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Colombian singer Carlos Vives leads Latin Grammy nominations

By Anthony Breznican The Associated Press
Thursday July 25, 2002

 

BEVERLY HILLS — Colombian folk singer Carlos Vives collected a leading six Latin Grammy nominations Wednesday, including album, record and song of the year. 

Vives, who won a mainstream Grammy this year for best traditional tropical Latin album, was recognized again by the separate Latin Recording Academy for his album and song “Dejame Entrar,” which translates to “Let Me In.” 

He also had nominations for contemporary tropical album, tropical song and music video. Vives, a former television actor, performs in the style of Vallenato, the traditional music of Colombia’s northern plains, which is known for its simple lyrics about village life. 

“Me and my people are very happy,” Vives said through a translator. “This shows that tradition music and rhythms that come from the heart can have appeal no matter the language.” 

Salsa singer Celia Cruz, a two-time Latin Grammy winner, had four nominations that included album and record of the year, best salsa album and best music video for her album and song “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.” 

Other top album nominees were “Sereno” by Miguel Bose, “Jobiniando” by Ivan Lins and “MTV Unplugged” by Alejandro Sanz. Record of the year nominees included Sanz’s “Y Solo Se Me Ocurre Amarte,” La Ley’s “Mentira” and “Se Me Olvido” by Gian Marco. 

Colombian rocker Juanes, who won best new artist, rock solo vocal album and rock song last year, was nominated this time for song of the year, rock song and music video for “A Dios Le Pido.” 

“It’s like a miracle. It’s crazy,” he said after the nomination ceremony. 

The third annual Latin Grammys are planned for Sept. 18 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, which is also the new home of the Academy Awards. It will be televised live on CBS. 

The nearly 4,000-member Latin Recording Academy added two new categories this year, best contemporary tropical album and best Christian album, bringing the total to 40. 

The Latin Grammy’s sophomore ceremony, scheduled for Sept. 11, was canceled last year after the terrorist attacks. The awards were later announced at a small news conference. 

The event had been scheduled in Miami, but was abruptly moved to Los Angeles less than a month before the ceremony. The move occurred after academy and local officials could not agree on where anti-Castro protesters would be permitted to picket the show. 

“This year, the academy voters recognized excellence from Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Brazil and beyond,” said Enrique Fernandez, executive director of the Latin Recording Academy. “This shows how the nomination process truly salutes excellence in music regardless of where it is produced.”