And the Premio Lo Nuestro 2011 goes to....

Did you watch Premio Lo Nuestro last night? I was glued to my television from beginning to end and I must tell you that it was a very entertaining and well put together show. The hosts Angelica Vale and Jaime Camil had so much chemistry and shared very funny moments with the audience. The first performance by the talented Cuban rapper Pitbull was out of this world! His interpretation of Bon-Bon was fantastic with beautiful dancers, amazing choreography, and Pitbull’s explosive sounds and lyrics started the ceremony on a high note. Pitbull took home the award for Urban Male Artist of the Year and I think he truly deserved it. Before I go any further you have to watch his performance to feel its intensity and contagious sound (it's ok if you dance, I know I am).



Another incredible performance was from the one and only “Ricky Martin”. This was my personal favorite of the night. Ricky turned up the heat with his hip swiveling, bon bon shaking, and belted it out to “Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tu”. He gave us an unforgettable performance and then accepted the award for “World’s Icon” a very much deserved award for the Puertorrican artist whose new album, Musica + Alma + Sexo is taking the world by storm. This is what Ricky said when he accepted his award: “An icon, well what can I say, this has definitely been a truly special year in my life. But I simply think that it is the result of many, many years of work and dedication, and if I was going to thank each and every person who has been with me in this long journey, I could be here all night”. He thanked his current management as well as his previous management. And of course he thanked Puerto Rico, his mom, dad and his beautiful children. He also expressed the love that he has for his fans, who he states mean the world to him.

Here is the video of Ricky’s performance!

And this is the moment when Ricky so humbly accepted his “World’s Icon Award” Congratulations Ricky!!!



After a few years of absence, the rock group Maná took over the stage to perform one of their most amazing songs “Labios Compartidos” (Shared Lips) which was chosen by their loyal fans in a poll that took place in Univision.com. Maná will be releasing their new album "Drama y Luz” (Drama and Light) this coming April and will begin their world tour in June. It has taken them quite a bit of time to release this album as they have changed their release date a couple of times – why you may ask, well here is the message they posted to their fans on facebook: “The project is not fully cooked. It's like having a cake in the oven and taking it out before it's ready. We are used to always finishing the preparation of our albums, and that philosophy has always prevailed over managers and record labels. We won't bow to the demands of the system. We prefer to take the necessary time and offer you the best." Maná was awarded with the “Excellence Award”, a well deserved award for this talented band.

“Labios Compartidos” is one of my favorite songs from Maná’s album “Amar es Combatir” (To Love is to Battle). One thing about Maná’s music is that the lyrics come from the heart and when you listen carefully it has the power to transport you to a place where you actually live this unique emotion that their music evokes, if you don’t believe me just listen to the words of this song. But I really think you should take my word for it as this is coming from someone who listens to this particular song at least 3-4 times per day as my co-worker is completely infatuated and in love with Maná’s music, right E? Here you go girl…enjoy it one more time!!



Univision.com has a list of all this year’s winners but I will give you a recap of my favorites of the night. If you want to read more about all the other performances you can visit their website where they have full coverage of the event.

http://musica.univision.com/premio-lo-nuestro/lo-ultimo/article/2010-11-18/premio-lo-nuestro-2011

Album of the year: Dejarte amar, Camila
Male Artist of the year: Enrique Iglesias
Female Artist of the year: Shakira
Group or Duo of the year: Camila
Revelation of the year: JenCarlos Canela
Song of the year: Mientes - Camila
Rock Artist of the Year: Juanes
Tropical Group of the year: Aventura
Tropical Song of the year: Prince Royce - Stand by Me
Merengue Artist of the Year: Juan Luis Guerra
Salsa Artist of the year: Luis Enrique
Urban Male Artist of the year: Pitbull
Artist of the Year – Premio Lo Nuestro Award: Wisin & Yandel
Collaboration of the year: Enrique Iglesias & Juan Luis Guerra - Cuando Me Enamoro
Video of the year: Belinda-Egoista

Fuego and Omega wrapped up another fabulous edition of Premio Lo Nuestro. I had so much fun watching the event and I danced and cried with the great music and the beautiful words that all the winners expressed as they accepted their coveted awards. Well, Premios are done I hope you enjoyed the program as much as I did. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the nominees. The fact that you were nominated makes you a winner in my book. And what’s coming up next – Viña del Mar, on February 21st, 2011. This music festival is the most important Latin American festival which takes place every year in Chile. We will be showered with great performances by international music starts such as Chayanne, Aventura, Pitbull, Alejandro Sanz, Marco Antonio Solis, Sting and Yuri just to name a few. And remember the truest expression of people is its dance and music. Until then keep rocking to your favorite beat!

Peace and Love – Candela ;-)