“First they steal our gold and now our Grammys”, “There are never events like this in Latin America, where most of the talent comes from for these awards”, “This is not what Bolivar and San Martín are fighting for! First the Copa Libertadores, now this!”, “Rosalia’s fault”… A quick look at the Twitter accounts of Latino cultural watchers and critics (like Isabelia Herrera, journalist at the influential music site Pitchfork) reveals. a rosary of varying degrees of offensive comments against Decision to celebrate the next year of Latin Grammy Academy in Andalusia. And it’s only been one day since the contract was signed.
The current boom in Latin music, with its urban aspect, dictates the aesthetic, musical and cultural rules of modernity. both in the main stream and in more underground circuits. Artists like Bad Bunny (Puerto Rican has been the #1 artist on Spotify’s global top for three consecutive years), Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, and the reborn Shakira, and many others who enjoy comfortable positions not only in streaming but also in their discussions. Not forgetting creators like Kali Uchis, Arca, La Goony Chonga or Villano Antillano are also in the cultural conversation. the intelligentsia. Therefore, when the Latin ensemble, whose musical expression has historically been reduced to special categories, is not directly despised by the public. watchmen so-called high cultured, now sitting with superiority, proud and He is jealous that his relatively recent interest in the manifestations of the majority has resulted in colonization of a cultural nature.
Rosalia Phenomenon
Finally a long discussion from 2019, When the phenomenon of Rosalia, still in diapers, began to emerge, with awards from tasters such as MTV and its surroundings. The interest in a Catalan woman flirting with urban Latin rhythms didn’t exactly excite the most activist segment of the Latino community. raised the expression of cultural appropriation Refusing to include Catalans in this category: “Another case of racism in the music industry and in the media. When we talk about Latin music, we don’t stop talking about the European and white Rosalía, not the Latin.” protested music critic Gary Suárez.
The latest ‘Billboard’ profile of the author of ‘Motomami’ took the issue head-to-head with his victim advocating multiculturalism and cultural connection: “This is a sensitive topic. I always try to talk about cultural references that I see. all artists are influenced by many cultures today, musical like genres barriers are so diluted that they don’t really exist. All cultures are interconnected, and that’s a beautiful thing and deserves to be celebrated.” to defend.
The discussion of the Latino identity of Spanish artists like Rosalía depends on the criteria by which it is examined: if we choose to use the language in which she sings and expresses herself, the singer is Latina; On the other hand, if the criterion is demographic, it is a Hispanic woman. The Latino community tends to identify with the Americas, with demographics, rather than language, so, for example, A Brazilian artist like Anitta succeeds in Latino circles, He uses rhythms and traditions (he doesn’t drink the music exactly from Brazil) without even the slightest bit of criticism leveled at Rosalía. But Anitta is neither white nor European.
Currently, the voices against the celebration of the Latin Grammy awards in Spain belong more or less to anonymous tweeters, but, How long would it take for a respected figure in Latin music to react with disdain? Rebellion is a cool, trendy factor, which of course benefits if it’s directed and executed without too much alarm. For this reason, When the popular music awards ceremony takes place in November, will we see some of the invited artists wearing symbols or shouting slogans? To express their disagreement with Spanish colonialism? Don’t ignore it. In March 2022, Residente, one of the most respected and critical Latin artists, released ‘This Is America’, which begins: “For a while when you came / Our shoe prints were already there / The cat even stole the food / And they are still licking their plates.”
Galas: the auctions that end the controversy
Goyas in Seville, Malaga and Valencia, Feroz in Zaragoza… There are more and more examples of gala outings centered in a few capitals so far. This is pure reciprocity: the organizers of these (expensive) demonstrations join forces with governments eager for showcases to showcase the charm of their land. This kind of meeting place has become a sort of auction object, of course, where whoever puts the most money on the table usually wins the day. And money often settles all debates, even those of cultural colonization.