Martin was nominated for his first Grammy Award for "Vuelve" in the category of Best Latin Pop Album, and was booked to sing on the 41st Annual Grammy Awards live TV broadcast. His acclaimed performance of "La copa de la vida" earned Martin an unexpected standing ovation and introduced him to the mainstream American audience. Being aware of performing on the Grammys, he said that:"The excitement is more than being nominated for the award. The audience in front of me are people who are hard to please. Sting! Madonna! Luciano Pavarotti! To get the acceptance of your peers really means a lot." Martin won the Grammy Award later that evening, and even superstars Madonna and Sting went backstage to congratulate him. His appearance sparked nationwide interest in Latin music. Writing for "Billboard" on April 24, 1999, Michael Paoletta noted, "In the weeks since performance, it seems like every record label exec has been in a heated search for the next Latin hottie."