Latin Grammy Nominations Announced

The inaugural reading of nominations to honor achievements in Latin music took place Friday morning, as a roster of who's who in Latin music read the list of nominations for the first-ever Latin Grammys.

Producer Emilio Estefan Jr. collected six nominations for his producing work with his wife Gloria Estefan and other popular Latin artists like Carlos Vives and Marc Anthony.

Anthony scored nominations in both the pop category, including record of the year and song of the year for "Dimelo (I Need To Know)," and the tropical music category with the song "Da La Vuelta."

Pop songstress Shakira (pictured, right) was nominated in five pop categories, including album of the year and best pop album of the year for her "MTV Unplugged" disc, and best female pop vocal performance.

Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias (pictured, left), Juan Luis Guerra and other popular Latin musicians took turns announcing five categories at the nomination ceremony.

"Latin music is really enjoying a unique moment, and this new record that I put out that's all Spanish has been my highest-charting record in Europe and Asia, so it says a lot," Gloria Estefan (pictured, right), who presented the nominations for record of the year, told Juan Fernandez of Los Angeles' CBS 2 News.

"The nominations reflect both the international scope and reach of Latin music and the artists who make it, while also recognizing the important role the music continues to play domestically," said Michael Greene, president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, in a statement.

The winners will be announced in Los Angeles on Sept. 13 in a Latin Grammys ceremony. The two-hour show will be the first bilingual program televised on CBS.

A partial list of nominees:
Best female pop vocal performance

• Christina Aguilera, "Genio Atrapado"
• Zizi Possi, "Meu Erro"
• Shakira, "Ojos Asi"
• Mercedes Sosa, "Al Despertar"
• Jaci Velasquez, "Llegar A Ti"

Pop vocal performance by a duo or group

• Ketama!, "Mienteme"
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, "No Me Ames"
• Mana, "Se Me Olvido Otravez"
• So Pra Contrariar & Gloria Estefan, "Santo, Santo"
• Andreas Vollenweider and Milton Nascimento "Cor Do Amor"

Song of the year (lists songwriters, performers in parentheses)

• Fito Paez (Fito Paez), "Al Lado Del Camino"
• Marc Anthony, Robert Blades, Angie Chirino & Cory Rooney (Marc Anthony), "Dimelo (I Need To Know)"
• Juan Luis Guerra (Juan Luis Guerra 440), "El Niagara En Bicicleta"
• Martin Madera, (Carlos Vives), "Fruta Fresca"
• Juan Carlos Calderon, (Luis Miguel), "O Tu O Ninguna"

Record of the year

• Marc Anthony, "Dimelo (I Need To Know)"
• Ruben Blades, "Tiempos"
• Ricky Martin, "Livin' La Vida Loca (Spanish Version)"
• Santana Featuring Mana, "Corazon Espinado"
• Carlos Vives, "Fruta Fresca"

Album of the year

• Juan Luis Guerra 440, "Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual"
• Luis Miguel, "Amarte Es Un Placer"
• Shakira, "MTV Unplugged"
• Caetano Veloso, "Livro"
• Carlos Vives, "El Amor De Mi Tierra"

For a complete list of nomination for the Latin Grammys, visit the Recording Academy's Web site.