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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Ana Torroja| image = Ana Torroja.jpg| image_size =| caption = Torroja in 2009.| background = solo_singer| birth_date = birth date and age|df=y|1959|12|28| origin = Spain | instrument = Vocalist | genre = pop music|Pop | occupation = Singer , songwriter , musician | years_active = 1981–present| label =| associated_acts = Mecano | website = http://www.anatorroja.info/| notable_instruments = Ana Torroja (born 28 December 1959 in Madrid ) is a Grammy Award -nominated Spanish 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.
Biography
Ana Torroja met José María Cano while studying economics at university. The two became good friends, and José María soon introduced her to his younger brother, Ignacio Cano|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 & mdash;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& mdash;unlike the Mecano hits written by the Cano brothers& mdash;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 version|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 Premios Oye!|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 17 May 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 10 October 2008, she was seriously injured in a car crash in Cádiz , from which she fully recovered.cite web|url= http://www.elpais.com/articulo/gente/tv/Ana/Torroja/herida/grave/accidente/trafico/elpepugen/20081010elpepuage_3/Tes|title=Ana Torroja, herida en un grave accidente de tráfico|work=El Pais|date=October 10, 2008|accessdate=August 27, 2011
Ana's music has managed to spread further than just France and Germany. In 2010, United Kingdom|British singer Jack Lucien announced that he had covered her song "Hoy ya no te quiero" for his forthcoming third studio album. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm? fuseaction=blog.view& friendId=90479721& blogId=534997990
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.
Discography
Studio albums and Compilations
" lang|es|Puntos cardinales " (1997)
" lang|es|Points Cardinaux " (1997)
" lang|es|Pasajes de un sueño " (1999)
" lang|es|Girados en concierto " - a collaboration with Miguel Bosé (2000)
" lang|es|Ana Torroja " (2001)
" lang|es|Frágil " (2003)
" lang|es|Esencial " (2004)
" lang|es|Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte " (2006)
" lang|es|Sonrisa " (Smile - 2010)
Covers and Collaborations
" lang|es|A contratiempo and lang|fr|Les murs (lang|fr|version en français)" ("Bottomless" - Bette Midler ) (1995)
" lang|es|Hold on " (duet with Jason Hart) (1997) (marketed in 2005)
" lang|es|Media luna " (duet with Deep Forest ) (1997)
" lang|es|Veinte mariposas " ("Hidden like a secret" - Jimmy Wahisteen/Jorge Drexter ) (2003)
" lang|es|Sólo por eso " ("lang|fr|Rien que pour ça" - Tristan Boccara/Nathaniel Brendel ) (2003)
" lang|es|Cuatro días " ("Would you like to know" - Tina Harris/Mats Bernhoft/ Anders Bagge ) (2003)
" lang|es|Menos, más " ("lang|fr|Vers ta voix" - Tino Izzo/Diane Cadieux ) (2003)
" lang|es|I wish you were here " ("Wish you were here" - Waters G. ) (2003)
" lang|es|Sweet Lullaby " (duet with Deep Forest ) (2003)
" lang|es|Duele el amor " (duet with Aleks Syntek )("Love breaks your heart") (2004)
" lang|es|Enfant de la lune " (duet with Psy 4 de la Rime , a French hip hop group) (2005)
" lang|es|Porque te vas " (duet with Schiller (band)|Schiller ) (2008)
" lang|es|Hijo de la luna " (duet with Raphael (singer)|Raphael ) (2008)
Songs in English
" lang|es|Si fueras tú " (1997) (If I were you) - Jason Hart
" lang|es|Dulce pesadilla " (1999) (Beautiful nightmare) - Jason Hart
" lang|es|No estás " ''(1999) (Don't fall) - Jason Hart
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.zonamecano.com Mecano WebSite Official - Mecano
http://www.anatorroja.info/ Ana Torroja Homepage
http://www.anatorroja.com/ Forus Official Ana Torroja
http://www.europopmusic.eu/Reviews/ReviewsQ3_10.html#review_sonrisa Review of Sonrisa (in English)
Persondata | NAME =Torroja, Ana | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =28 December 1959 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Torroja, Ana Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Spanish singers Category:Spanish female singers Category:Spanish pop singers Category:Spanish singer-songwriters Category:Spanish-language singers Category:French-language singers Category:People from Madrid
