Music : Antonio Banderas and Marc Anthony Headline Premios Juventud’s Marbella Debut

More than two decades after it first began, Premios Juventud, the annual TelevisaUnivision awards ceremony celebrating Hispanic youth culture, has grown into a week long festival. The celebration will conclude at the Starlight Amphitheater in Marbella, Spain, on Sept. 3.

The wider format represents an important new chapter for the event, transforming it from a single evening ceremony into a complete festival experience called PJ Fest. The program includes creator focused activities and live performances in Houston, Miami and Los Angeles before concluding with the 23rd Premios Juventud ceremony in Marbella.

Public voting across the 50 award categories opened on August 10 through PremiosJuventud.com.

The occasion carries particular significance for Univision Television Networks Group President Ignacio Meyer, who previously worked as executive VP of Music for Univision in the United States.

Meyer told Variety that Televisa and Univision have focused on reaching viewers across different locations and platforms since completing their merger in 2022. “Our merger with Televisa really shifted our focus toward becoming a global organization, delivering content through our streamer [ViX] to Spanish-speaking audiences around the world,” he said, noting that approximately 600 million people speak Spanish worldwide.

“Our first big move was when we took the Latin Grammy Awards to Seville, Spain, a few years ago,” he explained. Meyer added that Premios Juventud has also become a travelling event, with recent editions held in Puerto Rico and Panama.

“This latest move [to Spain] took quite some time because it involved our partners at Televisión Española, the wonderful team at Starlite in Marbella and really the entire music community, which needs to support us and be there. It took about a year and a half to put together and we’re very excited.”

Unlike many awards ceremonies that celebrate established careers or past accomplishments, the Premios Juventud Agents of Change honours recognise performers for supporting their communities, creating social change and helping future generations. “We’re ‘re rewarding the generosity of artists that use their platforms for social good,” Meyer said. He identified actor Antonio Banderas, singer Marc Anthony, reggaetón performer Yandel and Spanish pop rock group La Oreja de Van Gogh as this year’s Agents of Change.

Banderas founded the Lágrimas y Favores Foundation to support social causes in his hometown of Málaga. Alongside Sandra García Sanjuán, he also cohosts the Starlite Gala, which is organised by the Starlite Foundation charity. “He is one of the principal reasons why we are partnering with Starlight in Malaga. He is an ambassador to Malaga and to the south of Spain and he’s played a very integral part,” Meyer said.

Antonio Banderas Credit: Javier Salas

Anthony has built a strong philanthropic record through the Maestro Cares Foundation, which has supported over 35 projects serving children and disadvantaged communities throughout Latin America and the United States. Following the destructive earthquakes in Venezuela, he also organised “Unidos por Venezuela,” an international telethon and benefit concert created to help with the country’s recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Yandel is being honoured for his contributions to education and community programs, his advocacy for mental health awareness and his support for developing Latino artists. His charitable work and Yandel Sinfónico Tour, which combines reggaetón with regional symphony orchestras, have provided opportunities for more than 250 classical musicians while connecting him with music students and orchestras around the world.

La Oreja de Van Gogh will receive recognition for its continued involvement with charitable causes, including Guitarras Solidarias, Cadena 100 Por Ellas and Ay Haití. The band will make its first appearance at Premios Juventud and perform its popular song “Rosas,” which recently exceeded one billion streams on Spotify. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary with original singer Amaia Montero, the group has also earned nominations for Group or Duo Favorite of the Year and Best Euro Song.

The announced performance roster brings together established Latin stars, new performers and musicians representing both Latin America and Spain. Christian Nodal, Ángela Aguilar, Camilo, Yandel, Wisin, Ǫuevedo, Ana Mena, Farruko, DND | Do Not Disturb and Santos Bravos are among the many confirmed artists.

Premios Juventud will be shown in 12 countries through its broadcast partners. In the United States, the ceremony will air live on Univision, the leading network among Hispanic viewers and the sixth biggest broadcast or cable network among adults ages 18 to 49 across all languages. Viewers can also watch the event live through sister channels Unimás and Galavision, as well as the ViX platform and YouTube.

The time difference between Spain and the United States has opened the door to an ambitious joint production with Televisión Española. The broadcaster will create and edit its own live version of the ceremony from Spain while the main event unfolds in Marbella. Starting at 10:30 p.m. local time, its presenters will speak with performers and produce exclusive segments during commercial breaks in the American broadcast.

Meyer said: “This [collaboration] really underscores what we’ve been able to do with our commitment to international audiences, which is taking Latin culture and localizing it. Just like we localize Latin culture in the U.S., they will localize the importance of Latin music, Latin culture in Spain.”