Angela Alvarez, 95, won Best New Latin Female Artist in the historic tie

CNN
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Angela Alvarez He made Latin Grammy history Thursday by winning Best New Artist at the age of 95.

The singer tied in the category with musician and songwriter Silvana Estrada, but she already set an event record by being nominated as the oldest musician ever to be nominated in the category.

“I want to dedicate this award to God and my beloved country, Cuba, which I will never be able to forget,” Alvarez said as she accepted her award on stage at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas.

The Cuban-born’s passion for music began in her youth. She was discouraged from pursuing a career in music by her father but found joy in performing for her family. Mother of four, grandmother of nine, and great-grandmother of 15 immigrated to the United States in the 1960s, according to Billboard.

Over the years, she sang to her family about her life and developed a collection of songs that she composed. With the encouragement and support of her grandson, she eventually recorded and released a compilation of her songs in 2021.

Her Latin Grammy nomination came as a surprise to her, Alvarez for CNN en Español last month.

“I felt so proud to be able to tell my story, to touch people who may have gone through the same thing or more than I did. There are people who give up, but I didn’t give up,” she said.

Alvarez concluded her speech on Thursday with inspiring words.

Alvarez said, “For those who haven’t achieved their dream, however hard life is, there is always a way out and with faith and love you can make it happen, I promise.” “It’s not too late.”