The Grammys name JLo as the most influential Latina in history and Twitter users ask: and Shakira?

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States cataloged Jennifer Lopez as the most influential Latina in the music industry of all timeas read on its official website, where they highlight the trajectory of the interpreter of “Jenny from the block” that has “broken down barriers and elevated Latin music and culture.”

This title is awarded by the Academy in the framework of Hispanic Heritage Month, mentioning that López, with her talents in singing, acting and dancing, managed to position Latin artists at the level of other international luminaries, consolidating Latin power with his performances in films such as “Selena”, “Anaconda” and “Out of sight”.

They also highlight that in his musical journey he has created albums where his Latin heritage can be recognized, being faithful to his roots and managing to position thousands of hits in English and Spanish at the top of the most listened to lists, a journey that has given him the possibility of singing on “the biggest stages in the world” such as the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami, singing along with the Colombian Shakira.

And this is where the controversy that is raging on Twitter begins, because it is the fans of the Colombian who wonder: And Shakira? Why is Shakira not the most influential Latina if she was born in Latin America, contrary to Jennifer Lopez?

It must be made clear that Jennifer Lopez was born on July 25, 1969 in the Bronx, New York.within a Puerto Rican family, whose parents, David López and Guadalupe Rodríguez, had migrated years ago from the island to the United States.

Secondly, Shakira Isabel Mebarak was born on February 2, 1977 in Barranquilla, Colombia.daughter of William Mebarak Chadid, an American of Lebanese origin, and Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian with Spanish roots.

This is the biggest argument of the tweeters who do not agree with the title that the Academy gives J Lo, because they do not recognize the interpreter of “get right” as a Latina, because after all she was born on American soil and her native language is English.

Others attack the American singer because she uses “being Latina” as a hook to have a more global audience and does not specifically represent the Latin culture in its entirety. Also, they mention that the Grammy Academy is an American company and they need a compatriot with Latin roots to call it as suchrevealing the supposed “little vision” of the music company.

On the other hand, some users have come out in defense of the Puerto Rican, showing the many help that the singer has done when natural disasters have occurred in Puerto Rico. They also mention that there a very large Latino community in the United States who are born on US soil, have Latino migrant parents, and suffer from xenophobic acts because they do not recognize them in any of the regions, making a call to put aside hatred and join forces to end xenophobia.

Neither of the two artists has spoken about it and apparently they will not, since each one is focused on their projects. Jennifer has just released her children’s book called “con pollo” and Shakira is in full promotion of her new song “Monotonia”.

For now, Jlo and Shakira are two artists who, in their own way, have left the flags of Puerto Rico and Colombia very high, each with their own journey and talent. The two are recognized as Latinas by their peers and the two share a long-standing friendship that they demonstrated at the 2020 Super Bowl, one of the most watched halftimes on YouTube to date.