Latin Grammys Premiering Wednesday
Sept. 12 -- There aren’t a lot of award shows that have a 92-year-old nominee up for “Best New Artist.”
The nominee, Cuban musician Ibrahim Ferrer of The Buena Vista Social Club, is among the five artists vying for that honor at the First Annual Latin Grammy Awards, being held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Not only is the event considered a breakthrough for Latin music, but it will also be the first bilingual broadcast to air on network television during prime time.
The Latin music scene — dominated today by the swiveling hips of Ricky Martin, the sultry tones of Marc Anthony, and the sex appeal of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira — has broad appeal all around the United States, organizers of the event said.
“The nominations reflect both the international scope and reach of Latin music and the artists who make it, while also recognizing the important role the music continues to play domestically,” Michael Greene, president and CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, said in a statement.
“While many of the nominations are names that the public will readily recognize, a great number will be artists and technical professionals whose work prior to these nominations has only achieved regional recognition,” he added.
Awards in 40 Key Categories
Leading the nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards are EmilioEstefan Jr., who earned six nods, and Marc Anthony and Shakira,with five each. The ceremony will boast awards in 40 key categoriescovering many genres and sub-genres of Latin music.
Martin, Carlos Santana, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez andMarc Anthony are among those nominated for Latin Grammys who alsopicked up nominations in the regular Grammys, held in January.Santana swept the awards show and Aguilera was named best newartist.
To qualify, submissions had to be at least 51 percent in Spanishor Portuguese and released during an 18-month period that ended inApril. The Latin academy has about 3,000 voting members, all musicprofessionals involved with Latin music.
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