Berklee Artists Collaborate on Song for Grammy-Nominated Album Marianna Matyja and V ctor Badillo B.M. '22 contributed to Lupita Infante's Amor Como En Las Pel culas De Antes, which is up for Best M sica Mexicana Album.
By
Daniel Pesquera
November 30, 2023
Marianna Matyja
Image courtesy of the artist
Numerous members of the Berklee community, both alumni and faculty, received 2024 Grammy nominations or were recognized for their contributions to Grammy-nominated projects. Among them, two standout artists received their first Grammy acknowledgments: student Marianna Matyja, a cellist, producer, DJ, songwriter, and composer; and V ctor Badillo B.M. '22, a producer, songwriter, arranger, and artist.
The duo, who are frequent collaborators, contributed to Lupita Infantes Amor Como En Las Pel culas De Antes, which is up for Best M sica Mexicana Album. Matyja played a cello solo on one of the album's standout tracks, El Amor Perfecto, and Badillo produced and engineered the solo. Badillo also worked on the songs Bailando Penas and Esta Ranchera, on Flor de Tololoche's album Motherflower, which is nominated in the same category.
Matyja, from Poznan, Poland, is a contemporary writing and production major whose first album is set for release this spring. Badillo is an independent producer and songwriter originally from Mexico City who earned his degree in music production and engineering. Hes worked alongside many notable Latin artists in his young career, including Mon Laferte, Grupo Duelo, Man Jalil, and ureo Baqueiro.
We talked to Matyja and Badillo to hear how a small recording project produced a much bigger moment.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How did each of you get involved in these Grammy-nominated projects?Marianna Matyja: I got involved in the spring of 2022 during my second semester at Berklee. We were in V ctor's apartment recording cello parts for different projects, and he asked me to record for El Amor Perfecto. At the time, I didn't realize who it was for or how big a project it would be.
V ctor Badillo: I was invited to participate in Lupita's album by producer Carlos Alvarez. He was producing some mariachi tracks on the album, and he wanted another perspective to give the traditional genre a modern pop twist. I introduced steel-string guitars and cello to the arrangement, and that's where I got Marianna to record strings for me. I played and recorded all the guitars on the track. With Flor De Tololoche's album, I have a friend in Mexico City who asked me for a writing session to specifically create a cumbia and a ranchera. We managed to merge the traditional aspects of both genres and the more catchy R&B melodies from the band.
V ctor Badillo B.M. '22
Image courtesy of the artist
What were your initial thoughts when you heard the albums were nominated for a Grammy?Badillo: It was a surprise, but both albums were done by hardworking people and talented creators. It was an honor and a well-deserved recognition for the whole team that participated.
Matyja: I never expected my first Grammy would be for cello on a Mexican music album! The way that it happened was unusual. Last May, Victor told me the album might be nominated for a Latin Grammy, but then in September, he let me know we didn't get any nominations. I told him it was okay, and I felt like there was a bigger thing coming, but at the time I didnt even think about the American Grammys. Recently, I was having a Zoom meeting when Victor called me. He said to go look at Instagram-I couldn't believe it. I started screaming into the phone! I am still shocked and am so grateful. I feel very satisfied because cello is the first thing I touched with music, and I've been playing since I was 6 years old.
Can each of you talk about your mindset as you approached these projects?Badillo: In every creative process I've been involved in, I always keep in mind the artistic vision of the project and the essence of the artists. We want to do something different and creative, but without losing the essence of the original vision.
Matyja: Of course it depends on the person I'm working with. With Victor, he knows that I know what to do when it comes to recording a song. For El Amor Perfecto, at first I was analyzing the feeling and what I could add to make it more colorful. I remember thinking I had to put a lot of expression and energy into it because it's a love song. It's hard to describe the emotions when you're giving your heart to it; you feel the playing, emotion, and music all happening together-it came naturally as I worked on the emotional aspect of it. I usually like to work fast, but I took my time with this part. I remember saying, No, another one. I was determined to play every note perfectly from the technical side and to make sure that it reflected how I imagined it emotionally.
Can you talk about the personal impact this nomination has had on your life and career, particularly for you, Matyja, as an international student?Matyja: It's hard to put into words what this means for me. Poland is a very important country with a beautiful history, and I'm glad that I'm from a country like this because it taught me a lot about life. As a classically trained musician for 12 years, I experienced mental and verbal abuse from when I started playing at 6 years old. Very often I was told I am bad at my instrument and I had to work more. I was away from home for over 13 hours a day. It felt like my life was my music and I was a machine in a box. It put me in a cycle of thoughts that I was never enough. My parents asked me many times if I wanted to change schools, but I never agreed to it because music education was important to me. I was fortunate to have parents who were extremely supportive and bel
North America Stories
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
04/12/2025
Lightware, a global specialist in AV connectivity, is looking back on a year defined by new advancements, strong collaboration and continued growth. Across the ...
04/12/2025
Riedel Communications today announced a new partnership with Haivision, a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and visual col...
04/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) and Normann Engineering today announced a major milestone in their strategic collaboration, celebrating 20 successful broadband deployme...
04/12/2025
Creative software developer Foundry today announced Mari 7.5, the latest iteration of its artist-friendly paint toolset that can handle large, detailed assets w...
04/12/2025
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at Dreamforce 2025 in San Francisco providing...
04/12/2025
LTN's purpose-built IP video network brings all-movie diginet to over 100 stations and streaming platforms in just three months while eliminating satellite ...
04/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with ThinkAnalytics, the global leader in AI-powered data a...
04/12/2025
The HELM, a global expert in cinematic live broadcast and high-end production workflows, has signed a partnership agreement with Keslow Camera, one of North Ame...
04/12/2025
At ISE 2026, LiveU will showcase its expanded IP-video EcoSystem, enabling broadcasters, sports, production companies and pro-AV professionals to share their st...
04/12/2025
Since the beginning of commercial television, advertising has been a key part of broadcasting. Over the years, the technology for inserting ads into programs ha...
04/12/2025
MUNICH and MILAN Warner Bros. Discovery said HBO Max is expanding into Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein on Jan. 13, 2026, and ...
04/12/2025
SAN FRANCISCO AudioShake has launched its first streaming-capable software development kits (SDKs) designed specifically for real-time music detection and copyr...
04/12/2025
NASHVILLE The mobile and REMI production company TNDV has announced that it headed south into Mexico to live-produce the three-day 2025 Zane Grey Championship P...
Berklee Artists Collaborate on Song for Grammy-Nominated Album Marianna Matyja and V ctor Badillo B.M. '22 contributed to Lupita Infante's Amor Como En Las Pel culas De Antes, which is up for Best M sica Mexicana Album.
