2011 Latin Grammys Belong To Calle 13

By Michael Lopez

Just remember, we warned you about following our Latin Grammy predictions. Yes, most of our picks didn't come true. But that doesn't mean that every winner of the night didn't deserve their statuettes. Far to the contrary, particularly in the case of Calle 13. The Puerto Rican duo put out an incredible album last year and it's clear the Latin Grammy voters were listening.

Believe it or not, Calle 13 took home nine awards at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Thursday night, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Tropical Song, and Best Urban Album. And though the guys had previously won big in 2008, they seemed quite humbled when taking the stage.

Residente, in particular, made a point to thank the group's devoted fans and promised that Calle would never stray from their Latin hip hop roots.

"It's very difficult for us navigating against the current," he stated. "I know that we're those who are heard not on the radio, but in the heart of the people."

And in between all of the Calle acceptance speeches, there were still plenty of dominant forces on the Latin Grammy stage. Shakira performed three songs during the night (including "Loca") and got huge cheers when she accepted her Person of the Year award. She also happened to take home Best Female Pop Album for Sale El Sol.

As you may have remembered, we were rooting hard for Alex, Jorge y Lena in the Best Album category. Though they didn't win, the talented trio still nabbed the Best Pop Album by a Group award. And, for the record, our Best New Artist prediction did come true! Tr3s fave Sie7e happily accepted the award and definitely proved himself to be an artist to watch in 2012.

In regards to the live performances, the Latin Grammys did not disappoint! Usher had great onstage chemistry with Romeo as they belted out the popular "Promise" track from Formula Vol. 1. And Pitbull brought out a pretty famous duet partner too. Newly-single Marc Anthony poured his heart out with a live rendition of their new single "Rain Over Me." Even Demi Lovato flexed her Spanish tongue with a riveting performance of "Solamente Tú."

But we're sure the live song that will be getting the most buzz was Calle 13's show opener, "Latinoamérica." The newly-crowned Song of the Year was performed alongside the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra. Not only that, guest conductor Gustavo Dudamel used his baton to give it an even more bombastic touch.

Of course, the show was just half of the fun. Seeing how the event took place in Vegas, you can bet that many of the stars are probably still celebrating at this very moment!

What did you think of this year's Latin Grammys? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alex Jorge Y Lena, Award Shows, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Calle 13, Celebrities, Demi Lovato, Gustavo Dudamel, Hot Stuff, Latin Grammys, Marc Anthony, Música, Paulina Rubio, Pitbull, popnews, Promise, Romeo, Shakira, Sie7e, sofia vergara, Usher