Sílvia Pérez Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Sílvia Pérez Cruz in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (age 42) Palafrugell, Catalonia, Spain |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Website | www |
Sílvia Pérez Cruz (born inPalafrugell, 15 February 1983) is aSpanish singer and composer. In 2012, she recorded her first solo album,11 de Novembre, which was nominated for album of the year in both Spain and France. A song performed by her, "No te puedo encontrar", received aGoya Award forBest Original Song for 2012. In 2014, she released her albumGranada. Both releases have been in collaboration withRaül Fernández Miró. She received another Goya Award for best original song, for the song "Ai, ai, ai", composed and performed by her, for the filmAt Your Doorstep (2016). In 2022, the Spanish Government awarded her the "Premio Nacional de la Músicas Actuales"[1] ("National Prize for contemporary music"). In her latest album,Toda la vida, un día (2023), Cruz "recreated her whole life in a single album, embarking on what would become a year-long work recorded in Barcelona, Pontós, Madrid, Jerez, Buenos Aires, Coatepec and Havana."[2] On July 1, 2024, she performed on NPR's "Tiny Desk Concert."[3]
Cruz's parents were both singers who sang together. Her mother Glòria Cruz i Torrellas taught her to play the saxophone and piano as well as how to dance and sculpt. Her father Càstor Pérez Diz was a self-taught guitarist. She has a daughter, Lola.[4]
She went toCatalonia College of Music in Barcelona, where she received classical training studying the piano and saxophone and receiving a degree invocal jazz. While she was at Catalonia College of Music, she and three other women founded aflamenco group called Las Migas. They combined their different musical approaches to create a new type of flamenco. It was not long after this that she became well known in the Spanish music scene.[5][6][7][8]
Cruz toldNPR that a song must have a story. She believes that her view of songs as stories comes from her mother who was a singer and storyteller. Her mother, she said, also viewed songs as stories.[5]
In 2012, Cruz released her album11 de Novembre withRaül Refree. She met Miró in 2006 and they toured together in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.[6] Miró was both guitarist and producer for the album.[5] Their songs have been described as a blend of music genres includingFado,jazz improvisation, andflamenco.[6] Cruz won a Goya Award, Spain's most prestigious film award, for best original song "No Te Puedo Encontrar" in the filmBlancanieves.[5][6] The album received a Gold Award disc.[6][7][8][9]
In 2014, Cruz released her second albumGranada, again collaborating withRaül Refree. It reflects Cruz's practice of singing in multiple languages: French, German, English, and four Iberian languages. Included on the album is the song "El Cant Dells Ocells," a Catalan folk song previously made famous byPablo Casals. Another song is "Gallo Rojo, Gallo Negro", a well-known song from theSpanish Civil War. Cruz first understood the story in the song when she was part of a concert honoring the remaining veterans of theInternational Brigades who fought against theNationales in the civil war. Cruz told NPR that she saw tears in the veterans' eyes when they sang the song in their own language. She said, "These people have lived through so much. It's good that I can sing and help them remember."[5] As journalist Betto Arcos concluded, this example illustrates how Cruz comes to understand the stories in the songs she sings.[5]
| [10] | Year | Title | Notes | Release and special editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As member of other groups | 2005 | Llama | With Ravid Goldschmidt | |
| 2006 | Unas voces | As member ofLas Migas | ||
| 2007 | Immigrasons | With Ernesto Snajer yRaül Fernández | Reissued in 2015 | |
| 2008 | We sing Bill Evans | With Joan Díaz Trío | ||
| 2010 | Un sordo s'ho escoltava | As member of Xalupa | ||
| Reinas del matute | As member ofLas Migas | |||
| 2011 | En la imaginación | WithJavier Colina Trío | Reissued in 2016 | |
| Rompiendo aguas | As member of Llama with Ravid Goldschmidt | |||
| Solo | 2012 | 11 de novembre | Special edition in 2012 and Portuguese release in 2013. | |
| 2014 | Granada | WithRaül Fernández Miró | Special edition in 2014 | |
| 2016 | Domus | Original soundtrack ofAt Your Doorstep | Special edition in 2016 | |
| 2017 | Vestida de nit | With string quintet | ||
| 2018 | Joia | Double compilation album released only in Japan | ||
| 2020 | MA. Live in Tokyo | WithMarco Mezquida, recorded life in Blue Note | ||
| Farsa (género imposible) | Compilations of themes composed for movies, theater and dance. | |||
| 2023 | Toda la vida, un día | |||
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feroz Awards | 2017 | Best Original Score | At Your Doorstep | Nominated | [11] |
| Gaudí Awards | 2017 | Best Actress | Nominated | [12] | |
| Best Original Score | Won | ||||
| Goya Awards | 2017 | Best New Actress | Nominated | [13] | |
| Best Original Song | "Ai, Ai, Ai"(fromAt Your Doorstep) | Won | |||
| Latin Grammy Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | "313"(withResidente &Penélope Cruz) | Nominated | [14] |
| Best Short Form Music Video | Won | ||||
| Premios de la Academia de Música | 2024 | Artist of the Year | Herself | Nominated | [15] |
| Album of the Year | Toda la Vida, un Día | Nominated | |||
| Best Singer-Songwriter Album | Won | ||||
| Best Recording Package | Won | ||||
| Best Music Video | "Toda la Vida, un Día" | Nominated | |||
| Best Catalan/Valencian/Aranese Song | "Ell no vol que el món s'acabi" | Won | |||
| Premios Max | 2018 | Best Musical Composition for Stage Performance | Grito Pelao | Won | [16] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
