Robin Blades has been named Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy

“When I started this, no one knew how long it would last. I remember making a statement saying that I thought I would sing until I was 40. I’m the first to be surprised,” Panamanian told Evie minutes before the start of his big night in Las Vegas (USA), where a day later Latin Grammy.

At the age of 73, Blades joins the list of artists with the title person of the Year which includes joansAnd immune, Alejandro Sanz, Marc Anthony, Shakira, Juan Manuel Serrat and Gloria Estefan, among others.

“There are a lot of people better than me who deserve this opportunity, but I appreciate it very much,” he said.

Born on July 16, 1948 in Panama, Blades, as well as An iconic figure in the salsa revolution From the 1970s in New York, he collaborated with artists from rock, jazz, pop, hip-hop, and reggaeton, among other musical genres.

During his career he was Winner of eight Latin Grammy AwardsPlus nine Grammys.

Among his works, works such as “Finding America” ​​(1984), which is an album emblematic for its social and political content, and “Seeding” (1978), which marked a turning point in the international expansion of Salsa.

“I thought the decision Writing folk songs with urban content has never been so far-fetchedPeople think people just want to dance,” Bledans recalls.

While walking on the red carpet, the artist remembered the description he gave Gabriel Gracia Marquez From his work: “Gabo is the best who described me, he told me “You are a historian, a singer-songwriter for stories, not an accountant.”

latin academy, which since 2000 has chosen musicians of Ibero-American heritage as Person of the Year not only for their artistic achievements, but also for their humanitarian efforts, stressed that Blades supported programs all over the world which raise awareness about political persecution, hunger and poverty.

The concert, the event that preceded the delivery of the Latin Grammy, was marked by performances by musicians such as Carlos Vives, Marc Anthony, Andres CalamaruRosalyn, Diego Torres and Christina Aguilera, among other things.