La India Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Premio Lo Nuestro 2025: ‘This Is For My Fans’

La India, known as “The Princess of Salsa,” was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 37th annual Premio Lo Nuestro, which took place Thursday (Feb. 20).

Salsa singer Luis Figueroa introduced the living legend, saying she was one one of the reasons he fell in love with the sound of salsa. Then, the woman of the hour, dressed in a regal blue suit, showed her prowess singing medley of her greatest hits, including “Ese Hombre,” “Dicen Que Soy” and “Mi Mayor Venganza,” with Sergio George on the piano.

Right after her riveting performance, Victor Manuelle presented La India with the special honor. “Today, I have the honor and privilege of giving an award to one of the most representative voices of our genre, baptized by Celia Cruz as ‘La Princesa de La Salsa,’” he said.

In tears, La India gave a heartfelt speech: “This is for my fans, thank you for being by my side. I want to thank God, the Almighty, the one who never abandons us. I want to thank the musicians, Sergio George, I want to thank the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, my godfather Pedro Knight, Tito Puente, Little Louie Vega. La India arrived, and I never looked back and I was loyal and remain loyal to my tropical salsa genre. To the Latinos, we are important in this land. They will never run us out of this land of the Americas. Never.”

Broadcasting live on Thursday (Feb. 20) from the Kaseya Center in Miami, the 2025 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony is co-hosted by Laura Pausini, Thalia, and Alejandra Espinoza. Becky G & Carin León lead the list of nominations with 10 nods each. They are followed by Shakira and Myke Towers, with nine nods each; and Ángela Aguilar, Emilia, Grupo Frontera and Leonardo Aguilar, with eight nominations each.

La India, Alejandro Fernández and Manuel Alejandro are being honored with special awards. This year, the gala’s theme is “Uniendo Generaciones” (Uniting Generations), honoring the artists, songs, and albums that connect the past, present, and future of Latin music.