Maria Becerra shone brightly as she kicked off the final night of the 63rd Viña del Mar Festival, delivering a performance filled with dance choreographies and hits that were enthusiastically sung along by the Quinta Vergara audience.
Dazzling in a white denim outfit, the Argentine star — who took the place of Peso Pluma after the Mexican artist canceled — opened her performance with the furious thump of “Perreo Furioso,” backed by a rock band consisting of a bassist, guitarist, drummer and keyboardist, and an Argentine trap beat. She then ignited the vibe with an invigorating cumbia, “El Amor de Mi Vida,” which she originally recorded with Los Ángeles Azules. For more than an hour, she ran through hits including “Corazón Vacío”, “Ojalá” and “Piscina.”
Later, she received sunflowers from fans as well as Silver and Gold Gaviotas, the event’s top award, which she dedicated to her parents. “Thank you so much, really. What an honor to receive this,” she added.
The atmosphere became more serious when the Argentine singer read an emotional letter she wrote in response to the recent fires that affected the Valparaíso region.
“I want to take a moment to remember that all of us here have taken the commitment to help Viña rise again, after the tremendous tragedy they had to face. I witnessed the burning hills that showed in the marks of the fire, that less than a month ago, there were houses there. I listened with great fear to the story of a mother pulling her little child out of the fire,” she read.
She continued, “I was moved by the story of the female doctors from the small health clinic who climbed the hill beyond what we saw … It’s very sad to see how the fire swept away years of work. Life projects, memories, and above all, the more than 100 people who lost their lives. That’s why, today, I want to ask for a big round of applause for health workers, police officers, volunteers and firefighters. And to all of Chile, I want to tell you that my heart is with you. Our hearts are with every person who today is defying fate.”
Becerra, 24, was honored as a “Visionary” at the inaugural Billboard 2023 Latin Women in Music gala.
Following the performance by La Nena de Argentina, rapper Trueno — featured on Billboard’s list of the 50 most essential Spanish-language rappers of all time — took the stage to close out the event. Armed with intoxicating bars, the wordsmith opened with “Hoop Hoop” and continued the night with “Trueno: Bzrp Freestyle Sessions, Vol. 6,” “Buenos Aires en Llamas” and “Freestyle” before closing with “Dance Crip.”
Later in the evening, he also received his Gold Gaviota and Silver Gaviota awards.
The Viña del Mar 2024 Festival kicked off on Feb. 26 with Alejandro Sanz and Manuel Turizo. They were followed by Andrea Bocelli and Miranda! on the 26th, Maná and Men at Work on the 27th, Mora and Anitta on the 29th, and a Chilean night with Los Bunkers and Young Cister on March 1 before closing on Friday.
If you missed Friday’s performances by Maria Becerra and Trueno, or want to relive them, you can watch them below.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
