March 21, 2018
Fonsi Received the BMI President’s Award and Residente Presented with the BMI Champion Award
J Balvin, Horacio Palencia and Sony/ATV Music Publishing Among the Honorees at the Annual Ceremony in Beverly Hills
Press Release
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, March 21, 2018 — Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), the global leader in music rights management, presented its 2018 BMI Latin Awards last night honoring global superstar Luis Fonsi with the BMI President’s Award. The 25th annual event also celebrated the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the past year’s most-performed Latin songs in the United States. In addition, multiple award-winning entertainer Residente was presented with the BMI Champion Award in recognition of his exceptional artistry and tireless efforts to affect social change around the world. BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President of Creative, Latin Music Delia Orjuela hosted the ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
As one of the leading Latin Music figures of his generation, Fonsi was honored with the BMI President’s Award in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to both Latin and Pop music throughout his two-decade career. In receiving this award, he joins an elite list of songwriters including Juanes, Pitbull, Carlos Vives, Kike Santander, Taylor Swift, Adam Levine, Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Sergio George. Fonsi also took home the coveted Contemporary Latin Song of the Year for his smash crossover hit “Despacito” which received a staggering 1.3 billion streams in the U.S. according to Nielsen. Producer Andrés Torres was also recognized during the ceremony for his work on the monster hit. After receiving these honors, Fonsi and his band brought the house down with and intro to his 2014 hit, “Corazón En La Maleta,” followed by electrifying performances of “No Me Doy Por Vencido,” his latest hit single “Échame la Culpa,” “Aqui Estoy Yo” and “Despacito.”
Earlier in the evening, the BMI Champion Award was given out for the first time in the BMI Latin Awards’ 25-year history. Residente was presented with the prestigious honor for his exceptional artistry and humanitarian efforts which have touched the lives of many around the globe. Throughout his tremendously successful career as a co-founding member of Calle 13, and as a solo artist, Residente has used his music as an international platform to speak on social injustices such as LGBT equality, human trafficking and cultural diversity. Previous recipients of this award include Keith Urban, Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA-9) and Lee Thomas Miller who were honored for their tireless commitment to support the next generation of songwriters and music makers.
Throughout the evening, the private event also saluted the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the previous year’s best performing Latin songs in the U.S. from BMI’s repertoire of more than 13 million musical works. J Balvin was named Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year for writing four of the most-performed Latin songs including “Bobo,” “Sigo Extrañandote,” “Safari,” and “Otra Vez.” Horacio Palencia was awarded Regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year for penning four of the evening’s most-performed regional Mexican songs including “Me Vas a Extrañar,” which also received the honor of Regional Mexican Song of the Year. Sony/ATV Music Publishing once again secured the prestigious BMI Latin Publisher of the Year award with 17 of the most-performed songs among their repertoire.
For a complete list of 2017 BMI Latin Awards winners, please visit:
https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2018-bmi-latin-music-awards
High-resolution photos of awards, performances and video footage can be downloaded here:
http://www.epklink.com/bmilatinawards2018
High-resolution photos will be available for download at:
https://www.bmi.com/press/
ABOUT BMI:
Celebrating over 77 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in nearly 13 million musical works created and owned by more than 800,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every Monday to stay up to date on all things music.
Media Contact:
Marlene Meraz, BMI
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