Spanish band El Canto Del Loco won all five awards they were nominated for at the third Premios 40 Principales gala in Madrid in front of an audience of 18,000. Jim Carrey, who was in the city to present his latest film, and singer Beyoncé were among the guests at the Palacio de Deportes.
The winners were voted by 760,095 fans via the Internet or SMS messages in Spain and eight Latin American countries that have music radio stations belonging to Union Radio, the international radio division of Spanish media conglomerate Grupo Prisa.
The other main winner, who was absent, was Colombia’s Juanes, who won for best international artist in Spanish and best song in Spanish for “Gotas De Agua Dulce” (Universal Music Latin). Coldplay was voted best international artist in non-Spanish, and One Republic took the best song in non-Spanish award for “Apologize” (Interscope).
El Canto Del Loco won awards for best tour, best video, best group, best album for “Personas” (Sony BMG) and best song (“Eres Tonto”), repeating their feat in the inaugural 2006 40 Principales gala when they won all the prizes for which they were nominated. The best solo artist award went to Melendi, and best new artist went to Despistaos.
Fans in eight Latin American countries voted for their best artists, who were: Belanova (Mexico), Katamaran (Colombia), Axel (Argentina), Shamanes (Chile), Percance (Costa Rica), El Tambor De La Tribu (Guatemala), Nigga (Panama), and Fausto Miño (Ecuador).
Live performances at the Dec. 12 ceremony came from La Oreja De Van Gogh, James Blunt, Anastacia, Kate Ryan, Estopa, the Cabriolets, Beatriz Luengo, Take That, Beyoncé, Nena Daconte, Craig David with Alex Ubago, Keane, Mayumaná, and El Canto Del Loco with Calle 13.
The gala was transmitted live on Spain’s most popular music radio network, Cadena SER’s Los 40 Principales, on 40TV pay TV, and the Web site los40.com for Spain. It was re-transmitted in Latin America by A&E Mundo.
Income from ticket sales, priced €22 to €32 ($30 to $43) and from SMS messages will be donated to two mobile health units destined for 109 peasant and indigenous communities in Ecuador, via a humanitarian project managed by Spanish non-government organisation Ayuda En Acción (Help In Action). Income from last year’s gala went to victims of a mid-2007 earthquake in neighboring Peru.
