@carlosoarturo and @danielarcilafoto
Ten years ago, Colombian music executive Diana Montez launched the Premios Heat (Heat Latin Music Awards) with a mission to not only support and nurture up-and-coming Latin artists, but also provide a platform where their efforts are recognized. founded the brand.
The awards ceremony officially launched in 2015 through the HTV and TBS networks and counted on the support of artists such as Juanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Nicky Jam and the then-rising J Balvin. “To be honest, Premios Heat was already born big, so it was beautiful,” says Montez, who has been in the music industry for 25 years. signboard.
The 2023 Heat Latin Music Awards, which airs for the eighth time on Thursday 8 June from Cap Cana, Dominican Republic via HTV and TNT, will be led by six-time nominees Karol G, Fade and Bad Bunny, followed by Five-time nominated artists follow El Alpha as the nominee, and Romeo Santos and Bizarup each have been nominated four times. Confirmed appearances include El Alfa, Mau y Ricky, Greeicy, Mario Bautista, Grupo Niche and more.
But beyond the award ceremony, which focuses on talent charts in Latin America rather than the United States, the Premios Heat brand also has a festival franchise and a new partnership with Warner Music Latin and hitmaker Master Chris. There is a certain “La Nueva Sepa”. Encourage newcomers to make a name for themselves in their own country, as Ryan Castro, Anitta, Yahaira Placencia and Decco have done in the past.
“Five years from now, Premios Heat will undoubtedly be the strongest music brand in Latin America,” Montez asserts. “We look at it from the numbers and the growth of awards and festivals. We are more than just awards. .”
In the Q&A below, Montez explains more about the Heat Latin Music Awards.
Anitta
Heat/Carlos Zambrano Award*
Can you briefly explain what Premiosheat is and why it is held on the beach?
It’s an experience. A musical platform where we can make real connections, the beach gives us a sense of belonging. It was clear to me when I handled the awards that I didn’t want to do the ceremony in the US for a variety of reasons, including not having the resources to compete with a large ceremony. It means that At first we were talking about Cartagena de Indias, but for some reason we ended up in Cap Cana and have been hosting the awards here for nine years. That’s what makes it different from traditional awards. Here, everyone wears a bathing suit, drinks beer in hand, works, and builds a network.
How are nominees determined for each awards season?
They were initially chosen by artists to rotate on HTV. At the moment, it’s a mix of HTV, LosHeat.TV (a new platform that in its second year he debuted as the best Latin American platform after TikTok), and what we see in the Latin American region. We visit many countries. Countries like Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic have very young people making money on their local charts and on social media.
The Heat Latin Music Awards stand out for discovering, supporting and promoting emerging talent such as J Balvin, Karol G and Bad Bunny. Which new generation of artists do you think have the potential to reach that superstar status?
We have Dekko, the 2022 Musical Promise Award winner. I feel like I’m already crossing over. Ecuadorian Dayanara Peralta is a very strong player with impressive numbers. We see Mar Rendon and her ADSO doing some very interesting things. You can see a young shrine maiden making very powerful movements. We’ve had a very close look at the music movement in Latin America, and for us the important thing is not what’s ringing or trending in the US, but what’s happening in Peru. It is to pay attention to whether What is going on in Colombia? We feel these artists need a platform and we have a vision to see their incredible talent.
Could you elaborate a bit more on the “La Nueva Cepa” initiative and its significance?
This is an idea we’ve had for a long time, and it’s basically a celebration of Master Chris’ 25 years as a music producer. Rather than making records with artists he produced such as Alexis y Fido, Griese and J. Balvin, he wanted to follow the Heat Awards philosophy and discover talent in Latin America. . We are not a record label, but we have developed a lot of talent on our platform. In this effort, what we’re trying to do is record them, make a video of them, put them on HTV.