2023-11-12 18:15:53
The countdown to find out the name of Spain’s new representative in Eurovision has already begun. This Saturday RTVE announced the list of sixteen artists who will participate in the new edition of the Benidorm Fest, an event that will be held from January 30 to February 3, and from which, as in previous years, the chosen one will emerge. name of the country in the continental musical contest.
With these proposals, the public channel assures that it wants to be “a showcase of music in Spain”, in which its “diversity and plurality” is also reflected. “There is going to be a group that will represent us at Eurovision, but the objective was to create a music festival that we could all like,” said one of the co-directors of the format, César Vallejo, who also announced that styles of music that would be heard will be heard. They have never before been performed in a Eurovision preselection.
This young 26-year-old artist, originally from the Alicante town of Villena, is a great promise in the urban genre. Arturo Almarcha Corella, better known as Almácor, acknowledged that he fell in love with the format because he discovered new singers, like Rigoberta Bandini. He now enters the contest with the aim of making his followers dance.
She began her musical career in 2019. ‘Báilalo’ was her debut single, with reggaeton rhythms. A few months later it managed to surpass one million views on YouTube. Her most recent song is ‘Pop Tech’, in which she has opted more for electronic pop. The composer was also one of the nominees in the recent edition of ‘Los40 Music Awards Santander 2023’, in the Spain category.
Angy Fernández may be the name or face that most resonates on this list to the general public. The announcement of her presentation in this contest was a surprise since it marks the return to music of this artist, after a professional career of more than 15 years as an actress, presenter and singer. «I want to come back here with all of you. You Eurofans are very dedicated. I’ve been listening for years if he touched me, and I always had that fear. Why can’t I be a singer and actress? », she asked herself.
The 33-year-old Mallorcan became known in 2007, at the age of 16, on the television program ‘Factor X’, being the second classified in the contest. After that she released her first album. Months later she debuted as an actress playing Paula Blasco in the popular series ‘Física o Química’ on Antena 3. Back on stage, at just 20 years old she was proclaimed winner of the first edition of the talent show ‘Tu cara me sona’, imitating, among others, Christina Aguilera or Freddy Mercury. She has subsequently participated in several television and radio programs, continuing as an actress with numerous works, including being part of the main cast of the seventh season of the series ‘Amar es para siempre’. In 2021 she presented a documentary series, ‘It’s not depression, it’s depression’, in which she reported that she has suffered from this disease for years.
The third confirmed for the next edition of the Benidorm Fest has been Jorde de la Cruz Correa, known artistically as Dellacruz, who was “happy and excited”, and “wanting to work” on a song that he has prepared “with a lot of love” . This 31-year-old from Tenerife, resident in Madrid, is a singer and composer.
He entered the world of music in 2019 with the release of his first single, ‘Always Return’, in collaboration with his compatriot Nay Arias. She stands out for her urban pop with fresh sounds. In addition to her own songs, numerous songs by great national and international artists such as Sergio Dalma, Dvicio, Famous and David Civera also bear her signature.
From participating in ‘Operación Triumph’ and ‘La Voz’ to winning in ‘Your Face Me Sounds’, Jorge González (35 years old) is one of the old acquaintances for Eurovision viewers. He has already appeared in previous preselections twice, in 2009 with ‘Si yo vengo a amorarte’, and in 2014 with ‘Although the world ends’. Now, on the third try, he tries again, hoping it will be the final one. “I’m going to live it to the fullest,” he assured.
The Madrid native’s relationship with music began when he was young. In 2006 he became known after his time in ‘Operación Triunfo’, where he entered the final phase of the contest. Years later he participated in ‘La Voz’, and in 2020 in ‘Your face sounds to me’, where he was proclaimed winner of the eighth edition. In 2021 he came third at the New Wave festival (Russia). In this last year he has released his latest album ‘Intimo’. ‘Agüita’ is his latest single, together with Eurovision star Soraya Arnelas.
In this case, as a group, the Lérica group also has the objective of representing Spain in the Eurovision event. «It is one of the best festivals we have. “We love the format and the community that has been created,” said one of its members, Tony Mateo (29 years old), brother of fellow singer Abraham Mateo.
Juan Carlos Arauzo (La Línea de la Concepción, 31 years old) completes the band, which already has some hits such as ‘Flamenkito’, ‘De Tranquilote’ and ‘Hijostrabajo’. Friends since childhood, they have collaborated with prominent artists such as Gente de Zona, Belinda, Abraham Mateo himself, Beret, Omar Montes, Juan Magán y Cali and El Dandee, among others; and they have also composed songs for others such as Luis Fonsi, Manuel Turizo or Farruko. They range from pop to flamenco and have already accumulated 14 platinum records and 9 gold records.
The Mantra group, formed in 2020, in which Carlos Marco (Alicante, 32 years old), a former member of Auryn, participates, will also look for their opportunity at the Benidorm Fest. Together with Paula Pérez and Charly Weinberg (Madrid, 25 years old), they managed to put their first album, ‘Epicentro’, at number one of the best-selling physical albums in Spain.
His latest single is ‘Do you remember or not?’, and has accumulated more than 8 million views on Spotify. Her style is romantic pop, with Latin influences. For Carlos Marco this will be his second attempt. With Auryn he was about to represent Spain in Eurovision in 2011.
The audience at the Alameda theater in Seville where the list was announced, vibrated greatly when the name of the Malaga singer-songwriter María Peláe (33 years old) was announced, who expressed that after more than 15 years of professional career she needed a challenge that would shake her spirit. inside. And the Benidorm Fest achieved it. “It’s been a few days since I’ve been attacked and excited,” she said.
This artist is a revolutionary with her music, flamenco style but with current rhythms, in which her lyrics stand out with a lot of social criticism and also touches of humor. In 2016 she released her first album, ‘Hipochondria’, and in 2020 she began a groundbreaking tour. Her second album ‘La Folcrónica’ (2022) won the Odeón award for Best Flamenco Album. In addition, she is a versatile composer, with diverse themes. She recently released ‘La Putukita’, anticipating the album ‘Al Baño María’. Some of her have defined her as ‘the millennial Lola Flores’. Last year she participated in the ninth edition of ‘Your face sounds to me’, finishing in third position.
Other confirmed performers were Marlena, the duo formed by Ana Legazpi (voice) and Carolina Moyano (guitar), with music characterized by its distinctive pop style. In 2020 they released their first single, ‘Sociedad Limitada’, and it was with the second, ‘Me Sabe Mal’, with which they achieved their first major commercial success, with a platinum record.
In 2021, Marlena got a nomination at ‘Los 40 Music Awards’ in the Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year category. Both took to the stage for the first time on ‘X Factor’ in Italy.
Another of the big surprises of the day was the Madrid band Miss Caffeina, who confessed that they did not have to be convinced to sign up for this festival. “They give us challenges and things that we have never done before,” they said. Alberto Jiménez (vocals), Sergio Sastre (keyboards, guitar and synthesizer) and Antonio Poza (guitar and electric bass) are the members of this alternative electronic pop group that began its journey in 2005.
Their album ‘Detroit’, released in 2016, established them as one of the most influential bands on the Spanish indie scene. The album includes hits like ‘Look How I Fly’ and ‘Acid’. They later published ‘Detroit’ (2016), ‘Oh Long Johnson’ (2019) and ‘The Year of the Tiger’ (2022). His latest work is the EP ‘Shanghai Baby’.
Of all those chosen, the electronic pop duo Nebulossa is the oldest. It is made up of María Bas (vocals) and Mark Dasousa, the producer and who is in charge of the synthesizers. The band defines itself as “a lot of pop and a lot of synth”, as a group that fuses sounds and melodies from the 80s.
Their song ‘Glam’ was selected as the Best Song of 2021 by the Indie Cool jury. They have also won the Studio Mans contest, and have been nominated for the Pop Eye awards as a Newcomer Group. One of his great songs is the song ‘Me ques a 1000’, which evokes the style of ‘Maniac’ by Michael Sembello, famous for appearing in the film ‘Flashdance’ (1983).
Iñigo Samaniego, better known as Noan, is the only Basque representative who aspires to represent Spain in Eurovision next year. Born in Zarautz but settled in Asturias, at 25 years old he is one of the great promises of the new wave of Spanish pop, with hits like ‘Me matas’ or ‘Superpoder’.
He has appeared several times on Spotify’s viral lists, and many knew him thanks to the covers he uploaded to social networks, pieces in which he covered pieces of Spanish music classics. In the last year, Noan has published ‘Con los Pies en el Techo’.
Quique Niza, also known as Quique González, is the youngest of those selected for the Benidorm Fest. He was born in Madrid in 2003, and despite his age he already has performances on stage, making his debut at just ten years old. He has participated in children’s musicals and zarzuelas.
In the last year he has stepped into the shoes of Danny Zuko in the latest production of the ‘Grease’ musical. A few months ago the actor released his first single, ‘Ardo’, with which he officially began his career as a singer.
The Catalan Roger Padrós (Polinyà, 26 years old) released his first EP in 2019, called ‘Mil Más’. It was his participation in the seventh edition of the television program ‘The Voice’ that propelled him into the world of music. Currently, he is working on his second album and performing as a resident musician at Casa Batlló in Barcelona.
Sofía Coll (Barcelona, 24 years old) is a singer, dancer, actress, composer and presenter. She became known after her participation in ‘La Voz Kids’ in 2014, when she was only 14 years old. She is versatile, she has been composing on guitar and piano since she was very young, and has trained in music, dance, and audiovisual and show production. In 2020 she released her first album, ‘Genesis’. In 2020 she published a remix of ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ with Rakky Ripper, a participant at Benidorm Fest 2023.
The singer and composer Pedro Hernández (Tenerife, 27 years old) is behind st. Pedro. He was previously part of the group Neptuno, in his hometown. His first experience on television was in 2017, when he managed to reach the final of ‘La Voz’ on Juanes’ team. Currently he is working on his new album that will be released in the coming months, an album with different Latin rhythms. Among his latest published songs are ‘Romance’ and ‘No es lo que tapa’.
The Galician Yolanda Saa Filgueira, known artistically as Yoly Saa (Pontevedra, 31 years old), is a singer-songwriter, composer and lyricist. She taught herself to play the guitar online as a teenager. In 2020 she released her first EP, ‘Magma’, which includes ‘Everything with you’, one of her most successful songs with more than 7 million views on Spotify. Two years later, in 2022, she releases her debut album, ‘A blows of faith’, which includes songs like ‘Galicia’, a tribute to her homeland that she performs acoustically with her compatriot Luis Fercan.
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