Reina Del Cid

Rachelle Cordova (born March 8, 1988) known professionally as Elle Cordova and formerly as Reina del Cid, is an American singer-songwriter and lead of the folk/rock band Reina del Cid formerly based in Minneapolis, now based in Los Angeles.

Early life and education

Cordova was born in Fargo, North Dakota, on March 8, 1988, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Minnesota in 2010. After graduating from college, Cordova worked as an editorial assistant for University of Minnesota Press.

Career

Cordova adopted the stage name "Reina del Cid" in 2007 for her YouTube channel as a reference to Spanish heroic literature: having nicknamed a guitar "El Cid" after the Castilian nobleman of the same name, she added the name "Reina" ("queen" in Spanish) to become "queen of my guitar."

Alongside creative partner and lead guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Toni Lindgren, Cordova has released five studio albums as Reina del Cid: ''blueprints, plans'' (credited to "Reina del Cid & the Cidizens") released in 2012; followed by ''The Cooling'' in 2015, ''Rerun City'' in 2017, ''Morse Code'' in 2019 and ''Candy Apple Red'' in 2022. ''The Cooling'' and ''Rerun City'' were recorded at Pachyderm Studios. Songs from the second album were featured on NPR and Baeble Music. Their subsequent single release, "Death Cap" — along with its accompanying music video, filmed in Iceland — were featured in '' Paste'' magazine.

As independent artists, Cordova, Lindgren and the band have developed a significant following — 380,000 subscribers as of October 2023 — on their YouTube channel as well as various social media. They regularly release original and cover songs in their YouTube video series, ''Sunday Mornings'', and frequently tour with singer-songwriters Joshua Lee Turner and Carson McKee.

Their fourth full-length album, ''Morse Code'', was officially released on October 4, 2019, with a concert at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

In early 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cordova and Lindgren relocated to Los Angeles. Their fifth studio album, ''Candy Apple Red'', was officially released on April 28, 2022, with a concert at the Turf Club in St. Paul.

In July 2023, Reina del Cid "reintroduced" herself as Elle Cordova to reflect new "songs and poems that feel more personal ... than ever before." As a self-professed "English major nerd with a penchant for sci-fi tv shows," the artist's creative output has frequently included poems, skits, and songs on science, space, sci-fi and literary themes, some of them set to hip-hop beats. A new YouTube channel was launched under the name, and the Reina del Cid channel was renamed "Sunday Mornings HQ" where Cordova and Lindgren continue to post weekly covers and originals. The band's new album will be an Elle Cordova release, while previous material will retain the Reina del Cid moniker.

Band members

* Elle Cordova – lead vocals and rhythm guitar
* Toni Lindgren – lead guitar and backing vocals
* Andrew Foreman – bass
* Nate Babbs – drums
* Zach Schmidt – drums (2014–2018)

Discography

* ''blueprints, plans'' – Released September 15, 2012 (Credited to Reina del Cid & the Cidizens)
* ''The Cooling'' – Released June 16, 2015
* ''Rerun City'' – Released December 8, 2017
* ''Morse Code'' – Released October 4, 2019
* ''Candy Apple Red'' – Released April 28, 2022

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordova, Elle
1988 births
Living people
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American women guitarists
American women singer-songwriters
American folk rock musicians
Musical groups from the Twin Cities
Musicians from North Dakota
Singer-songwriters from North Dakota