[ad_1]
Heavy hitters J Balvin, whose pop-reggaeton album Colors won the award for Best Urban Album at this year’s Latin Grammys; Maluma, who posted earlier this year Papi juancho, an album recorded during the pandemic that features tracks ranging from romantic street to scorching street, experimenting with new and acoustic sounds; and Anuel AA, including 22 titles Emmanuel received a nod at the Latin Grammys for Best Urban Album and highlights Anuel’s versatility.
That’s not to say the category should have included these other three and left out Martin, Camilo and García, as their albums so deserve recognition. But that only underscores the fact that the Latin urban needs its own, long overdue category.
It’s safe to say that compared to last year’s nominations, Urban acts fared better when the genre was confused with latin / alternative rock. However, that does not mean that the urban should be reinstated in this category next year. In fact, this year’s best Latin / alternative rock album category shows why genres deserve their own categories. There is no awkwardness like it used to be when urban artists competed with rock artists. All the nominees this year – Lido Pimienta, Cultura Profética, Fito Paez, Cami and Bajo Fondo – deserve a place in this category.
Tradition reigned in other Latin categories, including Best Tropical Album and Best Regional Mexican Album (including Tejano). The latter includes a nice mix of norteño, mariachi and folk, with Natalia Lafourcade, Christian Nodal and Alejandro Fernández vying for the prize. Lafourcade A Song for Mexico, Vol. 1 won the Latin Grammy. The only lack in the Mexican regional category was leaving out Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte at Folsom prison, which won the award for best norteño album at the Latin Grammys.
Beyond these categories, only Bad Bunny, Balvin and Tainy nodded outside the Latin field. Along with Dua Lipa, they are in the running for Best Duo / Pop Group Performance for “Un Día (One Day)”.
But Latin artists continue to be sidelined in the general categories of the field. Not a single Latin act – including Bad Bunny, whose YHLQMDLG made history on the Billboard 200 as the highest Spanish-language album ever recorded – scored a nod in Album of the Year, Song of the Year or Record-breaking the year. Even though streaming is particularly dominant among Latin listeners, accounting for 91% of all Latin music consumption in the United States, compared to 78% in the overall market, according to the 2019 mid-year report from Nielsen Music / MRC Data.
One can’t help but wonder (once again): what will it take for Latin artists to earn a spot in the major Grammy categories?
[ad_2]
Source link