World renowned Brazilian singer/songwriter Roberto Carlos will receive the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding career, and iconic guitarist Carlos Santana will be bestowed the Spirit of Hope Award for his philanthropic and humanitarian contributions beyond his musical work at the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards presented by State Farm®. Both artists also will perform at the awards ceremony, the longest-running and most prestigious awards show in the Latin music world, produced and broadcast live on Telemundo Thursday, April 30, at 7pm/6c from BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Florida. Fans can follow the excitement of the star-studded event on Twitter, Instagram @LatinBillboards and Facebook.com/LatinBillboards, and join the conversation using #Billboards2015.
With a musical career that spans over 50 years and more than 120 million albums sold around the world,
Roberto Carlos will be honored with the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an artist for an exceptional career that has taken Latin music to another level globally. The renowned artist, who is one of the top-selling Latin artists in the world, continues to be relevant for his artistic and personal contributions, and his influence has marked the development of Latin music in the world.
Roberto Carlos initiated a major music revolution in Brazil in the '60s, reaching success in a period coinciding with the youth movement started by the Beatles that was taking over the world.
Roberto Carlos was the leader of Jovem Guarda, and he led a TV show that became a generic denomination of a musical style that was a definitive change of face for Brazilian music. In the late '60s,
Roberto Carlos changed his style to become the most successful romantic artist in Brazil, co-writing some of the most beautiful songs in this style, which would become Latin American classics, like "Detalles," "Jesus Cristo," "Emociones" and "Que Sera de ti." By the late 1970s he had become the best-selling Brazilian musician in history.
In the '80s,
Roberto Carlos began to record in English and French, having already released albums in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, granting him a solid international career with top positions on Billboard's Latin charts. In 1986, he was a success at
Radio City Music Hall in New York and three years later, won the first of his four Grammys, this time for Best Latin American Pop singer. In the 1990s,
Roberto Carlos became the first Latin American artist to sell more albums than the Beatles.
The Spirit of Hope Award, created in honor of Selena, is given to an artist in honor for his philanthropic and humanitarian contributions beyond their musical work. In 2015, the Spirit of Hope Award will be granted to
Carlos Santana for his lifelong devotion to social activism and humanitarian causes, and in particular for his work on behalf of children through his Milagro Foundation. Originally established by
Carlos Santana and his family in 1998, the Milagro
Foundation benefits underserved and vulnerable children around the world by making grants to community based tax-exempt organizations that work with children in the areas of education, health and the arts. With funds generated by concert ticket donations,
Santana licensed products and generous philanthropic partners and individual donors, Milagro has granted more than five million dollars, supporting children and youth in the San Francisco Bay area, across the United States and in countries around the world.
Delivered with a level of passion and soul equal to the legendary sonic charge of his guitar,
Carlos Santana's music is a world renowned signature. For more than four decades, from Santana's earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock
Fusion outfit in San Francisco, Carlos has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural and geographical boundaries. For more than forty years and almost as many albums later,
Santana has sold more than 100 million records and reached more than 100 million fans at concerts worldwide. Among many honors,
Carlos Santana received Billboard Latin Music Awards' 2009 Lifetime Achievement award, and, he was bestowed Billboard's Century Award in 1996. Santana's recent album "Corazón" is a collaborative effort with the biggest names in Latin music including ChocQuibTown, Lila Downs,
Gloria Estefan, Fabulosos Cadillacs, Juanes,
Ziggy Marley, Miguel, Niña Pastori, Diego Torres, Samuel Rosa of Skank, Cindy Blackman Santana, Romeo Santos, Soledad, Wayne Shorter, and others. This is Santana's first Spanish-language album of his iconic career. Up for five awards this year, "Corazon" is certified U.S. Latin Double Platinum and was the top selling Latin Music album in the United States for six consecutive weeks.
The exciting event will also feature performances by multi-faceted urban music star Wisin; mega-star
Daddy Yankee; urban music breakout act J Balvin; international star Carlos Vives; Regional Mexican chart topper
Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda; Mexican songstress Ana Gabriel, beloved singer and actress Lucero; and special honorees
Roberto Carlos and
Carlos Santana.
Topping the list of this year's finalists are
Romeo Santos (21 entries),
Enrique Iglesias (19),
J Balvin (12),
Marc Anthony (7), Drake (7),
Descemer Bueno (6), Gente de Zona (6),
Julion Alvarez y Su Norteño Banda (6),
Farruko (6) and Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizarraga (6). See the complete list of finalists, in addition to exclusive content about this year's event online at Telemundo.com/PremiosBillboard - the official website of the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards presented by State Farm®
The Billboard Latin Music Awards honor the most popular albums, songs, and performers in Latin music, as determined by the actual sales, radio airplay, streaming and social data that informs Billboard's weekly charts. They are the culmination of the Billboard Latin Music Conference, now in its 26th year and under the slogan "The Top Artists, The Top Trends, The Top Names in Music". The conference is the biggest and longest-running event dedicated to Latin music in the world. It takes place on April 27-30 at The Ritz-Carlton in Miami Beach, Florida. The conference is the "must-attend" event for the top
POWER PLAYERS in the industry, from label presidents to A talent, to top agents, managers, promoters, marketing and advertising executives and radio executives, as well as for those taking their first steps in the business. For information please visit BillboardLatinConference.com or email conferences@billboard.com.
Billboard is the world's most influential music brand; built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com which is the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music - the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike.
