Ice Spice Earns Four Grammy Award Nominations, Including Best New Artist Nod

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Ice Spice is celebrating her first-ever Grammy nominations…

The 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper/singer-songwriter has earned four Grammy Award nods, including one for the coveted Best New Artist award.

Ice Spice, the most nominated Latinx artist this year, is up for Best Rap Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media for her Barbie collaboration with Nicki Minaj featuring Aqua, “Barbie World,” which appears on Barbie The Album.

Her fourth nod comes in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the remix to Taylor Swift’s “Karma.”

Robert Trujillo is up for three Grammys.

The 59-year-old half-Mexican American musician and his Metallica band mates are up for Best Rock Performance for “Lux Æterna,” Best Metal Performance for “72 Seasons” and Best Rock Album for 72 Seasons.

Adrian Quesada and the 46-year-old Mexican American musician, producer and songwriter’s Black Pumas group mate, Eric Burton, have earned a nod in the Best Rock Performance for their single “More Than a Love Song.”

Mexican American Latin Grammy darling Edgar Barrera is nominated for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical. He’s the first Latino songwriter to earn a nod in the category, which was launched at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Peso Pluma, who was snubbed for Best New Artist, earned his first Grammy nod. The 24-year-old Mexican Regional Mexican Artist earned the nod in the Best Musica Mexicana Album (including Tejano) for Genesis.

Kirstin Maldonado and her Pentatonix a capella group mates, three-time Grammy winners, have earned a nod in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category for their album Holidays Around the World.

Esperanza Spalding, who previously beat out Justin Bieber for Best New Artist, has earned a nod in the Best Jazz Performance category alongside Fred Hersch for “But Not for Me.”

Other Latinx nominees include Vince Mendoza, Pablo Alborán, Maluma, Pedro Capó, Karol G, Juanes and Lila Downs.

The ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, and will broadcast on CBS and Paramount+. The annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony precedes the event.

Here’s a look at the categories with Latinx artists.

Best New Artist
Coco Jones
Gracie Abrams
Fred Again…
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Justin Tranter
Shane McAnally
Theron Thomas

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Labrinth Featuring Billie Eilish – Never Felt So Alone
Lana Del Rey Featuring Jon Batiste – Candy Necklace
Miley Cyrus Featuring Brandi Carlile – Thousand Miles
SZA Featuring Phoebe Bridgers – Ghost in the Machine
Taylor Swift Featuring Ice Spice – Karma

Best Rock Performance
Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes
Black Pumas – More Than a Love Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Metallica – Lux Æterna

Best Metal Performance
Disturbed – Bad Man
Ghost – Phantom of the Opera
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Slipknot – Hive Mind
Spiritbox – Jaded

Best Rock Album
Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Paramore – This Is Why
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

Best Rap Song
Doja Cat – Attention
Drake & 21 Savage – Rich Flex
Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane – Scientists & Engineers
Lil Uzi Vert – Just Wanna Rock
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Featuring Aqua – Barbie World [From Barbie the Album]

Best Jazz Performance
Adam Blackstone Featuring The Baylor Project & Russell Ferranté – Vulnerable (Live)
Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding – But Not for Me
Jon Batiste – Movement 18’ (Heroes)
Lakecia Benjamin – Basquiat
Samara Joy – Tight

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
ADDA Simfònica, Josep Vicent, Emilio Solla – The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute – Ritmo
The Count Basie Orchestra Directed by Scotty Barnhart – Basie Swings the Blues
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Dynamic Maximum Tension
Mingus Big Band – The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions
Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest – Olympians

Best Latin Jazz Album
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band – Vox Humana
Eliane Elias – Quietude
Ivan Lins With the Tblisi Symphony Orchestra – My Heart Speaks
Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente – Cometa
Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo – El Arte del Bolero Vol. 2

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Bruce Springsteen – Only the Strong Survive
Laufey – Bewitched
Liz Callaway – To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
Pentatonix – Holidays Around the World
Rickie Lee Jones – Pieces of Treasure
Various – Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3

Best Latin Pop Album
AleMor – Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1
Gaby Moreno – X Mi (Vol. 1)
Maluma – Don Juan
Pablo Alborán – La Cuarta Hoja
Paula Arenas – A Ciegas
Pedro Capó – La Neta

Best Música Urbana Album
Karol G – Mañana Será Bonito
Rauw Alejandro – Saturno
Tainy – Data

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Cabra – Martínez
Diamante Eléctrico – Leche de Tigre
Fito Paez – EADDA9223
Juanes – Vida Cotidiana
Natalia Lafourcade – De Todas las Flores

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)
Ana Bárbara – Bordado a Mano
Flor de Toloache – Motherflower
Lila Downs – La Sánchez
Lupita Infante – Amor Como en las Películas de Antes
Peso Pluma – Génesis

Best Tropical Latin Album
Carlos Vives – Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así
Grupo Niche y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia – Niche Sinfónico
Luis Figueroa – Voy a Ti
Omara Portuondo – Vida
Rubén Blades con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Siembra: 45° Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 14 de Mayo 2022)
Tony Succar, Mimy Succar – Mimy & Tony

Best Global Music Performance
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily – Shadow Forces
Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia – Pashto
Burna Boy – Alone
Davido – Feel
Falu & Gaurav Shah (Featuring PM Narendra Modi) – Abundance in Millets
Ibrahim Maalouf Featuring Cimafunk & Tank and the Bangas – Todo Colores
Silvana Estrada – Milagro y Disastre

Best Global Music Album
Bokanté – History
Burna Boy – I Told Them…
Davido – Timeless
Shakti – This Moment
Susana Baca- Epifanías

Best Children’s Music Album
Andrew & Polly – Ahhhhh!
DJ Willy Wow! – Hip Hope for Kids!
Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon – Ancestars
Uncle Jumbo – Taste the Sky
123 Andrés – We Grow Together Preschool Songs

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora
Various Artists – Barbie The Album
Various Artists – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By
Various Artists – Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix, Vol. 3
“Weird Al” Yankovic – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Best Song Written for for Visual Media
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For? [From the Motion Picture “Barbie”]
Dua Lipa – Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Featuring Aqua – Barbie World [From Barbie the Album]
Rihanna – Lift Me Up (From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By)
Ryan Gosling – I’m Just Ken [From “Barbie the Album”]

Best Engineered Album, Classical
Gustavo Dudamel, Anne Akiko Meyers, Gustavo Castillo & Los Angeles Philharmonic – Fandango
Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, George Lernis & A Far Cry – Sanlikol: A Gentleman of Istanbul – Symphony for Strings, Percussion, Piano, Oud, Ney & Tenor
Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Contemporary American Composers
Shara Nova & A Far Cry – The Blue Hour

Best Remixed Recording
Depeche Mode – Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix)
Gorillaz Featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown – New Gold (Dom Dolla Remix)
Lane 8 – Reviver (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
Mariah Carey – Workin’ Hard (Terry Hunter Remix)
Turnstile & BadBadNotGood Featuring Blood Orange – Alien Love Call

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band Featuring Paquito D’Rivera – I Remember Mingus
Just 6 – Angels We Have Heard on High
Ludwig Göransson – Can You Hear the Music
The String Revolution Featuring Tommy Emmanuel – Folsom Prison Blues
Wednesday Addams – Paint It Black

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Fenestra
Maria Mendes Featuring John Beasley & Metropole Orkest – Com Que Voz (Live)
Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – April in Paris
Säje Featuring Jacob Collier – In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Samara Joy – Lush Life

Best Orchestral Performance
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra – Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem of Ecstasy
Los Angeles Philharmonic – Adès: Dante
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra; Four Pieces
The Philadelphia Orchestra – Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
San Francisco Symphony – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Alex Cuba Partners with Lila Downs for New Single “Mundo Nuevo”

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a new world for Alex Cuba…

The 47-year-old Canadian-Cuban singer-songwriter has joined voices with 52-year-old Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs, a fellow Latin Grammy winner, to release the single “Mundo Nuevo.”

The unique pairing of Latin cultural troubadours infuses distinctive rhythms from the cultures of their heritage, with contemporary folk styles that also embrace rock, pop, soul and more.

The profound and spiritual Son Jarocho-infused track finds Cuba and Downs reflecting on the simple things in life.

Born during the ongoing pandemic, the track injects a sense of hope into anyone who listens to it. “Something sad and something good always comes from anything bad,” Downs sings.

“[The track] sets you free from loss to find solace in a new world,” Cuba has said about “Mundo Nuevo.” “The song came to me quickly, as if it was a message to an answered prayer. I started working on music and suddenly Lila’s voice crossed my mind. I reached out to her immediately, and it was a natural creative fit.”

“Mundo Nuevo” is the first single from Cuba’s forthcoming album Mendó.

Vanessa Zamora to Perform at the First-Ever Edition of OutMusik Festival on National Coming Out Day

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Vanessa Zamora’s ready to express her Pride…

The 29-year-old Mexican singer, songwriter and composer will celebrate National Coming Out Day by taking part in the first-ever edition of OutMusik Festival.

In addition to Zamora, the list of performers set to take the stage on October 11 include Georgel, Javiera Mena, Zemmoa, Mabiland and Christian Chavez, among others.

The virtual festival will feature artists who form part of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies who’ll be sending motivational messages to the community.

Georgel, Raymix and Esteman will serve as hosts of the first OutMusik Fest.

“I didn’t grow up with openly and well represented LGBTQ+ icons to identify with in mainstream media, which a lot of times led me to feel like I didn’t exist or this life wasn’t worth living,” Georgel tells Billboard. “OutMusik represents an evolved world as I perceive it, a platform where LGBTQ+ artists express their truth through performance and audiences feel represented.”

“Music is a powerful medium to tell stories and send messages that tell our reality,” adds Esteman. “The more visible our stories, we won’t have to put labels and instead celebrate who we are.”

Presenters and allies who will be of the celebration include Karol G, Chiquis, Maite Perroni, Lila Downs, Francisca Valenzuela and Gepe.

The festival will be streamed on the website OutMusik.Com, which will remain post-festival and will serve as a resource center for the LGBTQ+ community. Access to the live stream will be free but viewers will have the option of donating.

Proceeds will go toward to organizations It Gets Better and The Trevor Project.

Lila Downs Joins Lineup of The Lantern Tour: Concerts for Migrant and Refugee Families

Posted on July 24, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Lila Downs is shining a lantern on migrant and refugee rights…

The 49-year-old Mexican singer has been added to the list of artists who will take part in The Lantern Tour: Concerts for Migrant and Refugee Families.

Downs, a Grammy-winning singer, joins a roster that includes Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Steve Earle.

Proceeds will go to the Women’s Refugee Commission in support of families seeking safety at the United States-Mexico border.

The five-date tour begins at Nashville’s City Winery on October 23 and concludes at New York’s Town Hall on October 28.

Other dates include the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. on October 25; the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, New Jersey, on October 26; and Boston’s Orpheum Theater on October 27.

“The Women’s Refugee Commission has been on the front lines in advocating for the safety of women and children,” said Harris in a statement. “Their work is as remarkable as it is critical, especially right now. It is my honor to partner with this incredible organization and to bring my friends along for what I know will be a powerful tour.”

Founded in 1989, the WRC advocates for the rights of women, children and youth displaced by conflict and crisis. The organization has been on the forefront fighting President Donald Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy on the Mexican/U.S. border that has resulted in children being separated from their parents coming over the border.

Funds toward the concerts will go toward ending family separation and detention.

For tickets and more information, go to thelanterntour.org.

Maxwell to Perform at the Women’s March on Washington

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Maxwell is lending his voice to the latest women’s movement…

The 43-year-old half-Puerto Rican R&B singer will perform at the Women’s March on Washington this weekend.

Organizers of the event announced its performance lineup on Wednesday. Janelle Monae, Angelique Kidjo, Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Indigo Girls, MC Lyte, Samantha Ronson, Toshi Reagon and Emily Wells are also set to perform at Saturday’s march.

“I am honored to join this critical movement to bring justice and equality to all,” Monae said in a statement. “Music has always been a powerful tool for galvanizing unity and I believe that singing and standing together, our voices will be stronger than any force that tries to repress us.”

Organizers say entertainers including Questlove, Grimes, Neko Case, Rakim and Lila Downs are joining the march’s “artist table” to support the event in the U.S. capital and the 200 planned “sister marches” around the country.

Actress America Ferrera was previously announced as the chair of the artists’ group.

Becky G to Perform at Univision & Fusion’s Rise Up as One Concert

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Becky G is rising up to the challenge…

The 19-year-old Mexican American singer, songwriter and Power Ranger has joined the star-studded lineup for Univision and Fusion‘s Rise Up as One concert, taking place this weekend along the U.S./Mexico border in San Diego, California.

“We are very happy that the beautiful daughter of immigrants has joined our concert,” reads the tweet with the announcement.

Becky G joins a list of performers that includes Miguel Bosé, Juanes, Jesse & Joy, Lila Downs, Los Tigres del Norte, Luis Coronel, Andra Day, Alejandro Sanz, Julieta Venegas, Lupillo Rivera, Carlos Vives, Fonseca, Natalia Lafourcade, Debi Nova, T Bone Burnett and Jorge Drexler.

The free concert will wrap up the historical event, billed as a celebration of music, diversity and unity, taking place on October 15. It will broadcast live on Univision in Spanish and on Fusion in English at 7:00 pm ET.

Co-chairs to the event include Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Calle 13‘s René Pérez aka Residente, Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others.

Coronel to Perform at Univision & Fusion’s “Rise Up as One” Concert

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Coronel is Rise-ing up to the challenge….

The 20-year-old Mexican American singer has joined the star-studded lineup of performers for Univision and Fusion’s Rise Up as One concert, billed as a celebration of music, diversity and unity.

In addition to Coronel, an award-winning regional Mexican singer known for his hit singles “Mi niña traviesa,” “Será más fácil,” and “Escápate,” the show will include performances by Andra Day, Lila Downs, Miguel Bosé, Fonseca, Jesse & Joy, Jorge Drexler, Lupillo Rivera, Alejandro Sanz, Los Tigres del Norte, Juanes, Julieta Venegas, and Carlos Vives.

Staged along the U.S./Mexico border in San Diego, California, the free concert will wrap up the event taking place on October 15. It will broadcast live on Univision in Spanish and on Fusion in English at 7:00 pm ET.

“The U.S.-Mexico border provides the perfect stage for this amazing event and is a way to highlight diversity and inclusion, despite borders,” said Camila Jiménez Villa, Co-President and Chief Content Officer at Fusion Media Group, in a statement. “This location and our incredible lineup of award-winning artists will celebrate, through the power of music, the connectedness of our world and the positivity that occurs when we show empathy, respect and openness to one another.”

Co-chairs to the event include Emilio & Gloria Estefan, Calle 13‘s René Pérez aka Residente, Salma Hayek, Samuel L. Jackson, Ava DuVernay and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others.

Durcal to Perform at This Year’s Latin American Music Awards

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Shaila Durcal is ready to sing for a massive television audience…

The 37-year-old Spanish Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter has been added to the long list of performers for the 2016 Latin American Music Awards.

Durcal, the daughter of Rocío Dúrcal, released her self-titled album in March 2015.

In addition to Durcal, the fourth and final announcement of performers includes Lila Downs, and Aida Cuevas, who along with Mariachi de Mi Tierra, will pay tribute and honor the late singer Juan Gabriel. The special homage will be produced by Gabriel’s longtime producer and orchestra director, Juan Magallanes.

The new list of performers join previously announced artists including Pitbull, Sofía Reyes, Franco de Vita, La Santa Cecilia, Becky G, Nicky Jam, ChocQuibTown, MiguelBosé, CNCO, Gente de Zona and Jesse & Joy.

Banda MS and Yandel lead this year’s nominees with six nods each. Other nominees include J Balvin, Enrique Iglesias and Los Plebes de Ariel Camacho.

The 2016 Latin AMAs are set to take place on October 6 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony, hosted by Mexican singer and actress Lucero, will broadcast live on Telemundo.

Santana to Release Live CD/DVD Package for His Hit Spanish Project “Corazón”

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Santana is bringing his corazón to live…

Following the success of his first-ever all Spanish-language album Corazón, the 67-year-old Mexican musician and 10-time Grammy-winner is set to release a live CD/DVD package titled Corazón, Live From Mexico: Live It to Believe It.

From RCA Records/Sony Latin Iberia, the package will be released on September 9 and include a live CD and DVD, plus a documentary film shot in different Mexican locales.

The track listing for Corazón Live From Mexico includes many of the artists featured in Santana’s original Corazón, including Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Miguel, Romeo Santos, Lila Downs, Diego Torres and Niña Pastori.

But it has also been expanded considerably to include new versions of his standards like “Black Magic Woman” and “Smooth” and collabs like “Corazón Espinado,” featuring Fher Olvera (lead singer of Maná) and Cindy Blackman Santana.

The set will be available for digital download and in three different physical packages: DVD, DVD/CD and Blu-Ray/CD.

Corazón debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in April and spent six weeks at the top of the chart. It’s currently No. 6 on the chart and was the third top-selling Latin album for the first six months of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But the upcoming live version was conceived from the onset as part of the overall Corazón project. The album, with all its featured artists, was recorded in the studio and released last April, but a live component was always part of the proposal.

With sponsorship from Mexico’s Tourism Board, the live show was taped in December 2013 in Santana’s home state of Gaudalajara, a documentary was filmed in different locales and a special aired on HBO Latino both in the U.S. and Latin America in the spring.

Corazón was a seminal project on many fronts. The HBO airing marked the first time ever that HBO Latino (which operates in the U.S.) and HBO Latin America joined forces to premiere a concert event.

HBO Latino to Air Two Specials Dedicated to Santana’s ‘Corazon’

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Santana is preparing to celebrate his Mexican heritage on television…

HBO Latino will celebrate the legendary career of the 66-year-old Mexican American musician and guitar legend, a 10-time Grammy award winner, and his forthcoming first-ever Latin music album entitled Corazon, through a two-part event: a special called Santana: De Corazon and the airing of his mega concert and documentary Santana-Corazon: Live From Mexico, Live It To Believe It.

The Santana: De Corazon special will be broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles on Monday, April 21 at 9:30 pm ET, exclusively on HBO Latino.

The Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert and documentary will air exclusively in the U.S. on HBO Latino on Saturday, May 3, at 8:00 pm ET. It will also be simulcast in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cited by Rolling Stone as #15 on the magazine’s list of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” Santana will entertain Hispanic and mainstream audiences in HBO Latino’s airing of the once-in-a-lifetime tribute concert that took place at a sold out Arena VFG in Guadalajara, Mexico this past December.

Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It presented a star-studded concert to music lovers who enjoyed Santana’s electrifying sound, along with performances by musicians and friends.

Lila Downs, Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Nina Pastori, Romeo Santos, Soledad and Diego Torres were among the Latin music stars who accompanied Santana during his performance, most of whose collaborations have been recorded on Santana’s first ever Latin Music album entitled Corazon, set for release May 6 via RCA/Sony Latin Iberia.

The Santana: De Corazon half-hour special spotlights the iconic music legend through a collection of interviews by his musical peers, fellow Santana-Corazon: Live from Mexico: Live It to Believe It concert performers, mixed with touching insights from members of his most intimate circles.

Corazon, the concert and album project brings Carlos back to Guadalajara near his birthplace, and celebrates Carlos’ love of his musical heritage, as well as showcases Carlos’ own personal influence on Latin music and on today’s generation of Latin superstars. Many genres of Latin music are represented in these collaborations including pop, rock, salsa, hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and more.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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