my mum showed us this book they made showing some of my grandpa's work as a photographer for spanish singers and I wanted to share with you some of them <3 below I'll add a little description of the artist in case you don't know who they are
in order of appearance, they are:
massiel: she was the first spanish winner in eurovision in 1968 with 'la la la'. later in life she denounced the usage of the francoist regime of eurovision as a propaganda machine, and has remained vinculated to eurovision.
marisol: she was a child actress who suffered great abuse (as is usually the case) during her childhood and teenage years, working both as an actress and as a singer (she mostly starred - especially as a kid - in musical movies). she was also a member of the spanish communist party and has marxist ideas <3.
ana belén: she is one of the most iconic singers from the transition period (1975-1978) alongside her husband, víctor manuel (he was also photographied by my grandpa but i couldn't find a way his picture could fit). her songs have a strong social and political content, and she has also taken part in movies both as an actress and as a director. one of her most iconic songs is 'el hombre del piano', a spanish version of billy joel's piano man.
julio iglesias: he is perhaps one of the most successful spanish-speaking singers ever, having sold more than 150 million records. he is also part of the latin songwriters hall of fame. in 1983 he was celebrated for being the artist with songs in the most languages in the world, and in 2013 for being the best-selling male latin artist of all-time. oh and he has had a star in hollywood walk of fame since 1985, as well as having various grammys, latin grammys, billboard music awards, american music awards, etc. so yeah. he's a big deal (he's also the father of enrique iglesias who you might have already know). he represented spain in eurovision in 1970, with 'gwendolyne', which was his breakout hit.
nino bravo: he was one of the biggest spanish singers in the first half of the 70s, with massive hits and an incredible rise to fame that was tragically short, as he died in a car crash in 1973, when he was 28 (he only had 3 years of fame). my grandpa was a close friend of his, he even went to his wedding and appears in his memories. anyways, despite his short-lived fame, many of his songs are iconic and classics, possibly its best and most popular one is 'un beso y una flor', a karaoke classic.
joan manuel serrat: he is the singlemost imporant catalan singer-songwriter in history, with songs both in his native tongue and spanish (he's also my mother's favourite singer <3). he has a very poetic lyrical style, being influenced by poets like lorca, neruda, benedetti, machado, or alberti, and he even has some albums singing poetry of different spanish poets (the miguel hernández one is insane). he was also the pioneer of the nova cançó catalan movement, and he has been galardonated with highest honors in spain, as well as receiving the honorary latin grammy in 2014. his song 'mediterráneo' is for many - including myself - quite possibly the best spanish song ever (at least lyrically).
joaquín sabina: he is like a friend to me. my parents love him so they would always play his songs in long car rides and now i also love him his songs are incredible. he's actually a good friend of serrat and have toured together, their styles are similar only sabina isn't catalan (he's andalusian but lives in madrid) and his songs are more like stories than poems, he is inspired in baroque literature more than 20th century poets like serrat. just like serrat, he also has honorary awards by the ondas awards, the latin grammys, and various cities and regions in spain. it is literally impossible to choose only one of his songs to showcase here, but i'm afraid i have to go with 'y nos dieron las diez', one of his most popular songs, a karaoke classic, and the song we scream the loudest on the car with my family.
alejandro sanz: he is the most recent of all these singers, and currently the most famous spanish male singer i would say, only second to rosalía. he has won 22 latin grammys and 4 grammys, and he's collabed with artists such as alicia keys, shakira, or marc anthony. he's huge is what i'm trying to say lol. his breakout hit was 'corazón partío', in 1997, that still remains one of his most popular songs.
lola flores: she is everything to me istg. anyways. lola flores was a flamenco singer, dancer, and actress, that remains as one of the best folclóricas in history. just so you know, folclóricas were basically flamenco divas, think of them like that. she was iconic as fuck, antifa, feminist, and funny as hell. she is, as the english wikipedia says, 'a spanish pop culture icon'. you might also know her grand-daughter, actress alba flores. her most well-known song is probably 'ay pena, penita, pena'.
rocío jurado: just like lola flores, she is one of the most iconic and best folclóricas in history. just as her, she was both a singer and an actress, and she is remembered for having one of the best voices ever; in fact, in the year 2000 she won the new york times' prize 'the voice of the millenium' for best female voice of the 20th century. she is also iconic and regarded almost like a minor goddess in flamenco circles (just like lola flores). her most well known song is the iconic 'como una ola'.
