Ximena Sariñana
Encyclopedia
Ximena Sariñana Rivera is a Mexican
singer-songwriter
and actress. Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre
, an adult contemporary pop-rock/vocal jazz
album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, including two nominations in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
.
: [xiˈmena sariˈɲana]) Rivera was born in Guadalajara
, Mexico
to producer/director Fernando Sariñana and screenwriter Carolina Rivera. She is niece of Mexican actress Angélica Rivera
and producer José Alberto Castro, brother of Verónica Castro
. When she was 2 years old, Sariñana attended an Ella Fitzgerald
concert, claiming this to be the beginning of her interest in music and one of her biggest influences. She soon started listening to other artists such as Paul Simon
and Tracy Chapman
. She would often be seen singing and dancing, dressed up in costumes. When Sariñana was 7 years old, her neighbor, Cecilia Toussaint suggested she should take singing lessons with her teacher Ricardo Sánchez, known for instructing Mexico's biggest talents. She also took up piano
lessons with Hanna Cot. In 1994, Sariñana acted in Hasta morir ('Til Death), which was produced by her father, Fernando Sariñana. Sariñana would later attend the Academia de Musica Fermatta.
as the main character, Luz Clarita. The following year, Sariñana acted in the telenovela María Isabel
as Rosa Isela, with Adela Noriega
as the main character, María Isabel. Her final appearance on a telenovela was in 1998 on a telenovela entitled Gotita de amor (Droplet of Love) as Enriqueta. At seventeen, after earning a scholarship for the Five Week Program of the Berklee College of Music
, she composed three songs for the soundtrack of the Mexican movie Amar te duele
where she also played the part of Mariana. Other important movies in which she acted were as Ximena in the 2001 film El Segundo Aire (A Second Chance), Valetina in Niñas Mal (Bad Girls), all of which were directed by her father and written by her mother. She also appeared in a short film called De paso in 2005. In 2007, Ximena Sariñana acted in the movie Dos abrazos (Two Embraces) directed by Enrique Begne. Dos abrazos won Sariñana an award for Best Female Actress at the 38th Diosas de Plata of Pecime awards. The latest movie in which she has acted is called Enemigos íntimos (Close Enemies) and will be released on DVD in late 2008.
She went on to be part of the band Feliz No Cumpleaños (Happy Un-Birthday), a Mexican funk-jazz, pop-rock band she formed alongside old friends from the Academia de Musica Fermatta. She captivated the audience on television by performing "El Triste
" (The Sad One), originally performed by Mexican icon José José
.
was released on February 12, 2008 by Warner Music Group
. Ximena wrote most of the songs on the album and revealed in Venus Zine's Summer 2009 cover story that, “Learning the language of my nationality was something I really wanted to achieve... so I thought maybe if I did a Spanish album it would be a good challenge." On March 28, 2008, Mediocre was certified gold by AMPROFON
for selling more than 50,000 copies. Sariñana would later receive further achievement when Mediocre reached platinum status for selling more than 80,000 copies.
The videos for Vidas paralelas, Normal, and No Vuelvo Mas were all shot in Iceland
. Vidas paralelas was directed by Pablo Dávila.
In late June, Metronomy
stated that they were fascinated with Ximena's debut album Mediocre and the group produced a remix of La tina. Her music video for the second single, No Vuelvo Más, was premiered as an exclusive video on July 14, 2008 in MTV Mexico
. She was later nominated for two Latin Grammy awards
for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Song but lost to Kany García
and Volver a Comenzar by Café Tacuba respectively.
-based nujazz band Kobol
. In March 2009, Sariñana was featured as a vocalist alongside her boyfriend Omar Rodríguez-López
with his solo group on their tour of Europe, which resulted in the live record Los Sueños de un Higado
. She also provided vocals on Omar's solo albums Xenophanes
, Solar Gambling
, Ciencia de los Inútiles
, Cizaña de los Amores
and Tychozorente
.
Along with Jason Mraz
, she has released a Spanish version of Mraz's song "Lucky
". The video for the Spanish-version has both her and Mraz in it, it was released to MTV on 22 June 2009.
An article in Rolling Stone España in February 2009 featured Sariñana, and she expanded further into international stardom when she graced the cover of Venus Zine's
Summer 2009 issue, transcending national boundaries to make her mark in American media.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and actress. Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre
Mediocre (album)
Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars...
, an adult contemporary pop-rock/vocal jazz
Vocal jazz
Jazz singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through scat singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of...
album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, including two nominations in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 13, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and were aired on Univision. The Brazilian Field awards were presented on the same day at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo. The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was Gloria...
.
Childhood
Ximena Sariñana (pronouncedInternational Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
: [xiˈmena sariˈɲana]) Rivera was born in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to producer/director Fernando Sariñana and screenwriter Carolina Rivera. She is niece of Mexican actress Angélica Rivera
Angélica Rivera
Angélica Rivera Hurtado is a Mexican telenovela actress, wife of Enrique Peña Nieto.-Early life:Rivera was born to a family of six brothers. One day she found out that actress Verónica Castro was filming a video in the street and she decided to snoop around...
and producer José Alberto Castro, brother of Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro is a Mexican actress, singer and television host. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro and filmmaker Michelle Sáinz Castro and the sister of actress Beatriz Castro,and telenovela producer José Alberto Castro....
. When she was 2 years old, Sariñana attended an Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
concert, claiming this to be the beginning of her interest in music and one of her biggest influences. She soon started listening to other artists such as Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
and Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
. She would often be seen singing and dancing, dressed up in costumes. When Sariñana was 7 years old, her neighbor, Cecilia Toussaint suggested she should take singing lessons with her teacher Ricardo Sánchez, known for instructing Mexico's biggest talents. She also took up piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
lessons with Hanna Cot. In 1994, Sariñana acted in Hasta morir ('Til Death), which was produced by her father, Fernando Sariñana. Sariñana would later attend the Academia de Musica Fermatta.
Acting and early work
She started acting in telenovelas at the age of 11 as the villain Mariela in Luz Clarita, starring Daniela LujánDaniela Luján
Daniela Luján is a Mexican pop singer and actress.-Biography:Born on April 5, 1988 to Miguel Barrios Luján and Amalia Rodríguez Gómez, she is the youngest of three daughters....
as the main character, Luz Clarita. The following year, Sariñana acted in the telenovela María Isabel
María Isabel (telenovela)
María Isabel is a 1997 Mexican telenovela starring Adela Noriega, Fernando Carrillo and Lorena Herrera.-Plot:María Isabel is a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman of indigenous descent, faced with the responsibility of raising Rosa Isela, the orphaned daughter of her only true friend who has...
as Rosa Isela, with Adela Noriega
Adela Noriega
Adela Amalia Noriega Méndez , better known as Adela Noriega , is a Mexican actress. Noriega is best known for her starring roles in telenovelas. She came to prominence as a teenager, starring in teen-oriented coming-of-age telenovelas in the late 1980s...
as the main character, María Isabel. Her final appearance on a telenovela was in 1998 on a telenovela entitled Gotita de amor (Droplet of Love) as Enriqueta. At seventeen, after earning a scholarship for the Five Week Program of the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, she composed three songs for the soundtrack of the Mexican movie Amar te duele
Amar te duele
Amar te duele is a 2002 dramatic film written by Carolina Rivera and directed by Fernando Sariñana. It is based on the classic play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. In the story, both families hate each other because they belong to different social classes...
where she also played the part of Mariana. Other important movies in which she acted were as Ximena in the 2001 film El Segundo Aire (A Second Chance), Valetina in Niñas Mal (Bad Girls), all of which were directed by her father and written by her mother. She also appeared in a short film called De paso in 2005. In 2007, Ximena Sariñana acted in the movie Dos abrazos (Two Embraces) directed by Enrique Begne. Dos abrazos won Sariñana an award for Best Female Actress at the 38th Diosas de Plata of Pecime awards. The latest movie in which she has acted is called Enemigos íntimos (Close Enemies) and will be released on DVD in late 2008.
She went on to be part of the band Feliz No Cumpleaños (Happy Un-Birthday), a Mexican funk-jazz, pop-rock band she formed alongside old friends from the Academia de Musica Fermatta. She captivated the audience on television by performing "El Triste
El Triste
El Triste is a song written by Mexican composer Roberto Cantoral. It was performed for the first time on March 25, 1970, at the "Latin Song Festival II" by the Mexican singer José José...
" (The Sad One), originally performed by Mexican icon José José
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
.
Mediocre
Her first solo album MediocreMediocre (album)
Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars...
was released on February 12, 2008 by Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. Ximena wrote most of the songs on the album and revealed in Venus Zine's Summer 2009 cover story that, “Learning the language of my nationality was something I really wanted to achieve... so I thought maybe if I did a Spanish album it would be a good challenge." On March 28, 2008, Mediocre was certified gold by AMPROFON
AMPROFON
Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico...
for selling more than 50,000 copies. Sariñana would later receive further achievement when Mediocre reached platinum status for selling more than 80,000 copies.
The videos for Vidas paralelas, Normal, and No Vuelvo Mas were all shot in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Vidas paralelas was directed by Pablo Dávila.
In late June, Metronomy
Metronomy
Metronomy are an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount , Anna Prior , Oscar Cash and Gbenga Adelekan...
stated that they were fascinated with Ximena's debut album Mediocre and the group produced a remix of La tina. Her music video for the second single, No Vuelvo Más, was premiered as an exclusive video on July 14, 2008 in MTV Mexico
MTV Latin America
MTV Latin America is a cable television specialty service aimed at residents in Hispanic American countries. It was launched on October 1, 1993 as MTV en Español. The channel is a Hispanic American version from MTV...
. She was later nominated for two Latin Grammy awards
Latin Grammy Awards of 2008
The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 13, 2008 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and were aired on Univision. The Brazilian Field awards were presented on the same day at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo. The Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year was Gloria...
for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Song but lost to Kany García
Kany García
Encarnita "Kany" García De Jesus is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter. Born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, García first appeared on television in 2004 as a contestant on Objetivo Fama...
and Volver a Comenzar by Café Tacuba respectively.
Collaborations
In 2007, she contributed vocals for the song "Valenciana" in the album Extempore by the EnsenadaEnsenada, Baja California
Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
-based nujazz band Kobol
Kobol (band)
Kobol is a duo from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. It is formed by Ignacio Chávez and Argel Cota. They define their music as "a mixture of jazzy natural low tempo beats, freestyle DSP jams, sly acoustic impressions with dubby vibes".-Albums:...
. In March 2009, Sariñana was featured as a vocalist alongside her boyfriend Omar Rodríguez-López
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
with his solo group on their tour of Europe, which resulted in the live record Los Sueños de un Higado
Los Sueños de un Higado
Los Sueños de un Hígado is a live album by Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group which was recorded for the BBC on March 11, 2009 at Maida Vale Studios, England. The album features Omar Rodríguez-López, Thomas Pridgen, Juan Alderete de la Peña, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez, Ximena Sariñana and Mark Aanderud and...
. She also provided vocals on Omar's solo albums Xenophanes
Xenophanes (Omar Rodriguez-Lopez album)
-Release history:...
, Solar Gambling
Solar Gambling
Solar Gambling is the thirteenth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist. On December 1, 2009 the recording was released digitally via the Rodriguez Lopez Productions website along with a limited pressing of 1,500 colored vinyl...
, Ciencia de los Inútiles
Ciencia de los Inútiles
Ciencia de los Inútiles is the fourteenth solo album by Omar Rodríguez-López, this time under the name El Trío de Omar Rodríguez-López...
, Cizaña de los Amores
Cizaña de los Amores
Cizaña de los Amores is the seventeenth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist. The was released on October 18, 2010 on CD and vinyl by Rodriguez Lopez Productions on Koncurrent in Europe, then November 18 through the US hello merch store...
and Tychozorente
Tychozorente
Tychozorente is an album by Omar Rodríguez-López. It was digitally released on September 14, 2010, and physically released by Rodriguez Lopez Productions in Europe on November 18, 2010. This record is Omar's first collaboration with DJ Nobody and, oddly enough, one of the few Omar's releases to...
.
Along with Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, she has released a Spanish version of Mraz's song "Lucky
Lucky (Jason Mraz song)
"Lucky" is a song by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. It is the third single from Mraz's third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song has been on the Billboard charts as well as on the other music charts worldwide....
". The video for the Spanish-version has both her and Mraz in it, it was released to MTV on 22 June 2009.
Second album
As of November 2009, it was said that Sariñana was in the studio working on her second album. Her second, self-titled, album, consists of English songs written or co-written by her. The album contains one Spanish-language track called, "Tu y Yo". The album was recorded in Mexico City and Los Angeles during 2009 and was completed in early 2011. It was released in North America on August 2, 2011. The album's first single, "Different", was released in June 2011.An article in Rolling Stone España in February 2009 featured Sariñana, and she expanded further into international stardom when she graced the cover of Venus Zine's
Venus Zine
Venus Zine is a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture.Venuszine.com is the daily updated online companion to the magazine...
Summer 2009 issue, transcending national boundaries to make her mark in American media.
Albums
| Album | Chart positions |
|---|---|
| Mexico | |
| Mediocre Mediocre (album) Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars...
|
2 |
| Ximena Sariñana
Studio album A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or... |
TBA |
Singles
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Vidas Paralelas" | Mediocre Mediocre (album) Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars... |
| 2008 | "No vuelvo más" | Mediocre Mediocre (album) Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars... |
| 2009 | "Mediocre" | Mediocre Mediocre (album) Criticism of Mediocre has been mostly positive, and many critics highly acclaim the album. The Rolling Stone staff rated Mediocre four stars, and Rolling Stone's average viewer rating is four and a half stars... |
| 2011 | "Different" | Ximena Sariñana |
Guest appearances
- Extempore by KobolKobol (band)Kobol is a duo from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. It is formed by Ignacio Chávez and Argel Cota. They define their music as "a mixture of jazzy natural low tempo beats, freestyle DSP jams, sly acoustic impressions with dubby vibes".-Albums:...
(2007) - Los Sueños de un Higado by Omar Rodríguez-López GroupOmar Rodriguez-Lopez GroupThe Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group is the main side project of Omar Rodríguez-López. The group is most often a live entity to perform the various outlets of his solo music aside from The Mars Volta.-History:...
(2009) - XenophanesXenophanes (Omar Rodriguez-Lopez album)-Release history:...
by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009) - Solar GamblingSolar GamblingSolar Gambling is the thirteenth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist. On December 1, 2009 the recording was released digitally via the Rodriguez Lopez Productions website along with a limited pressing of 1,500 colored vinyl...
by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009) - Ciencia de los InútilesCiencia de los InútilesCiencia de los Inútiles is the fourteenth solo album by Omar Rodríguez-López, this time under the name El Trío de Omar Rodríguez-López...
by El Trío de Omar Rodríguez-López (2010) - TychozorenteTychozorenteTychozorente is an album by Omar Rodríguez-López. It was digitally released on September 14, 2010, and physically released by Rodriguez Lopez Productions in Europe on November 18, 2010. This record is Omar's first collaboration with DJ Nobody and, oddly enough, one of the few Omar's releases to...
by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010) - Cizaña de los AmoresCizaña de los AmoresCizaña de los Amores is the seventeenth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist. The was released on October 18, 2010 on CD and vinyl by Rodriguez Lopez Productions on Koncurrent in Europe, then November 18 through the US hello merch store...
by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010) - どういたしまして by Omar Rodríguez-López Group (2010)
- Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro (2011)
- Jay Leno Show (2011)
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Hasta Morir | Melisa | Movie |
| 1996 | Luz Clarita Luz Clarita Luz Clarita is a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa that aired on Canal de las Estrellas in 1996. The series, a remake of Andrea Celeste and Chispita, stars Verónica Merchant and César Évora, as well as child actors Daniela Luján and Ximena Sariñana... |
Mariela de la Fuente | Telenovela |
| 1997 | María Isabel María Isabel (telenovela) María Isabel is a 1997 Mexican telenovela starring Adela Noriega, Fernando Carrillo and Lorena Herrera.-Plot:María Isabel is a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman of indigenous descent, faced with the responsibility of raising Rosa Isela, the orphaned daughter of her only true friend who has... |
Rosa Isela | Telenovela |
| 1998 | Gotita de amor Gotita de amor Chabelita was a Mexican drama previously being broadcast in ABS-CBN, starring Laura Flores and Álex Ibarra Also main Starring Andrea Lagunes in her first lead role as the protagonist Chabelita.-Production crew:... |
Enriqueta | Telenovela |
| 1999 | Todo el poder | Valentina | Movie |
| 2001 | El Segundo Aire | Ximena | Movie |
| 2002 | Amar te duele Amar te duele Amar te duele is a 2002 dramatic film written by Carolina Rivera and directed by Fernando Sariñana. It is based on the classic play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. In the story, both families hate each other because they belong to different social classes... |
Mariana | Movie |
| 2005 | De Paso | Short documentary | |
| 2006 | Amor Xtremo | Mariané | Movie |
| 2007 | Niñas Mal | Valentina | Movie |
| Año Uña | Additional voices | Movie | |
| Dos Abrazos | Laura | Movie | |
| El Brassier de Emma | Movie | ||
| 2008 | Coraline Coraline (film) Coraline is a 2009 stop-motion 3D fantasy/horror children's film based on Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel of the same name. It was produced by Laika and distributed by Focus Features. Written and directed by Henry Selick, it was released widely in US theaters on February 6, 2009, after a world premiere at... |
Coraline | Voice of Coraline in Spanish |
| 2008 | Enemigos Íntimos | Mariana | Movie |