Colombia had a big night at the 27th Latin Grammy Awards on November 12, walking away with eight trophies from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The wins spanned urban music, reggaeton, pop/rock, tropical, cumbia/vallenato and even children's music — a tidy snapshot of how varied the country's musical output has become.

Karol G led the charge with two awards. The Medellín star won Best Urban Music Album for 'Tropicoqueta', a record built on a wide range of Latin American rhythms, and Best Reggaeton Performance for 'Verano Rosa', her collaboration with fellow Colombian Feid. She also performed 'Ese Hombre Es Malo' backed by an orchestra and mariachi ensemble, a nod to Mexican musical tradition.

Veterans did their bit too. Juanes picked up Best Pop/Rock Album for 'Juanesteban' and shared the stage with Mexico's Carín León and Vivir Quintana for a performance of 'Humano'. Fonseca, born in Bogotá, won Best Contemporary Tropical Album for 'Antes Que El Tiempo Se Vaya', using his speech to urge people to make time for what matters and to salute his hometown's musicians.

The emotional headline, though, was Aria Vega. The Barranquilla singer took Best New Artist, one of the industry's most valuable career springboards. Her sound mixes Caribbean rhythms with contemporary urban styles, and on stage she made a point of championing the musical talent of Colombia's Caribbean coast.

Elsewhere in the Colombian haul: Carlos Vives won Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album for 'El Ultimo Disco, Vol. 1'; Grupo Niche's musical director José Aguirre won Best Tropical Song as composer of 'Realidad-Es'; the Antioquia choir Cantoalegre and Marta Gómez won Best Children's Music Album for 'Mil Secretos'; and producer Vibarco shared a Best Pop/Rock Song win for his work on 'Hasta Jesús Tuvo un Mal Día', recorded by CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso with Sting.

Spain's Rosalía dominated overall with six awards, including Album of the Year for 'Lux (Complete Works)', while Argentina's Milo J took four, and Daddy Yankee was named Person of the Year for his role in pushing reggaeton worldwide.

For travellers, this is more than award-show trivia. Colombia's music scenes are a genuine reason to plan a trip: Medellín for reggaeton and Karol G's home turf, Barranquilla's Caribbean carnival culture behind Vega's sound, Bogotá's tropical and indie scenes, and the vallenato heartland further north. Cities like Cartagena and Cali add salsa and coastal rhythm to the mix, and live music venues across the country trade nightly in exactly the styles that just won trophies. Timing a visit around festivals or even just a weekend of club-hopping is an easy way to hear the country's award-winning soundtrack in its natural setting.