saturno

Smack-dab in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, PBS will air the 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards tonight.

The show took place on Sept. 4 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., and honored a collection of musicians, artists, actors, journalists and business leaders.

This year’s honorees, selected by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, included NPR’s “Alt. Latino” journalist Felix Contreras, stoner comic and Chicano art collector Cheech Marin, Puerto Rican pop music visionary Rauw Alejandro, Oscar-nominated actor and dancer Rosie Perez, Rizos Curls Chief Executive Julissa Prado and “Mexican Queen of Pop” Gloria Trevi.

Honoree Felix Contreras accepts the Journalism Award onstage during the 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards in Washington, D.C.

(Paul Morigi / Getty Images for Hispanic Heritage Foundation)

Contreras is one of the few journalists to ever receive the esteemed honor, though he was initially reticent to accept. “We learn early on that [journalists] are not supposed to be the story,” Contreras told The Times earlier this year.

Recently, Marin has moved on from a successful career making stoner comedy films and is now best known for his work as a collector of Chicano art. After being a lifelong gatherer of art, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum opened to the public in June 2022.

Rauw Alejandro, meanwhile, has innovated the Latin music scene with his experimental albums, such as 2022’s techno-infused psychedelic album, “Saturno”; his beachy follow-up, “Playa Saturno,” in 2023; and his 2024 ode to the 1970s New York City salsa scene, “Cosa Nuestra.”

Cheech Marin accepts the Arts Award onstage during the 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards.

(Paul Morigi / Getty Images for Hispanic Heritage Foundation)

Rosie Perez made a name for herself as a dancer on the TV show “In Living Color” and with starring roles in Spike Lee films before being nominated for an Oscar for 1993‘s “Fearless.”

Gloria Trevi is one of the most successful Latina artists of her time. She has garnered over 30 million sold albums and 7 billion combined streams, along with several top-selling albums and an induction into the Latin Music Songwriters Hall of Fame.

As the Rizos Curls co-founder and CEO, Prado is being honored, per the HHF, for “her personal journey of self-discovery into a nationally celebrated, multi-million-dollar business specializing in textured hair care.”

Gloria Trevi performs onstage at the 38th Hispanic Heritage Awards.

(Paul Morigi / Getty Images for Hispanic Heritage Foundation)

The ceremony was hosted by actor and writer Mayan Lopez, and viewers will be able to take in performances by Trevi, along with artists Daymé Arocena, DannyLux, Lisa Lisa and RaiNao.

The awards show was established in 1988 by the White House to honor cultural visionaries within the Latino community. Previous awardees include Bad Bunny, Anthony Quinn, Sonia Sotomayor, Linda Ronstadt, Los Tigres Del Norte, Gloria Estefan and Tito Puente, among others.

Puerto Rican pop visionary Rauw Alejandro will be honored at the 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards.

On Wednesday, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced that the singer-songwriter will receive the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Award for Vision, a title that honors his groundbreaking contributions to Latin music and his role in shaping its global future.

“As an artist in constant motion, Rauw Alejandro embodies the very essence of the vision award, bold in creativity, future-focused in his global impact and unapologetically original in everything he does,” says Antonio Tijerino, president and chief executive of HHF. “His work is not just music, it’s a movement that confirms what Latin artists mean to the world.”

The award, established by the White House in 1998, is bestowed on notable public figures for their accomplishments and cultural contributions to the Latino community. Past honorees, specifically in the vision category, include Wisin, Ivy Queen, Bad Bunny, Residente and more.

The 32-year-old songwriter from San Juan welcomed the award with an unveiling of his own: the title of his next album, “Cosa Nuestra: Capítulo 0.”

“This is just the beginning … with my next project ‘Capítulo 0’ I want to keep showcasing not only Puerto Rico, but the full essence of the Caribbean.”

News of this honor should not come as a surprise to those who have been following Rauw Alejandro’s career and hustle. His 2020 debut album, “Afrodisíaco,” earned him his first Grammy nomination for best urban music album, as well as a Grammy nod for best new artist.

Throughout the years, the eclectic singer-songwriter and dance phenom has innovated the Latin music scene with the release of experimental albums like his electronic and R&B-inspired LP, “Vice Versa,” in 2021; his techno-infused psychedelic album, “Saturno,” in 2022; and his beachy follow-up, “Playa Saturno,” in 2023.

In 2024, Rauw Alejandro released his fifth studio album, “Cosa Nuestra,” a project inspired by New York City’s salsa music scene in the 1970s. Upon its release, the record landed him the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Latin Albums chart, and No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The critically-acclaimed album is likely to claim top prizes at the upcoming 2025 Latin Grammys.

“‘Cosa Nuestra’ has always been my way of representing my island, my culture, and my people — wherever they may be,” said Rauw Alejandro in a statement. “Every detail — the beats, the visuals, the dancing — reflects part of our Puerto Rican roots and our connection with other sister cultures, because we’ve been shaping the history of music for a long time.”

The 38th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards will take place on Sept. 4 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. To date, this year’s honorees include NPR’s Felix Contreras, stoner comic Cheech Marin, Rizos Curls chief executive Julissa Prado and more.