Latin Grammy: Camilo, Rubén Blades and “Patria y Vida” Shines

As in the last part of each year, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences holds the Latin Grammy Awards, probably the most relevant awards for Latin music and that highlights the best artists on the Ibero-American scene. On this occasion, there were 53 categories that recognized the Latin world of music and where the most coveted awards were, as usual, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist.

Rubén Blades, a whole trajectory that receives recognition

A career that is practically 50 years old is the one that was awarded in the most recent edition of the Latin Grammy. The Panamanian Rubén Blades won the recognition as Person of the Year, an award that in recent years has been given to artists of the level of Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony, Shakira or Gloria Stefan and that rewards the trajectory of an artist, as well as his contribution to the world of music and culture in general.

But in addition, Blades won the most coveted award of the night, the category of Album of the Year, beating other potential candidates such as "Mis Manos", by Camilo; "El último tour del mundo", by Bad Bunny; "Un canto por México, vol 2", by Natalia Lafourcade; and "Origen", by Juanes, among many others. The Central American won it with "Salswing", his most recent album, which he performed with the Roberto Delgado orchestra.

Likewise, the Panamanian also won the category of Best Salsa Album, precisely with of Salswing, stretching his legend in a career that in this edition has received all the possible recognitions and tributes and that celebrates his extensive career in the world of music. .

Camilo, the most awarded artist of the night

For this edition, Camilo was already the artist with the most nominations, with ten, and has managed to keep four of them in total. The Colombian won the categories of Best Pop Song for "Vida de Rico", Best Tropical Song for "Dios así lo quiso" (which he performed with Ricardo Montaner and Juan Luis Guerra), Best Urban Fusion / Interpretation for "Tattoo" (Remix he performs with Rauw Alejandro) and Best Pop Vocal Album for" Mis manos" , album with urban style and where other rhythms appear such as ranchera, bachata and cumbia.

The Colombian ends up being the most awarded singer of the night, and continues to climb in a career that seems to have no ceiling due to his versatility and the reach and approach he has managed to have with the public. He could not stay with any of the most important categories of the night, but he was nominated in the three most relevant, which confirms his potential as an artist.

Also read: Salma Hayek in Eternals: the representation of the Latino community in Hollywood

"Patria y Vida", a hymn to freedom

As a cry for freedom or a song against the Cuban regime, this is how the song Patria y Vida has been called, which has managed to win in Song of the Year, beating singles such as "Vida de Rico", by Camilo; "Hawaii", by Maluma; "Si hubieras querido", by Pablo Alboran; "Que se sepa nuestro amor", by Mon Laferte and Alejandro Fernández; and "A tu lado", by the Colombian Paula Arenas, among other songs.

Patria y Vida, which also won the award for Best Urban Song, was performed and composed by Yotuel, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, Maykel Osorbo and El Funky, and they sang on the main stage of the awards a rap that was premiered ago a few months and that became a success, being a single that harshly criticizes the Cuban regime and demands the freedom to march and also the release of political prisoners, being criticized by the island's ruling party.

“This Grammy is for the 12 million who are in Cuba, the prisoners, those who have no voice, who are not allowed to choose who rules over them. For all of them who suffer a dictatorship. This is the first Grammy for the people of Cuba”, said an emotional Alexander Delgado, member of the Gente de Zona duo regarding the main purpose for which this" hymn towards freedom "was made.

Juliana Velásquez gives the surprise

Colombian Juliana Velásquez has become one of the revelations of this year's Latin Grammy, being nominated for Best New Artist in the twenty-second edition and keeping the statuette after surpassing voices that have burst into music like Giulia Be, María Becerra, Paloma Mami, Zoue Gotusso, Marco Mares and Lasso.

The first album of the singer-songwriter and actress called "Juliana", allowed her to be nominated for a Latin Grammy. This album is made up of eleven songs and some stand out like Joaquín, Cóseme, Electricidad or Si quieres márchate. Promising career for the Bogota-born.

Other aspects to highlight in the day is that the trans-Andean Nathy Peluso won the award for Best Alternative Music Album for her album "Calambre"; that Juan Luis Guerra and the Spanish C. Tangana won three awards (the second most awarded of the night ); that Bad Bunny won the award for Best Urban Album; and that Mon Laferte was left with the category of Best Singer-Songwriter Album for "Six", getting her fourth gramophone and becoming the third woman to win this recognition in seventeen years, after Soraya took it in 2004 and Kanny García in 2019 and 2020, in a category that historically has almost always been won by men, but this time the Chilean won.