DESPACITO Co-Writer Erika Ender Makes History Being Grammy Nominated for Song Of The Year

Songwriter/performer Erika Ender has been nominated for Song of the Year for "Despacito" for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. This is the first time in history that a song written with mostly Spanish lyrics has been nominated in this category. If Ender should win, she would be the first songwriter born in a Latin American country to so. Erika was born in Panama City, the daughter of Panamanian-American father and Brazilian mother. She was in Brazil when she heard the news of her nomination.

"I'm so happy to be part of this moment in history, along with my music colleagues and friends. This is a confirmation that music is universal. It doesn't matter the language. What really matters is to do things straight from the heart and connect with other hearts, even other cultures, and bring the world together," she said.

It has been a huge year for Ender. In just the last three weeks, she won the Latin Grammy for "Song of The Year", she was named to Variety's inaugural Hitmakers List as a vital player in the success of "Despacito" and she was nominated as "Secret Genius of The Year: Female" and "Secret Genius: Latin" at Spotify's 2017 Secret Genius Awards, where she performed alongside Shawn Mendes, Halsey and PARTYNEXTDOOR. She's been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, Vibe, LA Weekly, CBS This Morning, ABC's "Nightline" and more.

Ender is now tied with Mariah Carey as the female songwriter with the longest-running No. 1 hit of all time. She's now also the first female songwriter to have a Spanish-language song top Billboard's "Hot 100" chart.

In October, Ender was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, where she stands out as the only woman in her category, and the youngest in history to ever be inducted. To date, Ender has released five studio albums, and songs that she has written are included in more than 160 albums. At least 40 singles penned by Ender, have reached the top of the charts throughout the world.

Ender has been the winner of the industry's most important awards, including the Latin GRAMMY, Latin Billboard, Monitor Latino, SESAC, ASCAP, among other awards and nominations.

She founded the organization Fundación Puertas Abiertas in 2009, which uses music and education to positively influence children and teenagers. The foundation began by working with children who'd escaped child labor. Through a partnership with another organization, Ender's foundation offered musical workshops and opened a classroom where music and dance was taught to children living in shelters. Erika was invited to speak about her advocacy at the recent Social Good Summit, produced by Mashable, United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, and the 92nd Street Y.

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