20a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY - 12

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Continued on page 14

Foto/photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images

portugués para un público que hablaba inglés", dijo Abaroa.
"Aunque todos tenían buenas intenciones, no se siguieron los
pasos indicados", agregó. "Una parte tuvo que ver con que no
estábamos del todo familiarizados con las sensibilidades biculturales
del mercado, y la otra fue la atrocidad del 11 de septiembre".
La 2.a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY estaba programada
para el 11 de septiembre de 2001, pero se canceló debido a los
atentados terroristas de ese día. La presentación se pospuso al
30 de octubre, lo que redujo considerablemente las dimensiones
del evento: la entrega se llevó a cabo en una conferencia de
prensa en el Conga Room en Los Ángeles.
Para retomar el camino, La Academia Latina de la
Grabación reclutó a su primer consejo directivo independiente:
12 profesionales de habla hispana y portuguesa. Juntos,
formularon ordenanzas, reglas claras de integración entre la
Recording Academy y La Academia Latina de la Grabación, y
reclutaron miembros internacionales para balancear el número
de miembros estadounidenses.
"He visto [a La Academia Latina] crecer prácticamente de la nada,
de tener muy pocos miembros y empleados, a ser la potencia global
que es hoy", dijo Erika Ender, ganadora del GRAMMY, una de las
compositoras del éxito "Despacito" de 2017 y participante activa
de La Academia Latina desde 2002. "He observado de cerca la
trasparencia del liderazgo de Gabriel. Está al tanto de todo y siempre
busca la excelencia... siempre busca la calidad y hace las cosas con
un propósito, elevando así el nivel de la música latina".
En el año 2003, La Academia Latina trasladó la trasmisión
de los Latin GRAMMY de Los Ángeles a Miami y luego pasó a
Nueva York y Houston, antes de asentarse en Las Vegas (donde
más de 30 por ciento de la población es hispana), desde donde
se ha trasmitido el evento los últimos 10 años. En el año 2005,
La Academia Latina llegó a un acuerdo con Univision para que
la cadena trasmitiera la ceremonia en Estados Unidos. Este se
extendió el año pasado cuando las dos entidades firmaron un
acuerdo para continuar transmitiendo la ceremonia en el canal
hispano hasta el año 2028. La Entrega del Latin GRAMMY ahora
se trasmite en más de 80 países.
Estas decisiones fueron clave para el éxito de La Academia

and cultural misunderstandings."
CBS-which had been airing the GRAMMYs since 1973-
then came on board to air the Latin GRAMMYs inauguration,
and hosted the show for four additional years. "This was
programming for an English-speaking demographic that featured
Latin music in Spanish and Portuguese," says Abaroa.
"Although everyone had beautiful intentions, the correct steps
were not being followed," he adds. "Part of it was not being
wholly familiar with [the bi-cultural sensibilities of] the market,
and the other was the Sept. 11 atrocity."
The 2nd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards was scheduled to take
place on Sept. 11, 2001, but was canceled in the wake of the terrorist
attacks. The presentation was rescheduled for Oct. 30 of that year
and was scaled back considerably-awards were distributed at a
press conference at the Conga Room in Los Angeles.
To get the show back on track, The Latin Recording Academy
recruited its first independent Board of Trustees: 12 Spanish- and
Portuguese-speaking music professionals. Together, they drafted
bylaws, clear rules of integration between the Recording Academy
and The Latin Recording Academy, and recruited international
members to balance the U.S.-based membership.
"I've seen [The Latin Academy] grow from practically nothing,
from having very few members and employees, to being a global
force today," says Latin GRAMMY winner Erika Ender, who co-wrote
2017's smash hit "Despacito" and has been involved with The
Latin Academy since 2002. "I've closely watched the transparency
of Gabriel's leadership. He's on top of everything and is always
looking for excellence... he's always looking for quality and does
things with purpose, thus raising the bar for Latin [music]."
In 2003, The Latin Academy moved the Latin GRAMMY Awards'
telecast from Los Angeles to Miami and then made stops in
New York and Houston before settling in Las Vegas (which has
a population that's more than 30 percent Hispanic), where the
telecast has aired for the past 10 years. In 2005, The Latin
Academy made a deal to make Univision its domestic television
home, forming a partnership that was expanded last year when
the two organizations inked a deal to keep the telecast on the
Spanish-language network through 2028. The Latin GRAMMYs are
now also broadcast to more than 80 countries.
These moves have been crucial to The Latin Academy's success.
Exceptional performances on the telecast haven't hurt either.
Shakira graced the inaugural Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2000
with a sizzling performance of "Ojos Así" and her enthralling belly
dancing. In 2002, salsa queen Celia Cruz closed the show with a
divine "La Negra Tiene Tumbao"; ranchero master Vicente Fernández
and his son Alejandro Fernandez paired for an unforgettable duet
that same year. Juan Luis Guerra and Maná joined forces in 2006
for a heartrending delivery of "Bendita Tu Luz." In 2009, the late,
great Latin pop icon Juan Gabriel ran through the highlights of his
multi-decade career with a medley of legendary proportions. Marc
Anthony and Jennifer Lopez built maddening tension as they oozed
chemistry during their Pimpinela-inspired performance of "Olvídame
Y Pega La Vuelta," which was followed by a much-talked-about
kiss onstage in 2016. The following year, Residente opened the
Latin GRAMMYs with a spine-chilling tribute to Puerto Rico in the
aftermath of Hurricane Maria that empowered Latinos worldwide.
Then there was "Despacito," the 2017 record-breaking
megahit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. In addition to garnering
four Latin GRAMMYs and three GRAMMY nominations, including
Record and Song Of The Year, "Despacito" was the first
predominately Spanish song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since
"Macarena" in 1996 and "Eres Tú" in 1974.
Forbes wrote, "['Despacito'] solidified Latino influence in
popular music and culture in the U.S. and around the world across
all musical genres-from reggaeton to pop and more."
There is one fundamental difference, however, between the

Jesse & Joy reciben el Latin GRAMMY en la categoría
Mejor Nuevo Artista en 2007
Jesse & Joy accept Best New Artist at the 8th Annual
Latin GRAMMY Awards in 2007

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20th ANNUAL LATIN GRAMMY AWARDS®
20a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY

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