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Voting for the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF) 2023 La Musa Awards is open to all music lovers. The voting window closes on May 1
De Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF)
The LSHOF was founded in 2012 in Miami, FL, and the first inductees were selected the following year. It is “dedicated to teaching, honoring and celebrating the lives and music of the world’s greatest Latin American songwriters and composers,” as stated on their website.
However, the LSHOF last handed out their LA MUSA PRIZES in 2019. I assume the hiatus had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic that happened the following year. There is no updated information on their website or on their social sites. Its American counterpart, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF), also took a hiatus after 2019 due to the pandemic, but resumed their awards in 2022.
I’m glad to see that they seem intent on resuming the awards in 2023, because we need a way to recognize our Latino songwriters and composers, just like the SHOF has done since 1969. But remember that this year for the first time At that time, a Spanish woman, Gloria Estefan, was selected to participate in the SHOF. She said on the news that she wanted to use the platform to give opportunities to artists like Shakira, Ricky Martin and others Marc Antonius . I love Gloria’s good intentions for her South Florida friends, but I have to point out that of the three, only Shakira is a real songwriter.
But my point is that the chances of getting a platform at the SHOF are so slim that we Latinos should continue to provide one ourselves.
I haven’t seen a date for the 2023 induction ceremony announced by the LSHOF yet, but since they normally hold it towards the end of the year, they still have time.
Omissions from the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame
I don’t want to sound unfairly critical of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, since as I just said, they are critical in providing a platform for Latino songwriters and composers. That said, I believe they need to fix some apparent omissions that will throw the selection process into disarray if not addressed.
It is excellent that inductees into the LSHOF are people like José Feliciano Armando Manzanero, Omar Alfanno, Gloria Estefan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ernesto Lecuona, along with Kany Garcia , Myriam Hernandez, Ivy Queen, Pitbull, Wisin, Gente de Zona and many other greats . But it should start to fill in some obvious omissions. Here are a few (many more are missing):
Live/active:
Rubén Blades , Juan Luis Guerra , Shakira , José Nogueras , Roberto Carlos Johnny Ortiz, Ismael Miranda , Joan Manuel Serrat in Antonio Cabán Vale “el Topo”.
Posthumously :
José Alfredo Jimenez Tite Curet Alonso, Miguel Matamoros , Pablo Milanés , Juan Formell , Joe Arroyo Pedro Flores, Arsenio Rodríguez, Mercedes Sosa in Rafaël Escalona .
The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame is an organization we need in Latin music, so I will remind everyone to vote and support the organization.
