María Guadalupe Araujo Yong (born December 10, 1955), better known as Ana Gabriel, is a Mexican singer and songwriter from Guamuchil,

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and ...

, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. She moved to

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and studied accounting. At age 21, in 1977, she recorded her first song, titled "Compréndeme". During her long career, she has hits in three different

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

of music:

Latin pop Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin ...

and

Mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

. As of 2013, Gabriel had released twenty studio albums, three live albums, and fifteen

compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

. Three Gabriel albums reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Albums, and seven singles reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart, including " Ay Amor", " Es Demasiado Tarde", and " Quién Como Tú". Her work earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination, four

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

nominations, thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards, as well as awards from the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

; in 2006, she received the Excellence Award at the Lo Nuestro Awards.

Career

In 1987, Ana Gabriel won third place at the OTI Festival, celebrated in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, Portugal, where she performed an orchestral version of the pop-power ballad song "'' Ay Amor''", which later was released as a single in its album version; it climbed to the top position in Mexico, throughout Ibero-America and on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for 14 consecutive weeks. In 1988 Gabriel released her first album, ''Tierra de Nadie'', followed by ''Pecado Original'' in 1989, which met with some chart success. Her 1990 album ''Quién Como Tú'' made her a force within the Mexican music industry. Eight months later, her live album ''En Vivo'' showcased her powerful stage act and scored several hits: "Hice Bien Quererte", "Propuesta", and "Solamente una Vez". Throughout the 1990s Gabriel released an album almost every year. A versatile singer, she showcased her talent as an interpreter of many different musical styles, from lambada to mariachi and romantic ballads to pop music. She also honed her skills as a songwriter and a producer, releasing ''Mi México'', a ranchera-influenced, mariachi-backed pop album, in 1991. This unique blend of styles was also reflected in the songs, all written by Gabriel. Her lyrics described strong, active women involved in their love lives, counter to their passive, traditional depiction in older songs. The album also included a tribute to Mexico's most popular singer-songwriter,

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...

(no relation). Gabriel scored a number-one hit with the duet " Cosas del Amor" in 1991, which she sang with

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than four decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has p ...

, a Mexican-American pop singer. The single earned Gabriel a

Lo Nuestro The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began in ...

Award for Song of the Year in 1992. At the same awards ceremony, Gabriel was also named Female Artist of the Year in the Regional Mexican category and Pop Female Artist of the Year; '' Mi México'' was named Regional Mexican Album of the Year. In 1993, Gabriel was awarded Best Pop Female Performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards. The following year, she appeared as a guest artist on

Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...

's Grammy-nominated album, '' De Mi Alma Latina''. In 1996 she released the pop-oriented ''Vivencias''. She followed this with the traditional ranchera album ''Con un Mismo Corazón'' in 1997, an album she wrote and produced herself. Of particular interest is her title-track duet with

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...

, one of the most prolific and popular ranchera singers in Mexican history. Burr wrote of the duet, "The beauty here lies in the melding of two great voices—Gabriel's husky sensuality and Fernandez's powerful, understated expressions—set against a 25-piece symphony." Ana Gabriel logo

Gabriel released another live album in 1998, ''En la Plaza de Toros México'', a 30-track boxed set. That same year she traveled to Miami to work with the renowned producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., on her 1999 album ''Soy Como Soy''. The result was a pop-influenced ranchera album that went gold in the Latin music market and helped Gabriel win the Ritmo Latino Music Award for Female Pop Artist of the Year in 2000. With the release of ''Eternamente'' in 2000, Gabriel returned to mariachi love ballads, using only guitar as accompaniment. That same year she also appeared with other Mexican music icons in an Independence Day television special called ''Viva Mexico'', a celebration of Mexican music and history. In 2001 Gabriel released ''Huelo a Soledad'', once again balancing the traditional sounds of Eternamente with sophisticated pop songs, a cappella numbers, and dance tracks. In 2002, Gabriel's platinum-selling album ''Sagitario'' was released. In that same year, she won the Billboard Latin Music Estrella Award in recognition of her contribution to the Latin music industry, performed at a tribute concert for Vicente Fernandez sponsored by the Latin Music Awards, and participated in the ninth annual Las Cruces International Mariachi Concert and Festival in New Mexico. In December of that year, she was scheduled to perform at the eleventh annual Christmas Mariachi Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, but was denied a work visa and refused entry into the United States. In December 2014, singer Ana Gabriel told reporters on TV Azteca's Ventaneando program that in 2015 she would release her new recording project after seven years without releasing an album with unreleased songs. She performed at the 2014 Viña del Mar Festival, receiving the award for most popular artist along with the gold and silver seagulls and torches. In 2015, she received the Legend Award at the Hispanic Heritage Awards. Two years later, she was inducted into the Latin American Songwriters Hall Of Fame. In 2017, Gabriel appeared in the multi award-winning documentary film '' The American Epic Sessions'' directed by Bernard MacMahon. In the film, Gabriel recorded live on the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. She performed Lydia Mendoza's "Mal Hombre" accompanied by a large band featuring Omar Rodríguez-López and

Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer who has composed various film and television soundtracks. He is best known for his 1967 album ''Song Cycle'' and for his collaborations with ...

. Stephen Dalton in ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' described her performance as "fantastic". Gabriel identifies as asexual.

Albums

Studio albums

*'' Un estilo'' (1985) *'' Sagitario'' (1986) *'' Pecado Original'' (1987) *'' Tierra de nadie'' (1988) *'' Quién como tú'' (1989) *'' Mi México'' (1991) *'' Silueta'' (1992) *'' Luna'' (1993) *'' Ayer y hoy'' (1994) *'' Joyas de dos siglos'' (1995) *'' Vivencias'' (1996) *'' Con un mismo corazón'' (1997) *'' Soy como soy'' (1999) *'' Eternamente'' (2000) *'' Huelo a soledad'' (2001) *'' Dulce y salado'' (2003) *'' Tradicional'' (2004) *'' Dos amores, un amante'' (2006) *'' Arpegios de amor'' (2007) *'' Renacer... Homenaje a Lucha Villa'' (2009) *'' Por Amor a Ustedes'' (2020)

Live albums

*'' En Vivo'' (1990) *'' ...En la Plaza de Toros México'' (1998) *'' Altos de Chavón: El Concierto'' (2013) *'' Un Mariachi en Altos de Chavón'' (2013)

Compilation albums

*''

The Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

'' (1992) *''Ayer y Hoy'' (1995) *''The Best: The Latin Stars Series'' (1998) *''20th Anniversary'' (1999) *''3 CD Box'' (1999) *'' Una Voz Para tu Corazón - 30 Grandes Éxitos'' (2001) *''Colección de Oro'' (2002) *'' Personalidad: 20 Éxitos'' (1992) *'' Historia de Una Reina'' (2005) *''Canciones de Amor'' (2006) *'' La Reina Canta a México'' (2006) *''Best of Ana Gabriel'' (2006) *''Con Sentimiento'' (2006) *'' Los Gabriel… Simplemente Amigos'' (2007) *'' Los Gabriel: Cantan a México'' (2008) *''Mis Favoritas'' (2010) *'' Mi Regalo, Mis Número 1...'' (2015) *'' Personalidad'' (2nd. Edition) (2016) *'' Music from The American Epic Sessions'' (2017)

Awards

Grammy Awards

The

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

are awarded annually by the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

in the United States. Ana Gabriel has received one nomination. , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, scope="row", '' Quién como tú'' , scope="row", Best Latin Pop Performance , , -

Latin Grammy Awards

The Latin Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the

Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences pt, Academia Latina da Gravação , image = Latin_grammy_logo_(2022).png , image_border = , size = 150px , caption = , map = , msize = , mcaption = , motto = , formation = , extinction ...

in the United States. Gabriel has received four nominations. , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

, scope="row", '' Tradicional'' , scope="row", Best Ranchero Album , , - , rowspan="2" scope="row",

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

, scope="row", '' Dos amores un amante'' , scope="row", Best Ranchero Album , , - , scope="row", "Sin Tu Amor" , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Song , , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, scope="row", '' Arpegios de amor: Requiem por tres almas'' , scope="row", Best Female Pop Vocal Album , , -

Lo Nuestro Awards

The

Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro ( Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began i ...

are awarded annually by television network

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...

in the United States. Ana Gabriel has received thirteen awards from twenty-nine nominations.Lo Nuestro Awards: *1989 Awards: *1990 Awards: *1990 Nominees: *1991 Awards: *1991 Awards: *1992 Awards: *1992 Nominees: *1993 Awards: *1996 Awards: *1998 Awards: *1999 Awards: *2000 Awards: *2006 Awards: , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , rowspan="3" scope="row",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

, scope="row", '' Tierra de Nadie'' , scope="row", Pop Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", "

Simplemente Amigos "Simplemente Amigos" (English: ''Just Friends'') is a ballad written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter Ana Gabriel and was produced by Mariano Pérez Bautista. It was released by CBS Discos (now Sony Music Latin) on March 20, 1989, as ...

" , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , rowspan="4" scope="row",

, scope="row", '' Quién como tú'' , scope="row", Pop Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , scope="row", " Es Demasiado Tarde" , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , scope="row", " Quién Como Tú" , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , rowspan="5" scope="row",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, scope="row", '' En Vivo'' , scope="row", Pop Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", " Cosas del Amor" (with

) , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , scope="row", '' Mi México'' , scope="row", Regional/Mexican Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , rowspan="3" scope="row", 1993 , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , scope="row", " Evidencias" , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , rowspan="2" scope="row",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, scope="row", '' Luna'' , scope="row", Pop Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , rowspan="4" scope="row",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, scope="row", " Luna" , scope="row", Pop Song of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Pop Female Artist , , - , scope="row", '' Ayer y Hoy'' , scope="row", Regional/Mexican Album of the Year , , - , scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , rowspan="2" scope="row",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , scope="row", '' Joyas de dos siglos'' , scope="row", Regional/Mexican Album of the Year , , - , rowspan="2" scope="row",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , scope="row", '' Con un mismo corazón'' , scope="row", Regional/Mexican Album of the Year , , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Best Regional/Mexican Female Artist , , - , rowspan="1" scope="row",

, scope="row", Herself , scope="row", Excellence Award , , -

References

Bibliography

* Lipsitz, George, ''Footsteps in the Dark: The Hidden Histories of Popular Music'', U of Minnesota Press, 2007,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Ana 1955 births Living people Mexican women singer-songwriters Mexican singer-songwriters Singers from Sinaloa Sony Music Latin artists Latin music songwriters Mexico in the OTI Festival People from Guamúchil Women in Latin music Asexual women