Latin Grammys
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There are a handful of achievements that many musicians dream of: obtaining a Platinum-certified record, entering the “Billions Club” on a streaming platform, topping the Billboard charts, and of course, winning a Grammy. For the Bad Bunnys, Karol Gs, and Ozunas of the world, those feats come in abundance, especially as música urbana continues to increasingly gain momentum worldwide.
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While the urbano greats continue to dominate with some of these achievements, Billboard below highlights a dozen lesser-known Latin Grammy nominees, beyond the best new artist category. Whether it’s Mireya and Roman Rojas competing for best regional song against musical monoliths like Christian Nodal, Christina Aguilera, Grupo Firme and Maluma, or giving indie artists more shine in categories not aired during the telecast — like flamenco newcomer Carmen Doorá, or tango revivalists Spinettango (who channel their love for Argentine rock legend Luis Alberto Spinetta) — we got you covered.
Here are 12 lesser-known artists you should know in the running for a Latin Grammy, in alphabetical order.
Afro-Andean Funk
Nominated for: The Sacred Leaf (Best Alternative Album)
Perú is celebrated for its vibrant Andean roots music, colorful indigenous art, and sacred medicinal rituals. Mix these elements with hints of psychedelia, and the result is Afro-Andean Funk’s debut, the Sacred Leaf. Comprised of singer Araceli Poma and producer/bassist Matt Geraphty, the Spanish- and Quechua-language duo embrace these traditional trademarks, all the while paying respect to millennia-old practices — like healing through coca leaves, shamanism and sacred water. The album is experimental and introspective, but above all, it’s a love letter to the ancient Andean culture.
Bala Desejo
Nominated for: Sim Sim Sim (Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album)
Composed of Julia Maestre, Dora Morelenbaum, Zé Ibarra and Lucas Nunes, Brazilian band Bala Desejo bring a carefree spirit and warmth to Sim Sim Sim. The Rio de Janeiro four-piece moved in together during quarantine to unite their artistic abilities and concoct this poptimistic delight. Combining jubilant choruses, groovy beachside ballads, and a dash of experimentation, their debut full-length album is a refreshing continuation of the feel-good and forward-thinking vibe of late-‘60s tropicalia.
Bruses
Nominated for: Monstruos (Best Pop/Rock Album) and “Qué voy a hacer conmigo???” (Best Pop/Rock Song)
Mixing goth rock, rawness and lyrical introspection, Bruses’ Monstruos intrigues. The Tijuanense singer-songwriter tackles delicate themes with grit against a propulsive, glimmering sound that combines contradictory elements that pair well together (think Nightmare Before Christmas, or BABYMETAL). “For me, these songs represent 13 of my monsters, which I also know are not only mine, they are everyone’s monsters — and we have somehow learned to survive with them,” said the artist in a statement.
C4 Trío
Nominated for: Back to 4 (Best Instrumental Album)
Back to 4 equals cuatro virtuosity, where C4 Trío’s nylon dexterity takes a front row seat. Consisting of cuatro masters Edward Ramírez, Héctor Molina, Jorge Glem, and bassist Rodner Padilla — who are all producers and songwriters — all navigate through jazzy experimentation, Caribbean and joropo rhythms. Ultimately, the quartet showcases the various facets of the native Venezuelan instrument at its peak.
CA7RIEL
Nominated for: El Disko (Best Alternative Album) and “Bad Bitch” (Best Alternative Song)
Formerly of cloud rap duo CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, the eccentric Buenos Aires artist has been wreaking havoc in the crossover Argentinian trap scene as a charming goofball with a sinister edge. Since he launched his solo career with two EPs in 2018, the quirky trap star has been building a loyal following. But his debut album El Disko sees him expanding his sonic palette in abstract ways filled with thrilling complexity. Funky grooves (“Bad B–ch”), old school hip-hop-meets-ominous distortions (“Polvo”), and glowing synths (“Chanel Maconha”) collide against lo-fi minimalism. It’s half an hour of unpredictable excitement.
Carmen Doorá
Nominated for: Orgánica (Best Flamenco Album)
The charm of Orgánica lies in its bewitching simplicity. Carmen Doorá’s dynamic rasp and Paco Hereida’s riveting guitar fretwork make a powerful pair. Together, they revitalize the essence of flamenco with utmost respect for the centuries-old tradition. With original material and beautiful renditions by Nina Simone, Spain’s nueva canción singer Joan Manuel Serrat, and Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel, the Murcia-basad singer performs ten tracks live in the studio with gut-wrenching delivery — like agony and ecstasy.
Isabel Marie
Nominated for: Una ilusión (Best Tejano Album)
Isabel Marie is a promising new voice pushing tejano forward. Born in Chicago and based in Texas, the 19-year-old singer entered the music business as a child competing for La Voz Kids, and since 2014, she’s been busy releasing a steady stream of rancheras, tejano songs, and mariachi. With her 2022 Latin Grammy-nominated EP, Una Ilusión, the sultry-voiced singer adds co-producer to her title, and claims inspiration from Selena, Vicente Fernández, and Mariah Carey.
KURT
Nominated for: La Vida (Best Traditional Vocal Pop Album)
KURT knows how to craft a dazzling pop ballad. With his poetic prowess and guitar plucking skills, the Mexican musician is making a name as a compelling singer-songwriter to know. On his Latin Grammy-nominated album, La Vida (2021), his second studio album, the Sinaloa native, born Kurt Schmidt Ramos, displays the perfect mix of open-hearted wordplay and catchy melodies. “KURT’s songs are not dedicated to just anyone,” writes one of his twitter followers in Spanish.
Marilina Bertoldi
Nominated for: Mojigata (Best Rock Album)
Dissonant piano stabs, screeching guitar melodies, and drum syncopation collide throughout Marilina Bertoldi’s 2022 release Mojigata. Although her confidence and attitude pours out of her, her voice is as cutting as ever, shouting verses like “I spent my time sharping knives” (Spanish lyrics of “La Cena”). She enlists Chilean electro-pop artist Javiera Mena on the dazzling “Amuleto”, and distorts the mood with reved-up power chords on “Beso Beso Beso.” In 2019, Bertoldi became the first female rock artist to win the Premio Gardel de Oro in the history of the award ceremony.
Mireya & Roman Rojas
Nominated for: “Nunca te voy a olvidar” (Best Regional Song)
It begins with a riveting joropo rhythm in the hands of Jorge Glem’s cuatro (also of C4 Trío), and transitions into a fierce mariachi anthem. Led by a pulsing guitarrón and a dense vihuela, the song marks Mireya Ramos’ first nomination as a solo artist — she usually co-fronts and plays violin for the New York mariachi ensemble Flor de Toloache. Produced by Venezuelan alchemist Román Rojas, and co-written by Ramos and Rojas, this is Mexican tradition-meets-Venezuelan folk at its finest.
Nico Cotton
Nominated for: Producer of the Year; Ya no somos lo mismo by Elsa y Elmar (Album of the Year and Best Engineered Album)
Nico Cotton is one of the most sought-after beatmakers behind many booming tracks coming out of the Argentine trap scene. A movement that began to accelerate just a few years ago, it has seen acts like Cazzu, María Becerra, and Tiago PZK break into global prominence, partly thanks to the producer’s darkly compelling beats. Catapulted by dissonant trap and Latin drill configurations — like on Cazzu’s Trampa Nena (2022) — the three-time nominee has also lent his craft to Colombian pop singer-songwriter Elsa y Elmar and Conociendo Rusia’s indie-rock splendor, showcasing his impressive versatility. This year, he competes against Tainy, Eduardo Cabra, last year’s winner Edgar Barrera, and Julio Reyes Copello for producer of the year.
Spinettango
Nominated for: Spinettango (Best Tango Album)
Spinettango’s eponymous debut is a charming reimagining of Luis Alberto Spinetta’s songs with a deep affinity for tango. Arriving ten years after the passing of the late influential Argentine rocker, the band sets out to explore the tango side of El Flaco. For example, “Muchacha (Ojos de Papel)” and “Seguir Viviendo Sin Tu Amor” are captivating reworkings. The album also features legendary Argentines such as Litto Nebia and Daniel Melingo, as well as the Uruguayan murga troupe Falta y Resto. Spinettango is the creation of the Los Altiyeros collective, formed by Hernán “Don Camel” Sforzini together with Damián Torres Quintet and Santiago Muñiz.
Loud And Live, the Miami-based entertainment, marketing, media and live events company, has committed to making a $1 million dollar donation to the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, the company tells Billboard.
Marking the largest single donation in the foundation’s history, the money will be donated over the next five years to advance the foundation’s mission to further international awareness and appreciation of the contributions of Latin music and its makers to global culture via college scholarships, grants and educational programs, according to a press release.
The donation builds on Loud And Live’s culture of giving and philanthropic commitment.
“We’ve been fortunate to have great success in this industry, and for us, we feel it’s an obligation to give back to the community that we’re a part of,” said Loud And Live CEO Nelson Albareda. “Our history partnering with the Latin Recording Academy goes back to 2003, and we can’t think of a better partner to channel and make a meaningful impact with this donation, than the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.”
For nearly two decades, Loud And Live has supported the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation by donating time, services and resources, including a private fundraising event that featured an intimate conversation with Cuban-American superstar Pitbull. Most recently, the foundation has benefited from various tours produced by Loud And Live, including those by Camilo and Carlos Vives, both of whom pledged to donate $1 from each ticket sale on their respective tours to the foundation.
“We are grateful for the generous donation of Loud And Live, a longtime partner of the Foundation,” added Becky Villaescusa, vp of strategic planning & corporate development at the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “Together we have the ability to continue creating opportunities, have a positive impact on our communities, and preserve the legacy of Latin music and Latin music creators.”
The Latin Recording Academy unveiled a new wave of performers Tuesday (Nov. 1) set to take center stage at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards. They include Christina Aguilera, Camilo, Christian Nodal, Elvis Costello, Jorge Drexler, John Legend, and Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández.
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At the 23rd annual ceremony, Aguilera is a seven-time nominee, including album of the year and record of the year; Camilo holds six nominations including record of the year and song of the year; Drexler has eight nominations including album of the year and record of the year; and Nodal is nominated for best ranchero/mariachi album and best regional song.
The newly announced artists set to take the stage join previously announced performers such as Ángela Aguilar, Rauw Alejandro, Marc Anthony, Banda Los Recoditos, Chiquis, Nicky Jam, Jesse & Joy, Carin León, Sin Bandera, Sebastián Yatra, and this year’s Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, Marco Antonio Solís.
The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — will be held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and will air live on Univision beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The Latin Grammy Premiere, a non-televised ceremony in which the winners in most categories are announced, will take place before the broadcast. Additional details about this ceremony will be announced soon.
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.
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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
Brazilian powerhouse singer Anitta, Puerto Rican hitmaker Luis Fonsi, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini, and Mexican superstar Thalia are enlisted to host the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards. The telecast will air from the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. ET.
This marks the first time the Latin Grammys will have had four or more co-hosts since the inaugural broadcast, in September 2000, which had five — Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Andy Garcia, Jimmy Smits and Antonio Banderas.
To date, Anitta has earned a total of eight Latin Grammy nominations, and she is currently in the running for record of the year and best reggaeton performance for her viral hit “Envolver.” (See the full list of 2022 Latin Grammy nominations here.) The same song charted on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 70.
Fonsi, best known for his record-breaking hit “Despacito,” alongside Daddy Yankee, has won five Latin Grammys, while Pausini has won four Latin Grammys and one Grammy Award. Thalia has been nominated six times at the Latin Grammys, and in 2003, the Mexican actress and singer entered the Hot 100 with “I Want You,” featuring Fat Joe, peaking at No. 22.
Prior to the Latin Grammys, the Latin Recording Academy will honor Mexican icon Marco Antonio Solís as Person of the Year. The gala in his honor will take place the day before, on Wednesday, Nov. 16. “Marco Antonio Solís is a living legend and one of the most emblematic figures in Latin music,” Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said in a statement.
Last year, the ceremony was hosted by Ana Brenda Contreras, Carlos Rivera and Roselyn Sanchez. Tom and Caetano Veloso won the 2021 record of the year award for their piano ballad “Talvez,” and in 2020, that award was given to Alejandro Sanz for his romantic love song “Contigo.”
The Latin Grammy Premiere Ceremony, where the majority of the categories are awarded, will precede the telecast and will be announced at a later date.
Rauw Alejandro, Chiquis, Jesse & Joy, and Sebastián Yatra are set to perform at the Latin Grammy Awards, the Latin Recording Academy announced Monday (Oct. 17). The first group of confirmed artists also includes the 2022 Person of the Year, Marco Antonio Solís.
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All are nominated for the 23rd annual Latin Grammy Awards, which will be held on Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Alejandro, who was a 2020 best new artist nominee and won his first golden gramophone last year, has eight nominations this year that include recording of the year and song of the year for “Te Felicito” with Shakira, and “Agua” with Daddy Yankee and Nile Rodgers, respectively. Yatra, previously nominated for a Grammy and nine Latin Grammys, is a four-time nominee this year, including album of the year for Dharma and song of the year for “Tacones Rojos.” Jesse & Joy, winners of the Grammy and six Latin Grammys, are nominated this time for best pop vocal album for Clichés; and Latin Grammy winner Chiquis is nominated for best banda music album for Abeja Reina.
Marco Antonio Solís, meanwhile, has been honored with five Latin Grammys and nominated for six Grammys, and this year is recognized as Person of the Year 2022 by the Latin Recording Academy.
The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards will air live on Univision on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The Latin Grammy Premiere, a non-televised ceremony in which the winners in most categories are announced, will take place before the broadcast. Additional details about this ceremony will be announced soon.