Spanish star Alejandro Sanz will receive a lifetime achievement award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards. He’s set to be presented with the honor during the October 20th ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Telemundo.
Over the course of his career, Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammys. Born in Madrid, he released his debut album in 1989 at age 19, and gained commercial success with his second record Viviendo Deprisa. In 2002, he became the first Spanish artist ever to record an MTV Unplugged album, after his 2000 record El Alma al Aire sold over a million copies within its first week of release—he signed to Universal Music in 2011, and released his most recent record in December 2021.
“I’m very happy to return to the Billboard Latin Music Awards, it’s certainly special,” Sanz shared in a statement with Billboard. “I am deeply grateful for this recognition from Billboard, and I love that it takes place in Miami. It’s fantastic to be home.” Before the ceremony, Sanz will sit down for an exclusive Q&A to share more about his life on Wednesday, October 18th.
Past recipients of the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award include Los Temerarios, Armando Manzanero, Intocable, José José, Miguel Bosé and Ricardo Arjona, and many others. In 2023, the award was bestowed upon Los Ángeles Azules, a Mexican cumbia sonidera group formed in 1979. Sanz will add the achievement to a host of recent honors, which include receiving the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Cadiz, and earning the esteemed title of “Hijo Predilecto” from Andalusia and the Province of Cadiz.