Alejandro Fernández | |
|---|---|
 Fernández in 2021 | |
| Born | Alejandro Fernández Abarca (1971-04-24)24 April 1971 (age 53) Guadalajara,Jalisco, Mexico |
| Other names | El Potrillo ("The Colt") |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Works | Discography |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Vicente Fernández (father) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | |
Musical artist | |
| Website | alejandrofernandez |
Alejandro Fernández Abarca (Spanish pronunciation:[aleˈxandɾofeɾˈnandesaˈβaɾka]; born 24 April 1971) is a Mexican singer. Born inGuadalajara,Jalisco, he is the son of the Mexican singerVicente Fernández.[1] Nicknamed as "El Potrillo"[2] by the media and his fans,[3][better source needed] he has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of thebest-selling Latin music artists.[4] He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms ofMexican folk, such asmariachi andcharro, until he successfully branched out intopop music. Over the course of his career, he has been awarded fourLatin Grammy Awards and a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[5][6]
Alejandro Fernández was born inGuadalajara, Jalisco. His first appearance in the spectacular presentation was in 1976; in one of his father's shows.
Fernández released his first albumAlejandro Fernández underSony Music. Its main hits were "Necesito olvidarla", "Brumas" and "Equivocadamente".[7] With this material, Alejandro began a tour in Mexico and some cities of the United States. In 1993, he performed with his father in a concert at thePalacio de los Deportes, and he continued for a season at theTeatro Blanquita in Mexico City. The same year Alejandro released the successfulPiel de Niña, produced byPedro Ramírez. The songs "Piel de Niña", "A La Vera del Camino", and "Cascos Ligeros" were some of the main hits on the album.[8] At theLo Nuestro Awards of 1993 Fernández was nominated for Male Artist, New Artist and Regional Mexican Album of the Year for his debut album, winning none.[9]
In 1994 he released the albumGrandes Éxitos a la Manera de Alejandro Fernández, covering pieces from legendary composers such asArmando Manzanero,Luis Demetrio andAgustín Lara.[10] At the9th Lo Nuestro Awards, Fernández received a nomination for Regional Mexican Male Performer of the Year.[11]
In 1995, he released the albumQue Seas Muy Feliz. The song "Como Quien Pierde Una Estrella" became his first international hit. It was heavily promoted on radio and television shows.[12]
In 1996, his releaseMuy Dentro de Mi Corazón was an instant success.[13] Songs like "Moño Negro", "Nube Viajera" and "Abrazame" became hits in Mexico and several countries in Latin America. That same year he recorded "Puedes Llegar", the theme song for the 1996Atlanta Olympics, with singersGloria Estefan,Jon Secada andRicky Martin, among others. In 1997, he recorded the albumMe Estoy Enamorando, produced byEmilio Estefan, Jr. The album is a fusion ofbolero, romantic ballad, orchestral arrangements and elements of Mexican mariachi that became popular in the Latin music sector. "Si Tú Supieras" was the most successful hit of that production,[14] and it was chosen as the theme of the hit soap opera of the time,"Maria Isabel". It also conquered the U.S. market, lasting seven weeks at the top ofBillboardHot Latin Tracks. He became the first Latin singer to hold first place with three hits: "Si tu supieras" was followed by "En El Jardín" (with Gloria Estefan) and "No Sé Olvidar".[14]Me Estoy Enamorando sold 2.2 million copies worldwide and was nominated for Best Latin Pop Performance at the 40th AnnualGrammy Awards.[15] In December 1998, he recordedChristmas in Vienna VI with the tenorPlácido Domingo andPatricia Kaas. His performance was praised by critics but it did not achieve much popularity among the audience.
With the albumMi Verdad of 1999, Fernández returned to ranchera music.[16] Mi Verdad was nominated for Best Mexican-American performance at the 42nd annualGrammy Awards.[15] "Si He Sabido Amor" became a big hit and was the theme of the hit soap operaInfierno en el Paraíso.
In 2000, he released the albumEntre tus brazos, the eighth in his career and the second one with Emilio Estefan, Jr. as the producer. "Quiéreme" was the first single, a fast-tempo pop song that showed his musical versatility. For the first time in his career, he included a song from his own inspiration: "Entre Tus Brazos". The album contains mostly romantic ballads with energetic Latin rhythms.[17] That same year, he andJulio Iglesias recorded the song "Dos Corazones, Dos Historias;" it appeared on Julio's albumNoche de Cuatro Lunas.[18]
In 2001, he recordedOrígenes.[19] The single "Tantina Pena" (a flamenco-style mariachi bolero) became an international hit.[19] In 2002, he launched his productionUn Canto De México, which contains twenty-two classic ranchera songs. It was recorded live at thePalacio de Bellas Artes.[20] In 2003, Alejandro began a Latin American tour with his father Vicente, and recorded the show called"En Vivo: Juntos Por Ultima Vez", which was witnessed by thousands of fans, culminating inMexico City at theForo Sol, with over five hours of music in front of nearly 60,000 spectators. That same year he recorded his next albumNiña amada mía.[21] The title song became a hit and the theme of apopular soap opera of the same name. That same year, Alejandro toured Latin America and the United States. Later he participated in the Christmas specialEn mi país, recorded inPuerto Rico and broadcast byTelemundo. Fernández andEdnita Nazario performed a duet of "Triste Navidad" ("Sad Christmas").
In 2004, he played the lead role inZapata: El sueño del héroe, a movie about the Mexican revolutionary heroEmiliano Zapata by filmmakerAlfonso Arau. That same year,A Corazón Abierto reunited Alejandro with Grammy-winning producer and songwriterKike Santander, who penned his greatest hits fromMe Estoy Enamorando. He also recruited multiple talented younger songwriters, includingGian Marco,Leonel García (of pop duoSin Bandera),Reyli Barba (former member of pop band Elefante) and Mexican groupTres De Copas.[22]
"Romanticism is something that will never die", declared Alejandro Fernández, explaining his choice of songs onA Corazón Abierto, his breakthrough recording about lost love, love that is never forgotten and the capacity to always love again."I'm super, ultra passionate. We're releasing an album that's an x-ray of myself. That's why it's titled "A Corazón Abierto" ("In Open Heart"). It was something very honest. Not naked, but something deeper than that".[citation needed] The album released the singles: "¿Que voy a hacer con mi amor?", "Qué lastima", "Me dediqué a perderte" and the smash hit "Canta corazón".[22]
In 2005, Alejandro releasedMéxico - Madrid: En Directo Y Sin Escalas (Mexico – Madrid: Nonstop), featuring 13 tracks including one new song. Produced by Aureo Baquiero and filmed in front of a live audience at Spain's "Palacio de Congresos IFEMA", the production features Fernández performing some of his biggest hits accompanied by a 28-piece orchestra and some of Spain's most important voices on three of the songs:Amaia Montero fromLa Oreja de Van Gogh joins him on "Me dediqué a perderte";Malú duets with him on "Contigo aprendí", and withflamenco starDiego El Cigala perform a fast-tempo version of "Como quien pierde una estrella", accompanied oncajón by famed flamenco guitaristNiño Josele.[23] That same year, Alejandro was chosen to sing along with thetenorsJosé Carreras andPlácido Domingo in a special concert celebrating the opening of the "Forum Internacional de las Culturas" inMonterrey. At first his father Vicente was invited but he turned it down. Alejandro showed his skilled vocals and operatic tenorrange, singing pieces of opera such as "Granada"; his performance was praised by the audience. He also recorded a duet with the tenorMario Frangoulis called "Hay más" from the albumFollow Your Heart.[24] After that, Alejandro went on tour with two Latin American stars:Marc Anthony andChayanne, passing through several major U.S. cities.[25] On 2 December 2005, Los Angeles, gave him a star on the legendaryHollywood Walk of Fame onHollywood Boulevard.[26]
In 2007, he releasedViento A Favor featuring tunes written by Leonel García and Noel Schajris (better known as emotive Latin-pop duoSin Bandera) and Mexican singerReyli Barba.[27] The first two singles were "Te Voy A Perder", and "Amor Gitano", a duet withBeyoncé.[28] After that "Cuando Estamos Juntos" and "No Se Me Hace Fácil", became hits; "Eres" was the last single of the album.
In 2008, Alejandro started a tour in Spain, covering cities such asMadrid,Valencia andA Coruña. He released the albumDe Noche: Clásicos A Mi Manera; it features classic romantic ballads and boleros such as "El Reloj" and "Regálame esta noche", songs that he recorded previously but never released.[29]
In 2009, his voice was the theme ofMañana es para siempre, the most successful Mexican soap opera of the year. The Grammy-winning singer, composer and producerNelly Furtado invited Alejandro to perform in a duet for her albumMi Plan. The song "Sueños" was recorded in Miami.
Dos Mundos (Two Worlds), is a double production, releasing two albums simultaneously:Dos Mundos: Evolución + Tradición. One of them is pop, produced byAureo Baqueiro, and the other is ranchera and mariachi, produced byJoan Sebastian. No Latin artist had done anything similar before. On 11 November 2009 he simultaneously released the videos of the singles "Estuve" and "Se Me Va la Voz".[30] He released the videos of the singles "Me Hace Tanto Bien" and "Bandida". On 22 November 2010, Alejandro released the live albumDos Mundos: Revolución that includes live versions of songs from his albumDos mundos: Evolución / Dos mundos: Tradición, two unreleased tracks "Tu Sabes Quien", "Felicidades" and the song "Vamos a darnos tiempo" originally performed by the iconic singerJosé José.[31]
Between June and August 2011, he went on his Dos Mundos: Revolucion Tour. On 1 August 2011, Alejandro released the song "El mismo sol", which was released as the theme of the2011 Pan American Games. He toured Latin America along with fellow singerMarc Anthony in a series of concerts namedDos Mundos, un Concierto(Two Worlds, one Concert). Alejandro collaborated withChristina Aguilera on a cover of the song "Hoy Tengo Ganas de Ti", released as the theme song for the soap opera "La tempestad". After only 17 days, the song was certified platinum in Mexico, with 65,000 sales from digital downloads.[32] On 27 August 2013, he released the albumConfidencias. It includes the duet with Christina Aguilera, along with duets withVicente Fernández andRod Stewart. In 2014, his song "Te Amare" was released as the theme song for the soap opera "Hasta el fin del mundo" replacing the original theme ofPedro Fernández. In 2015, Alejandro collaborated withAlejandro Sanz on a cover of the song "A que no me dejas", released as the theme song for the soap operaA que no me dejas. In 2016, Fernández was inducted into theBillboard Latin Music Hall of Fame.[33] In February 2017, he released the albumRompiendo Fronteras and the single "Sé que te duele" became an instant hit.
In 2023 Fernandez announced the tour named "Amor y Patria" (Love and Motherland in Spanish).[34] His tour started in California, and included performances in Texas.
The international record labelSony Music was sued by Alejandro Fernández after they tried to release an album with some of his unreleased songs after his contract with the label had ended.Federal Police arrived at the Sony headquarters inMexico City and seized about 6,000 copies of the album. The song "Diferente", was released on the internet as the first single of the album.[35]
Following the steps of his father, Fernández began his musical career focusing on ranchera music. Since his 1997 albumMe Estoy Enamorando he has branched out successfully into pop music. In his live presentations, he begins the show with his ranchera repertoire, then removes hischarro outfit to perform pop songs.
Fernández has abaritonetessitura. His vocal ability and versatility have allowed him to performromantic ballads, pop and ranchera music simultaneously. He has performed with artists such asPlácido Domingo,Marc Anthony,José Carreras,Chayanne,Amaia Montero,Joan Sebastian,Gloria Estefan,Malú,Ha*Ash,Julio Iglesias,Patricia Kaas,Miguel Bosé,Mario Frangoulis,Ednita Nazario,Yuri,Franco De Vita,Diego El Cigala,Nelly Furtado,Beyoncé,Christina Aguilera,Rod Stewart,Morat,Los Tigres del Norte,Sebastián Yatra,David Bisbal,Christian Nodal,Héctor Acosta,Calibre 50,Mon Laferte as well as family members; his fatherVicente Fernández, his daughter Camila Fernández, and his son Alex Fernández.
Fernández studied to become an architect, but turned to singing in 1991 with the encouragement of his father.[36] He is the youngest son of his family. He has two older brothers, Vicente, Jr., and Gerardo, and a sister, Alejandra. He and his brothers are known in Mexico as "Los tres potrillos" (The three colts).[37]
In the late 1990s, Fernández's older brother Vicente, Jr., was kidnapped by a band oforganized crime.[38] The kidnappers cut off two of his fingers and sent them to his father as a warning. AfterVicente Fernández allegedly paid a large sum of money, Vicente, Jr., was released. The exact amount was never announced.[39]
Fernández is co-owner of a shopping center in Guadalajara called "Unicenter", containing various businesses and employing around 170 people.[40]He collaborated with his family in the construction ofArena VFG, with a capacity for 11,000 people. The arena hosts mainly musical performances and charreria competitions.[41][42] Fernández is an expert inhorse riding andcharreria.[43] He is a supporter of the Mexican football teamAtlas, and is good friends with iconic footballerRafael Márquez.
Fernández has five children: three (Alejandro, Jr. and the twin girls América and Camila) with his ex-wife América Guinart, and two (Emiliano and Valentina) with Colombian model Ximena Díaz.[36] In the mid-2000s, he claimed to have undergone a vasectomy.[44]
