The Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler boycotted the forecasts, which did not give him the winner in any of the main categories of the 23rd edition of the Latin Grammy Awards, and became the big winner of the night, winning the gramophones for best song and recording of the year for "Tocarte".
Thanks to his seven awards, Drexler was the most recognized artist in a ceremony that also served to elevate the career of the Spanish Rosalía for her album "Motomami", which was awarded as the best album of the year.
Likewise, the Spaniard bagged three more awards in the categories of best recording engineering for an album, best alternative music album and best packaging design for the same record work.
"It took me three years to do it, I thought Jorge was going to win again. (...) Congratulations, Jorge," the author of the commercial success "Despechá" joked about the bell of the South American composer.
Before the start of this installment, all eyes were on the Puerto Rican Bad Bunny, whose latest musical project -"Un Verano Sin Ti"- was such a commercial success that everything indicated that he would be a hit at this gala held at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas (United States).
"El Conejo Malo", who did not even attend the event, ended up winning five Latin gramophones despite having been the most nominated in this edition with ten nominations.
The fiasco of Benito Martínez Ocasio, the artist's real name, occurred mainly because he could not prevail in any of the three most relevant categories with which the Latin Recording Academy honors its musicians of the moment: the award for song of the year , the one related to the recording and the best album of said season.
The gap left by Bad Bunny on the Latin Grammy podium was surprisingly filled by Drexler, who reacted incredulously to how his song "Tocarte", together with the Spanish urban artist C. Tangana, won the award for best song and recording of the year .
The song of the year award at the Latin Grammys recognizes the composers of a song; while the one for recording of the year goes to producers, singers, sound engineers and other members of the team. In both he succeeded.
"What I feel is inexplicable, this is a song I made in 6 hours with Pucho (C. Tangana). My favorite was Bad Bunny," explained the Uruguayan after receiving the gramophone.
The buzz about Drexler's success tonight was growing among the press moved to Las Vegas after he had already shone at the gala prior to the televised event and in which 44 of the 53 awards are given.
In what is known as the Latin Grammy Premier, the musician had already won the prize for best arrangement, best song in the Portuguese language, best pop song, best alternative song and best singer-songwriter album.
Beyond Drexler's triumphs, the figure of Argentine rocker Fito Páez, winner of three Latin Grammys today, just demonstrated the great moment of coexistence that Latin music currently enjoys thanks to recognized fusions of genres and styles.
"My victory is not a return to the roots because here there is no competition between genres. We are in a moment of great revolution and democratization of music. I don't know where the machinery is going, that must be answered by musicologists," argued Páez, refusing any comparison between genres such as reggaeton and traditional Latin music.
The Hispanic scene has shown that it is increasingly difficult, and it makes less sense for experts, to categorize musical productions from a region as rich in its variety as it is in opportunities.
And it is that the Cuban artist Ángela Álvarez (95 years old) was proclaimed winner in the fourth category of greater weight in the Latin Grammys, that of best new artist.
The nonagenarian singer shared the award with the young Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada in an attractive generational contrast in which both shared that "therein lies the beauty of music."
"What is new music? What does age matter? What prevails is honesty and making someone else feel thanks to her," Álvarez and Estrada agreed in another of the highlights of a gala that will be marked by its constant surprises.
