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Billboard Latin Awards Reflect Genre's Evolution
04/30/2005 6:52 AM, Reuters
Leila Cobo
The winners of this year's Billboard
Latin Music Awards reflect the changing sound of Latin music
and the public's reception of it.
Paulina Rubio, who took home three awards, described the
music on her "Pau-Latina" (Universal) CD as a multicultural
fusion. Rubio won Hot Latin Tracks artist of the year, female,
and Latin female pop album of the year.
Juanes' won Hot Latin Track of the Year for "Nada Valgo Sin
Tu Amor" and Latin Pop album of the year, male, for "Mi Sangre"
(Surco/Universal). His brand of pop/rock has found acceptance
on both pop and tropical radio.
The 16th Billboard Latin Music Awards aired live nationwide
Thursday night (April 28) on the Telemundo network and in
several Latin markets.
Musica duranguense group Los Horoscopos de Durango belongs
to the new crop of acts that are keeping the duranguense craze
alive and well, more than a year after it exploded in the
charts. Los Horoscopos, one of the few duranguense groups whose
singers are women, got the Regional Mexican album of the year,
female group, for "Locos de Amor" (Disa), as well as two other
awards.
Even Los Temerarios, known for their romantic grupo sound,
broke the mold with their 2004 studio album, "Veintisiete," a
collection of rancheras arranged to fit its romantic
sensibility.
Los Temerarios was the biggest-selling Latin act of the
year and won the Top Latin albums artist of the year award
thanks to a succession of recordings that reached the upper
echelons of the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart.
Other multiple winners included newcomers Grupo Climax, who
won the Regional Mexican album of the year, group and Regional
Mexican album of the year, new artist, for the album "Za Za Za,
Mesa Que Mas Aplauda" (Balboa). Bachata duo Monchy & Alexandra
also won multiple awards.
Tropical star Juan Luis Guerra won two awards for "Para Ti"
(Vene Music/Universal), an album that fell both in the tropical
and Latin Christian/Gospel categories. The song "Duele el
Amor," performed by Aleks Syntek and Ana Torroja, won two
awards, including Hot Latin Track of the year, vocal duo.
Ranchera icon Vicente Fernandez represented traditional
music, nabbing Latin tour of the year.
NEW CATEGORY
This year marked the debut of the new Reggaeton album of
the year category, won by Daddy Yankee's "Barrio Fino" (El
Cartel/VI), the biggest-selling album of 2005 so far. The Latin
rap/hip hop album of the year award went to "KOMP 104.9 Radio
Compa" (Univision), by urban regional duo Akwid, which also won
that category last year.
The Hot Latin tracks label of the year was Sony Discos,
dominating the tropical and Latin pop airplay charts, while
Univision Music Group took home Top Latin albums label of the
year honors. Warner/Chappell was the publishing corporation of
the year was, while WB (ASCAP) also won publisher of the year.
Marco Antonio Solis received the Billboard Lifetime
Achievement Award, which is bestowed to commemorate an
outstanding artistic career. He was this year's top finalist,
with nods in eight categories, but only took home Latin
greatest hits album of the year (with Joan Sebastian) for "Dos
Grandes" (Fonovisa/UG). Guerra was honored with the Spirit of
Hope Award for his work with his Juan Luis Guerra y 4.40
Foundation in his native Dominican Republic.
Among the evening's performers were Soraya, Aleks Syntek,
Rubio, Daddy Yankee, Juanes, Thalia and Franco de Vita with
Olga Tanon, who dueted on Hay Dios.
The Billboard Latin Music Awards honor the most popular
albums, songs and performers in Latin music, as determined by
the sales and radio airplay data that informs Billboard's
weekly charts during a one-year period from Feb. 14, 2004, and
Feb. 5, 2005.
In addition to the Billboard awards, Telemundo gave its
Star Award to Marc Anthony and its Viewer's Choice award to
David Bisbal.
Full event coverage can be found at
http://www.lospremiosbillboard.com.
Reuters/Billboard
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