the night, some of the Latin music industry's most renowned artists, including Olga Tañón, Shaila Durcal, MarÃa José, and Diana Reyes, joined Lupillo Rivera to honor his sister, the late Jenni Rivera, in an awe-inspiring tribute performance of La Diva De La Banda's greatest hits. Hundreds of fans were able to be a part of this dedication through social media via Thunderclap. They were able to participate in a one-of-a-kind tribute for Rivera via a virtual applause that spanned on Twitter and Facebook occurring in conjunction with the LIVE tribute on the telecast.
Finally, Carlos Vives returned to the stage to close the show with a spectacular performance of his hits "Carito," "Fruta fresca," and his newest single "Como le gusta a tu cuerpo."
The 25th Annual "Premio Lo Nestro" Awards were preceded with a red-carpet special hosted by "Nuestra Belleza Latina" host Giselle Blondet and "Despierta América," (Wake Up America) co-host Alan Tacher. Raúl de Molina, co-host of Univision's popular show "El Gordo y la Flaca" (The Scoop and the Skinny), and Rodner Figueroa, co-host of "Sal y Pimienta" (Salt and Pepper), were also present providing commentary on the night's gala fashions. Fans received an all-access pass to all the red carpet action with LIVE streams courtesy of PremioLoNuestro.com while Dominican beauty Amelia Vega, Miss Universe 2003, kept tabs on all the social buzz surrounding "Premio Lo Nuestro" through its official social media platforms.
The 2013 "Premio Lo Nuestro" winners were selected from a total of 130 nominations in 33 categories, and were determined by fan votes cast on www.PremioLoNuestro.com. Since the award show's debut in 1988, "Premio Lo Nuestro" has served as a launch pad, catapulting the careers of many Latin music megastars including Selena, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Ricky Martin, among others.
Fans can continue celebrating the 25th annual "Premio Lo Nuestro" Latin Music Awards by receiving exclusive content online or by using their mobile device to visit PremioLoNuestro.com. Users can find award nominee profiles, the show's most popular moments from the last 25 years, and never-before-seen videos. Rehearsal footage is available via the Premio Lo Nuestro FanCam, and from artists answering fan questions submitted online. Offering fans unprecedented access, the Univision Radio app featured a dedicated channel celebrating 25 years of Premio Lo Nuestro music.
Amelia Vega served as the "Premio Lo Nuestro" Social Media Host connecting fans with their favorite celebrities and highlighting their Tweets from the T-Mobile Social Media Lounge. Fans made "Premio Lo Nuestro" history by hashtag voting, using #Moda25, for the Top 25th "Premio Lo Nuestro" Fashion Moment in real time during the awards show.
In addition to being able to receive unique stickers on GetGlue, fans were also able to connect on Twitter via @premiolonuestro using the hashtag #PLN25 and on Facebook via fb.com/premiolonuestro having the opportunity to see their Tweets and comments broadcasted on air as well as their questions asked to their favorite celebrities.
A complete list of the award winners follows:
General Category
Premio Lo Nuestro artist of the year - Jenni Rivera
Collaboration of the year - "El Verdadero Amor Perdona," Maná and Prince Royce
New artist of the year - 3Ball MTY
Video of the year - "Corre", Jesse & Joy
Pop Category
Pop album of the year - "Joyas Prestadas", Jenni Rivera
Pop song of the year - "A Cambio de Que", Jenni Rivera
Pop male artist of year - Alejandro Sanz
Pop female artist of year - Jenni Rivera
Pop group/duo of the year - Jesse & Joy
Rock/Alternative Category
Rock/alternative album of the year - "Exiliados en la BahÃa: Lo Mejor de Maná", Maná
Rock/alternative artist of the year - Maná
Rock/alternative song of the year - "El Verdadero Amor Perdona", Maná and Prince Royce
Tropical Category
Tropical album of the year - "Phase II", Prince Royce
Tropical song of the year - "Incondicional", Prince Royce
Tropical male artist of the year - Prince Royce
Tropical female artist of the year - Olga Tañón
Tropical group/duo of the year - Chino y Nacho
Tropical merengue artist of the year - Juan Luis Guerra
Tropical Salsa artist of the year - VÃctor Manuelle
Tropical contemporary artist of the year - Prince Royce
Regional Mexican Category
Regional Mexican album of the year - "Inténtalo", 3Ball MTY
Regional Mexican male artist of the year - Espinoza Paz
Regional Mexican female artist of the year - Jenni Rivera
Regional Mexican song of the year - "Amor Confuso", Gerardo Ortiz
Regional Mexcian group/duo group of the year - La Arolladora Banda el Limón de René Camacho
Banda artist of the year - Banda el Recodo
Duranguense artist of the year - Grupo Montéz de Durango
Grupero artist of the year - Grupo Bryndis
Norteño artist of the year - Gerardo Ortiz
Ranchero artist of the year - Vicente Fernández
Urban Category
Urban album of the year - "LÃderes", Wisin y Yandel
Urban song of the year - "Lovumba", Daddy Yankee
Urban artist of the year - Wisin y Yandel
