by the El Reportero’s news services
Nineteenth edition of premier regional Mexican music awards ceremony to be broadcast live from Guadalajara, Jalisco in 2018
The Spanish-language network EstrellaTV announced this week that its number one music awards show, “Premios de la Radio,” will be held in Mexico for the first time in its 19-year history.
Considered the largest and single-handedly most important awards show that honors, recognizes and celebrates regional Mexican music in the U.S., “Premios de la Radio” will take place for the first time outside of the United States in the spirit of solidarity with regional Mexican artists who are unable to obtain visas to enter the country. This move is also intended to send a clear message of solidarity with people who have been deported and the thousands of families who have been separated at the border.
In order to accommodate a growing list of Mexican recording artists who have been denied legal entry to work and perform in the United States and participate in the music awards ceremony, “Premios de la Radio” will take place at Auditorio Telmex in the city of Guadalajara in order to ensure full participation of the Mexican recording artists and industry professionals who are unable to travel legally to the United States.
“Premios de la Radio,” the only Latin music awards ceremony in the U.S. that experienced audience growth in 2017 (+32%)[1], will be held on Nov. 8 and broadcast live on the EstrellaTV Network. The list of nominees will be officially announced from the city of Guadalajara on Thursday, October 4, 2018.
Maná will be the Latin Recording Academy’s person of the year
Mana, the legendary Mexican rock band that has held sway on the upper echelons of the Billboard charts for over three decades, will be honored as the 2018 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.
This will be the first time that a group or band receives the award in the Latin Grammys’ 19-year history. Mana, comprised of lead singer Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallin, and bassist Juan Calleros, has won six Latin Grammys and four Grammy awards during their career. The group has also landed 11 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, more than any other duo or group in the chart’s history.
Maná is being honored as much for their creative and musical accomplishments as for their philanthropic contributions to the Latin community, their steadfast and dedicated support of environmental preservation and protection and their vocal advocacy of human rights.
Aside from being one of the top-selling Latin acts in the market, and one of the top touring acts in the market, Mana stands our for the work it has done for years to preserve the environment through its Selva Negra Foundation. This past April, the group also received the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award during the Billboard Latin Music Awards, and sat down for a conversation at the Billboard Latin Music Conference to discuss their philanthropic endeavors.
Mana has also been vocal in speaking out to promote specific causes, including the right to vote. The group was the first Latin act to speak out vehemently against Donald Trump’s negative comments about the Latin community, when the now-president was still campaigning.
Mana will be honored at a private dinner on Nov. 14, the day before the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, with proceeds going to the Latin Grammy Foundation. As is the tradition, the band will be fetted by other artists who will perform their songs.
