Luis Alfonso Kicks Off 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards With Colombian Flair

Música popular colombiana — or “popular Colombian music” — made its debut with a big bang at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music awards with a performance by Luis Alfonso opening the show.

The Colombian star kicked off the awards with a boisterous rendition of his hit “Tequila Con Cerveza,” originally recorded with urban star Blessd, followed by current hit “Chismofilia.” Dressed in leather pants and boots, Luis Alfonso sported his signature cowboy hat and performed backed by both banda and norteño instrumentation.

The Mexican influence is clear in both look and arrangements, but Luis Alfonso’s “popular Colombian” sound was unmistakable in the colloquial lyrics and traditional Colombian vibe.

Luis Alfonso’s “Chismofilia,” which has become a runaway hit in Colombia and is also rising in the U.S. charts (this week, it’s No. 19 on Billboard’s Latin Pop airplay chart), featured a troupe of country dancers doing the singer’s signature (and irresistible) head bop.  

It was enough to get the audience on its feet and setting the tone for the evening.

Earlier in the week, Luis Alfonso spoke about música popular colombiana at a panel during Latin Music Week that also featured country-mates Paola Jara, Yeison Jiménez and Pipe Bueno.

“It’s an honor to represent my country, Colombia, but also the heritage of popular Colombian music,” said Luis Alfonso in an interview.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards recognize the impact of Latin music on the global scene, being the only awards based directly on the performance of albums, songs and artists on Billboard’s weekly charts. This year, awards will be presented in 49 categories, spanning the genres of Latin pop, tropical, Latin rhythm and regional Mexican.

Finalists, and the eventual winners, reflect performance of new recordings on Billboard’s albums and songs charts for the period covering rankings dated Aug. 19, 2023 through the Sept. 7, 2024, charts. Determinations are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay and touring, tracked by Billboard and its data partner, Luminate.  

Produced by Telemundo in collaboration with American Country Broadcast Inc., the awards can be seen on Telemundo, the Telemundo app, streaming service Peacock and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.

This year, the list of finalists is led by Karol G, who has 17 mentions in key categories such as Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, and Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year. Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma follow closely behind with 15 mentions each. Other notable finalists include Feid, with 11 mentions, and regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida and Junior H, both with 8 mentions, including Artist of the Year. See the full list of finalists here.