02-03-2025
Morat Shines in Viña del Mar Debut, Wins Gold & Silver Gaviotas
Their fans had eagerly awaited since Tuesday (Feb. 25), when the event had to be canceled due to a massive blackout in Chile, and Morat did not disappoint. In their debut at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, the Colombian pop-rock band got the 'monster' of Quinta Vergara excited with a show full of energy and heart.
On a luminous stage, the Bogota quartet comprised of Simón Vargas, Juan Pablo Isaza, Juan Pablo Villamil and Martín Vargas sounded impeccable as they performed hits like 'No Se Va,' 'Salir Con Vida,' 'Por Si No Te Vuelvo A Ver' and 'Amor Con Hielo,' which the audience sang along to from beginning to end, belting out the lyrics with emotion. It wasn't long before they were awarded the Gaviota de Plata (Silver Seagull) award, and in the end, they also took home the Gaviota de Oro (Gold Seagull), the highest honor given by the audience at the event.
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'You can't imagine how much we dreamed of being here,' one of the band members expressed just before receiving the Gaviota de Oro. 'Thank you, really. We love you with all our soul.'
Morat's setlist also included 'París,' 'Llamada Perdida,' 'Besos En Guerra' and, for the big finale, 'La Policía.'
'How wonderful Viña, how wonderful!' the band exclaimed before ending their debut performance at the Chilean festival. 'You can't imagine the dream we are fulfilling here. Thank you so much for all the support, for all the love.'
With hits including 'No Se Va,' 'Besos en Guerra' and 'Cuando Nadie Ve,' Morat debuted in 2016 with the album Solo el Amor y Sus Efectos Secundarios, and received a Latin Grammy nomination for best new artist the same year. Morat's fourth and latest LP, 2022's Si Ayer Fuera Hoy, gave the band their first entry on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart, peaking at No. 18.
Later on Saturday, Sebastián Yatra returns to Quinta Vergara to close the festival. Yatra, with almost a dozen No. 1s on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart — including 'Robarte un Beso' with Carlos Vives, and 'Tacones Rojos' and 'Un Año' with Reik, to name a few — had previously performed in Viña del Mar in 2019 with a full show, as well as the previous year during Vives' concert, joining him on 'Robarte un Beso' — something he did again on Wednesday during Vives' performance.
The 64th edition of the Viña del Mar Festival kicked off Sunday (Feb. 23) with a riveting set by Marc Anthony. Since then, artists like Myriam Hernández, Ha*Ash, Carlos Vives, Carín León, Incubus, Duki, Eladio Carrión and Kid Voodoo have performed at the Quinta Vergara. All nights are livestreamed in the United States online at Billboard and Billboard Español.
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