Three Dominicans win the Latin Grammy with victories in merengue, salsa, and rap

Techy Fatule, León Yamil, and J Noa won their first Latin Grammys last night, confirming the excellent moment that Dominican talent is going through. The music of the Dominican Republic experienced an unforgettable night yesterday, Thursday, November 12, in the city of Las Vegas, United States. During the 27th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony, three talented Dominican artists managed to conquer the coveted golden gramophone for the first time in their careers. Techy Fatule, León Yamil, and J Noa took the stage at different moments of the ceremony preceding the main gala to raise the tricolor flag high, demonstrating that the country's talent shines strongly both in traditional rhythms and in more modern proposals. The day of celebrations began very early thanks to Techy Fatule. The singer and songwriter won the award for Best Merengue and/or Bachata Album for her record titled "Chula." This production brings together twelve original songs in which the artist plays and masterfully mixes various sounds of Caribbean and Dominican identity, including: Merengue, Bachata, Bolero, Ballad, Mambo, and typical music. Shortly after, the joy repeated itself for Dominicans with León Yamil's triumph. The singer-songwriter won the award for Best Tropical Song thanks to his work as one of the writers of the song "Nombre y apellido." The finishing touch to the Dominican victories of the night came from young rapper J Noa. With the power of her lyrics and her direct style of telling the social realities of her surroundings, the artist won in the category of Best Rap/Hip Hop Song for her song "Antisistema," made with producer and composer Trooko. This triumph represents a giant step in J Noa's international projection, consolidating her as one of the most authentic and promising voices in current urban music. Dominican singer-songwriter Techy Fatule poses with her first Latin Grammy after winning in the category Best Merengue and/or Bachata Album for her production "Chula." These three statuettes reflect a historic presence in this edition of the awards, as a total of eight Dominican artists and composers appeared on the list of nominees. In addition to the three winners, the country was very well represented by Manerra, Gabriel Pagán, and Covi Quintana, who competed in the same category as Techy Fatule and also earned individual nominations, as well as by Tokischa and Melymel, who were also present in the rap category. The variety of genres in which they participated demonstrates the richness and constant evolution of the musicians born on the island. Last night's triumphs in Las Vegas were not the only source of pride for the Caribbean country during this week of musical celebration. Days before the gala, specifically on Monday, November 9, the Latin Recording Academy paid a well-deserved tribute to maestro Chichí Peralta, awarding him the Excellence Award in recognition of his entire career and his valuable contributions to the industry. Just as yesterday's young winners knew how to fuse their roots with current sounds, Chichí Peralta has dedicated his artistic life to taking Afro-Caribbean rhythms around the world, mixing them with instruments and melodies from diverse cultures under a style of his own that has left an indelible mark. Dominican musician, producer, and percussionist Chichí Peralta poses with the Excellence Award, granted by the Latin Recording Academy in recognition of his career (Courtesy: N Digital Multimedia). During the special ceremony in which he shared honors with great figures such as Lila Downs, Francisco Céspedes, Alaska, and Daniela Mercury, the Dominican percussionist, arranger, and producer deeply thanked his country and the Latin American public. In his words, he highlighted how fundamental it is to keep cultural identity alive and never forget musical roots, a message that connects directly with the success achieved last night by the new generations of Dominican artists on the world stage.