BMI will honor multiple award-winning reggaetón duo Wisin y Yandel with the BMI President’s Award at the 27th Annual BMI Latin Awards to be held Tuesday, Mar. 31 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. They will receive the honor in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions to the Latin music community. The private ceremony will be hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Senior Vice President, Creative, Alex Flores.
In addition to honoring Wisin y Yandel, BMI will also salute the songwriters, publishers and administrators of the past year’s most-performed Latin songs in the United States. The BMI Regional Mexican Song, Songwriter, BMI Contemporary Latin Song, Songwriter and Publisher of the Year will be named during the ceremony.
“Wisin y Yandel is one of the most celebrated and influential Latin urban duos of all time,” said Alex Flores, BMI Senior Vice President, Creative. “Through the lyrical prowess of their chart-topping hits, they galvanized the ‘golden age’ of reggaetón, which continues to influence today’s pop culture. We are thrilled to honor their dynamic artistry while celebrating an evening of the best in Latin music.”
The Puerto Rican duo’s music has infiltrated dancefloors, radio airwaves and TV screens worldwide since the late '90s with hits such as “Rákata,” “Ahora Es,” “Llame Pa’ Verte” and “Algo Me Gusta de Ti,” which all landed on the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. As pioneers of Latin urban music, Wisin y Yandel brought reggaetón from an underground genre to the mainstream resulting in groundbreaking collaborations with pop artists such as Chris Brown, T- Pain, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi and Enrique Iglesias, among others.
Collectively, they’ve released ten full-length albums, resulting in millions of sales and multiple certified platinum and gold awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2005, Pa’l Mundo became their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart and has remained one of reggaetón’s most significant and commercially successful releases to date. Their sixth studio album Wisin vs. Yandel: Los Extraterrestres earned the group their first GRAMMY award, and after releasing Los Vaqueros: El Regreso (2011) and Líderes (2012), the dynamic pair took a hiatus to pursue solo projects. In 2018, Wisin y Yandel reunited to collaborate on Los Campeones del Pueblo: The Big Leagues, followed by eight sold-out consecutive concerts at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.
Throughout their career, Wisin y Yandel have received 18 BMI Latin Awards, including the coveted BMI Latin Songwriter of the Year in 2007 and 2008. In addition, they’ve collected many other prestigious accolades, including numerous Billboard Latin Music Awards, Premio Lo Nuestro and Premios Juventud statuettes, and an MTV Video Music Award.
In receiving this honor, Wisin y Yandel joins previous BMI President’s Award recipients, including Mario Quintero, Juanes, Luis Fonsi, Pitbull, Gloria Trevi, Sergio George and Carlos Vives, among others.
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