2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards
The 25th Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, presented by Billboard magazine, honored the best performing Latin recordings of 2017 and took place on April 26, 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Billboard presented awards in 60 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by Telemundo for the 20th time, and was the culmination of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, which also took place from April 23 to April 26, 2018. Actress Gaby Espino and television presenter Marco Antonio Regil hosted the show. Espino first presided over the 22nd Billboard Latin Music Awards held in 2015. The awards recognized the most popular Latin performers, songs, albums, labels, songwriters and producers in the United States. Recipients were based on sales, radio airplay, online streaming and social data during a one-year period from the issue dated February 4, 2017 through January 27, 2018.
Daddy Yankee received eight awards, including Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year (Solo) and Songwriter of the Year, and other six for "Despacito".
Luis Fonsi (top) and Justin Bieber (bottom) received seven awards each, including six for "Despacito". Fonsi also won Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year (Male), while Bieber received Crossover Artist of the Year.
Shakira won five awards, including Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year (Female) and Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year (Female).
Image: Luis Fonsi 2015 (cropped)
The Michelob Ultra Arena, formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose indoor arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, and was opened on April 10, 1999. MGM and brewing company Anheuser-Busch entered a naming-rights agreement in 2021, naming the arena after the company's Michelob Ultra beer.
Interior of venue during Evo 2017
