Estrella Morente (Estrella de la Aurora Morente Carbonell) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

singer. She was born on 14 August 1980 in Las Gabias,

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

in southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. She is the daughter of flamenco singer

Enrique Morente Enrique Morente Cotelo (25 December 1942 – 13 December 2010), known as Enrique Morente, was a flamenco singer (in Spanish, cantaor) and a celebrated figure within the world of contemporary flamenco. After his orthodox beginnings, he plunged in ...

and dancer Aurora Carbonell. She has performed with her father since age seven and recorded her first album in 2001, ''Mi Cante Y Un Poema'' (My Songs and A Poem). This was followed the same year by ''Calle del Aire'', which was well received by critics and flamenco fans. She released her third album, ''Mujeres'' (Women) in 2006, which her father produced. On 14 December 2001 she married

bullfighter A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

Javier Conde in Nuestra Señora de las Angustias basilica in Granada. They have two children, Curro (2002) and Estrella (2005).

Musical career

Fanatical about flamenco singers such as

La Niña de los Peines Pastora Pavón Cruz, known as La Niña de los Peines (10 February 1890 – 26 November 1969), is considered the most important woman flamenco singer of the 20th century. She was a sister of singers Arturo Pavón and Tomás Pavón, also an importan ...

Camarón de la Isla José Monje Cruz (5 December 1950 – 2 July 1992), better known by his stage name Camarón de la Isla (), was a Spanish Romani flamenco singer. Considered one of the all-time greatest flamenco singers, he was noted for his collaborations ...

Pepe Marchena José Tejada Marín (November 7, 1903 – December 4, 1976), known as Pepe Marchena and also as Niño de Marchena in the first years of his career, was a Spanish flamenco singer who achieved great success in the ópera flamenca period (1922–19 ...

and

Manuel Vallejo Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * M ...

, she sang folk songs at the age of 4. She sang a '' taranta'' (traditional sailor's songs) accompanied by maestro Sabicas' guitar at age 7. Her art has dazzled not only the most demanding flamencologists but also rockers like

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

. Estrella's debut as a singer took place at the presentation gala of the Alpine Ski Championships in

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

, being only 16 years old. Estrella participated in Omega, Enrique Morente's album. Carmen Linares sponsored her at the

Teatro de la Maestranza The Teatro de la Maestranza is an opera house located in Seville, Spain. The theatre was conceived to be one of the main cultural venues of the Seville Expo '92, and the first performance took place in 1991, shortly before the inauguration of the ...

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

in a tribute to

La Argentinita Encarnación López Júlvez, known as La Argentinita (Buenos Aires, March 3, 1898 – New York, September 24, 1945), was a Spanish-Argentine flamenco dancer (bailaora), choreographer and singer. La Argentinita was considered the highest expr ...

, a Spanish-Argentinian dancer and singer. Her first album, "Mi cante y un poema" (My folk song and a poem) composed of

songs was platinum and the second, "Calle del aire" (Air Street) composed of popular and Christmas songs, was gold. Thanks to the success of her albums, the singer has participated in numerous festivals, such as the Seville Biennial, the Barcelona Guitar Festival and the Granada International Music and Dance Festival in Granada. In the summer of 2004 she presented, in Granada, the concert "Estrella 1922" a tribute to the Sevillian singer Pastora Pavón, la Niña de los Peines, recorded live for its later edition. In 2005 she made her debut at the

Barbican Center The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

in London and started a series of shared concerts with her father Enrique, commissioned by the International Festival of the Guitar of Córdoba. In addition, the show "Estrella 1922" premiered also at the

Teatro Español Teatro may refer to: * Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific ...

in Madrid that same year.

Discography

* ''Mi cante y un poema'' (2001) * ''Calle del Aire'' (2001) * ''Mujeres'' (2006),

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

* ''Casacueva y escenario'' (2007) (DVD) * ''Autorretrato'' (2012) * ''Amar En Paz (con la guitarra de Niño Josele)'' (2014) * ''15 Años con Estrella'' (2016) (Compilation) * ''Copla'' (2019) * ''Leo'' (2021)

Filmography

Morente was the voice behind

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British A ...

's flamenco song in the 2006 film ''

Volver ''Volver'' (, meaning "to go back") is a 2006 Spanish comedy-drama film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, and Chu ...

''. She played herself in the 2011 animated feature ''

Chico & Rita ''Chico and Rita'' is a 2010 Spanish adult animated music romantic film with Spanish and English languages directed by Tono Errando, Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal. The story of Chico and Rita is set against backdrops of Havana, New York City ...

''. In 2013, Estrella narrated the documentary, Guadalquivir, directed by Joaquín Gutiérrez Acha. The film is about the

Guadalquivir River The Guadalquivir (, also , , ) is the fifth-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula and the second-longest river with its entire length in Spain. The Guadalquivir is the only major navigable river in Spain. Currently it is navigable from the Gulf ...

, the wildlife, and the natural reserves/parks from

Cazorla Cazorla is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. According to the 2006 census (INE), it had a population of 8,173 inhabitants. Description Cazorla lies at an elevation of 836 metres on the western slope of the Si ...

to Doñana, through the

Sierra Morena The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...

mountains in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

, southern Spain. The director commented that "We needed to find the voice of Andalucia. And it is Estrella, without a doubt. It is a plus for this work/project. Guadalquivir would have not been the same film without her." On 15 February 2014 the short film "Caen Piedras desde el Cielo" (Stones fall from the skies), by director Rafael Robles "Rafatal", premiered in Malaga, Spain, starring Estrella Morente as the protagonist, "Luz". The short film is about a single mother in the 1970s working in a religious hospital and the obstacles she faced.

Awards and recognitions

There are many awards and recognitions that she has received in her professional career. In 2001 she was named Ambassador of Andalusia by the Andalusian Institute of Youth. She has won countless awards, including the Ondas Award for Best Flamenco Creation, the Latin Grammy nomination and two Amigo Awards. Her first album was a platinum record and the second one was gold. In 2006 she was nominated for Latin Grammy and won the 2006 Music Award for Best Flamenco Album. She also received the prestigious Golden Microphone Award, granted by the Federation of Radio and Television Associations of Spain. At the beginning of 2008 received the Best Live Show Award, after an international survey conducted by the digital newspaper deflamenco.com, in addition to the "Flamenco Hoy" Award in its ninth edition, for the best flamenco DVD, "Casacueva y Escenario". In 2014 she was awarded the Medalla de Andalucía and was named director of the first Chair of Flamencology of the World taught by the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) and the Cante de las Minas Foundation.

External links

Official Site

BBC review of her first album
*

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morente, Estrella People from the Province of Granada Flamenco singers 1980 births Living people Mute Records artists Singers from Andalusia 21st-century Spanish singers 21st-century Spanish women singers Women in Latin music