Generations of alumni and a faculty member of the Frost School of Music again figured prominently among the nominees for the 26th annual Latin GRAMMY Awards.
Latin music superstar Gloria Estefan, a University of Miami graduate, B.A. ’79, who received an honorary doctorate from the Frost School in 1993, was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Traditional Tropical Album for “Raíces,” her soulful tribute to her 50 years in music, her family, and her Cuban and immigrant roots. Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan, are strong supporters and frequent collaborators with the Frost School.
Two other Frost School alumnae figured in the artist categories. Isadora Figueroa, B.M. ’22, a music industry major who minored in songwriting, was nominated for Best New Artist, an honor that can be a bellwether of future success. Figueroa, whose latest song is “Hierba Mala,” is the daughter of Puerto Rican pop star Chayanne.
Raquel Sofía, B.M. ‘09, a jazz vocal major whose performance was one of the highlights of the Centennial Celebration concert last April, is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Album for “Después De Los 30” (After 30). This is the fourth Latin GRAMMY nomination for Sofía, who was nominated for Best New Artist in 2015, Best Singer-Songwriter Album in 2018, and Best Pop Song in 2020.
Julio Reyes Copello, M.M. ’00, a producer, composer, and songwriter who is a powerhouse in Latin music, adds two more nominations to his previous 54 Latin GRAMMY nominations (leading to nine awards). This year, Copello is nominated for Album of the Year for buzzed about pop singer-songwriter Joaquina’s “al romper la burbuja” (bursting the bubble), and for Best Roots Song for “Jardín del Paraíso,” by Monsieur Periné featuring Bejuco. (The Miami-raised Joaquina, who is Venezuelan American, was mentored at Copello’s Art House Academy in Miami and won the award for Best New Artist in 2023.)
Natalia Ramírez, M.A. ’17, an audio engineer who has worked at Copello’s Art House studio and school, also shared in the Album of the Year nomination for “al romper la burbuja.” Ramírez has won three Latin GRAMMYs, including for Record of the Year, and has been nominated 25 times.
Another alum featuring significantly in this year’s nominations is Federico Vindver, B.M. ’08, an Argentine producer and songwriter who’s nominated for Producer of the Year. Vindver, who has worked with a long list of major mainstream and Latin artists, including Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Marc Anthony, and Pitbull, has seven other Latin GRAMMY nominations this year. They include two for Record of the Year, for CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso’s “El Día Del Amigo” and “#Tetas,” and Album of the Year for CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso’s “Papota.”
Danny Flores, M.A. ‘22, also shares in the Album of the Year nomination for “Papota” as one of its producers, his second following his 2018 nomination for Best Urban Music Album. The music industry graduate has connected with the Frost School several times recently, and was instrumental in bringing Frost School students to perform at last year’s Latin GRAMMY Person of the Year gala for superstar Carlos Vives, where he is music supervisor.
Finally, Dave Poler, a lecturer in the music engineering program, also shares in the Album of the Year nomination for Gloria Estefan’s “Raíces” as one of its engineers, continuing a decades-long tradition of musical connections between the Frost School and Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
The 26th Latin GRAMMY Awards take place on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas.
