Gaby Moreno

Gaby Moreno is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter, producer, film composer and guitarist. Singing in both English and Spanish, Moreno's music covers many genres including Latin, Alternative, Blues, Folk and Americana.

Biography

Moreno was born in Guatemala, and later moved to Los Angeles.

As a recording artist and live performer, Moreno has shared the studio and stage with a plethora of popular performers including Bono, fellow Guatemalan Oscar Isaac, actor/musician Hugh Laurie, Jackson Browne, Punch Bros and Buena Vista Social Club to name a few. The music video for Fuiste Tu, her duet with Ricardo Arjona, has amassed over 1 billion views on Youtube.

As a composer, Moreno recorded and produced the score for the feature film Language Lessons (directed by Natalie Morales and co-written/starring Morales and Mark Duplass) and received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Song” for the theme song to NBC’s show Parks and Recreation starring SNL alum Amy Poehler.

Moreno sings the theme song and voices a character (Marlena) for the multiple Emmy Award-winning Disney children’s television series, Elena of Avalor, which features Disney's first Latina princess. Her version of the classic song Cucurrucucú Paloma was featured in a key scene during the last season of the Netflix original show Orange Is The New Black.

More recently, Moreno has released the Latin Grammy-nominated album ''Spangled'' (a collaboration with Van Dyke Parks through Nonesuch Records).

In 2022, Moreno released a full-length album ''Dreamers Dream On'' with her three-part harmony side project, The SongBirds, and released her self-produced seventh solo studio album ''Alegoría'', which has earned her a second GRAMMY nomination. In addition to this, Moreno appeared alongside Rupert Grint in a Catherine Hardwicke-directed episode of ''Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities'' screening on Netflix. Moreno also collaborated with composer Heitor Pereira to write and perform the song "Por Que Te Vas" for DreamWorks Animation’s feature Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Reception

KCRW's Ariana Morgenstern, producer of ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'', featured Moreno in an October 2008 podcast and bestowed "Today's Top Tune" status on her song "Song of You." She said she was "caught by surprise with its organic and understated feel. She sings beautifully both in English and Spanish.

NPR reviewed Moreno's debut record ''Still the Unknown'' and said: "Whether Moreno decides to stick with pop, soul or Latin (or a fusion of all three) for future releases, ''Still the Unknown'' is a promising debut that indicates she won't go unnoticed for much longer."

In 2006, she won the Grand Prize in the ''John Lennon Song writing Contest'' with her song "Escondidos," first in the Latin category, then overall.

In July 2010, Moreno was nominated with her co-writer Vincent Jones for an Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Main Title Theme Music" for their theme song to NBC's ''Parks and Recreation''.

In 2010, Moreno was awarded "Favourite American Latino Indie Artist" at the American Latino Awards (run by American Latino TV).

2011:

* "Gaby Moreno's soulful vocals and ability to switch languages and genres have made her a rising star." – NPR All Things Considered
* "The Guatemalan songwriter Gaby Moreno plucked ragtime syncopations on a well-worn acoustic guitar, and let loose a tangy, bluesy voice with the feistiness of Édith Piaf." – ''The New York Times''
* "Moreno's breath-taking voice is passionate and stylistically malleable, as she glides back and forth easily between bossa nova and bluesy rock." – NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
* "This Guatemalan American singer-songwriter alternates fluidly between languages, whether spoken (English and Spanish) or musical, easing in and out of everything from folksy alt country to retro blues rock …Plucky, quirky and insightful, Moreno has the grace and the skill to make it big." – Rhapsody: No. 3 in Top 10 Latin Alt Albums of Spring 2011
* "Our little secret is neither little nor secret any more ... nIllustrated Songs, influences of soul and Spanish ballads explode in a synergy of musical pieces that impeccably represent a young artist with a rich, old soul" – Al Borde
* "I really fell in love with this record, because there is so much to her voice …her voice really stands out – very sweet and soulful … adapting to different genres of music … she can go from a dreamy/folksy, very laid back feel, to a tougher edge blast of R&B, to a song that reminds me of something from the 1920s ...to a Brazilian bossa nova song that she sings in English and Spanish." – Felix Contreras, NPR's " Alt. Latino"
* "The Best ewLatin Music... Meet your next favourite from the Spanish-speaking world: Gaby Moreno, Old-School, soulful pop... Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald are hard acts to follow, but Gaby Moreno takes her idols' signature bluesiness and marries it with a little Latin flare" – ''Latina''

2012
* "5 Latinos to Look Out for in 2012" – "Joan Smalls, Gaby Moreno, Jorge Garcia, Thomas Suarez and Mayra Alvarez will probably become household names in the months to come. Her new album, Illustrated Songs, was listed one of "The Best Latin Music Albums of 2011" by About.com, and she will be busy touring Europe, Latin America and the U.S. in 2012." – NBC Latino
* "The more a thing is stereotyped to death, the more refreshing it is to encounter the skilled reaffirmation of its ideal. With Guatemala-born, L.A.-based Gaby Moreno (October 9, McRaney's Tavern), it's the female singer-songwriter form that she has rescued from the abyss of cliché. She doesn't radically change its rules or anything – she just does it with a little more flavour and a lot more skill. And that's what separates her from typical coffeehouse fare. With an exceptionally rich and assured voice, and a palette that spans Latin, blues, folk, jazz and pop, she's a marquee talent. Her singing is effortlessly bright with purpose and not just a display of ostentatious acrobatics. In fact, there's something very classic about her expression. In her voice, the flame of the female greats is alive." – ''Orlando Weekly''

Career

2009/2010

* In August 2009, Moreno toured with established singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman.
* Later in November 2009, Moreno toured as direct support for Ani Difranco, on an East Coast tour. Difranco invited Moreno back out on tour in January/February 2010.
* July 2010: Tour in Germany (e.g. in Constance, Heidelberg, and Ravensburg) and France

2011

* In early 2011 Moreno and her band played their first headlining tour. They toured through the Netherlands and Belgium performing as part of the "World Sessions" tour. In addition, Moreno and her band opened as direct support for Nouvelle Vague for three shows in Germany.
* In late 2011 Gaby toured the U.S. East coast as direct support for The Milk Carton Kids.

2012

* February 2012: Concerts in France
* Spring 2012: Concerts together with Ricardo Arjona during his "Metamorfosis World Tour"
* June 2012: Performance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to commemorate 50 years of Amnesty International, together with Kris Kristofferson and others.
* May/June 2012: Concerts in Ireland ("Electric Burma" in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi together with Bono, Damien Rice, Bob Geldof, Angelique Kidjo, etc.), Germany, France, and London (with Van Dyke Parks)
* July 2012: Concerts in France, including Le Havre, Verdun, and Paris.

2013

* Toured with Hugh Laurie and The Copper Bottom Band through Europe.

2014

* March 2014: She toured with Hugh Laurie and The Copper Bottom Band through South America, namely Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

2015

Festival Acústico: Gaby Moreno y amigos

* 28 February: The first day of the festival included performances of Óscar Isaac, Sara Watkins, and Ishto Jueves.
* 1 March: Gaby Moreno gave her second concert of the festival. After her performance of the songs ''Ave que Migra'' and ''Blues de Mar'', she introduced her guest, Devorah Rahel, with whom she played the song ''Y Tu Sombra''. Her next guest was El Gordo, followed by Ishto Jueves. Gaby also played a song called ''Maldición, Bendición'', which is part of her new production. The festival also included musical appearances of Alex Ferreira, Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana, and Natalia Lafurcade.
Europe Tour

* 19 March 2015: Theater Akzent – Vienna, Austria (The first time she played in Vienna)
* 20 March 2015: Casino Kulturraum – Friedrichshafen, Germany
* 21 March 2015: La Spirale – Fribourg, Switzerland
* 24 March 2015: Cankar Centre – Ljubljana, Slovenia

New York City

* 24 July 2015: Lincoln Center – Out of Doors

2016

Starting in 2016, Gaby Moreno is a reoccurring guest on Live From Here

2018

Gaby Moreno released a cover of Trinidadian artist David Rudder's 1998 song "The Immigrants," made with arranger and producer Van Dyke Parks, ahead of the 4 July holiday, with proceeds going to benefit CARECEN.

2019

''¡Spangled!'', a collaboration between Gaby Moreno and Van Dyke Parks, was released on Metamorfosis & Nonesuch Records. The album includes a bolero from Panama, a bossa nova from Brazil, a song by Moreno, David Rudder's "The Immigrants," and Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, and Jim Dickinson's song "Across the Borderline," performed with Cooder and Jackson Browne.

Discography

Albums

* 2009: ''Still the Unknown'' (released independently)
* 2010: ''A Good Old Christmastime'' EP (released independently)
* 2011: European release of ''Still the Unknown'' (World Connection Records)
* 2011: ''Illustrated Songs'' (released independently)
* 2012: European release of ''Illustrated Songs'' (World Connection Records)
* 2012: ''Postales'' (Metamorfosis)
* 2014: ''Posada'' (Christmas Album)
* 2016: ''Illusion''
* 2019: ''¡Spangled!''
* 2022: ''Alegoría'' (Metamorfosis)

Singles

* 2009: ''Smile'' – '' The Cove'' – sang the song "Smile" (written by Charlie Chaplin) in the Academy Award-winning documentary
* 2010: ''Quizas'' – cover song
* 2017: ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'' – cover song in collaboration with Mike Garson
* 2018: ''The Immigrants'' – in collaboration with Van Dyke Parks

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

A Grammy Award is an accolade by the Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.

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, 2017 , , Ilusión , , Best Latin Pop Album , ,
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Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.

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, rowspan=1, 2012 , , rowspan=1, "Fuiste Tú" , , Record of the Year , ,
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, 2013 , , Gaby Moreno , , Best New Artist , ,
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, 2020 , , ¡Spangled! , , Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album , ,
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, 2021 , , Bolero de la vida (with Omara Portuondo), , Best Tropical Song , ,

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno, Gaby
1981 births
Living people
Guatemalan guitarists
Guatemalan women singer-songwriters
Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist
Guatemalan people of Spanish descent
21st-century Guatemalan singers
21st-century women singers
21st-century guitarists
Women in Latin music
21st-century women guitarists