Los Ángeles Azules have forged their way through generations of cumbia listeners, from Iztapalapa to the world. Now they are set to perform and receive the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Award at the 37th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards in Washington on September 5.
“We are very grateful to the Hispanic Heritage Awards for this great recognition of our long artistic career,” said co-founder Elías Mejía Avante in a statement. “We also want to thank all of our fans and those who have supported us throughout this time.”
The event, known as “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States,” is presented by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and will air on PBS on Sept. 27. Other honorees include fashion designer Carolina Herrera, Beautyblender creator Rea Ann Silva and NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
“Los Ángeles Azules have literally touched audiences around the world through their music and messages for decades,” said José Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the foundation. “We are thrilled to honor this extraordinary group of musical giants with our arts award, and we look forward to sharing our collective cultural pride, accomplishments, and vision with the other honorees.”
Formed by the Mejía Avante brothers in the late 1970s, the Mexican band has been performing for nearly half a century. In 1997, they broke into the Latin music mainstream with their romantic ballad “Cómo te voy a olvidar,” which peaked at No. 7 on the chart. Billboard's Top Latin Songs Chart.
With more than 19 million Monthly Spotify listeners, the bandmates are known for experimenting with cumbias sonideras, a synth-heavy subgenre, and have also created symphonic cumbias that incorporate classical orchestral instrumentation.
Over the past decade, the “Entrega De Amor” singers have re-recorded many of their popular hits with contemporary vocalists such as Natalia Lafourcade, HaAsh, Pepe Aguilar and more. In 2019, the group landed their First number 1 in 19 years on the Regional Mexican list with “Nunca Es Suficiente”, featuring Lafourcade.
Los Ángeles Azules are also the first Mexican group in YouTube’s “Billion Views Club,” with two videos that reached more than a billion views: “My Feelings”, with Ximena Sariñana (1.2 billion), and “It’s never enough”, with Lafourcade (2 billion).
The band has received multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, including Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album for “Cumbia del Corazón,” which featured collaborations with Nicki Nicole, Carlos Vives, Juanes and others. The group also received a Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award.
Following the foundation's recognition during Hispanic Heritage Month, the band will also be honored later this year for their lifetime achievements in the Latin Grammy 2024 .
