Juanes is royalty at Latin Grammys
HOUSTON — On a night when the theme of change and cultural fusion echoed in lyrics, performances and acceptance speeches, a Colombian rocker who's become a voice for social issues walked away as king of the Latin Grammys.
At Thursday's Houston debut of the ceremony, Juanes, a singer-songwriter from Medellin who started a foundation to help land-mine victims, swept awards in all five categories for which he was nominated, including record of the year and album of the year. He also set a new record for total wins, bringing his total Latin Grammy trophies to 17 — breaking Alejandro Sanz's mark of 14.
"I can't believe it. I am very, very happy, very grateful to life, to music, to God, to the Academy," Juanes said after the awards, noting that he had trouble containing his amazement while accepting the awards. "For me, this has been incredible. It's a dream."
Juanes' joy-filled love song, "Me Enamora," won record of the year, song of the year and best short form music video. He also took trophies for the year's best album, and best male pop vocal album for "La Vida ... Es Un Ratico."
He also opened the show's live broadcast with an emotional duet with soul singer John Legend. Backed by a chorus, Juanes and Legend performed "If You Are Out There," a new collaboration that's scheduled to be released next week.
