If you still don’t know Concha Buika, it’s a long time coming to listen to her music, because she is an incredible artist. This Equatoguinean-Spanish singer has surprised the entertainment world by announcing herself as one of the three members of the jury of the OT 2023 which starts this Monday, November 20 on Amazon Prime Video.
Together with the WECB host and musical expert Cris Regatero and the producer and singer Pablo Rouss, Concha Buika, better known as Buika alone, will be in charge of judging everything that happens on the stage of Operation Triunfo 2023. But what do we know about her?
The truth is that María Concepción Balboa Buika, Born in Palma de Mallorca in 1972, she is a true reference in the world of music. At 51 years old, this Mallorcan is a very relevant personality on the national scene of flamenco, jazz, pop and even Latin music and one of the last people to have received the highest distinction in the fine arts of Spain, the Gold Medal. to the Merit of Fine Arts of 2022.
Buika grew up in the Son Golteu neighborhood of Palma de Mallorca and there, alongside the gypsy community, she immersed herself in the culture of flamenco, the first of the many styles she has played throughout a career that spans since 2000, when he released his first studio album with pianist Jabo Sureda, Mestizüo.
Buika performing at Sony Hall in New York in October 2018. / Debra L Rothenberg
Since then, the artist has published nine more albums that have earned her several awards and nominations in the most important awards in the world of music, including the Latin Grammy for ‘Best Traditional Tropical Album’ for the album The last drink (2010), the only one of the gramophones that has managed to take home despite accumulating five nominations.
Furthermore, Buika also has been nominated for the American Grammys in the categories of ‘Best Jazz Album for its The longest night (2014) and in the main one, that of ‘Best World Music Album’, for its For me (2017).
He has collaborated with the best
Both to shape her solo work and her collaborations, the one from Palma de Mallorca has always known how to surround herself with top-level musicians who were at her level. Buika collaborated in 2005 and 2010 with Javier Limón to make The same place and holy gold; with Antonio Carmona in 2011 to shape fortywith Nelly Furtado in 2009 in Strong and with Navajita Plateá in 2017 to launch cold without youamong many others.
Among Concha Buika’s extensive solo repertoire, the songs stand out There will not be anyone in the world from the album Girl of Fire (2008), The fake coin, from the same disk, and My girl Lola, from the album of the same name that the artist published in 2006, interpreting in a modern jazz key an original song that the Sevillian flamenco singer Pepe Pinto released and popularized in 1945.
