MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan wins first Oscar for a Spanish song.

The Oscar was more than a prize for Uruguayan composer and singer Jorge Drexler, who used his statuette for Best Original Song as an opportunity to show the Academy Sunday evening what it means to sing in Spanish and win a moral victory.

"I wanted to sing, and during each break (in the Oscars) I practiced the song" he said of his moment of glory during the 77th edition of the Academy Awards.

In the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, after kneeling before Prince and with a good grip on his Oscar, Drexler sang some verses from his ballad, "Al otro lado del rio," from "The Motorcycle Diaries." "Al otro lado del rio" took home the Oscar for Best Song, marking the first time a Spanish song has won the honor.

The improvised "speech" won the hearts of those in the audience who were unaware of the controversy surrounding Drexler and drew the applause of Spanish speakers who saw it as sweet revenge.

Drexler had calculated how much of his song he could sing in the 22 seconds allotted for his acceptance speech. "What I like is to sing, I don't enjoy vengeance," Drexler said, trying to set a distance from the controversy that his nomination sparked last week.

"Al otro lado del rio" was good enough to be a nominee for - and even win - an Oscar. But Drexler was not "sufficiently famous" to sing the song during the Academy Awards show. The Academy decided unilaterally to have the better-known Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana, who U.S. audiences recognize as "Latin," perform the song.

As Drexler politely pointed out, Banderas's style is completely different from his, but he nevertheless thanked the Spanish actor for his support throughout the controversy. "Santana never called me, but Antonio demonstrated that he is a quality human being," Drexler said.

Now, Oscar in hand, Drexler thanked Walter Salles, the director of "The Motorcycle Diaries," and the film's star, Gael Garcia Bernal. Salles and Garcia led the protest against the Academy's decision not to allow Drexler to sing his song during the ceremony.

"Gael did something very sincere," Drexler said, moved by the actor's decision to skip the awards ceremony in solidarity with the singer. "You always have to do what your heart tells you," Drexler added.

This is the same rule that the singer-songwriter has followed all his life. Trained as a physician, Drexler abandoned medicine a decade ago to pursue his true passion: music.

The decision to follow his heart was accompanied by an invitation from Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina, who, after hearing Drexler sing, encouraged him to go to Spain.

"Al otro lado del rio" was the first Spanish song to compete for an Oscar and the first winner. Drexler said he hoped the victory would help improve his artistic career "better and better." The Oscar win should also help Drexler in the U.S. market, where his next CD, "Eco," goes on sale March 8.

The CD, fittingly enough, includes "Al otro lado del río".