Shakira, Romeo Santos, Prince Royce Among Top Winners at Premios Juventud 2026

The 2026 Premios Juventud ceremony shattered its own boundaries by staging the event on European soil for the very first time. Broadcasting live from the Starlight Amphitheater in Marbella, Spain—a venue that has quickly become a magnet for international entertainment productions—the show closed out a week of festivities spread across multiple global cities. When the dust settled, three names dominated the winner's circle: Shakira, Prince Royce, and Romeo Santos each walked away with three golden statuettes.

Royce and Santos, whose joint studio effort "Better Late Than Never" has proven to be an undeniable commercial force, saw their collaborative work celebrated with the Best Tropical Album award. The duo's individual projects also struck a chord with voters, as "Dardos" earned the Tropical Hit distinction and "Lokita Por Mí" snagged the Tropical Mix trophy. Shakira, no stranger to awards-season dominance, added the Premios Juventud Female Artist title to her extensive collection. Her genre-defying appeal was on full display throughout the night: the vibrant "Dai Dai," recorded alongside Burna Boy, captured the OMG Collaboration prize, while her partnership with Alejandro Sanz on "Bésame" was singled out as the Best Pop Song. Notably, Spanish pop star Aitana and the legendary Alejandro Fernández—whose career spans decades and multiple generations of fans—also matched the top winners with three awards each, underscoring the ceremony's genuine transatlantic spirit.

A deep bench of artists departed Marbella with double wins, illustrating the fierce competition that defined the evening. Bad Bunny, whose recent album cycle continues to break streaming records, earned both Premios Juventud Male Artist and Best Tour honors for his "Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour," a trek that has been widely praised for its ambitious production scale. Colombian powerhouse Karol G further cemented her status by taking home Album of the Year for "Tropicoqueta" and Best Urban Rhythmic Song for "Verano Rosa," her chart-topping collaboration with Feid. Additional double winners included the Argentine producer Bizarrap, regional Mexican standout Carín León, Ovy on the Drums, Santos Bravos, Grupo Frontera, Beéle, and actress Angelique Boyer. The ceremony also carved out space for social recognition, presenting the Agent of Change award to Antonio Banderas, Marc Anthony, Yandel, and La Oreja de Van Gogh. Hosting duties were shared by Jesús Vázquez, Alejandra Espinoza, and Clarissa Molina, who kept the three-hour broadcast moving with practiced ease.

Choosing Marbella as the host city represents more than a logistical shift; it signals a deliberate strategy to align the awards with Latin music's explosive international growth. Marbella, long known as a playground for the global elite and a summer sanctuary for celebrities chasing Mediterranean glamour, provided a backdrop that amplified the evening's prestige. This move mirrors broader industry trends—Latin artists consistently command massive global streaming numbers, and the awards' expanded geographic footprint reflects that reality. The diversity of the winners' list further underscored the genre's remarkable range, with categories honoring everything from Mexican banda and norteño to dembow, Afrobeat, and pop rock. That breadth ensured recognition for artists as varied as Ángela Aguilar, Grupo Firme, Farruko, Greeicy, and Morat, reinforcing the notion that Premios Juventud has evolved into a truly panoramic celebration of Latin music's many voices.