María del Mar Rodríguez Carnero, better known by her stage name La Mari, was born in

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, Spain and is the lead vocalist of Chambao. One of three original members of the group that formed in 2001, she sang alongside cousins Eduardo Casañ and Daniel Casañ, until Chambao disbanded in 2005. La Mari remained, continuing to front the band and release albums under the name Chambao.

Life and career

In March 2005, La Mari was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. She co-wrote a book with her sister, Aurora Rodríguez Carnero, discussing her personal experiences overcoming the disease. In 2006 she was a featuring artist on

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

's album ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...

''. She featured alongside Ricky Martin on the track " Tu Recuerdo", which hit No. 1 on the Latin

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ' ...

and received a

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented 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 any ...

nomination for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

. In 2007, La Mari released ''Con Otro Aire'', backed by a new band. In 2008, she collaborated with the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 50,

Helena Paparizou Helena Paparizou (; ; born 31 January 1982) is a Swedish-Greek singer, and television personality. Born and raised in Sweden to Greek parents, she launched her singing career in Sweden in 1999 as a member of the laïko (Greek folk music) and Eur ...

, performing a duet of her Spanish song, "Papeles Mojados". In 2009, she received the Medal of Andalusia. Throughout her career, La Mari has collaborated with various groups and artists, including

Ivan Lins Ivan Guimarães Lins (born 16 June 1945) is a Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music (MPB) and jazz for over fifty years. His first hit, "Madalena", was recorded by ...

, Enrique Morente, Mojo Project, El Bicho, Macaco, Bebe, Estrella Morente, Jarabe de Palo, Javier Ruibal, Cesária Évora, Antonio Orozco, Tabletom, Peret, La Shica, Miguel Rios,

Rosario Flores Rosario del Carmen González Flores (born 4 November 1963), better known as Rosario Flores (), is a two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish singer and actress. She was born in Madrid, Spain, as the daughter of Antonio González ('El Pescaíll ...

, Lila Downs, Estopa, Calima, La Guardia, Mario Diaz and

Discography

*''Flamenco Chill'' (2002) *''Endorfinas en la Mente'' (2003) *''Pokito a Poko'' (2005) *''Con Otro Aire'' (2007) * ''En el Fin del Mundo'' (2009) *''Chambao'' (2012) *''Nuevo Ciclo'' (2016) *''En la Cresta del Ahora'' (2023)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez Carnero, Maria del Mar 1975 births Living people Musicians from Málaga Spanish women singer-songwriters Spanish singer-songwriters 21st-century Spanish singers 21st-century Spanish women singers Women in Latin music