Ángela Álvarez, the Oldest Latin Grammy Best New Artist Winner, Has Died
Courtesy of the artist.
The woman who made history as the oldest person to win the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist has died. The family of Cuban singer Ángela Álvarez announced she passed away at age 97 this morning (Dec. 6).
Ángela, who was born in Camagüey, rose to global prominence in 2022. That year, she became the oldest person to be nominated for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammy Awards. After learning to play the guitar and piano in Cuba, Ángela later set aside her singer dreams to start a family. In 2021, her grandson Carlos José Álvarez convinced her to record the songs she had stored away for decades. That led to the release of her debut album Ángela Álvarez in June 2021.
In November 2022, Ángela made history when she won Best New Artist at age 95. That also marked the first time in Latin Grammy history that there was a tie in that category. Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada, who made waves at the time with her album Marchita, also won. That resulted in both women sharing the podium and celebrating each other’s victory. Carlos José announced that Ángela passed away this morning in Baton Rouge, LA, while surrounded by her family.
“Today, I feel immense sorrow in saying goodbye to my grandmother, but I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to bring her dream to life,” he shared in a statement. “Discovering her notebooks filled with songs was a divine gift, and being able to record and share them with the world is a blessing I will treasure forever. My grandmother taught us that it’s never too late to pursue what we love, and I hope her legacy inspires others to believe that dreams truly can come true. May she always be remembered as a brave woman, filled with love and music.”Ángela’s journey to making her first album was captured in the documentary Miss Angela. Andy Garcia served as the executive producer and narrator of the film. In 2022, he also invited the singer to appear in the The Father Of The Bride remake on HBO Max.
