Ana Torroja
Encyclopedia
Ana Torroja is a Grammy Award
-nominated Spaniard
singer. She is the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano
, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in 1998 and she embarked on a solo career.
while studying economics at university. The two became good friends, and José María soon introduced her to his younger brother, Nacho. After hearing Ana sing José María's guitar
compositions, Nacho suggested that the three form a band. In 1981, Mecano was formed.
After seven Mecano albums and huge success in Europe
and Latin America
, the continuous touring began taking its toll on the band. Ana was especially affected and started developing vocal problems. In 1993, the band announced a temporary split. While José and Nacho released solo albums, Ana chose to travel around the world and visited Hawaii
, Bombay, and New York
—places she had sung about while with Mecano. She eventually settled in New York and took dance classes.
By 1997, Ana felt confident enough to sing again and moved to London
to record her first solo album, Puntos Cardinales (Cardinal points). The album, produced by Tony Mansfield
, marked a curious change for Ana. Because her new songs were not written from a male point of view—unlike the Mecano hits written by the Cano brothers—she felt that she could express herself as a woman for the first time. The first single from the album, A Contratiempo, was a Spanish-language cover
of an old Bette Midler
song, "Bottomless". Both the album and the single went to number 1 in Spain.
In 1998, partially due to the cost and commercial failure of José María's opera
project, Mecano reunited for the double-disc greatest hits
compilation Ana, José, Nacho, which also featured seven new songs.
Ana's biggest solo success came in 1999 with her album, Pasajes de un Sueño (Passages of a dream). This album was hailed by critics and the first single, Ya No Te Quiero ("I don't love you anymore" or "I don't want you anymore"), became one of the best-selling songs in Spain that year. As a part of the promotion of this album, Torroja undertook, together with Miguel Bosé
the "GIRADOS" tour in May 2000, throughout Spain, the United States, and part of Latin America. The tour concluded at the beginning of the following year.
In 2001, Ana tried to reconquer the French audience she had won over at the time of Mecano, recording the album Ana Torroja.
She then took part in the recording of the disc Duetos 2 by the Mexican artist Armando Manzanero
, with whom she recorded the song Nada personal (Nothing personal).
In 2003 she published her third album Frágil (Fragile), in which she presented a more genuine pop-based image. For the album, she appeared for the first time solo on stage, in a brief tour across America and Europe called the Gira Frágil (Fragile Tour). It was this material that consolidated her success as a solo artist, and with which she also obtained numerous nominations and prizes such as the Grammy Latino, Shangay (Spain) and Oye
(Mexico).
Shortly afterwards, she took a brief break from her musical career, guesting with artists such as Mexican singer, composer, and keyboard player Aleks Syntek
in 2004. She dueted with Syntek on the song Duele el amor (Love hurts), which was a major commercial success. en 2004 a dúo con el cantante italiano Ana Torroja Gigi D'Alessio
una nueva canción llamada beso en italiano, y cantada por el mismo Gigi D'Alessio y Anna Tatangelo
.
In 2006, Ana released a new studio album called Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte, produced by Syntek. The album contained new versions of old Mecano hits. The first single was Los Amantes, which reached #2 on the Spanish charts.
In 2008, Ana decided to work with Schiller, singing Por qué te vas, which went to Number One in the Sehnsucht
album charts in Germany
.
On May 17, 2008, Ana Torroja was invited by Aleks Syntek
to take part in the macro concert of the Fundación ALAS, in aid of children in Latin America. She sang Me cuesta tanto olvidarte, Duele el amor, Corazones, and Te amaré (alongside all the invited artists).
On October 10, 2008, she was seriously injured in a car crash in Cádiz
, from which she fully recovered.
Ana's music has managed to spread further than just France and Germany. In 2010, British
singer Jack Lucien
announced that he had covered her song "Hoy ya no te quiero" for his forthcoming third studio album.
In October 2010 Ana released Sonrisa (Spanish for smile), her fifth original studio album in Spanish. The album was produced by the Venezuelan Andrés Levin
, who also produced her second album. The recording of the album started in 2008, the album being originally scheduled for release in March 2009. The release had however been delayed due to her car accident in 2008. So far Sonrisa has been met with favourable reviews.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated Spaniard
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
singer. She is the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano
Mecano
Mecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...
, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in 1998 and she embarked on a solo career.
Biography
Ana Torroja met José María CanoJosé María Cano
José María Cano is a Spanish composer, once a member of the Spanish pop group Mecano, and more recently a conceptual artist.-Biography as a musician:...
while studying economics at university. The two became good friends, and José María soon introduced her to his younger brother, Nacho. After hearing Ana sing José María's guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
compositions, Nacho suggested that the three form a band. In 1981, Mecano was formed.
After seven Mecano albums and huge success in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, the continuous touring began taking its toll on the band. Ana was especially affected and started developing vocal problems. In 1993, the band announced a temporary split. While José and Nacho released solo albums, Ana chose to travel around the world and visited Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Bombay, and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
—places she had sung about while with Mecano. She eventually settled in New York and took dance classes.
By 1997, Ana felt confident enough to sing again and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to record her first solo album, Puntos Cardinales (Cardinal points). The album, produced by Tony Mansfield
Tony Mansfield
Tony Mansfield, born May 28, 1943, Salford, England, is an English songwriter, musician and record producer. Mansfield was the main songwriter/producer for New Musik, a synthpop band that performed from 1979 to 1982.-References:...
, marked a curious change for Ana. Because her new songs were not written from a male point of view—unlike the Mecano hits written by the Cano brothers—she felt that she could express herself as a woman for the first time. The first single from the album, A Contratiempo, was a Spanish-language cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of an old Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
song, "Bottomless". Both the album and the single went to number 1 in Spain.
In 1998, partially due to the cost and commercial failure of José María's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
project, Mecano reunited for the double-disc greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation Ana, José, Nacho, which also featured seven new songs.
Ana's biggest solo success came in 1999 with her album, Pasajes de un Sueño (Passages of a dream). This album was hailed by critics and the first single, Ya No Te Quiero ("I don't love you anymore" or "I don't want you anymore"), became one of the best-selling songs in Spain that year. As a part of the promotion of this album, Torroja undertook, together with Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé
Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
the "GIRADOS" tour in May 2000, throughout Spain, the United States, and part of Latin America. The tour concluded at the beginning of the following year.
In 2001, Ana tried to reconquer the French audience she had won over at the time of Mecano, recording the album Ana Torroja.
She then took part in the recording of the disc Duetos 2 by the Mexican artist Armando Manzanero
Armando Manzanero
Armando Manzanero Canché is a Mexican musician and composer of Maya descent, widely considered the premier Mexican romantic composer of the postwar era and one of the most successful composers of Latin America....
, with whom she recorded the song Nada personal (Nothing personal).
In 2003 she published her third album Frágil (Fragile), in which she presented a more genuine pop-based image. For the album, she appeared for the first time solo on stage, in a brief tour across America and Europe called the Gira Frágil (Fragile Tour). It was this material that consolidated her success as a solo artist, and with which she also obtained numerous nominations and prizes such as the Grammy Latino, Shangay (Spain) and Oye
Premios Oye!
Premios Oye! are presented annually by the Academia Nacional de la Música en México for outstanding achievements in the Mexican record industry...
(Mexico).
Shortly afterwards, she took a brief break from her musical career, guesting with artists such as Mexican singer, composer, and keyboard player Aleks Syntek
Aleks Syntek
Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña , better known as Aleks Syntek, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and producer. He is married to Karen Coronado, sister of talkshow host Ingrid Coronado.-Biography:...
in 2004. She dueted with Syntek on the song Duele el amor (Love hurts), which was a major commercial success. en 2004 a dúo con el cantante italiano Ana Torroja Gigi D'Alessio
Gigi d'Alessio
Luigi "Gigi" D'Alessio is an Italian popular singer and Neapolitan singer-songwriter.-Career:D'Alessio was born in Naples. Well-known in Naples beginning in the early 1990s and throughout Italy due to participation in the Sanremo Festival in 2000 and 2001. He has also made overseas appearances,...
una nueva canción llamada beso en italiano, y cantada por el mismo Gigi D'Alessio y Anna Tatangelo
Anna Tatangelo
Anna Tatangelo is an Italian pop singer, and a judge of X Factor Italy. At the age of 15, she became the youngest person to win the Newcomer's Award at the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival singing contest. She has a romantic relationship with singer Gigi D'Alessio.-Biography:Anna Tatangelo was...
.
In 2006, Ana released a new studio album called Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte, produced by Syntek. The album contained new versions of old Mecano hits. The first single was Los Amantes, which reached #2 on the Spanish charts.
In 2008, Ana decided to work with Schiller, singing Por qué te vas, which went to Number One in the Sehnsucht
Sehnsucht
Sehnsucht is a German word literally meaning "longing", which C. S. Lewis used to describe an "insatiable longing" for "we know not what".Sehnsucht could also refer to:* Sehnsucht , 2009 album* "Sehnsucht"...
album charts in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
On May 17, 2008, Ana Torroja was invited by Aleks Syntek
Aleks Syntek
Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña , better known as Aleks Syntek, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and producer. He is married to Karen Coronado, sister of talkshow host Ingrid Coronado.-Biography:...
to take part in the macro concert of the Fundación ALAS, in aid of children in Latin America. She sang Me cuesta tanto olvidarte, Duele el amor, Corazones, and Te amaré (alongside all the invited artists).
On October 10, 2008, she was seriously injured in a car crash in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, from which she fully recovered.
Ana's music has managed to spread further than just France and Germany. In 2010, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer Jack Lucien
Jack Lucien
Lucien Jack is an Andorran singer who has had success in Continental Europe under the names Hun, Lucien, and Jack Lucien. He is best known for his 2009 single I'm Not Afraid...
announced that he had covered her song "Hoy ya no te quiero" for his forthcoming third studio album.
In October 2010 Ana released Sonrisa (Spanish for smile), her fifth original studio album in Spanish. The album was produced by the Venezuelan Andrés Levin
Andres Levin
Andres Levin is a Venezuelan-American record producer, band leader, film maker, recording engineer and philanthropist. Levin won a Grammy award in 2009 for his production of the In The Heights Cast Recording...
, who also produced her second album. The recording of the album started in 2008, the album being originally scheduled for release in March 2009. The release had however been delayed due to her car accident in 2008. So far Sonrisa has been met with favourable reviews.
Studio albums and Compilations
- "" (1997)
- "" (1997)
- "" (1999)
- "" - a collaboration with Miguel BoséMiguel BoséMiguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...
(2000) - "" (2001)
- "" (2003)
- "" (2004)
- "" (2006)
- "" (Smile - 2010)
Covers and Collaborations
- " and " ("Bottomless" - Bette MidlerBette MidlerBette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
) (1995) - "" (duet with Jason Hart) (1997) (marketed in 2005)
- "" (duet with Deep ForestDeep ForestDeep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats...
) (1997) - "" ("Hidden like a secret" - Jimmy Wahisteen/Jorge Drexter) (2003)
- "" ("I really don't think so" - Tina Harris/Marc Nelkin/Jamie Hartman) (2003)
- "" ("" - Tristan Boccara/Nathaniel Brendel) (2003)
- "" ("Would you like to know" - Tina Harris/Mats Bernhoft/Anders BaggeAnders BaggeSven Anders Bagge is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Peer Åström. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer...
) (2003) - "" ("" - Tino Izzo/Diane Cadieux) (2003)
- "" ("Wish you were here" - Waters G.) (2003)
- "" (duet with Deep ForestDeep ForestDeep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats...
) (2003) - "" (duet with Aleks SyntekAleks SyntekRaúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña , better known as Aleks Syntek, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and producer. He is married to Karen Coronado, sister of talkshow host Ingrid Coronado.-Biography:...
)("Love breaks your heart") (2004) - "" (duet with Psy 4 de la RimePsy 4 de la RimePsy 4 de la Rime are a French hip hop group formed 1995 in Marseille comprising several rappers with immigrant backgrounds from former French colonies...
, a French hip hop group) (2005) - "" (duet with SchillerSchiller (band)Schiller is the main project of Christopher von Deylen , a German musician, composer and producer. He won the ECHO award in 2002 for the Best Dance Single of the Year.. Schiller has sold over 7 million albums worldwide.Christopher Von Deylen does not provide vocals for any of his compositions...
) (2008) - "" (duet with RaphaelRaphael (singer)For the French singer Raphael see Raphaël HarocheMiguel Rafael Martos Sánchez , often simply referred to as Raphael, is a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and theatre actor...
) (2008)
Songs in English
- "" (1997) (If I were you) - Jason Hart
- "" (1999) (Beautiful nightmare) - Jason Hart
- "" (1999) (Don't fall) - Jason Hart
External links
- Mecano WebSite Official - Mecano
- Ana Torroja Homepage
- Forus Official Ana Torroja
- Review of Sonrisa (in English)