THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES THE 2024 SEBASTIÁN YATRA SCHOLARSHIP

A FOUR-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDING UP TO $200,000 IN FINANCIAL AID TOWARDS A BACHELOR’S DEGREE AT BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC

The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® announces 2x Latin GRAMMY® winner Sebastián Yatra as the sponsor for its prestigious Prodigy Scholarship toward a bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music for the 2024 fall semester. The Sebastián Yatra Scholarship will provide up to $200,000 in financial aid for music students in need. Created nine years ago, it has been co-sponsored by iconic Latin music creators including: Nicky Jam (2023), Sofia Carson (2022), Juanes (2021), Julio Iglesias(2020), Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2019), Carlos Vives (2018), Miguel Bosé (2017), Juan Luis Guerra (2016), and Enrique Iglesias (2015).

Sebastián shares, “Joining the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation for their annual Prodigy Scholarship is beautiful because I’m part of something that I would’ve wished for as a young kid. One of my big dreams was to study music at Berklee and although my career took a different path which I’m super grateful for, I would’ve loved to have that kind of preparation and knowledge. I hope that the person who gets this opportunity takes full advantage of the scholarship and enjoys it to the max. I’ll be looking out for applicants that share a lot of heart and sincerity in their art.”

The announcement of The Sebastián Yatra Scholarship comes as a follow-up to the artist’s role as host during the 24th Annual Latin GRAMMYs which saw the charismatic bilingual star perform and shared on-air about his enthusiasm for the Foundation, inviting the world to join in and support Latin music education. The Colombian-American artist first joined forces with the Foundation in 2019 for Latin GRAMMY In The Schools™ in Miami – an educational experience for middle school and high school music students to learn about the industry from talented Latin artists and music professionals.

The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® is accepting applications for all 2024 scholarships from Dec. 14, 2023, to April 10, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. For more information, please visit the official Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation website at:  www.latingrammyculturalfoundation.org. 

Sebastián Yatra was also honored this year as the 2023 RIAA’s “Artist Of The Year” for his continued creative inspiration and contribution to the global music landscape, nabbing 26 RIAA certifications and composing tracks with over 37 billion combined streams leading to 26 million monthly listeners on Spotify. 

The bilingual singer-songwriter who graced GQ’s hype cover in November is also celebrating his latest release “Energía Bacana.” “At 29, the hitmaking Colombian singer has earned fans across continents, a lifetime of trophies, and billions of streams. He takes a break from finishing his next album to reflect on his marathon quest to reinvent la balada—and quiet his mind,” GQ introduces – read the full story [read here]! 

Over the summer and fall, Sebastián performed to packed-house international festival crowds, leading in sing-alongs to his summer hit “VAGABUNDO”’s “na-na-na-na-na” melody. The RIAA certified Latin Platinum® smash single which also reached #1 on Billboard’s Latin airplay chart. It’s 3x Platinum® in Spain and holds multiple Gold® certifications across Latin America with over 370 million combined streams. It trended #4 on Youtube and has accumulated more than 74 million views. 

Last year, Yatra scored two Latin GRAMMY’s for his multi platinum album ‘Dharma’ and the single “Tacones Rojos.” His album ‘Dharma’ reached the #1 spot in Billboard’s Latin Streaming chart and in the Latin Songs Digital Sales chart. His performance of “Dos Oruguitas”in the Disney movie ‘Encanto,’ which is newly certified RIAA Platinum, marked the first Spanish language song ever to be performed at the Academy Awards. 

These achievements, coupled with his charisma and sensitivity, continue to elevate the 29-year-old genre-bending multi-hyphenate as a leading Spanish language pop artist crossing barriers into the mainstream arena. His music from the leads with passion, his words evoke emotions and his mellifluous voice melts hearts across the globe.