AceShowbiz - The Billboard Latin Music Awards 2024 took the music world by storm, showcasing Colombia's musical heritage in grand style. A fusion of past and present, the event featured electrifying performances by Luis Alfonso and Grupo Niche, setting the tone for a memorable night.

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 the current hit "Chismofilia". Dressed in leather pants and boots, Luis Alfonso sported his signature cowboy hat and performed backed by both banda and norteno 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.

His performance of "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 set the tone for the evening.

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

"Cali Pachanguero", the iconic Colombian dance track that this year turned 40 years old, got a new look and sound with a thrilling rendition during the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Celebrating the four decades of the song that took Colombian salsa to the world, its creators Grupo Niche performed a contemporary rendition that nevertheless retained much of its signature arrangements. Dressed in elegant yellow suits, the 15-piece band performed a rousing version of "Cali Pachanguero", its singers dancing up and down the stage as they improvised in a tight performance that got the audience at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on its feet.

"Cali Pachanguero" was conceived and written by the late Jairo Varela, the founder and leader of Grupo Niche, while touring in New York City in 1984. The song speaks nostalgically about Cali, the Southwestern Colombian city nestled in a valley and known for its beautiful women and love of salsa music. With its recognizable trumpet/trombone brass foundation and its fast-paced beats, the song put Colombian salsa on the global map.

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 were presented in 49 categories, spanning the genres of Latin pop, tropical, Latin rhythm and regional Mexican. Finalists and the eventual winners reflected the performance of new recordings on Billboard's albums and songs charts for the period covering rankings dated August 19, 2023, through the September 7, 2024, charts.

Determinations were 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 were available on Telemundo, the Telemundo app, streaming service Peacock, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional. This year, the list of finalists was led by Karol G, who had 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 followed closely behind with 15 mentions each. Other notable finalists included Feid, with 11 mentions, and regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida and Junior H, both with 8 mentions, including Artist of the Year.