Who is Sara Schell, the Newcomer Nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the 2026 Latin Grammys?
Categoria: Musica
Meet the Venezuelan behind hits by KATSEYE, Becky G, J Balvin and other major stars.
Por Billboard | 11/11/2026
In 2020, Sara Schell was planning to move to London to study business after graduating high school in Venezuela. This Thursday (Nov. 12), she is competing for the Latin Grammy Award for songwriter of the year, as well as best pop song as a co-writer of Kany García’s “A La Niña Que Fui.” Related Edgar Barrera Leads 2026 Latin Grammy Nominations: Full List Latin Grammy Awards 2026 Predictions: Who Will Win the Top Honors? 20 Questions With Chichí Peralta: The Master of Fusion on His Latin Grammys Honor, AI & New Music At 23, Schell is not the only woman in the songwriter of the year category in 2026, but she is the only newcomer. She appears alongside veterans like Edgar Barrera (who boasts 82 Latin Grammy nominations and 29 wins, including songwriter of the year for the past three years), Yoel Henríquez (who has garnered 23 nominations and three victories), Iván Gámez and Jenni Mosello (with a total of four nominations each). Her credits listed by the Latin Recording Academy include “A La Niña Que Fui” by García, “Ahí Estabas Tú” and “Barco de Papel” by Fonseca, “Bendito” by Rawayana, “Si Te Vas” by J Balvin and Jay Wheeler (which reached No. 1 on Billboard ‘s Latin Airplay chart), and “Vas a Quedarte” by Diego Torres and Manuel Carrasco. She’s also been behind chart hits like “Gabriela” by KATSEYE (No. 21 on the Hot 100), “Mercedes” by Becky G and Óscar Maydon (No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay) and “Ojos verdes” by Nicki Nicole (No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100). But how did this young woman from Barquisimeto go from wanting to study business to writing for major stars? “In 2020, I graduated high school and then the pandemic hit, so we decided to move to Mexico. When we arrived, I was supposed to go to London to study business because I had always said I wanted a career, but at that moment, all the universities were shut down, so we had to do what everyone else did: stay home and find something to do,” Schell tells Billboard Español in an interview from Spain during a break from a songwriting session. “I started posting covers and other things on Instagram, and that’s how I connected with several writers online, started doing Zoom sessions and writing together.” Schell’s musical training began at the age of four at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory, a prestigious institution founded in 1936 in Barquisimeto, Lara State, which works closely with Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs, a.k.a. El Sistema. There, she played the cello until she was 14 — a “super magical experience” that allowed her to travel to Peru and the U.S. representing her country. She also took piano and singing lessons. At 15, she wrote her first song, “Sin Ti o Contigo,” which she uploaded to digital platforms, though