The Latin music industry has rewarded consolidated artists, new artists and artists who are no longer on Thursday. The bike, by Carlos Vives and Shakira, has been the song of the year for this industry and was recognized in the Latin Grammys this Thursday in Las Vegas. The debutante Manuel Medrano burst out among the greats. Juan Gabriel, the unclassifiable Mexican diva who died suddenly last August, was posthumously awarded for the duet album he had published this year. And all this was buried by one of the television moments of the year: Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez reconciled live on stage.
to the XVII edition of the Latin Grammys was celebrated in the modern T-Mobile pavilion of Las Vegas and was the first great Hispanic event that the United States has lived since the election won a person who began his campaign insulting to the Mexicans and that has shown his contempt in general for this culture. Donald Trump was not named on stage. There were more or less explicit references, but in general the artists struggled to send a positive message. Not so much confrontation with a president-elect that many Hispanics feel as an existential threat, but a vindication of a culture that the president of a country with 50 million Hispanics seems to ignore completely.
The awards left an interesting representation of new artists, those who are challenging the clichés on what a Latin artist should sing. The Argentine rock of Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas took two awards. Colombian pop Manuel Medrano, two others. The Mexican Carla Morrison won for the best alternative song, Vez Primera. Morrison asked from the stage: “The Latin music industry has many proposals but has to let in new talent. We need motivation at a really difficult time. ” Morrison made the most explicit reference to the president-elect, whom he called “orange bastard.”
Speaking of new artists, the first cries of fans were heard through the microphones of the previous gala when he announced the first prize of the career of Manuel Medrano, for the best record of the year in the category of singer-songwriter. In the list were Pedro Guerra, Francisco Céspedes or Djavan. The 28-year-old Colombian has broken into a melodic pop album with a good-looking look like a Latin Hozier, in a space similar to that of Pablo Alborán or Pablo López. Her future as an idol of the female audience around the world in Spanish is practically assured.
Then, in the first five minutes of the televised ceremony, Manuel Medrano was the first name that came out of a ballot. The award as best artist of the year, one of the most coveted of the Latin Grammys, confirmed him as one of the faces of the night. It received the award of one of the greatest stars of the music, Latin or not, Enrique Iglesias.
Medrano was also nominated in the song category of the year. This one lost it against the phenomenon of the bicycle, of Carlos Vives and Shakira. The two great titans of Colombian music have burned the radioformers this year with this collaboration. Shakira did not attend the ceremony. Vives, a person with overwhelming vitality, rose enthusiastically from his seat and went to embrace Medrano in front of the cameras. It had something symbolic. Kind of welcome to the club. On the stage, the composer Andrés Castro gave “thanks to Colombia for these great artists”.