Alejandro Sanz, Camila Cabello Win Record of the Year at Latin Grammys
Alejandro Sanz and Camila Cabello‘s “Mi Persona Favorita” took home Record of the Year at the Latin Grammys. The saccharine acoustic ballad appeared earlier this year on Sanz’s new album, #Eldisco, and the singer performed it in Las Vegas on Thursday.
The odds were in Sanz’s favor in this category: He was nominated twice. In general, the category was dominated by seasoned performers: Marc Anthony, Juan Luis Guerra and Juanes were all up for the award along with Sanz. Anthony, a salsa star, was nominated for his first Grammy in 1996. Guerra, who specializes in merengue and bachata, won his first Grammy even earlier — in 1992. Both men were also nominated for honors at the first-ever Latin Grammys, which took place in 2000. Juanes won three trophies at the second Latin Grammys ceremony a year later. Another 2019 Record of the Year nominee, the rocker Andrés Calamaro, has a discography that stretches nearly 40 years.
Just three younger acts were able to disrupt this parade of the familiar. Vicente García earned a Record of the Year nomination for “Ahí Ahí,” a shrewd single that updates classic bachata with modern synthesizers. Ximena Sariñana got a nod from the Academy for “Cobarde,” a handsome, string-laden ballad with light touches of electronic drums. And Rosalía was nominated for “Aute Cuture,” which merges a flamenco rhythm with a brassy, martial beat that wouldn’t have been out of place on rap radio in 2003.
None of these performers could top Sanz. “Mi Persona Favorita” is the singer’s fifth record of the year. He also won the award for “El Alma al Aire” (2001), “Y Sólo Se Me Ocurre Amarte” (2002), “No Es Lo Mismo” (2004), and “Tu No Tienes Alma” (2005).