Mexican superstar Pepe Aguilar, one of the very few artists who has managed to successfully straddle the traditions of Mexican music with the sound of contemporary pop, received the coveted Hall of Fame Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, held Oct. 20 in Miami.

Aguilar, who has been performing since he was a toddler, when his legendary parents Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre first took him on tour, has placed nine top 10 titles on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart, and 14 top 10 sets on the Regional Mexican Albums chart. He has also performed around the world, most recently with his stunning Jaripeo Sin Fronteras tour, on which he sings and rides on horseback, highlighting a venerable Mexican music tradition.

“My career started 34 years ago,” he said in an emotional speech, elegantly dressed all in black. “During that time, I’ve seen changes in everything in the industry: Genres, technology. And the way to remain relevant has been through my passion for my music and by reinventing when it was necessary. And that’s been possible thanks to the people who’ve been by my side. An artist is as good as the team that surrounds him.”

Aguilar specifically thanked his wife, and, especially, his fans: “Without the fans, we couldn’t do anything. An artists’ strongest argument is his fans,” he said, dedicating the award to them.

Aguilar later changed to his traditional ranchera outfit and performed a beautiful four-track medley that covered his vast career, beginning with his breakthrough hit “Por mujeres como tú,” and ending with his current single “Cuídamela bien,” inspired by the recent marriage of his daughter Angela Aguilar to Christian Nodal and featuring video footage of Angela Aguilar playing in the screens behind Aguilar.

Dressed all in black, the singer, known for his lush, velvety voice, performed accompanied by his full mariachi on one side and a pop band on the other, a nod to his many facets and styles.

Earlier in the week, Aguilar sat down for an Icon Q&A during Latin Music Week where he spoke about the importance of tradition and family.

The Billboard Latin Music Awards recognize the impact of Latin music on the global scene, being the only awards based directly on the performance of albums, songs and artists on Billboard’s weekly charts. This year, awards will be presented in 49 categories, spanning the genres of Latin pop, tropical, Latin rhythm and regional Mexican.

Finalists, and the eventual winners, reflect performance of new recordings on Billboard’s albums and songs charts for the period covering rankings dated August 19, 2023, through the September 7, 2024, charts. Determinations are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay and touring, tracked by Billboard and its data partner, Luminate.

Produced by Telemundo in collaboration with American Country Broadcast Inc., the awards can be seen on Telemundo, the Telemundo app, streaming service Peacock and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.

This year, the list of finalists is led by Karol G, who has 17 mentions in key categories such as Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, and Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year. Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma follow closely behind with 15 mentions each. Other notable finalists include Feid, with 11 mentions, and regional Mexican stars Fuerza Regida and Junior H, both with 8 mentions, including Artist of the Year. See the full list of finalists here.