Flor Sakeo: Graffiti’s Best Female Solo Artist Takes Her Talent to Chile with Uruguay XXI’s Support

On the third day of the 22nd edition of the Graffiti Awards, the annual event that celebrates Uruguay’s most outstanding artists, Flor Sakeo was recognized as Female Soloist of the Year, an award that promises to open doors to new audiences and stages. With her style that fuses rock, psychedelia, and introspective lyrics, the latest artist has already become a vibrant figure in Uruguayan music, and her name will soon resonate in Santiago de Chile thanks to the backing of Uruguay XXI, which will support her in presenting her work at the La Furia del Libro literary fair.

The singer, composer, and guitarist was nominated in her category along with Clipper, Ino Guridi, Papina De Palma, and Sylvia Meyer.

The award, given by the investment, export, and country image promotion agency, is intended to boost the international projection of Uruguayan artists. “It is an honor for Uruguay XXI to present the Best Female Soloist of the Year award. From the investment, export, and country image promotion agency, we wanted to do something special as part of our work to support the creative industries. We have set out to help Uruguayan artists reach international markets, and, in this case, we want to support the winner of this category so that she can export her art and show the world what Uruguay has to offer,” said the agency’s deputy executive director, Eduardo Rodríguez, during the awards ceremony.

He also emphasized Uruguay XXI’s commitment to gender equity. “This endorsement has a special meaning because we have decided to support a female artist. This is part of our commitment to promote national talent and gender equity in all sectors, creating more opportunities for women to export goods and services, in this case in the creative industries,” she said.

Uruguay XXI’s Creative Industries specialist, Omaira Rodríguez, highlighted the wealth generated at the intersection of cultural and creative industries, especially music, which plays a fundamental role in cinema, video games, and advertising. She mentioned that they are aiming for a less conventional synergy with the publishing sector on this occasion. “Tonight’s winner will have the opportunity to perform at La Furia del Libro, where she will be able to connect with an international audience and make her music known in a cultural event that combines the world of literature with a rich cultural agenda,” he commented.

“For Uruguay XXI, generating this collaboration between the prestigious Graffiti Awards, which have an undisputed impact on our music, and an international event that receives more than 60 thousand visitors and is in its sixteenth edition, represents a concrete action to support the internationalization of the artist. We are very excited to see how this experience will enrich her career and contribute to continue making Uruguayan music known in this country,” she added.

Flor Sakeo, excited and surprised, took the stage to receive the first award of her career and expressed what this achievement represents. “This was impossible for me a few years ago. One day, I said I would make music again and released the album. I thank all the women who have been giving their all for years so that today, in 2024, I can be here,” she said.

The artist, who released her first album, Alba, in 2023, managed to position herself in Uruguayan stages and have some presentations in Buenos Aires. “I have a hard time defining my music. I always say that I listen to everything. If I summarize it quickly, it is rock, but it would be very unfair to the other genres that inspire me, such as funk, psychedelic rock, and pop. The project itself is quite a rock; it has electric guitars, references to the ’60s and ’70s, psychedelia, rock, it is very riffy, and the lyrics are quite introspective”, she said in an interview with Uruguay XXI.

The artist also highlighted the importance of the community surrounding her to overcome the obstacles women still face in music. “Being a woman in the music environment is somewhat hostile, but it relieves that there are female colleagues. This recognition and the support of Uruguay XXI to reach another market represents a pampering to my soul for the work of all these years,” she said.

As part of the Graffiti Awards, Uruguay XXI also launched a Spotify playlist that brings together the artists nominated in the Single categories. With genres such as pop, rock, tropical, urban, and electronic, the musical selection reflects the diversity and quality of Uruguayan music and will reach new listeners in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Spain thanks to a digital campaign.
“With this initiative, we seek to generate new export opportunities for Uruguay’s music sector, recognized for the poetics and depth of its lyrics,” concluded Omaira Rodríguez.

Listen to the playlist with the Uruguayan artists here.