Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado win the Etxepare Basque Institute Prize for Best Album in Basque at the MIN Awards

‘Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado’ won the Etxepare Basque Institute Prize for Best Album in Basque at the MIN Independent Music Awards. The awards ceremony took place last night at the Palma de Mallorca Auditorium. Merina Gris, Olaia Inziarte, Vulk and Zea Mays, the finalists for the Etxepare Basque Institute Prize for Best Album in Basque, were also at the event.

The jury awarded the prize to Usua de la Fuente and Koldo Soret, the two members of the band, for their album ‘Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado Vs Don Cóndor eta Ñora Alacrán’ (2022). The latest album showcases the use of diverse instruments like bass, guitar, accordion, cowbell, güiro, and rainstick, with the cumbia style standing out prominently and diverging from their characteristic rock genre. The result is an album that combines Mexican-influenced melodies with electronic music. The award was presented to them by singer Paula Mateus.

Other artists registered in this category who made it to the semi-finals after the people’s vote were Arima Soul, Bulego, Eñaut Elorrieta, Esti Markez, ETS (En Tol Sarmiento), Ezpalak, Goxua´n Salsa, Ilargi, Ines Osinaga and Mikel Urdangarin. The jury then selected the finalists: Merina Gris, Olaia Inziarte, Vulk, Zea Mays and Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado, with the latter clinching the top award.

Some of these musicians were also semi-finalists in other categories, including awards for different musical styles (best jazz album, best rock album, etc.), languages (Basque, Catalan, Galician), as well as more general awards (best album, best video clip, best song...).

Hosted by vocalist Samantha Hudson, the event featured live performances by La La Love You, O-erra, Xavibo, La migas, Karmento and Sheg.

Los Estanques and Anni B Sweet walked away with the most awards that night with five. The band from Cantabria and the singer from Malaga triumphed in the categories ´Best Record of the Year´, ´Best Artist´, ´Best Song of the Year´, ´Best Pop Record´ and ´Best Musical Production´. Vocalist Christina Rosenvinge was honored with the prestigious ´Mario Pacheco Award of Honour´ for her remarkable musical career characterized by artistic freedom, constant reinvention, and an unmistakable style. In the edition with more nominations for female bands and singers, some of the winners, including Shego, Tanxugueiras and Las Migas, dedicated their awards to all the past and present female musicians.

MIN Awards

The MIN Awards were created in 2009 by the association of independent music companies, Unión Fonográfica Independiente (UFI) to highlight the creation, diversity and artistic quality of independent productions made in Spain. Each year the UFI promotes music published by independent labels as well as self-published works on a national and international level.

The Etxepare Basque Institute has sponsored the award for the Best Album in Basque since 2014 to shine a spotlight on the Basque language and culture. Verde Prato (2022), Zetak (2021) and Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado (2020), among others, are previous winner of the award.

The winners in all categories are posted here.