During the 2022 Oscars (94th annual Academy Awards), singer Sebastián Yatra became the first Colombian solo artist to ever perform on stage during the Oscars ceremony.
While singing the heartfelt, Oscar-nominated hit “Dos Oruguitas” from the animated film Encanto, Yatra wore a custom black suit by Colombian designer Esteban Cortázar. The suit included 90 hand-embroidered yellow, black and orange butterflies individually stitched onto the outfit by Ana María Restrepo de Amarpo.
At the age of 18, before he graduated from high school, Cortázar made his debut at New York Fashion Week making him one of the youngest fashion designers ever to show his work during the event. During an interview with Forbes in 2019, he described his style as “Latin sensuality mixed with French sophistication.”
As for the meaning behind the butterflies, the song “Dos Oruguitas,” written by Oscar-nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, is about two lovestruck caterpillars who navigate the world together but soon realize that to continue to grow, they must leave each other and create their own future.
Yatra posted a video on Instagram where he was emotional about the performance. It was evident that he understood the significance of the moment, not only for him but for fans of Encanto and for the people of Colombia.
“It’s going to take a while to assimilate this,” Yatra wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone who joined me today, thank you Colombia, thank you Disney, thank you Lin-Manuel, thank you Encanto…THANK GOD.”
On Instagram, Restrepo de Amparo explained what her contribution meant to Sebastian Yatra’s complete look. “Each butterfly represent[s] faith, hope, resilience and joy that characterizes Colombians so much…” she wrote. “One by one, different from the other…full of magic and energy that loads this story with ENCANTO!!”
