The Latin Recording Academy unrolls its red carpet in preparation for the Latin Grammy Awards

The Latin Recording Academy will reach a milestone this year with the celebration of the 10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The ceremony will air live from Las Vegas and feature awards in 49 categories of Spanish and Brazilian music. The highly awaited show promises to present the best performers in Latin music.  This year’s nominations celebrate a unique mix of established and emerging artists including previous Latin Grammy winner duo, Calle 13, who leads the list with five nominations. Ivan Lins & The Metropole Orchestra, Jose Lugo, Jorge Luis Piloto, Ivete Sangalo, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Caetano Veloso, and Wisin y Yandel compete for three awards each, while Ricardo Arjona, Babasonicos, Bebe, Cafe Tacvba, Andres Cepeda, Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Luis Enrique, Luis Fonsi, Sergio George, Saul Hernandez (Jaguares), Laura Pausini, Luz Rios, Marco Antonio Solis, Mercedes Sosa, and Tito "El Bambino" have received two nominations.

To celebrate a decade of success the Latin Grammys will honor Mexican megastar, Juan Gabriel, as Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year, one of the Latin music industry’s most prestigious honors.

According to the Academy, singer/songwriter, Gabriel, who has sold more than 100 million albums, was selected to receive this honor for his professional accomplishments and his commitment to philanthropic efforts. Other special recognitions include the Lifetime Achievement Award, which goes this year to Candido Camero, Beth Carvalho, Charly Garcia, Tania Libertad, Marco Antonio Muñiz, and Juan Romero. Meanwhile, Jose Antonio Abreu and Roberto Cantoral will be honored with the Latin Recording Academy Trustees Award. All of these recognitions will be presented at special ceremonies held on the day preceding the event.

The 10th Annual Latin Grammy ceremony is taking place on Thursday, November 5th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on the Univision Television Network at 8 p.m. Eastern Time/7 p.m. Central Time.

MusicaLatina.com's Artist of the Week

Musica Latina’s Artist of the Week is Grammy Award-winning duo, Wisin & Yandel. Since the beginning of their career, the Puerto Rican rappers distinguished themselves by creating their own brand of Latin Urban Popular music. The duo’s latest album, La Revolucion, has already attained Double Platinum status in the United States and Puerto Rico, Platinum in Mexico, and Gold Album in Argentina, Venezuela and the Andean Region (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador).


After 20 weeks on the Billboard charts, their single “Abusadora” holds the fourteenth position on the Hot Latin Songs chart, while their new single, “Gracias a Ti,” is #19. The album, “La Revolucion,” is #4 on the Top Latin Albums chart.


Wisin & Yandel, who during their careers have garnered such prestigious awards as a Grammy, two Latin Grammys and numerous Billboard Latin Music Awards, Lo Nuestro Awards and Youth Awards, recently received a nomination for the Latin Grammy Awards for Best Urban Album (“La Revolucion”) and two nominations for Best Urban Song ("Abusadora," and "Mujeres In The Club").


Wisin & Yandel continue their US tour in support to “La Revolucion.” The tour includes stops in Fairfax, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Glendale, San Diego, Houston, and Hidalgo.

Upcoming Latin Music Concerts

From Pop to Rock and from Ranchera to Reggaeton, the biggest stars in Latin music will be performing in a city near you. For more information, please visit Ticketmaster.

Paulina Rubio:
09/26- Oakland, CA
10/07-Grand Prairie, TX
10/11- Houston, TX
10/20- New York, NY
10/25- Washington, DC

Wisin & Yandel:
10/01- Fairfax, VA
10/02- New York, NY
10/08-09-San Francisco, CA
10/10- Los Angeles, CA
10/16- Glendale, AZ
10/17- San Diego, CA
10/22- Houston, CA
10/23- Hidalgo, TX

Jose Luis Perales:
10/02- New York, NY
10/04- Universal City, CA
10/10- Miami, FL

Vicente Fernandez:
10/03- San Antonio, TX
10/09- Dallas, TX
10/16- Atlanta, GA (with Shaila Durcal)
10/18- Rosemont, IL

Julieta Venegas:
10/10- Los Angeles, CA
10/11- San Francisco, CA

Marcos Witt

With a career span of 26 years, Christian music superstar and psalmist, Marcos Witt, is recognized as one of the most important voices in the Latin music world. He has sold millions of albums, released 31 CDs, written 10 books and performed before thousands of fans throughout the US and Latin America. He has been honored with a prestigious Ritmo Latino award, two Billboard Latinos and four Latin Grammys. Marcos continues to captivate audiences with the inspirational music of his most recent album, “Sobrenatural,” which was recorded live before an audience of 30,000 people in Bogota, Colombia. Released in both CD and DVD formats, “Sobrenatural” features 15 tracks with a variety of rhythms, including rock, pop, ballad and Latin American folk. Marcos recently released his album’s third promotional single, “Muevete,” following the success of singles “Sobrenatural” and “Si Puedes Creer.” This great album has been nominated for the Dove Awards 2009, as well as the ARPA Awards 2009.

Marcos’ busy schedule includes a concert tour with more than 100 presentations in Latin America and the US. Between October and December the superstar is scheduled to perform in Mexico City, Tamaulipas, Cancun, and Tuxtepec in Mexico; Rosario, Cordoba and Buenos Aires in Argentina; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Boston, Seattle and Dallas in the United States; Cali, Colombia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Los Premios MTV 2009: Who will get the much desirable MTV Tongue?

The countdown to Los Premios MTV 2009 has already begun and the cable network promises that it will bring down the house! The lineup of A-list artists includes Calle 13’s MC, Rene Perez aka Residente, and international pop superstar, Nelly Furtado, as hosts. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 15, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and will air live on MTV Tr3s.

This year’s ceremony will have a multi-city approach as it features different scenarios, co-hosts and more guests. Host cities for the ceremony include Bogota, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles.

Some of the megastars have already confirmed their participation in the event. Performing his new single, "Looking for Paradise," directly from Bogota, will be Spanish singer/songwriter, Alejandro Sanz, while electro-pop band, Miranda, will do the same from Buenos Aires. Paulina Rubio, Wisin & Yandel, Fall Out Boy, and Cobra Starship will make their appearances in Los Angeles.

Nominees for the Eight Annual Premios MTV, include Wisin & Yandel leading the list with six nominations. Paulina Rubio received five nominations, while Lady Gaga, Zoe, Andres Calamaro, Calle 13, Panda, Fanny Lu, Ximena Sariñana, Jesse & Joy, and Adammo compete for three awards. Britney Spears, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Daddy Yankee, Nelly Furtado, Shakira, Miranda, Kudai, Moderatto, Paty Cantu, and Taylor Swift received two nominations each.

New Latin music releases for Tuesday, September 22nd

Pacha Massive- “If You Want” (Nacional Records)

New Pacha Massive album “If You Want It” is now available to fans. The album is the follow-up to the group’s debut album, “All Good Things,” which was released in 2008. “If You Want It” features Pacha’s signature funky, bilingual fusion of dub and electronica with Latin rhythms, like cumbia and palo. Tracks include the title track “If You Want It,” as well as “Right Now” and “Just Want To See Ya.”

Magnate y Valentino- “Quimica Perfecta” (Machete Music)

Urban music romantic duet Magnate y Valentino’s new album, “Quimica Perfecta,” is now available to fans worldwide in both digital and physical formats. “Quimica Perfecta,” the third album by the Puerto Rican group, features Magnate y Valentino’s exceptional style fusioning the rhythm of reggaeton with romantic lyrics.  Tracks include first single “Si Te Acuerdas De Mi” as well as “Nobody,” “Si Yo Te Ame” and “Tentacion”.

Vallin- “Bendito Entre Las Mujeres” (Warner Music Latina)

Sergio Vallin, the talented guitarist of multi-platinum Mexican group Mana, has embarked on his first solo project entitled “Bendito Entre Las Mujeres,” which is now available to audiences worldwide. Vallin invited some of the most important Latin female singers to join him, including Ana Torrroja, Rosana, Joy Huerta (Jesse & Joy), Ely Guerra, and Natalia Jimenez (La Quinta Estacion). The album features 13 tracks, including the first single, “Solo Tu,” which features Raquel Del Rosario (El Sueno de Morfeo), as well as “Esa Soy Yo” (Natalia Jimenez), “Milagro Catastrofico” (Ely Guerra), “No Mas Traiciones” (Paulina Rubio), and “Por Que No Te Vas” (Ana Torroja).

Artist of the Week - Dareyes de la Sierra

Musica Latina’s Artist of the Week is Norteño band Dareyes de la Sierra (Disa Records/Universal Music Latin Entertainment) and its single, “Sufre,” that currently holds the fourth position on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Songs chart. The song is also number tenth on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Musica Latina’s Top Songs charts for this week.


“Sufre” is the first promotional track on the band’s hit album, “Una Copa Mas,” that was recently nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards.  Launched on May 26th, “Una Copa Mas,” features ten songs, including “Yo Te Quise Amar,” “Porque Ya Me Canse,” “Sufre,” “Una Copa Mas,” “Estoy Sangrando Tu Amor” and “Llorandote.” 


Originally from Navojoa in Sonora, Mexico, Dareyes de la Sierra was formed by lead singer and bandleader, Darey Castro (accordion), Jose Miguel Enriquez (bass) and Alberto Verdugo Leyva (guitar).


At present, Dareyes de la Sierra is considered to be the most important ‘Sierreño’ style band. Proof of its success and popularity are its multiple nominations to prestigious awards, including a 2009 Billboard Latin Music Award for the Regional Mexican Airplay Song of the Year, Duo or Group, for its smash hit “Hasta El Dia De Hoy.”


Now, Dareyes de la Sierra has won a Latin Grammy nomination for its album “Una Copa Mas” for Best Banda Album. The 10th Annual Latin Grammy ceremony will be held on November 5th in Las Vegas and will be transmitted live by the Univision Network.