Latin GRAMMY Rehearsals getting underway in Las Vegas / Getty Images For The Latin Recording Academy
The house lights dimmed inside the arena as the frantic, meticulous work of building Latin music’s biggest night kicked off Tuesday night, moving straight from the production trailers onto the main stage.
With rehearsals officially underway, Latin GRAMMY® Week moved into high gear as an eclectic roster of heavyweights and breakthrough acts ran through their opening production soundchecks. The slate reflects the genre’s sweeping stylistic reach, spanning traditional regional Mexican brass, sleek alt-pop, avant-garde Chilean art rock, and Caribbean groove.
Sinaloan staples Banda Los Recoditos and norteño powerhouse Grupo Frontera brought towering low-end brass and accordion-driven hooks to their stage blocks, test-driving arena-sized sound mixes. On the other end of the sonic spectrum, Uruguayan master Jorge Drexler and Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada delivered precise, stripped-back vocal runs, fine-tuning acoustic arrangements against the venue’s massive room.
The session also saw Chilean trailblazer Mon Laferte and Puerto Rican hitmaker Kany García working through dynamic blocking with technical crews, adjusting in-ear monitors and lighting cues between takes. Camila Fernández brought polished ranchera power to the boards, while Venezuelan alt-reggae outfit Rawayana dialed in their horn sections and percussion pockets.
Rounding out the initial run, Mexican-American corridos sensation Xavi took the mic to test vocal balances, dialing in how his distinct register cuts through full-band arrangements in an arena built for tens of thousands.
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