Renowned Venezuelan Pop/Rock singer and songwriter Franco de Vita will be bestowed the Billboard Hall of Fame Award at the upcoming 2014 Billboard Latin Music Awards presented by State Farm®. The longest-running and most prestigious Latin music awards show will be produced and broadcast live by Telemundo, Thursday, April 24 at 7pm/6c from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami in Florida. The complete list of finalists, in addition to exclusive content about this year's event, can be found at Telemundo.com/PremiosBillboard (http://www.telemundo.com/PremiosBillboard). Fans can follow the excitement via: Facebook.com/LatinBillboards (https://www.facebook.com/LatinBillboards), Twitter.com/LatinBillboards and Instagram.com/LatinBillboards, using #Billboards2014.
One of the most popular Latin pop artists to ever emerge from Venezuela, Franco de Vita, began his recording venture as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter of the trio Icaro before embarking on a successful solo career. He launched to stardom in the late '80s with international smash hits such as "Solo importas tu," "Te amo," and "Louis." Franco de Vita has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, achieving 11 top 10s and one No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. His song "No basta" spent six weeks atop the chart in 1991. Most recently, "Te pienso sin querer" featuring
Gloria Trevi peaked at No. 17 on Latin Pop Airplay. Franco de Vita has also composed hit songs for other internationally renowned artists, including Chayanne's "Contra vientos y mareas," "Y tú te vas," and "Un siglo sin ti;" and Ricky
Martin's "A medio vivir," "Vuelve," and "Tal vez," among others. These collaborative works alone have sold more than 30 million albums around the world.
The Billboard Hall of Fame Award is reserved for those artists who have achieved major global recognition in their musical careers, transcending genre and language boundaries. Celebrating a 30-year artistic career, the success of new projects including "Primera Fila" and "Vuelve en Primera Fila," and his continuous and generous support of new artists and talent makes Franco de Vita the obvious recipient of the coveted Billboard Hall of Fame award, to honor not only his musical achievements, but also his tremendous influence as a global artist in multiple fields.
The longest-running and most prestigious Latin music awards show will also feature performances by 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree
Andrea Bocelli, Global Pop music superstar
Laura Pausini, International superstar
Ricky Martin, Spanish Pop singer David Bisbal,
The Voice of Pop
Luis Fonsi, Colombian singer and songwriter Juanes, legendary Mexican music band
La Arrolladora Banda El Limon De Rene Camacho, and the "Mother of all bands"
Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizarraga, among others yet to be announced.
The awards show culminates the Billboard Latin Music Conference presented by State Farm®, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2014. This conference, taking place on April 21 - 24 at the JW Marriot Marquis in Miami, Florida, unites today's top Latin music artists and key Latin music industry influencers for four days of provocative presentations, panel discussions, exclusive Q&A's with the hottest artists, compelling case studies, cutting-edge artist showcases, and exclusive networking events. Attendees will also have access to new panels, the new Billboard Latin Music Marketing Awards, Powered by CLIO and hosted by
Telemundo and mun2, the Billboard En Concierto series and the popular Billboard BASH, featuring a new format and venue. For details on The Billboard Latin Music Conference, visit: BillboardLatinConference.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.
