The Latin Grammy Award for Best Singer-Songwriter Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.[1] According to the category description guide for the 13th Latin Grammy Awards, the award is reserved for solo artists or duos and they "must compose and interpret 75 percent of the album on their own to be eligible in this category". Additionally, live albums are eligible if they contain at least 51 percent of new unreleased material released within the eligibility period.[2][3]
The accolade for Best Singer-Songwriter Album was first presented to American performer and musician Soraya at the 5th Latin Grammy Awards in 2004 for her eponymous fourth studio album (2003). Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco, Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler and Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso hold the record for the most wins in this category, with three. Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona has the highest number of nominations without a single win, with four unsuccessful nominations. For the first time in the category's history, in 2011, a tie was declared with the award given to Peruvian artist Gian Marco for Días Nuevos and to Cuban artist Amaury Gutiérrez for Sesiones Intimas.
"Past Winners Search". Latin Grammy Awards. United States: Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2012. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
^"Category Guide". Latin Grammy Awards. United States: Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
^"2009 Nominados > Cantautor". Latin Grammy Awards (in Spanish). United States: Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2010. Archived from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
^"Singer/Song-Writer". Latin Grammy Awards. United States: Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. 2012. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.