Serrat Named the 2014 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Joan Manuel Serrat is preparing to receive an honor befitting a music legend…

The 70-year-old Spanish singer/songwriter has been declared the 2014 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.

He’ll be feted during a special gala event on November 19 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The Barcelona-born star started playing music as a teenager as he learned the craft both as a songwriter and performer. In 1965, he landed a record deal after singing on the Spanish radio show Radioscope.

Serrat then released two EPs and a full-length debut album and went on to perform live on stage at the Palau de la Música Catalana. That showcase propelled him to become one of the pioneers of the Nova Cançó movement in Spain’s Catalonian region.

Known as a politically outspoken performer, Serrat once refused to follow dictator Francisco Franco‘s orders to perform a song in Spanish instead of Catalan during the Eurovision song contest in the late ’60s. He was banned from performing in Spanish media for five years. In the ’70s, he went into a self-imposed exile in Mexico after speaking out against the Franco dictatorship. He did not return to Spain until after Franco’s death in 1975.

“As a profound and brilliant songwriter, a true poet in Spanish and Catalan and a sensational performer, Joan Manuel Serrat’s lyrical style and magnificent talent make him a treasured and timeless musical figure,” said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president/CEO of the Latin Recording Academy. “Through his talent, artistry, passion, and dedication to his craft, his work has spoken to music fans all over. It is a privilege to recognize a man with such an illustrious and socially conscious career, and we look forward to celebrating his creativity and legacy.”

Serrat released Dedicado A Antonio Machado, Poeta in 1969 in honor of the Spanish poet, and the album received critical acclaim throughout Spain and Latin America. For the last two decades, the singer has had a prolific songwriting, recording and touring career.

In 2006 he released Mô, his first album recorded completely in Catalan after nearly a decade. In 2008 he collaborated with Spanish singer/songwriter Joaquín Sabina and released Dos Pájaros De Un Tiro, followed by 2012’s La Orquesta Del Titanic. The 2013 documentary El Símbolo Y El Cuate chronicled their tour.

“Joan Manuel has become a true symbol for freedom, coherence, quality, and perfect use of our language, and a reference that we all have in reaching our goals,” said Latin Grammy and Grammy winner Shakira, who was the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year in 2011.

In addition to Shakira, Serrat joins an impressive group of artists who have received the Person of the Year honor that includes Miguel Bosé, Plácido Domingo, Gloria Estefan, Gilberto Gil, Juan Luis Guerra, Carlos Santana, and Caetano Veloso.

The Latin Grammys will be held a day after the Person of the Year festivities on November 20 and will broadcast live on the Univision at 8:00 pm ET.

Pope Francis Named Time Magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Despite a strong challenge from Miley Cyrus and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Pope Francis has been named Time magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year.

The 76-year-old Argentinean newly elected pontiff who’s made headlines for his humility, nicknamed “The People’s Pope,” was the individual Time editors decided had the most impact on the world and the news — for better or worse — over the past year.

In explaining the magazine’s choice on Wednesday’s Today, Time managing editor Nancy Gibbs said the pope is “someone who has changed the tone and perception and focus of one of the world’s largest institutions in an extraordinary way.

“So much of what he has done in his brief nine months in office has really changed the tone that is coming out of the Vatican,” Gibbs added. “He is saying, ‘We are about the healing mission of the church, and not about the theological police work that had maybe been preoccupying us.’ ”

Francis is the third pope to be awarded Time‘s Person of the Year honor. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said in a statement read on Today that “the Holy Father is not looking to become famous or to receive honors. But if the choice of Person of Year helps spread the message of the gospel — a message of God’s love for everyone — he will certainly be happy about that.”

NSA leaker Edward Snowden ranked second on Time‘s list, but some are saying that he should have received the top spot. Other runners-up included gay rights activist Edith Windsor, whose Supreme Court victory led to the demise of the Defense of Marriage Act, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Cyrus and Bezos both made Time‘s shortlist, revealed on Monday’s Today, as did 2012 winner President Barack Obama, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Shakira Forms Alliance to Help Kids Get a Quality Education

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She may have been named the Latin Recording Academy’s 2011’s Person of the Year for her philanthropic efforts and singing talents… But Shakira isn’t resting on her laurels when it comes to her charity work.

The 35-year-old Colombian singer has formed an alliance of foundations to fund quality education for low-income children in her native Colombia.

The alliance, which will invest $24 million during the first two years, is comprised of Shakira’s Pies Descalzos foundation, the Colombian Culture Ministry and several other NGOs.

“It’s an alliance specifically for the construction of 13 early-education centers that will benefit 6,200 kids with quality teaching,” Shakira said at an event in Cartagena’s Bicentenario neighborhood. For the best education you need to best tuition, So for the tuition for JC chemistry, do visit us.

The Grammy-winning singer, a native of the nearby city of Barranquilla, stressed the importance of the alliance, which is already instructing children under 6, “the most important years in human life, the ones that most shape their future,” she said.

At that age “the child’s brain, cognitive and motor faculties and the ability to form relationships with others begin to develop, so we’re convinced that we have to invest in them, the earlier the better,” said Shakira.

The 13 educational centers will be built in the Colombian provinces of Bolivar, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Atlantico and Choco, all communities with high rates of extreme poverty.

Shakira’s Person of the Year Celebration a Star-Studded Event…

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

International superstar Shakira is officially this year’s Person of the Year, an award she received from the Latin Recording Academy during a star-studded tribute event last night that included a special performance by the Colombian singer’s father.

Latin music’s brightest stars paid homage to the 34-year-old singer during the event at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay. They performed some of biggest hits, including “La Tortura” and “Estoy Aqui” during the two-hour salute to a career that has spanned decades and crossed international borders.

Shakira delightedly watched artists like Cristian Castro, Franco de Vita, Alejandra Guzman and Gilberto Santa Rosa sing her music and went on stage to hug each one after their performance.

But it was a surprise performance by Shakira’s father William Mebarak that served as the highlight of the night. Mebarak took to the stage mid-way through the event and sang “Mi Niña Bonita” to his daughter.

As Mebarak sang the father-daughter tune often heard at Latino weddings and birthday parties, pictures of him with Shakira, flashed on a screen behind him.

“Thank you, daddy, for that song,” Shakira later told her father in Spanish.

Marc Anthony later presented Shakira with her Person of the Year plaque.

“We are in the presence of one of the most special human beings, one of the most talented human beings you will ever meet,” Anthony said.

Shakira—who has sold more than 60 million albums in Spanish and English—is the youngest person to receive the prestigious award. Previous honorees include Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan and Julio Iglesias.

“I’ll carry this night with me always,” she declared in Spanish after receiving the award. “It’s an honor that I am not sure I deserve, but you’ve made me very happy.”

She ended the night with a performance of “En Barranquilla me quedo,” a tribute to her hometown originally performed by the late Colombian salsa star Joe Arroyo. During the performance, Shakira lifted up the skirt of her sea foam-colored evening gown as she salsa danced across the stage.

It’s the second event to celebrate Shakira this week. On Tuesday, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

And she could get more recognition before the week is over. Shakira’s up for three awards, including album of the year, at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards, taking place tonight in Las Vegas.

It’s no wonder Shakira—who recently ended an international tour to promote her “Sale el Sol” album—has said that 2011 has been a “year of passion.”

Shakira Gets the Big “Star” Treatment…

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Shakira’s star power, especially now that she’s got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Surrounded by her family and hundreds of fans waving Colombian flags, the 34-year-old international singing sensation and noted philanthropist revealed her star on the legendary walkway.

“This is incredible,” exclaimed the “Hips Don’t Lie” songstress in front of the multitude of supporters at her star, located in front of the W Hollywood Hotel. “I want to thank all of you!”

Shakira— the first Colombian to receive a star on the legendary walkway—recalled a conversation with her mother and a friend at the age of 7, while walking near the Walk of Fame.

“Shaki, one day you are going to have your star here,” her mother told the two-time Grammy winner.

“If someone would have heard that conversation, they would’ve thought she delirious,” expressed Shakira during the ceremony, which her parents attended.

Shakira is the first Colombian and the 2,454th celebrity to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But the accolades continue for Shakira, the highest-selling Colombian recording artist of all time

She’ll receive the Latin Recording Academy’s “2011 Person of the Year” award for her incredible talent and selfless philanthropic activities tomorrow. Then she’ll perform at the Latin Grammy Awards, where she’s up for three awards—best album, best pop vocal album and best short music video.

Images courtesy of Getty Images and Shakira.

Shakira Getting a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Shakira’s star power, especially now that she’s getting her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will honor the 34-year-old Colombian singer with her own star on this month in front of the W Hollywood Hotel on the renowned corner of Hollywood and Vine.

It’s a much-deserved honor. After all, Shakira has won two Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Latin Music Awards and has received a Golden Globe nomination. The Latin Recording Academy named her the 2011 Person of the Year, an award she’ll receive later this month.

Having sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, Shakira is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time and the second most successful female Latin singer of all time after Gloria Estefan.

But Shakira is also a humanitarian… At the age of 18, she launched her Pies Descalzos Foundation, which provides education and nutrition to more than six thousand impoverished children in Colombia. The organization is expanding its work to other countries, including Haiti and South Africa.

Shakira has also become a leading advocate for universal education, speaking to world leaders on the topic and advocating policy change to governments around the world. Last month, she was named to a White House education commission.

Shakira’s special star ceremony will be held next Tuesday, November 8 in Hollywood.

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