Molotov, Natalia LaFourcade & Juanes Sweep MTV LatAM Awards.

Mexican artists Molotov and Natalia Lafourcade along with Colombia’s Juanes triumphed at the second annual MTV Video Music Awards Latin America (VMALA), broadcast LIVE on MTV Latin America, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, as well as on MTV2 in the United States. Molotov dominated the event winning four awards, including “Video Of The Year” and “Best Group/Duo”, while Natalia Lafourcade won three awards including “Best Solo Act”. Juanes won for the second year in a row, taking two awards home, including “Artist Of The Year”. Mexico’s international movie star Diego Luna returned to host the event which featured a one man performance by controversial Argentinean Fernando Peña, as well as the event’s signature duets and artistic collaborations that combined the most vibrant talent and sounds representing artists from across the region, in a glittering celebration of music and Latin youth culture.

The VMALAs will air on MTV in the US on November 1 at 11PM ET, and is being made available to MTV’s global networks of channels in Europe and the Asia-Pacific, as well as in Canada and Brazil, to a potential viewing audience of over one billion households. It will also air on selected broadcasters throughout Latin America to 48 million homes in the region.

The show kicked off with “Los Black Stripes” an unprecedented collaboration of Latin music royalty (Ricky Martin, Juanes, Charly Alberti – ex-Soda Stereo, Vicentico – ex-Fabulosos Cadillacs, Alex Lora of El Tri, Plastilina Mosh, Andrea Echeverri of Aterciopelados, and Jorge González from Los Prisioneros), performing a medley of tunes saluting 10 years of music that rocked Latin America and impacted youth culture across the region. Host Diego Luna made a star studded entrance, meeting TV star Erik Estrada, personality Daisy Fuentes, superstar Britney Spears, and soccer legend Maradona (masquerading as God!) en route to the stage, before being lowered into the house from the roof of the auditorium.

The high energy Spanish language ceremony was held at Miami’s Jackie Gleason Theatre, and featured a diverse line up of artists from across the region, Europe, and North America. In its second year, it is the premier pan regional music event created especially for young Latin Americans. The show featured ground-breaking live performances and collaborations including La Ley mixing it up with Ely Guerra, Natalia Lafourcade with Control Machete, and Iggy Pop with Sum 41 closing the show with “Little Know It All” and “Lust For Life”.

Additional spectacular performances included Korn, premiering their single “Right Now” in their first ever performance at an award show, Dido performing an acoustic version of her new track “White Flag”, Alejandro Sanz performing his single “No Es Lo Mismo”, Café Tacuba performing “Eres/Cero Y Uno”, The Mars Volta performing “Drunkenship of Lanterns”, and Gustavo Cerati singing “Artefacto”.

Argentinean Fernando Peña added a new dimension to the show with a controversial performance addressing a plethora of social issues that affect young Latin Americans including HIV/AIDS, drug use, hypocrisy, identity, disease, etc. MTV Latin America, which will shortly launch a comprehensive Public Affairs campaign, embraced the opportunity to provoke and empower viewers through the issues that Peña confronts.

The winners of the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America 2003 are:

Artist of the Year: Juanes
Video of the Year: Molotov
Best Solo Act: Natalia Lafourcade
Best Group or Duo of the Year: Molotov
Best Pop Artist of the Year: Natalia Lafourcade
Best Rock Artist of the Year: Juanes
Best Alternative Act: Molotov
Best Rock Artist – International: Coldplay
Best New Artist – Argentina: Vicentico
Best Artist – Central: Libido
Best Pop Act – International: Avril Lavigne
Best New Artist – International: Evanescence
Best Artist – Mexico: Molotov
Best New Artist – Mexico: Natalia Lafourcade
Best Artist – Argentina: Bersuit Vergarabat
Best New Artist – Central: TK
Best Independent Act: Hermanos Brothers

In true MTV style, the VMALA’s award is a tongue – symbolising the Spanish language that unites all Latin Americans throughout the region.