Celis '94 Rides ‘La Bicicleta’ to Latin Grammy Record of the Year

Berklee alumnus Gustavo Celis ’94 won a gold-plated gramophone for Record of the Year at the 17th annual Latin Grammy Awards, held on November 17, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Celis was awarded one of the night's top honors for his work as recording engineer on the song “La Bicicleta” with Carlos Vives and Shakira. Celis had collaborated with Shakira frequently over the years, including work on another of her hit songs, "Hips Don't Lie."

While at Berklee, Celis studied music production and engineering; he has put that education to use throughout his career, winning two Grammy Awards and seven Latin Grammy Awards.

Celis's long list of credits includes work with Beyoncé, Gloria Estefan (who is now a Berklee trustee), Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Timbaland, Eric Clapton, Rick Rubin, Celine Dion, Roger Waters, and Jewel. He also worked in the Sound Department on the Oscar-winning film adaptation of the musical Chicago, starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere.

Watch the music video for "La Bicicleta" here:

Other alumni also took home Latin Grammys. Producer and mixer Gustavo Farías ’84 won two awards—in the Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Album categories—for his work on Juan Gabriel’s album Los Dúo 2. Lewis Pickett ‘09 won an award for mixing Visualízate by Gente de Zona, the recipient of the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Fusion Album.

Also, two former participants in Berklee's Five-Week Summer Performance Program, sibling guitarists Tomás and Gustavo Bertoni, won an award for Best Portuguese Language Rock Album with their band Scalene for the album Éter.

Twelve Berklee alumni and one faculty member were nominated for 14 Latin Grammy Awards across five categories this year. Berklee alumni have won a total of 354 Grammy Awards or Latin Grammy Awards, including 88 Latin Grammys won by 32 alumni since the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences founded the awards in 2000.