Abel Pintos | |
|---|---|
 Abel Pintos in concert, Córdoba, Argentina (2011). | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Abel Federico Pintos |
| Born | (1984-05-11)May 11, 1984 (age 40) Bahía Blanca,Argentina |
| Genres | Folk Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Sony Music |
| Website | www |
Abel Federico Pintos (born May 11, 1984) is anArgentine singer-songwriter. He started his solo career at the age of 13 with his albumPara cantar he nacido (I Was Born To Sing), supported financially byLeón Gieco.[1] After the release of four studio albums, he started writing his own songs that marked a departure from his folk style.
He rose to prominence withLa llave (The Key), although the CD and DVDSueño dorado (Golden Dream), which marked fifteen years in the music industry, was his best-selling record of 2012.[2] Along with artists such asSoledad Pastorutti andLuciano Pereyra, Pintos has been dubbed as a promising rising star of Argentine folk music.
He was awarded the GoldGardel prize for his CD and DVDSueño Dorado.[3]
Abel Federico Pintos was born inBuenos Aires Province on May 11, 1984, in the city of Bahía Blanca, but was brought up in Cutral Có,Neuquén Province. He made his first steps into music at the age of 7, when he was chosen to sing at a commemoration event forJosé de San Martín taking place at his school. In the audience was a representative from the municipal government who, impressed by his voice, invited Pintos to sing at another event commemorating the founding of Ingeniero White, his town in the south of Buenos Aires province. He performed three songs at this event: one byVíctor Heredia, another byLeón Gieco, and the third byHoracio Guarany. Following this performance he started to gain recognition, and launched his musical career thereafter. His early career was boosted by a string of lucky breaks: first, tango singerRaúl Lavié travelled to Bahía Blanca on a tour calledTango en la Bahía ("Tango by the bay"), where he heard Pintos sing. On that day, Pintos had a demo-tape of his recordings and gave it to Lavié who in turn handed it on to Pity Iñurrigarro, then producer for León Gieco. Iñurrigarro organised a record deal withSony Music through his production company Abraxas.
Pintos then went to Buenos Aires, where he was personally introduced to León Gieco, who then supported him and produced his first release.Para cantar he nacido ("I Was Born To Sing") became the title of his first record which he made during the month of March in the ION studios, consisting of 18 covers of popular songs by artists such as Horacio Banegas, Carlos Carabajal, Peteco Carabajal, Raúl Carnota,Atahualpa Yupanqui,César Isella and Bebe Ponti. The album's leading single was the title track ofPara canter he nacido, for which he received awards at Argentina's most prestigious folk music festivals.[4] Pintos commented himself that his debut album was replete with expectations, anxiety and "excesses of adrenaline". While retrospectively he sees it as an album that was not recorded hastily, he has since acknowledged that his approach to recording an album has changed sincePara cantar he nacido.[5]
At the 38thCosquín Festival, Pintos was granted the opportunity to perform three times on the festival's main stage. The first occasion was on January 28, where he sang three songs from his first album. The first of these was "Cuando llegue el alba" ("When Dawn Comes") (which he performed as a duet with León Gieco), the second was "El 180", and the final was the lead single of "Para cantar he nacido". His performance met with positive reception from the crowd, at which point he was invited by the festival's organisers to perform twice more, on January 31 and then February 1. It was on this day that he received the "special mention" from the folk music commission, and the Gold Award of the Cosquín Festival, presented to up-and-coming artists by the Argentine Society of Authors and Songwriters (SADAIC).
On March 1, 1998, he performed at Buenos Aires Vivo II,[6] a show organised by the Buenos Aires city government, where he shared the stage with León Gieco to perform "Cuando llegue el alba" and "Para cantar he nacido".
Following the success of his debut album, Pintos turned to creating a second album:Todos los días un poco (A Little Bit Everyday), in which he was to infuse classic songs by popular performers with his own compositional style, with the aim of showcasing his own unique flair and vocal characteristics. The album was released in March 1999, under the executive production of Pity Iñurrigarro, Luis Gurevich and Roly Hernández. Notable songs from this album included: Haracio Guarany's "Cuando nadie te nombre" (When Nobody Mentions You), Atahualpa Yupanqui's "La tucumanita" (The Girl From Tucuman), Cuti Carabajal's "La Sacha Pera", Eduardo Falú's "Tonada del viejo amor" (Melody Of Old Love), León Gieco's "Todos los días un poco" (A Little Bit Everyday) and a humorous take on a traditional Argentine folk dance by Horacio Fontova called "Que viva la chacarera" (Long Live TheChacarera). The leading single, "Ojos de cielo" (Eyes of the Heavens) by Víctor Heredia, was recorded with the Kennedy Chorus of Buenos Aires. Alongside him in concert and in the recording studio were his brother Ariel Pintos (lead guitar and post-production), his father Raúl Pintos (percussion), Diego Simonovich (backing guitar and post-production), Edgardo Peralta (rhythm guitar andcharango) and Waldo Graff (keyboard).
In the summer of 2000, Abel Pintos performed in several prestigious festivals around Argentina, including the 2000Cosquín Festival and theJesús María Festival in the province ofCórdoba. He releasedCosas del corazón (Things of the Heart) on December 19, 2001, which was made possible by collaboration with musicians such asDomingo Cura and theBandoneon player Carlos Buono. The record was produced by Martín Carrizo, and was recorded inPalermo, Buenos Aires. AlthoughCosas del corazón was released with a tight commercial strategy, it did not achieve the success that Pintos has hoped for. The main reason for this was that it was released two days before theeconomic crash and riots of December 2001. Abel Pintos deemed it to be one of his best records, being a "hinge between the vibes of previous albums". It was the first album which drew together influences from Central American music, and Argentine folk and rock music. FromCosas del corazón onwards, Pintos started to develop a unique, eclectic musical style which would consolidate in later albums.[5]
By the end of 2003, after a hiatus, Abel Pintos returned to the studio to record his own songs and exhibit his development as an artist in his own right. From April 2005, pianist Alfredo "Fredy" Hernández joined his touring and recording band line-up.
2004 saw Pintos releaseSentidos (Meanings), something of a new start for Pintos, given that it was the first album he had recorded in three years. After a dip in record sales,Sentidos was the first album to be released with a major record label,Sony BMG.[5] In February 2004 he performed in theViña del Mar International Song Festival, competing in the Festival's folk section with the song "Bailando con tu sombra (Alelí)" (Dancing With Your Shadow), written by Víctor Heredia. The performance earned him the ceremony's "Gaviotas de Plata" (Silver Seagull) award, the top award of competition – one for the Winning Song and another for the Best Performer.
Pintos' 2005 albumReflejo real (Real Reflection) marked a move in his career towards a more sophisticated and personal compositional style. The album drew upon the creative development of his two previous albumsCosas del corazón andSentidos.
On July 10, 2012, Pintos releasedSueño Dorado (Golden Dream), a CD/DVD Greatest Hits compilation featuring songs from across the 15 years of his career. In less than one week,Sueño Dorado was awarded Gold status, and after seven months attained Double Platinum status.[7] The first single from the album was "Cactus", a cover of a song of the same name byGustavo Cerati, released on June 19. The DVD was recorded live in Quilmes, a village of ancient Native American ruins inTucumán province between May 8–10, 2012. A few days beforehand, the Spanish bandLa oreja de Van Gogh recorded their own DVDCometas por el Cielo – En directo desdo América, with Abel Pintos in the audience while having his final rehearsals.[8][9] The line-up in Pintos' performance was a selection of songs taken from distinct moments throughout his career as a songwriter and performer, in which he combined acoustic, folk and electronic soundscapes. The concert took place at dawn, as the sun began to light up the landscape. The technical recording team was made up of over fifty people, and the production went ahead with the permission of the local indigenous communities.
The 2013 albumAbel met with positive reception from critics and fans alike. The first single from the album, "Aquí te espero" (I'm Waiting For You Here), was released on October 9, 2013, and became Triple-Platinum in less than a month from its initial release. On the reason for giving the album his first name, Pintos commented:
| Year | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gold Gardel Prize | Won | |
| Best Pop Album | Abel[10] | Won | |
| Production of the Year | Won | ||
| Album of the Year | Won | ||
| Song of the Year | Aqui te espero | Won | |
| 2013 | Gold Gardel Prize | Won | |
| Production of the Year | Sueño dorado | Nominated | |
| Album of the Year | Won | ||
| Song of the Year | Won | ||
| Best Album by a Male Pop Artist | Won | ||
| Best DVD | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Production of the Year | Reevolución | Nominated |
| Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Album by a Male Folk Artist | Won | ||
| Best Record Production | Nominated | ||
| Best Cover Art | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Best Alternative Folk Album | La llave | Won |
(He was given a recognition award for being the patron of the Festival of Popular Music by the Football Sub-commission of Colón de San Justo FC.)
