Billboard Espanol
Page: 5
Bad Bunny made history on Tuesday (Nov. 15) when Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for album of the year.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
It was one of three nominations the Puerto Rican superstar scooped for his mega-successful set, and many had anticipated it. Perhaps less expected was Anitta’s nomination for best new artist, since the Brazilian star debuted almost a decade ago with a self-titled album that was followed by four other LPs.
However, the “Downtown” and “Me Gusta” singer has made a bigger impact in the American market, incorporating some English into her last two albums, 2019’s Kisses and 2022’s Version Of Me, as well as with songs like “Lobby” with Missy Elliott and “Envolver”, a Spanish-language hit that spent six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and 21 weeks on the Hot Latin Songs, where it peaked at No. 3.
“Wow! Wow wow wow… never in my life would I have imagined that this moment would come. I’m from Brazil guys… I mean… wow! Speechless,” Anitta tweeted in response to her nomination in a category considered the most coveted of the Grammys. “Thank you, thank you, thank you… forever grateful. Winning or losing this is the biggest achievement I could imagine.”
Wow! Wow Wow Wow… never in life I would imagine this moment coming. I’m from Brazil guys… I mean .. wow! Speechless. Thank you, thank you, thank you… grateful forever. Winning or losing this is the biggest achievement I could ever imagine. pic.twitter.com/XZaUSAeKaL— Anitta (@Anitta) November 15, 2022
Bad Bunny, who leads the Latin Grammys nominations with 10 nods this year, will also compete for the Grammy for best pop solo performance for “Moscow Mule” — alongside the likes of Adele (“Easy on Me”) and Harry Styles (“As It Was”) — as well as Best Música Urbana Album.
Another Latino up for the best new artist Grammy is Omar Apollo, a singer-songwriter of Mexican parents, who creates pop, alternative music and R&B. Apollo began his career uploading his songs to SoundCloud before releasing his first EP, Stereo, in 2018. Since then, he has since released the EP Friends in 2019, the mixtape Apolonio in 2020, and two productions in 2022: his first full-length album, Ivory, which spent seven weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No. 128, and the EP Live at NPR’s Tiny Desk. His song “Evergreen” entered the Billboard Hot 100 in October, where it spent seven weeks and peaked at No. 51, as well as the Streaming Songs chart (four weeks, peak at No. 21).
“Got nominated for best new artist omg,” he shared on Twitter with a series of emoticons to show how he feels.
Rosalía was nominated for best Latin rock or alternative music album for Motomami, and also got a nod under the best music film category for Motomami (Rosalía TikTok Live Performance,) directed by Ferrán Echegaray, Rosalía Vila Tobella & Stillz.
AGUILERA, Christina Aguilera’s latest Spanish-language album, got two nominations: best Latin pop album, and best immersive audio album (an award to the engineers.)
Both Motomami and AGUILERA will compete Thursday (Nov. 17) for the album of the year Latin Grammy with Un Verano Sin Ti. (See the full list of nominees here)
Under the Grammy’s Latin music categories there are other such favorites as Camilo, Sebastián Yatra, Rauw Alejandro, Christian Nodal and Marco Antonio Solís, the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year of 2022.
The nominees are:
Best Latin Pop Album:
AGUILERA, Christina Aguilera
Pasieros, Rubén Blades & Boca Livre
De Adentro Pa Afuera, Camilo
VIAJANTE, Fonseca
Dharma+, Sebastian Yatra
Best Musica Urbana Album:
TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2, Rauw Alexander
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
LEGENDADDY, Daddy Yankee
167, Farruko
The Love & Sex Tape, Maluma
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album:
El Alimento, Cimafunk
Tinta y Tiempo, Jorge Drexler
1940 Carmen, Mon Laferte
Alegoría, Gaby Moreno
Los Años Salvajes, Fito Páez
MOTOMAMI, Rosalía
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano):
Abeja Reina, Chiquis
Un Canto por México – El Musical, Natalia Lafourcade
La Reunión (Deluxe), Los Tigres Del Norte
EP #1 Forajido, Christian Nodal
Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe), Marco Antonio Solis
Best Tropical Latin Album:
Pa’llá Voy, Marc Anthony
Quiero Verte Feliz, La Santa Cecilia
Lado A Lado B, Víctor Manuelle
Legendario, Tito Nieves
lmágenes Latinas, Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Cumbiana II, Carlos Vives
For the Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy, the nominees are:
Fandango at the Wall In New York, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective
Crisalida, Danilo Pérez with The Global Messengers
If You Will, Flora Purim
Rhythm & Soul, Arturo Sandoval
Music of the Americas, Miguel Zenón
Other jazz categories also have Latin nominees. Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana is nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Falling”, from her album 12 Stars, and Puerto Rican double bassist Eddie Gómez appears in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category for Center Stage, along with Steve Gadd, Ronnie Cuber & the WDR BigBand led by Michael Abene.
For Best Instrumental Composition, Cuban maestro Paquito D’Rivera is nominated for “African Tales”, Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón for “El País Invisible”, and Panamanian Danilo Pérez for “Fronteras (Borders) Suite: AI-Musafir Blues.”
As expected, Disney’s Encanto was also recognized, with nods for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s soundtrack and Germaine Franco’s original score. The movie’s mega-hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, was nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is also up for the award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World.
In other areas, singer-songwriter Miguel, whose father is Mexican, shares a nod with Diplo for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Don’t Forget My Love.” And Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band compete for Best Children’s Music Album for their EP Los Fabulosos, an upbeat bilingual effort that includes tracks like “Ridiculous” and “Me Gusta.” Up for Best Album Notes is Fernando González for his work for Astor Piazzolla’s The American Clave Recordings.
Juan Gabriel was so clear about how he wanted Los Dúo 3 to sound that he recorded all his parts and had a list of guest singers. Six years after his death, his heirs and team are finally presenting the last project the prolific Mexican singer-songwriter was working on: a third album of duets of hits, including the singles “Déjame Vivir” with Anahí, “Ya” with Banda El Recodo and La India, and “Mía un Año” with Eslabón Armado, as well as the focus track “De Mí Enamórate” with Danna Paola.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Los Dúos 3 makes its debut on Thursday (November 10) at 8:00 pm EDT under Música Eterna / Virgin Music US Latin. Produced by Gustavo Farías, a longtime collaborator of Juan Gabriel, the 14-track set filled with pop, ballad, ranchera, mariachi and banda songs also includes “Por Qué Me Haces Llorar” with Gloria Trevi, “He Venido a Pedirte Perdón” with Mon Laferte, “Luna tras Luna” with George Benson, a bilingual version of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” with John Fogerty, and “Venecia Sin Ti,” with the late French-Armenian artist Charles Aznavour, who died in 2018.
“My dad’s plan was always to record with these people. The list was already there, he knew who he wanted to do the duets with, he knew the genres, he wanted to try new things. All the ideas were his, we simply took his ideas and produced them the best we could,” his son Iván Gabriel tells Billboard Español about the project. The tracklist is rounded out by “Cada Vez y Cada Vez” with Pepe Aguilar, “Nada Más Decídete” with Angela Aguilar, “Yo No Nací Para Amar” with Lasso, “Te Doy 8 Días” with La Adictiva, and “Déjame” with Luciano Pereyra.
Juan Gabriel, “Los Dúo 3”
Courtesy Photo
The plans were put on hold temporarily when the 66-year-old star, known throughout Latin America for classics like “Querida” and “Amor Eterno,” died on August 28, 2016 at his home in Santa Monica, California, in the midst of a tour. “Unfortunately, when he passed away, several things came to a halt and we had to review everything, we had to — I wouldn’t say start from scratch, but take our time so we didn’t come up with something incomplete,” Ivan explains.
Inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996, Juan Gabriel built a legacy as a multifaceted artist over a more-than-four-decade career, recording songs in genres as diverse as ranchero, ballad, pop and bolero as well as producing other artists. Among his many accomplishments, the “Divo de Juárez” sold more than 150 million records, wrote over 1,800 songs, released 34 studio albums, was a six-time Grammy nominee, won three Latin Grammys posthumously and had seven No. 1s on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart. (“Yo No Sé Qué Me Pasa” even led the first edition of that chart in 1986.)
For Farías, who also produced Los Dúo and Los Dúo 2, being able to complete the album without his star was “a very profound emotional and professional experience.”
“After 6 years since starting this ambitious project, to be finally able to listen to it, finished and just as Juan Gabriel and I imagined it in the summer of 2016, I relived memories and emotions in his studio in Cancun,” continues the producer in a statement, praising the work of everyone involved and stating that he had “Juan Gabriel’s musical desires in mind in every arrangement and song.”
When it came to choosing “De Mí Enamórate” as the focus track, Iván explains that his father always wanted to “push” that song — which was originally recorded by Daniela Romo in 1986, when it topped the Hot Latin Songs chart for 14 weeks — “a little more… and I think it turned out very well for us!”, he adds enthusiastically about the new version with Danna Paola. “Well, I can’t honestly take any of the credit, it was all my dad.”
Víctor González, President Virgin Muisic Latin America & Iberian Peninsula, says in a statement that “seeing this album evolve as Juan Gabriel imagined it is a goal that we set for several years. It is an honor for me to be able to collaborate in preserving the great musical legacy of Don Alberto,” he adds, referring to Juan Gabriel by his real name, Alberto Aguilera Valadez. “I’m sure he would be proud of the production of each of the songs.”
Los Dúos 3 arrives a few days after the premiere of “Cirque Musica Querida,” a circus show that celebrates the life and work of Juan Gabriel, staged with the endorsement of his son and heir in Mexico City. It’s all part of a strategy to keep his legacy alive.
“For me it is obviously very important, because my father left this to us — he left this to his fans, his family — and it is our job and our duty to make it grow as much as possible, to celebrate it as best as possible,” says Iván of his father’s body of work. And there is still more to come: Without providing any details, Iván reveals “there is a lot of material with which we continue to work — so I think that many more beautiful things are on the way.”
A C. Tangana se lo ve contento, satisfecho. El motivo de esta buena energía es que minutos antes de esta entrevista culminó el ensayo que tenía como objetivo dar “algunos retoques” al show que presentará en Latinoamérica durante este mes en el marco es su gira Sin Cantar Ni Afinar, comenzando el jueves (10 de noviembre) en el Auditorio Citibanamex de Monterrey, México y pasando por Colombia y Argentina antes de terminar el 29 de noviembre en Chile. Mientras conversamos, sostiene su teléfono móvil y camina de lado a lado por el patio de la sala de ensayos.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Para el artista madrileño es habitual tener alguna cámara cerca. Sobre todo en las instancias previas a un show, ya que su concierto está pensado como un verdadero rodaje cinematográfico, donde la música y la creatividad visual son la base de lo que quiere que el público perciba y guarde. La puesta, cuidada en cada detalle, está planteada para ser disfrutada con todos los sentidos, por lo que hay una gran inversión en arte y tecnología para que estén a la altura de la propuesta musical.
Contento con el aspecto visual del concierto, C. Tangana anticipa que será como una especie de obra de teatro, el rodaje de una película o videoclip. Cuenta que es una de las aristas del show que más orgullo le da, porque le da un carácter distinto y muy emocionante.
El artista traerá a la Argentina una de las puestas más grandes y desafiantes de la música en vivo de la actualidad. Para darle vida a sus composiciones, Pucho — como lo bautizó su familia de pequeño — no deja detalles al azar. “Este show ha estado a punto de arruinarme, pero quería hacer un espectáculo que estuviera a la altura del álbum”, dice a Billboard Argentina sobre la inversión económica que implica montar un concierto de estas características. Y es todo un desafío posicionarse al nivel de su disco, El Madrileño, que lo llena de orgullo y también a toda la cultura hispana. Sus canciones retoman las tradiciones de otras generaciones para rendirles homenaje y actualizarlas en composiciones de amor y despecho, excesos y obsesiones.
El entusiasmo por las tablas no es innato. El cantautor siempre se consideró más hábil en el estudio que en el escenario. “Siempre he tenido algo complejo como intérprete al no ser capaz de llevar la propuesta del estudio al show de una manera que fuese acorde”, confiesa. Para El Madrileño, su segundo disco, sucesor de Ídolo (2017), el artista luchó contra ese complejo e invirtió todos sus esfuerzos y capital disponible para construir un show único.
C Tangana
Javier Ruiz
Desembarco
Latinoamérica es un terreno con el que se siente en deuda. Especialmente la Argentina, donde tuvo que suspender su show meses atrás por conflictos con la logística. “Para mí es importante tocar en Argentina, suena un poco egoísta pero la verdad es que significa algo dentro de mi carrera, y también por la gente que me sigue. Lo espero con muchísimas ganas”. Por este motivo, Buenos Aires es su ciudad elegida para dar cierre a este año de cosechas que inició con el festejo del aniversario del álbum que lo puso en la cima de ventas en su país natal, España.
El Madrileño es, sobre todo, una vidriera de artistas de gran trayectoria y de nuevas promesas. Participan Niño de Elche, La Húngara, Toquinho, Ed Maverick, Gipsy Kings (Nicolás Reyes y Tonino Baliardo), Jorge Drexler, José Feliciano, Omar Apollo, Eliades Ochoa, Carin León, Adriel Favela, Andrés Calamaro, Kiko Veneno y Pepe Blanco (resucitado en “Cuando olvidaré”). No por nada el día que reveló las colaboraciones lo llamó “el disco de mi vida”.
La presencia de sus referentes se ve en las letras de canciones como “Nunca estoy”. Cuando dio a conocer el sencillo en 2020, incluyó el arte de Alejandro Sanz al cantar “y quién me va curar el corazón partío”, y el de Rosario Flores en “cómo quieres que te quiera si no estás aquí”.
Antes de plasmar este trabajo, C. Tangana sentía que su vida personal, la que cobija a Pucho y a las historias guardadas en un rincón del barrio Puerta del Ángel de su Madrid natal, había madurado más que su vida artística y con 26, 27 años empezó a gestar el disco. “Acepto que hasta esa edad había intentado ser exclusivamente un artista urbano, un rapero, pero la verdad es que el cien por ciento de mis influencias no son esas, hay mucha otra música que siempre he escuchado y admirado”, revela.
Encaminado hacia El Madrileño, su misión fue “envejecer con clase”, algo que considera bastante difícil. Quiso hacer algo de lo que aún pudiera sentirse orgulloso con 40 o 45 años, canciones que pudiera cantar con “esa edad”. “Creo que la música urbana tiene algo de juvenil que es maravilloso, pero no me gustaba mucho la idea de pensar que iba a tratar de ser un Peter Pan y continuar toda mi carrera haciendo ver que tenía 22 años”, dice.
Tal apertura con el pasado estuvo siempre inscrita en la vida de C. Tangana, quien se define como un hombre de pocos prejuicios. Habiendo crecido con una educación estricta en lo artístico, siempre se dejó llevar por sus gustos, algo que lo hizo crecer sin demasiadas ideas preconcebidas. Es un “abrazador” musical, porque en diversas instancias de su vida se alimentó de muchos estilos, sin quedarse en un género en particular. “Siempre me permití disfrutar de cosas distintas y eso se aplica a mi música”, argumenta.
No solo C. Tangana disfruta de haber incorporado las voces de la tradición en su álbum. Su obra también acercó a los jóvenes al flamenco. Sus canciones tendieron puentes entre España y América Latina. “Eso me lo decía mucho [Jorge] Drexler”, comparte sobre su vínculo con el uruguayo. “Tenemos una historia en común y una cultura que se unen en muchos lugares. Al final, si te pones a indagar un poco, surgen las concesiones y entiendes lo que ha influido el bolero en la música latina, en Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina y España. Hay muchos puntos de unión”.
C Tangana
Javier Ruiz
La Sobremesa
Para fortuna de sus fans, este año continuó alimentando y alegrando los corazones de su público con La Sobremesa, una versión extendida de El Madrileño. La edición deluxe incluyó nueve temas adicionales, entre ellos colaboraciones con la estrella del flamenco urbano Omar Montes, la leyenda cubana Omara Portuondo, y el padrino de la bachata Luis Segura. También exhibió una nueva portada diseñada por el director de cine español Carlos Saura.
La Sobremesa comienza con la ya conocida “Demasiadas mujeres” y finaliza con una novedad, “Para repartir”. A pesar de dejar letras fuera de sus discos, su autor considera que el álbum “define muy bien quién es” porque en él dijo casi todas las cosas que tenía que decir. “Es algo que en otras épocas no me había salido muy bien”, confiesa.
Aunque se considera un amante de las cosas pequeñas y simples en la vida, Pucho cree que en su trabajo de artista le cuesta un poco más conformarse. “Uno de mis mayores motivadores es exigirme a mí mismo y no quedarme en la zona de confort”. Esta actitud de autoexigencia se refleja en su postura humilde, y en el nombre con el que designó a su gira más ambiciosa hasta la fecha: “Sin cantar ni afinar”. “Como no canto ni afino, lo que tengo que hacer son buenas canciones”, arroja. “Canciones tan buenas que permitan que alguien cantando tan mal como yo no importe, porque la canción llega igual”, comenta.
La Sobremesa no cayó del cielo. Luego de hacer historia con su álbum de oro, continuó el derrotero en su Tiny Desk, donde gestionó una puesta ambiciosa y más que original. Montó una pequeña fiesta flamenca para interpretar algunas de las canciones de El madrileño, acompañado de sus principales colaboradores. En 15:30 de sesión, mostró al mundo el valor de una tradicional sobremesa con música, rodeado de músicos como Antonio Carmona y familiares.
“Fue una forma de completar el disco porque la idea de La Sobremesa y el concepto de sacar la guitarra y cantar canciones que todos conocemos es algo que pertenece mucho a nuestra cultura”, comparte aludiendo a la tradición española y latina. El compositor quería que esa “situación” estuviera presente de algún modo en la totalidad de su obra, cuya propuesta en vivo conforma uno de sus pilares más importantes.
Por más que sea un apasionado del cambio constante y el movimiento, Pucho suele remitirse al pasado para recordar qué sentido tomar en el presente. “Me gusta no perder la raíz”. Mucho antes de convertirse en el músico que conjugó el pasado y el presente en su obra estrella, C. Tangana estudió filosofía. Siempre le preguntan si tiene algún acercamiento diferente a la música, pero él no está seguro: “Algo ayuda, el mundo en general dice que sí”.
En sus orígenes, Antón Álvarez Alfaro, su verdadero nombre, ya había tenido un apodo. Inició su carrera musical en 2006 bajo el pseudónimo de Crema, como integrante del grupo Agorazein. Se consagró dentro del panorama mundial con su single “Mala mujer” en 2017 y éxitos como “Llorando en la limo” (disco de platino) y “Bien duro” (disco de oro). Y su pluma le ha dado grandes triunfos: es coautor de la canción “Malamente” interpretada por Rosalía, trabajo que recibió dos Latin Grammy en 2018.
Su obra más ambiciosa, El Madrileño, se editó en febrero de 2021 bajo el sello Sony Music, obtuvo 10 seis nominaciones a los Latin Grammys y tres victorias: mejor canción alternativa, por “Nominao”, mejor canción pop/rock” por “Hong Kong”, en colaboración con Andrés Calamaro; y su productor, Alizz, se llevó el reconocimiento a la mejor mezcla por el álbum.
Este año está nuevamente “nominao” al Latin Grammy. Su colaboración con Jorge Drexler “Tocarte” compite por los premios a la grabación y canción del año, y su respectivo clip por el premio al mejor video musical versión corta.
El Madrileño tuvo su lugar en los charts de Billboard: ingresó en el N° 8 de Latin Pop Albums y tres de sus canciones le abrieron las puertas del Billboard Global 200: “Tú me dejaste de querer” (2020), “Ateo” (2021) y “Demasiadas mujeres” (2022).
Hace un par de años que C. Tangana cuenta con la validación de la industria, pero hoy le presta menos atención que antes. “Sigue siendo un honor la nominación de cualquier tipo de reconocimiento. Que Billboard te preste atención, para mí es un sueño de cuando era pequeño”. Sin embargo, cree que desde que empezó a colaborar con artistas clásicos y míticos, algo cambió. Como una especie de calma que llegó luego de compartir el estudio con sus referentes, como Eliades Ochoa, Calamaro o Drexler. “Me hizo sentir menos hambriento y más satisfecho. Pero siempre es un honor que otra gente te reconozca con tu música”, agradece.
El Madrileño se proyecta como un álbum que llegó para quedarse. Un clásico. Como resumió él en pocas palabras: “Para mí la música latina es esto, la vanguardia es esto y para mí lo clásico es esto”. Y, por más que no lo haya hecho a propósito, es un álbum que tiene mucha teoría. Sin dudas, un álbum que es tierra fértil para otra generación de músicos que se inspirarán de ahí y harán florecer sus futuros discos.
Cansado, pero feliz, Pucho siente que está “como justo después de una siesta”. Como si los últimos meses de su vida fueran el momento final de una fiesta, cuando la gente comienza a irse a su casa “y estás muy contento, pero también cansado”. Y es que un gran éxito conlleva un gran esfuerzo.
“Para cualquier persona que haga una pequeña gira por Latinoamérica, estar en Buenos Aires es algo fundamental”. Así será. C. Tangana se presentará el 22 y 23 de noviembre en el Movistar Arena bajo la producción de DF Entertainment. Dos noches para celebrar un álbum que se inscribió en el repertorio de los clásicos del mundo y compartir sus canciones “Sin cantar ni afinar”, pero con el corazón.
–Por Florencia Mauro
Camilo lands his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart as “Alaska,” with Grupo Firme, rises from the No. 4 slot to rule the Nov. 12-dated list.
“Alaska” received its official release through Hecho A Mano/Sony Music Latin on Aug. 18. It’s the sixth single from Camilo’s third studio album, De Adentro Pa’ Fuera, which reached a No. 6 high on Latin Pop Albums (Sept. 24).
“Alaska” reaches the No. 1 slot, after a second week in the top 10 (No. 4 high, Nov. 5-dated ranking) and in its eighth week on the chart boosted by a 25% increase in audience impressions, to 7.1 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 6, according to Luminate.
The regional Mexican tune, which was co-written and co-produced by Camilo alongside Edgar Barrera, exists Duelo’s “24 Siete” after it’s one-week command.
With seven No. 1s on its career history, Grupo Firme ties with Christian Nodal and Banda MS for the third-most champs this decade, trailing Calibre 50’s eight leaders. Since the chart launched in 1994, Calibre 50 continues at the helm with 22 No. 1’S in its account.
“Alaska” becomes the first team-up by a regional Mexican group with a core Latin pop act to lead Regional Mexican Airplay since Natalia Lafourcade ruled for three weeks through her featured role in Los Angeles Azules’ “Nunca Es Suficiente” in 2019.
Meanwhile, “Alaska” earns Grupo Firme its fourth No. 1 in 2022, including “Cada Quien,” with Maluma, which topped the chart for two weeks in Feb.
“Alaska” advances 11-7 on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, earning Camilo his 11th top 10 while Grupo Firme adds a sixth top 10 to its scoreboard.
With riveting performances by artists such as Rosalía, Maria Becerra, Manuel Turizo, Lola Índigo, Marc Seguí, Tiago PZK and many more, Los40 Music Awards was the place to be on a cold Friday night in Madrid.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The 2022 edition of the award’s ceremony took place Nov. 4 at the WiZink Center near the city’s downtown area. While performances were among the show’s highlights, there were also red carpet interviews and a speech by the legend Pedro Almodóvar that are worth an entry in the best moments of the night.
Below, highlights from this year’s Los40 Music Awards.
Morat on “No Se Va” Going viral
The Colombian band’s 2019 single “No Se Va” is currently having a moment — thanks to a cover by emerging regional Mexican ensemble Grupo Frontera. Their norteño rendition of the their norteño the track “No Se Va” became only the fifth regional Mexican song in Hot 100 history, reaching a No. 57 high after entering the all-genre songs chart in early October. About Frontera breathing fresh air into their single, Morat told Billboard this on the red carpet: “When we heard about it, it wasn’t that surprising. This has happened to us with many of our songs. We’re happy for them, and we’re happy for the song. It’s great that the song is transcending.”
Rosalía fangirls over a soccer player
When Rosalía picked up her award for best album for Motomami in the Spain category, she expressed her admiration for Alexia Putellas, who plays for Barcelona’s women’s fútbol team and won a Balón de Oro this year. “Wow this is crazy,” she said as she giggled her way to the stage. “I am such a big fan of Alexia and I had no idea that she would be the one handing this award to me. I’m a huge fan!”
Ricky Montaner on “Llorar, Llorar” being a gift that keeps on giving
“It’s one of my favorite songs that we’ve done in our entire career,” Ricky, of duo Mau Y Ricky, said about their collaboration with Carin Leon. “It’s a song that’s given us joy and has evolved organically with time. We released it a few months ago and just new we’re seeing it go up on the charts. It’s a blessing and I’m so proud of it.” The singer-songwriter also said he and his brother wrote the song while living in Mexico when they were recording the show La Voz México. “I needed a Mexican singer who would give it the seal of approval of someone from Mexico and we had so much chemistry with Carin. I love him and I’m so grateful.” Ricky also teased the the duo’s next album is due next year.
Tiago PZK takes a moment to reflect
The Argentine’s debut album, Portales, was a game-changer for him. “I learned so much about myself and how it is to have a more clear vision. It gave me identity,” he told Billboard. “I learned to work under pressure. Now, that I’ve released my first I have to start thinking about the next album. There’s no break in between.”
Pedro Almodóvar urges fans to watch movies … in a theater
The legendary film director, screenwriter and producer, Pedro Almodóvar, took the stage at Los40 to accept one of the Golden Music Awards that night. During his speech, he asked fans to go watch movies in theaters. “I know that you all don’t go out to the movies often,” he said confidently. “I’m not sure if you all know that movie theaters are going through an enormous crisis. My advice to you is go back and experience what it is to go watch a movie in a screen that’s way bigger than the one in your home. If you haven’t experience that yet, it will change your life. It’s hypnotizing. And for that hypnosis to happen, you have to become small and be surrounded by strangers in a dark place.
Sebastián Yatra danced the night away
If there’s anyone who hands down had the most fun on Friday, it was Sebastián Yatra. The Colombian star danced the night away as he cheered on his colleagues who took the stage such as María Becerra and Manuel Carrasco. He was the ultimate fan who also took the stage to accept the award for best album (Dharma) in the Global Latin category.
Another red carpet in the books. This time, in Madrid for Los40 Music Awards, which took place Friday (Nov. 4) at the WiZink Center.
Before heading into the awards show ceremony, artists such as Rosalía, Manuel Turizo and Pol Granch, among others, strutted the alfombra roja with their stunning and high-fashion looks that were captured on camera.
Spain’s very own Rosalía turned heads with a classy long black dress with a twist: a cutout on the top part of the outfit that semi-exposed her left side (including arm and stomach) that was covered with mesh-like fabric. Meanwhile, Turizo was dressed in a modern-vintage three-piece that was composed of oversized burgundy slacks, a bicolor vest that was paired with a sweater-like blazer. To add another layer of coolness, he accessorized his outfit with black platform shoes and a silver chain with a pendant.
Los40 Music Awards, produced by the Los40 radio station, are fan-voted awards. They were launched in 2006 in celebration of the station’s 40th anniversary. This year, the awards were broken into three categories: Spain, International and Global Latin.
The artists among the top nominees of the night were Rosalía, who was up for best album (Motomami) in the Spain category and Bad Bunny, who was nominated in the Global Latin category for best album (Un Verano Sin Ti) and best song (“Titi Me Preguntó”). The international category was ruled by David Guetta thanks to “Crazy What Love Can Do,” his collaboration with Becky Hill and Ella Henderson, and Adele who was up for best album (30), best song (“Easy On Me”) and best music video (“Oh My God”).
What began as a grandson’s personal mission to preserve his Nana’s unpublished musical legacy turned into a passion project that led to an album, a documentary, a role in a Hollywood movie, and ultimately, a Latin Grammy nomination for best new artist.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
At 95, Angela Alvarez is fulfilling a lifelong dream that began in her native Cuba, where she learned to sing and play the piano early on, and later took on the guitar and started writing her own songs.
“I loved music very much,” Alvarez tells Billboard Español in a video-call from her home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — where the work of her husband, a mechanical engineer in the sugar industry, took her decades ago. “When I was a child, I had two aunts that played the piano and taught me how to sing. Whenever there was a family gathering, I was the artist; they made dresses for me and I always liked to perform.”
It’s something that kept growing with her. So when she was about to graduate high school and her father asked her what she wanted to do next, she didn’t hesitate: “I want to be a singer.” Not finding that kind of life suitable for his only daughter, he said, “No. You sing for the family, but not for the world.”
“I loved him very much and I obeyed him — I did not insist,” Alvarez says with a sweet, infectious smile, not a hint of resentment in her voice. She decided to put her dreams on the back burner, eventually finding happiness in marriage and a family of her own. (Alvarez had four children and today is the grandmother of nine and the great-grandmother of about 15, she says beaming with pride.)
But music was always there for her, as it helped her cope with the ups and downs of life: from love and motherhood, to a months-long separation from her children after the Cuban Revolution triumph, when she was supposed to travel to the U.S. with them but was not allowed to board the plane; to her relentless efforts to reunite her family and the eventual loss of her beloved husband and, years later, of her only daughter — both to cancer.
“I think that music is the language of the soul,” says Alvarez, who estimates that she has written around 50 songs, including “Romper el Yugo” (Break the Chains,) “Añoranzas” (Yearnings,) “Mi Gran Amor” (My Great Love”) and “Camino Sin Rumbo” (I Wonder Aimlessly,) all included in her 15-track, self-titled debut album, independently released (via Nana Album LLC) in June, 2021.
“If I could break the chains that imprison you with such great might / How happy I would be, I would sing a hymn of peace,” she sings to Cuba, in Spanish, in the 1969 Afro Cuban tune “Romper el Yugo”.
“I wonder aimlessly, how sad it makes me / I wonder aimlessly finding nothing / I look for solace, I look for peace”, she cries in “Camino Sin Rumbo,” a Cuban Bolero-Son she wrote in 1978 after her husband’s passing.
Angela Alvarez & Carlos José Alvarez
Bryony Shearmur
Listening to many of these songs while growing up was especially impactful on her grandson Carlos José Alvarez, a professional musician based in Los Angeles who attributes his love of music largely to his Nana, as her grandchildren call her. As Angela was getting on in years without ever recording any of her work, he had an “epiphany” that made him fly quickly to Louisiana to document each and every one of her songs, for “the legacy of our family.”
“I didn’t know there were so many, I had no idea,” Carlos recalls on the same video call, laughing as he recounts the conversation he had with his grandmother about finally recording those songs. “When I got back to L.A., that’s when it clicked. I called her up and I said, ‘Nana, do you want to do this?’ First she said, ‘¡Yo no voy para Los Ángeles! ¿Pa’ qué?’ (‘I’m not going to Los Angeles! For what?’) And I say, ‘To record your album!’ And she’s like, ‘OK, I’m there!’”
But a few more years went by as he kept “waiting for the perfect moment” to undertake the project, while juggling family and work. Then, during a trip to Spain, a fire was lit under him by his close friend, producer Misha’al Al-Omar, who looked him in the eye and bluntly asked him: “Are you waiting for her to die? […] Whatever you need, let’s go do it.”
“I owe that man the credit for waking me up,” Carlos says of Al-Omar, also a producer on the album. “I got back from Spain, I called her, and I said ‘Nana, I’m already doing your arrangements. You’re coming to L.A. We’re doing this.’”
With his grandmother on board, he started calling musicians he knew to help bring the project to life. “These are friends of mine and people that I admire, the best of the best,” Carlos says of the professionals he recruited. “I play them her music and they just can’t believe it. They’re like, ‘We’re in!’ They were blown away. They were like, ‘These are her songs? These sound like classics, but I’ve never heard them before!’”
Angela Alvarez
He also contacted Cuban-American actor and musician Andy Garcia, who was very impressed, and immediately on board. So much so, in fact, that he not only served as executive producer and narrator of a documentary on Alvarez, Miss Angela, but also invited her to appear in his Father of the Bride remake as Tía Pili (Aunt Pili), and to sing “Quiéreme Mucho” (Love Me a Lot) as part of the soundtrack.
“Her story just blew me away — she represents a generation, perhaps our greatest generation of Cubans,” Garcia says of Alvarez in Miss Angela. The quote comes as Garcia is introducing Alvarez before her concert at the historic Avalon in L.A — her first ever concert, on the day of her 91st birthday — where the actor also played the bongós with the band.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in finally making a teenage girl’s dream come true and welcome the star of tonight’s show singing her own songs, the extraordinarily talented and sublimely beautiful, Mrs. Angela Alvarez,” Garcia continues.
In a written statement, Al-Omar tells Billboard Español that working with Angela and Carlos was always a “labour of love” for everyone involved. “It was never about money, or recognition, dimensions that can really get in the way of doing things for ‘the right reason’. And the simplicity of that purpose made it a lot easier to stay focused on what’s important,” he noted.
As for how Angela Alvarez ended up with a nomination to the Latin Grammys in one of the most coveted categories, her grandson explains that it was Al-Omar’s idea. “He said, ‘You know how fitting and incredible it would be if she was nominated for best new artist at her age? You know the message that that would send to the world?’” Carlos recalls. “And we laughed about it! We sent it, and two days ago I was checking on my neighbor’s cat, and I’m standing there and I get text messages: ‘Congratulations!’ And I’m like, ‘For what!?’ And it hit me, based on the person who was writing, and I said ‘No way!’ […] It’s unimaginable”.
Angela couldn’t believe it either. “It was a very big but very beautiful surprise, and I thought afterwards that all my dreams came true. At 95, but that doesn’t matter,” she says, laughing.
Now both grandmother and grandson plan to attend the Latin Grammy celebrations in Las Vegas the third week of November — where Alvarez is scheduled to perform at the Best New Artists showcase on the 15th, and attend the awards ceremony on the 17th.
“I hope this entire project inspires young people to sit down and talk to their elders. Ask them questions. Ask them about the dreams they had once upon a time. They will be surprised at what they will find,” Carlos concludes. “If we don’t ask them, they won’t tell us, and their wisdom and dreams will leave with them.”
Kimberly Yatsko
Related Images:
Related Images: