The Cuban singer-songwriter Pancho Céspedes took the stage at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Monday to receive the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Excellence in Music Award and closed his speech with a phrase that sparked a standing ovation: “Long live freedom!”.
The Special Awards ceremony, held as a prelude to the 27th Annual Latin Grammy Week, brought together figures from all over Latin America. Alongside Céspedes, the same award was given to the Hispanic-Mexican singer Alaska, the Mexican Lila Downs, the Brazilian Daniela Mercury, and the Dominican Chichí Peralta. The Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno was honored with the Board of Directors Award.
Before pronouncing his cry for freedom, the artist born in Santa Clara recalled his early years in Mexico, the recording of "Pensar en ti" by Luis Miguel, and the challenges of maintaining an artistic career for over three decades.
The recognition comes just three weeks after a scare that left their fans on edge.
On October 15, during a symphonic concert at the Esperanza Iris City Theater in Mexico City, Céspedes experienced a crisis—difficulty breathing, nausea, sweating, and blurred vision—and lost consciousness for a few seconds. His team attributed the episode to low blood pressure and confirmed that the artist has diabetes.
Three days after the incident, Céspedes reappeared on social media from a plane headed to Miami with a strong message: "For those who tell me to stop so I don’t die, well no, I can't stop. And I feel very good."
The Latin Recording Academy described its artistic proposal as "a twilight landscape where the elegance of jazz converses with the warmth of bolero," and its CEO, Manuel Abud, referred to the honorees of this edition as "living legends, an exceptional group whose influence transcends generations and genres."
Céspedes settled in Mexico City in 1992 and from there built an international career that led him to compose one of the most emblematic themes of Spanish pop.
In 1993, Luis Miguel recorded "Pensar en ti" for the album Aries, and four years later, Céspedes himself released Vida loca, his first solo album, which achieved quintuple Platinum status in Spain and won the Ondas Award for Latin Revelation Artist of 1998.
The award also has a political dimension. The Cuban regime has prohibited him from entering the island since the end of January 2021 due to critical statements he made in 2018 during a concert in Havana. This ban prevented him from being with his brother Miguel Ángel Céspedes, also a singer, who passed away in Havana in November 2021.
In 2026, in addition to the award, Céspedes performed live the album P&P (Pablo & Pancho), recorded with Pablo Milanés before his passing in November 2022.
The main gala of the 2026 Latin Grammy, featuring Camila Cabello as the host and eight Cuban artists among the nominees, is scheduled for this Thursday, November 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
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