Ricky Martin stepped onto the Grammy stage at the 1999 Grammys knowing exactly what to do. "You knew what you needed to do to make that audience vibrate," he reflects on the night, with a sly smile on his face.
That night, he performed "La Copa de la Vida" ("The Cup of Life"), backed by a full samba band and supported by a rapturous audience who gave him a standing ovation. He also won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for Vuelve, which featured the song, that night.
Martin's performance at the 1999 Grammys, which took place during a key year for the global Latin music explosion, is today considered one of the defining moments in the global rise of Latin pop. "Ricky Martin's performance on the Grammys doing 'La Copa de la Vida' lit the fuse to the Latin explosion," music industry executive and icon Tommy Mottola told Billboard in a 2019 anniversary piece celebrating the performance.
Years later, Martin still remembers the energy and impact of the performance, which remains one of the standout milestones in his career. "I think it hit me like 48 hours later, in another continent, the magnitude of that performance and what it did to my career."
Watch more memorable Grammy performances at the upcoming 2026 Grammys, taking place Sunday, Feb. 1, live at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and broadcasting live on the CBS Television Network and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. Watch highlights and exclusive performances from the 2026 Grammys all year long at live.grammy.com.
My Grammy Performance is an intimate and inspiring interview series that invites artists to reflect on their performances on the Grammy stage throughout the decades.
