Drexler dominates Latin Grammys
LAS VEGAS Uruguayan Jorge Drexler owned the Latin Grammys on Thursday, picking up three awards including song and record of the year for Telefonia at a ceremony where other stars used their platform to promote messages of unity and justice.
Drexler also won best singersongwriter album with Salvavidas de Hielo. Spanish sensation Rosalia followed him with two awards, best urban fusion/performance and best alternative song, for the flamenco and trap hit Malamente.
“I do not know what to say,” Drexler said when receiving the last award of the night for Telefonia, which he also played during the ceremony with Mon Laferte, Natalia Lafourcade and El David Aguilar, all playing string instruments.
Rosalia said she owed her success to flamenco, which she described as her “foundation,” and dedicated her awards to her brother and other women in the music industry who have “made her take strength.
“I’m not going to stop fighting until I see the same number of men and women in the studio,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”
Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin walked the red carpet as the evening ’s nominations leader with eight nods, but took home only the trophy for best urban music album.
The Latin Grammys are known as an awards show in which artists take political stands. During the show and in backstage interviews, artists alluded to such topics as immigration and violence affecting several countries.
“In these times of crisis, art becomes a medium that reminds us of the urgency of justice and the need to find solutions that invite unity ... tolerance and inclusion,” host Ana de la Reguera said before norteno group Calibre 50 performed Corrido de Juanito, which tells the story of a man who immigrated to the U.S.
Mexican rock band Maná, honoured Wednesday as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year, also took the stage performing a medley that included its hits Labios Compartidos and Clavado en un Bar.
The academy bestowed the honour on the band for its achievements and contributions to the Latin community and support of environmental protection and human rights causes.