IT’S DHARMA WHEELS UP FOR SEBASTIÁN YATRA

Universal Music Latino pop breakout Sebastián Yatra had a stellar 2022. One of the few new Spanish-language headliners not making reggaeton or rap, he kicked off the year with an Academy Award nomination and performance on the Oscar stage. As the New Year’s bubbly goes on ice, the artist is savoring his first Latin Grammy trophies (for Best Pop Song and Best Pop Vocal Album) and heads into the 65th Grammy Awards as a Best Latin Pop Album contender (for his third full-length, Dharma+).

It’s only fitting that Disney’s Encanto served as the launching pad for the Colombian singer-songwriter’s outstanding year; “Dos Oruguitas,” penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a Yatra vocal, earned a nod for Best Original Song and placed the bilingual artist at the heart of pop culture.

“This has been a very beautiful year because it's reflected what I've been feeling inside and my internal growth,” Yatra told us when we claimed to be from a more respectable publication. “Life has given me a lot of presents, things like my first Grammy nomination, performing at the Oscars and meeting wonderful people but also being able to give back. It's all part of something I see as a miracle. What's happening is special and I'm very grateful for it.”

After Dharma dropped in January, Yatra embarked on his first arena tour, which hit 70+ venues, including sold-out shows in Spain, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. To date, Dharma (along with its midyear deluxe edition, Dharma+) has generated nearly 10b global streams.

Yatra with Team UMLE celebrating the global certifications of Dharma at his sold-out hometown show at Miami's FTX Arena.

Said Paula Kaminsky, Yatra’s rep at GTS, UMLE’s artist-management division: "It’s been a rewarding journey watching Sebastián grow this year into a leading bilingual artist, performer and composer around the globe, as demonstrated by his award-winning album Dharma, his current position as a sought-after live performer on esteemed award-show stages and his sold-out, 78-show world tour. Alongside his recent releases in Spanish and English, we've seen him transcend the Latin market to become a paramount international artist.”

What sets Yatra apart from his peers is his embrace of Latin pop, from ballads to light rock, and a live show that finds him showcasing his piano and guitar chops as well as choreographed dance routines. His presentation evokes the Latin-pop fireworks of the ’90s and early aughts, as lit by heartthrobs Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, while his radio-ready anthems recall the hits of Ed Sheeran and Yatra collaborator John Legend. The latter joined him onstage at the Latin Grammys for one of the night’s most memorable performances—a bilingual rendition of Best Pop Song winner “Tacones Rojos.”

UMLE SVP, Marketing & Artist Strategy Salomon Palacios expects Yatra's success and awards-show glow to continue in 2023, attesting, “It has been remarkable to watch Sebastián develop into the global pop star he has grown into. We have witnessed him earn his first Latin Grammys, an Oscar nomination and performance and so many accolades. With his sold-out global tour and decorated album, Dharma, we can expect Yatra to continue triumphing.”

Once again, he’s attached to a tune on Oscar’s Best Original Song shortlist, thanks to his collaboration with Rita Wilson, “Til You’re Home” (from the buzzy Tom Hanks dramedy A Man Called Otto). And after its Latin Grammys pop-field sweep, Yatra’s Dharma+ should be considered a favorite for Best Latin Pop Album at the Grammys.

You can hardly blame the young star if he starts on the champagne a little early.