Billboard No. 1s Spain Lights Up Starlite Madrid With Ana Mena, Pablo Alborán & More: Here Are the Best Photos

Artists like Pablo Alborán, Rosana, Omar Montes, Yami Safdie, and Nil Moliner stole the spotlight on Monday night (Dec. 15) at Billboard No. 1s Spain, the first-ever collaborative event between Grupo Starlite and Billboard.

Held at IFEMA Madrid as part of the Starlite Madrid concert series, the show drew over 5,000 attendees and featured performances from more than a dozen stars from Spain and the Americas. The lineup included big names like Rozalén, India Martínez, and Vanesa Martín, along with the legendary Cuban jazz musician Chucho Valdés, U.S. pianist Arthur Hanlon and Lebanese-born violinist Ara Malikian.

“This is the first time our Billboard No. 1s event has taken place outside the U.S., and the first time we’re celebrating Spanish-language music,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s VP of Latin/Spanish content. “It’s an honor to be here in Madrid with Starlite and Sandra García-Sanjuán,” founder and CEO of Starlite.

Hosted by the singer Ana Guerra, the night kicked off with Pablo Alborán delivering a heartfelt performance of “Mis 36” and teaming up with Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison to perform their collaboration “Si Te Quedas.” Next up, Argentina’s Yami Safdie hit the stage armed with just her guitar to sing her latest hits, “En Otra Vida” and “Querida Yo.” Each artist on the lineup performed two or three songs.

Ana Mena shared that it’d been a year since she last sang live in Madrid and fired up the crowd with “Lárgate,” “Quiero Decirte” and “Música Ligera.” Vanesa Martín poured her soul into “Tenemos Universo de Sobra” and “Cómo Le Digo,” while India Martínez wowed the audience with “90 Minutos,” “Olvidé Respirar” and “Si Ella Supiera,” a favorite sing-along of the night. The legendary Chucho Valdés played the Cuban classic “Lágrimas Negras.”

Spanish star Melendi took the stage to receive the “Premio Imparable” award, and after fans begged him to sing, he delivered a short a cappella performance of Ismael Serrano’s “Canción de amor propio.”

Some of the evening’s standout moments included Rosana hyping up the crowd by stepping off the stage and weaving through the audience as she performed “Si Tú No Estás Aquí” and “El Talismán,” before returning to the stage to wrap up her set with Ana Guerra in “A Fuego Lento.” Omar Montes had everyone dancing sevillanas with “La Sevillana” and “El Pantalón.” Arthur Hanlon stunned the crowd with powerful renditions of Mecano’s “Hijo de la Luna” and Paco de Lucía’s “Entre Aguas,” backed by an orchestra. The night closed on a high note with Nil Moliner, who brought tons of energy and had the crowd dancing to “Tu Cuerpo en Braille” and “Libertad.”

Check out some of the best photos from the event below.