Rubén Blades took home the top prize at this year’s Latin Grammys, as his latest project Salswing! with Roberto Delgado & Orquesta was named album of the year.
The Panamanian musical icon and his group came out on top of a slate of nominees that included Pablo Alborán, Paula Arenas, Bad Bunny, Camilo, Nana Caymmi, Juan Luis Guerra, Juanes, Natalia Lafourcade, and C. Tangana.
A 10-time Latin Grammy and nine-time Grammy winner, Blades got to celebrate his second award for album of the year, after the same group’s album Salsa Big Band won in 2017.
During Thursday night’s award ceremony, Blades was also honoured as the 2021 Latin Recording Academy’s person of the year for his continued commitment to fighting for social justice around the world by supporting initiatives that raise awareness of political oppression, hunger, poverty and more.