Should English-Speaking Americans Watch The Latin Grammys?

When I heard that Jennifer Lopez will pay homage to the iconic Celia Cruz at the upcoming American Music Awards, it got me thinking: because of JLo’s Latin tribute at this all-American event, many more Latinos are bound to tune in to the awards show, so then should American audiences turn around and tune into this year’s Latin Grammys?

The answer is yes and for more than one reason.

Let’s start with the obvious, Natalie Cole. Just in case you didn’t know, the American singer, songwriter, performer, and daughter of Nat King Cole recently released “Natalie Cole en Español,” a collection of romantic songs by some of the best Spanish language composers that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. For this hit, she has garnered three Latin Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Cole is also set to perform during the event.

I know that Latinos will watch the AMAs to see if Lopez (whose Spanish is not the best) will bomb the performance or succeed, so Americans should tune into the Latin Grammys to see if Cole’s performance will do the same. And if not, then at least watch the VIRTUAL DUET she will do with her legendary late father. (I’m hoping it’s something like the Coachella 2012 concert where Tupac was resurrected as a hologram.)

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If that is not enough to attract all you English-speaking viewers then how about live performances by Carlos Santana, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, Juanes, and Ricky Martin – all artists that are quite popular in the mainstream music market?

The last reason that the American public needs to watch this year’s awards is because it is known as Los Latin Grammys, not Los Grammys Latinos. Furthermore, on both the official Spanish and English web pages, the symbol says: “The 14^th Annual Latin Grammy Awards” and not “La 14 Entrega Anual de los Grammys Latinos.” This event extends a welcome to all audiences who love music, yes it is televised in Spanish, but what it comes down to is that music is a universal language, so if the performances sound good that is all that should matter.

As the Hispanic population in the United States grows exponentially both cultures seamlessly mix and if American audiences are already consuming Latino foods (e.g. dulce de leche and tequila) then music should be the next step.

If after reading this you are in the least bit inclined to tune into the 2013 Latin Grammys, the show airs Thursday, Nov. 21 on Univision. 

Tell us what you think. Should American audiences tune into this year’s Latin Grammys? Share your thoughts in the comments below.