Last year’s Latin Grammys caused an uproar on social media after the nominees list was released. Many fans and artists noticed the lack of representation of the Reggaeton music genre. “Sin reggaeton no hay Latin Grammy,” read many of the posts on social media, but this year seems to be different.
This year’s nominees accurately represent the changing culture in Latin music as it shifts more towards the reggaeton genre. Here are my top picks for some of my favorite categories.
Record of the Year
Record of the Year is always one of the toughest picks as many of my favorite songs are included in this category. This year it seems pretty competitive as Bad Bunny’s Vete competes with Karol G and Nicki Minaj’s Tusa. Karol G is competing against herself with the song China by Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Featuring Ozuna and J Balvin. But at the end, Tusa by Karol G and Nicki Minaj should take the win as the overall production of the song is what makes it so great. From the rhythm to the lyrics, Tusa deserves the Grammy.
Album of the Year
In 2019, we had a lack of reggaeton nominees in this category, but this year the list includes two reggaeton superstars: Bad Bunny and J Balvin. Both are nominated for their joint album OASIS and their solo albums, Colores and YHLQMDLG. To me, it’s clear that the winner of this category will be Bad Bunny with YHLQMDLG. The 20-song album delivered Latin trap with a variety of moods, whether it was a post-breakup heartbreak, our on-pause summer anthems, or the heartfelt thank you at the end. This album was highly anticipated and it delivered.
Best New Artist
The top contestants in this category are Anuel AA, Rauw Alejandro, and Cazzu. While Rauw Alejandro has had some big hits this year, such as “El Efecto,” “Tattoo,” “Elegi,” and “TBT,” it is very likely that Anuel AA will take the Grammy home. Anuel AA was snubbed from a best new artist nomination last year, but he has been very successful since then which shows his growth as a new artist.
Song of the Year
While there are many great songs nominated in this category, “ADMV” by Maluma stands out the most. The song was released during quarantine and was written by the artist as a dedication to all the people in his life that he loves. The song, which touches upon love and growing old with one’s significant other is a very heartfelt balada and one that gives us a whole new side to Maluma. The lyrics of the song and the overall composition gives us all the feels and reminds us to hug our loved ones a little tighter and tell them that we love them.
Best Regional Song
The top nominees in this genre include Christian Nodal with AYAYAY! and Natalia Lafourcade con MI RELIGIÓN. While I am a huge fan of Natalia Lafourcade, Christian Nodal will most likely take the win with this upbeat and modern song. What makes the song work for Nodal is that it is still rooted in the regional genre.
Best Short Form Music Video
If you haven’t seen J.Balvin’s video for Rojo, please do yourself a favor and watch it now! But be prepared with tissues, this video delivers pain, acceptance, and even a message to its viewers. The video starts with Balvin receiving the news that his daughter was born, as he rushes to the hospital on the phone with his mom, he crashes and dies. But he is not conscious of his death and his spirit makes it to the hospital. The rest of the video shows Balvin following the life of his daughter as she grows up. This video delivers an exceptional story in less than 5 minutes and is a grammy-winning performance.
To see who will win be sure to tune in! The 21st annual Latin Grammys will air on Univision, Nov. 19, 2020.
Fleetwood Mac has been a resurgence of attention in the past few weeks thanks, in part, to an Ocean Spray loving skateboarder. Still, long before TikTokers learned about the 1960’s rock band, the five members behind indelible tunes like “Dreams” and “The Chain” were producing some of the best-selling albums in history. Throughout their careers, the singers and songwriters of the group created lyrics with political significance. As a songwriter, and vocalist, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nick, played a big part in the political impact of the band’s songs, so it’s no wonder why she recently made the decision to open up about her decision to have an abortion during the height of her career in the late 70s.
The beloved singer-songwriter opened up about her generation’s fight for abortion rights in an interview with The Guardian.
Touching on the recent attempts to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Nicks remarked that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision would be overturned. She underlined the importance of abortion rights and how her decision to have one of her own made it possible for Fleetwood Mac to continue.
“If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” Nicks told the outlet. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. And there were a lot of drugs, I was doing a lot of drugs … I would have had to walk away.”
During her interview, Nicks explained that it was important to her to “make people so happy” through her music but was more invested in ensuring that the group had two female singers and songwriters.
“And I knew that the music we were going to bring to the world was going to heal so many people’s hearts and make people so happy,” Nicks explained. “And I thought, ‘You know what? That’s really important. There’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers.’ That was my world’s mission.”
“Abortion rights, that was really my generation’s fight,” she went onto explain. “If President Trump wins this election and puts the judge he wants in, she will absolutely outlaw it and push women back into back-alley abortions.”
Speaking about 2020’s relentless unrest, Nicks recently explained in an interview with Variety that circumstances seem to have become worse than it was decades ago.
“Racism in the last four years is so much worse than it was. I’m 72 years old. I lived through the ‘60s. I’ve seen all this. I fought for Roe vs. Wade; that was my generation’s fight,” she said. “And I don’t want to live in a country that is so divisive. I go, like, well, if this starts over and there’s another four years of this, then I’m going — but we’re not welcome anywhere.”
“So where can I go? And I’m thinking: Oh, space,” she added. “Maybe I can talk Elon Musk into giving us a jet and letting me pick 50 people, and we’re like the arc, and someone can take us and let us live on another planet until the next four years are over.”
Earlier in October, Nicks dropped “Show them The Way” a new song inspired by the 2008 primaries between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The song, was written during the time of the primaries and recently recorded.
“I just knew that right now, with the presidential election and everything else that’s going on, that this was the time,” Nicks explained. “I hope that this song and its words will be seen as a prayer — a prayer for our country, and a prayer for the world. It’s a pretty heavy song. And I think it’s just a spectacular song.”
