During Thursday night’s Premio Lo Nuestro, Daddy Yankee and Marc Anthony teamed up to perform their hit collaboration, “De Vuelta Pa’ La Vuelta.”
This presentation marked the first time the king of salsa and the king of reggaeton performed on the same stage, making for a historic moment including backup dancers and impressive pyrotechnics.
Before taking the stage with Daddy Yankee, Anthony took a moment to honor Johnny Pacheco, a Dominican-American musician, composer, bandleader, and record producer, who played a huge part in popularizing salsa in the United States. He passed away on February 15 at the age of 85.
“Tonight we want to recognize and thank one of the pillars of salsa music,” The “Vivir Mi Vida” singer said to viewers at home. “He was a musical genius that just recently left us, Johnny Pacheco. Without you there would be no salsa. Your music was the soundtrack of my life while I lived in New York. Thank you for your music. We know there‘s a big party in heaven.”
After the touching tribute, Anthony and Daddy Yankee turned the energy back up for their performance of “De Vuelta Pa’ La Vuelta,” which was released back in December. This song is a big moment for both artists and their fan bases as it fuses classic salsa with reggaeton beats.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve wanted to work together. It was such an experience to see Yankee dive into my world,” Anthony said to ET in a statement. “He is a force to be reckoned that has set so many precedents in the Latin music scene. Now with this song, we have the opportunity to unite our voices, highlight our culture and honor our Latino roots.”
This was a big week for Marc Anthony for many reasons, with the Guinness World Records awarding the legend with his third GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the most Premio Lo Nuestro awards won by a male artist, receiving a total of 24 wins.
“I’m speechless! The first thing that comes to mind is my team. Especially during this time, you realize you do not get anywhere alone,” Anthony wrote on Instagram. “I am feeling so many emotions. When I found out about this Guinness World Records record title, my heart skipped a beat. I just hope that everyone who has dedicated their life to making this happen feels as special as I do. Esto sigueeee!”
