The Catalan singer and composer Joan Manuel Serrat was honored this Wednesday with the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts 2024 “for the scope of an artistic career that transcends music.”
The work of the 80-year-old singer-songwriter—who In 2022 he said goodbye to the stage with an extensive tour—was highlighted for combining “the art of poetry and music at the service of tolerance, shared values, the richness of diversity of languages and culturesas well as a necessary desire for freedom”, according to the jury.
The singer was defined by the court as a “defender of dialogue” in the face of tension. “The work of Joan Manuel Serrat is an exponent of his inalienable vocation to build bridges between countries and generations“added those who granted him the recognition.
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Serrat began his career in the mid-60s. At that time, he was one of the representatives of the “Nova Cançó Catalana”. However, one of his first great successes came only in 1969, with the album in Spanish dedicated to the Spanish poet Antonio Machado.
The artist belongs to the generation of artists who fought against the Franco regime (1939-1975), whom he did not hesitate to make uncomfortable when refused to sing at Eurovision for not being able to do it in Catalan.
Throughout his career, Joan Manual Serrat was recognized with multiple awards, such as the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso Additionally, in 2014 he was appointed Person of the Year for the Latin Grammys.
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The latest winners of the Princess of Asturias Award
The Arts Award was the first of the eight awards of this edition of the Princess of Asturias Awards, considered the most prestigious in the world Ibero-American.
Last year, recognition in this category went to American actress Meryl Streepwinner of three Oscars, whom the jury recognized for “dignifying the art of acting.”
In other editions were also awarded Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Pedro Almodóvar. Architects such as Óscar Niemeyer, Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava and musicians such as Ennio Morricone, Paco de Lucía and Bob Dylan also received the award.
The awards, which take their name from the title of the heir to the throne of the Spanish Crown, Princess Leonor, are presented by her and Kings Felipe VI and Letizia in October in a ceremony in Oviedo, capital of Asturias.
