Portuguese musician Dino D'Santiago wins Latin Grammy for album with Criolo and Amaro Freitas

The award

Dino D'Santiago won the Latin Grammy for Best Brazilian Popular Music / Afro Portuguese Brazilian Music Album on Thursday, 12 November 2026. The ceremony took place in Las Vegas, United States, and the prize went to Criolo, Amaro & Dino, a 2026 project that pairs the Portuguese musician with the Brazilian pianist Amaro Freitas and the Brazilian rapper Criolo. He went up on stage together with the two Brazilian artists after the award was announced. The album is the debut of the Portugal and Brazil collaboration.

From a 2024 song to a Latin Grammy

The collaboration began with Esperança, which came out in 2024 and was written with Criolo, Amaro Freitas and the Brazilian producer Nave. Because of that song, D'Santiago was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2024. The debut album was competing in the same category before the win. The timeline below shows the sequence from the 2024 single to the 2026 award.

What the artists said

Speaking after receiving the prize, D'Santiago thanked the Portuguese language for making the people of the Portuguese-speaking world one.

“Thank you to this Portuguese language for making us a unique people.”

He also said he felt responsible for carrying Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe and Portugal to the other side of the ocean. Amaro Freitas said the album combines influences from Brazil, Portugal and Cape Verde. Criolo dedicated the award to the indigenous peoples of Brazil.