Francisca Valenzuela (; born March 17, 1987 in San Francisco, California) is an American-born Chilean singer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist. Valenzuela was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where she resided until the age of 12, before moving to
Santiago, Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...
. She gained popularity in Chile and Latin America following the release of her debut album, ''
Muérdete La Lengua'', in June 2007. Her second album, ''
Buen Soldado
''Buen Soldado'' (''Good Soldier'' in English) is the second studio album by Chilean-American singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela. Feria Music released it on March 3, 2011 in Chile. The bilingual artist achieved success in both North and South ...
'', followed in March 2011. Valenzuela has earned both gold and platinum album certification in Chile.
[http://www.latercera.com/noticia/entretencion/2013/01/661-504385-9-francisca-valenzuela-alcanza-disco-de-platino-y-prepara-nuevo-album.shtml Francisca Valenzuela receives platinum and gold album status]
Early life
Francisca Valenzuela was born in San Francisco, California to
Chilean-born scientists,
Pablo Valenzuela Valdés and Bernardita Méndez Velasco. She is the fourth oldest and only daughter of five children. Valenzuela attended Park Day School in nearby
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, California.
At a very early age, Valenzuela demonstrated an interest in music and began taking music lessons at the age of 7. By age ten, she was playing acoustic guitar and continued studying classical piano. During summer vacations and Christmases, she and her brothers would travel to
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
, where they would visit relatives. Eventually, the family would make the permanent move to Santiago, when she was 12. Valenzuela attended
Saint George's College, an elite private school in the
Vitacura
Vitacura is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is one of the most expensive and fashionable areas of Santiago. Inhabitants are primarily high income families. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of ...
neighborhood of Santiago.
After submitting poetry of her own composition to various literary magazines and taking summer poetry courses, Valenzuela's parents helped her submit more material to a friend, who was also a literary critic at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. Many of her poems were published in the Latin American literary magazine, ''El Andar''. In 2000, she published her first book,''Defenseless Waters'', featuring a collection of her poems and illustrations. The book featured a foreword by famed Chilean author
Isabel Allende
Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (; born in Lima, 2 August 1942) is a Chilean writer. Allende, whose works sometimes contain aspects of the genre magical realism, is known for novels such as ''The House of the Spirits'' (''La casa de los espír ...
. She released her second book, ''Abejorros/Madurar'', which was distributed in Spain and Latin America in 2001. As part a promotional tour for ''Defenseless Waters'', she brought her guitar and keyboard to venues in northern California, where she gave poetry readings and performed songs of her own composition. Valenzuela is fluent in English and Spanish and often composes in both languages.
Music career
2004–2007: Beginnings and ''Muérdete la Lengua''
![Francisca Valenzuela 5](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Francisca_Valenzuela_5.jpg)
Shortly after the release of her first book, Francisca and her family moved to
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
, Chile when she was 13. While residing in Chile, Francisca took part as singer in school festivals, where she performed her original songs. In 2004, she attended an intensive jazz program at the Berklee College School of Music in Boston. She first began looking for a record deal by sending her demos to major record label offices throughout Chile with no success. She performed English-language songs at bars and clubs in Santiago, but eventually began writing and performing in Spanish. After many unsuccessful attempts at signing with a major label, Valenzuela decided to release her music independently in Chile.
In 2006, Valenzuela unofficially released her first solo single, "Peces", which she wrote at age 13 about a boy she liked who did not reciprocate her feelings. Within a few months after its release, "Peces" gained popularity on Chilean radio. "Peces" was recognized by
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
magazine in Chile, as one of the best 100 songs of the year 2006. Due to the success of her first unofficial single, Valenzuela began recording her debut album in Santiago. Brothers Mauricio and Francisco Durán of
Los Bunkers
Los Bunkers (Spanish for ''The Bunkers'') is an alternative rock band from Concepción, Chile, formed in 1999 by brothers Álvaro and Gonzalo López, Mauricio Basualto, and brothers Francisco and Mauricio Durán.
They are well known in their c ...
produced the album. In December 2006, she released her second single, "
Dulce", which reached number two on Chile's national charts.
To add more achievements to her short musical career, on May 19, 2007, she was invited by
Julieta Venegas
Julieta Venegas Percevault (; born November 24, 1970) is an American-born Mexican singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and producer who sings pop-rock-indie in Spanish. She went on to join several bands including Mexican ska band Tijuana No!. Ven ...
to open her concert at Teatro Caupolicán. On June 30, 2007, her debut album, ''
Muérdete La Lengua'' was released in Chile. The Chilean press quickly dubbed her as ''The Princess of Rock'', calling her,"
new musical revelation". Soon after its release, the album was certified as
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
in Chile. Valenzuela performed in New York City at the annual LAMC conference in July 2008. This was Valenzuela's first musical exposure in the US and gave her an opportunity to showcase her music outside of Latin America. To promote her debut album, Valenzuela performed at various venues across Chile, as well as Mexico, Argentina, and other countries throughout Latin America.
2009–2012: ''Buen Soldado''
In early 2009, Valenzuela began the pre-production stages for her second album in Santiago and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. She contributed to the Chilean water conservation documentary ''H2O:Cero'', by composing a new song called "En Blanco" for the film. She has also participated in the album tribute for
Violeta Parra
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal and ...
, recording a new version of "Run Run Se Fue Pa'l Norte" as well as recording a version of
Inti-Illimani
Inti-Illimani (; from Quechuan ''Inti'' and Aymara '' Illimani)'' are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The band was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in ...
's song "Vuelvo".
In 2009, she collaborated with Chilean rapper,
Latin Bitman for his album ''Colour''; Valenzuela co-wrote and sang two songs, "Help Me" and "Someday". "Help Me" was later released as a single in the United States and Chile and a music video was also filmed in Los Angeles in November 2009. In August 2010, Valenzuela began recording for her second studio album in Santiago. Production on the album was completed in late 2010. On January 1, 2011, Valenzuela released in digital formats her first single "Quiero Verte Más" from her second studio album called ''
Buen Soldado
''Buen Soldado'' (''Good Soldier'' in English) is the second studio album by Chilean-American singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela. Feria Music released it on March 3, 2011 in Chile. The bilingual artist achieved success in both North and South ...
''; the album was released on March 3, 2011 in Chile as a physical and digital release. In addition to embarking on a national tour in Chile, Valenzuela also promoted
Buen Soldado
''Buen Soldado'' (''Good Soldier'' in English) is the second studio album by Chilean-American singer-songwriter Francisca Valenzuela. Feria Music released it on March 3, 2011 in Chile. The bilingual artist achieved success in both North and South ...
internationally at the
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
music festival in Austin, Texas in March 2012. She also performed at
Midem
Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...
in
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
, France, representing Chile. Valenzuela had previously performed at the festival in 2011.
Valenzuela is a featured artist on Spanish singer-songwriter,
Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz (; born 18 December 1968), is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Latin Grammy Awar ...
's tribute album, ''Y Si Fueran Ellas''. She recorded a cover of Sanz's ''Lola Soledad'' for the album. The album features contributions from thirteen female vocalists, including
Thalía
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most successful and influential Mexican artists. Havin ...
and
Ana Torroja
Ana Torroja Fungairiño (born 28 December 1959 in Madrid), 3rd marchioness of Torroja, is a Spanish singer. She was the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mec ...
. The album was released worldwide on iTunes on November 19, 2013.
2014: ''Tajo Abierto''
In May 2014, Valenzuela confirmed that her third studio album, ''
Tajo Abierto'', would be released in September 2014. The album's first official single, "
Prenderemos fuego al cielo", was available for digital download on iTunes on July 15, 2014. Valenzuela wrote most of the album on the piano before learning how to use special computer software to create the final studio version. She began recording her third studio album began recording the album in November 2013 and completed production in May 2014. The majority of the album was recorded in Los Angeles, California, with the exception of one song, "Cuequita del corazón", which Valenzuela recorded in Santiago, Chile at Estudios del Sur. Valenzuela worked on the album with four producers: Jesse Rogg, Vicente Sanfuentes (who co-produced her second album), Dave Sitek, and Áureo Baqueiro. Valenzuela wrote 25 songs for the album and chose 11 for the final track listing.
In 2014, Valenzuela formed her own independent record label, Frantastic Records, with the help of her mother, Vicente Sanfuentes, and a small team in Chile.
Tajo Abierto was released worldwide on iTunes on September 9, 2014. To promote the album, she performed in Spain, Mexico, and Chile in September and November 2014. She returned to the US, where she debuted at
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
in Chicago on August 1, 2014. While in the US, she performed in Los Angeles and Oakland, California. "Armadura" was announced as the album's second single and was released for digital download on December 11, 2014.
Tajo Abierto was named one of the best albums of 2014 by iTunes Chile.
In 2014, Valenzuela traveled to the Brazilian cities of
Manaus
Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
and Rio de Janeiro, as well as the Amazonian Jungle, to write and record a music video for the
HBO Latin America
HBO Latin America was a company that owned and distributed several television channels in the region of Latin America. It was originally founded as a joint venture between WarnerMedia, Time Warner and Ole Distribution, Ole Communications in 1991 w ...
tourism documentary, "Encuentros en Brasil". She wrote the song, "Reina tropical de Brasil" ("Tropical Queen of Brazil" in English). The documentary series aired in Latin America and the Caribbean in September 2014. An EP of songs from the documentary was later released on iTunes on July 14, 2014.
In late December 2014, Valenzuela was selected along with 23 other well-known international artists to record the official theme song, "Live It", for at the 24th annual
World Men's Handball Championship
The IHF Men's Handball World Championship has been organized indoor by the International Handball Federation since 1938.
In the twenty-seven tournaments held, eleven nations have won the title. France is the most successful team with six titl ...
. A music video for the song was filmed and later premiered on YouTube on December 18, 2014. Valenzuela represents Chile. She and the other artists performed at the opening ceremony in
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
on January 15, 2015.
2018–present: ''La Fortaleza''
In 2018, she released the first two singles of her upcoming fourth studio album, "Tómame" and "Ya no se trata de ti", both tracks charted on the Chile Singles Chart, peaking on the positions 15 and 39, respectively. In July 2019, she released "Héroe", the third single of the album, which reach the top 10 on the Chile Singles Chart, making her fifth top 10 on the country. She performed the song at the closing ceremony of the
2019 Pan American Games
The 2019 Pan American Games ( es, Juegos Panamericanos de 2019, links=no), officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games or Lima 2019 ( qu, Limaq 2019), were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Spo ...
in Lima,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
during the handover segment for the next Games in her hometown
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
.
On January 17, 2020, Valenzuela released her fourth studio album,
''La Fortaleza''. A week before she released the fourth single of the album, "Flotando" which peaked at the number 70 on the Chile Singles Chart.
Fashion career
Valenzuela began modeling for the popular Chilean clothing brand, "Foster" in 2012. In May 2013, she partnered with the company to design a collection. Her collection features black and white pieces inspired by 60s mod and SKA. The collection is available exclusively in Foster stores throughout Chile. On November 6, 2013, Valenzuela revealed that she had designed a second collection for Foster. The Summer 2014 collection features 21 pieces, including accessories like handbags and wallets, designed by Valenzuela.
Personal life
Valenzuela took a summer course in
International Relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
.
Later, she studied journalism at
Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile. In 2010, due to a busy touring and pre-production schedule for her second album, she put her studies on hold and later dropped out to pursue music full-time. As of January 2016, she is in a relationship with Chilean producer, Vicente Sanfuentes. She resides in Los Angeles, California.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
As featured artist
Other songs
Music videos
*"Dulce" (2006)
*"
Muérdete La Lengua"(2007)
*"
Afortunada"(2008)
*"
Muleta
A muleta is a stick with a red cloth hanging from itmuleta' in the Diccionario de la Real Academia. that is used in the final third ('' tercio de muleta'' or ''de muerte'') of a bullfight. It is different from the cape used by the matador earlier ...
"(2008)
*"Peces"(2009)
*""El Tiempo en Las Bastillas"(2009)
*"Help Me (Latin Bitman feat. Francisca Valenzuela) (2009)
*"Estrechez de Corazón (as a featured artist) (2011)
*"
Quiero Verte Más
"Quiero Verte Más" is the first single from the second studio album '' Buen Soldado'' by American-born Chilean singer and songwriter Francisca Valenzuela. The song was released on January 1, 2011, in United States and México in digital formats ...
" (2011)
* "Que Sería" (2011)
* "En Mi Memoria" (2011)
* "Esta Soy Yo" (2011)
*"Mucho Corazón" (Sussie 4 feat. Francisca Valenzuela) (2012)
* "Buen Soldado (2012)
*"Reina tropical de Brasil" (2014)
*""
Prenderemos fuego al cielo" (2014)
*"Live It" (as a featured artist) (2014)
*"Armadura" (2015)
*"Insulto" (2015)
*"Almost Superstars" (2015)
*"Catedral" (2016)
*"Estremecer" (2016)
*"Tómame" (2018)
*"Ya No Se Trata De Ti" (2018)
*"Héroe" (2019)
*"Flotando" (2020)
References
External links
Official music websiteOfficial MySpaceOfficial Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valenzuela, Francisca
1987 births
Living people
21st-century Chilean women singers
Chilean pianists
Chilean pop singers
Chilean guitarists
Chilean women poets
Chilean singer-songwriters
Rock en Español musicians
20th-century Chilean poets
21st-century Chilean poets
American emigrants to Chile
Naturalized citizens of Chile
Feminist musicians
Women in Latin music
21st-century women pianists
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
American pianists
American guitarists
American pop singers
American women poets
American singer-songwriters