Núria Feliu
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Núria Feliu i Mestres (21 September 1941 – 22 July 2022) was a Spanish Catalan singer and actress, a singular figure of the
Nova Cançó The Nova Cançó (, meaning in English "The New Song") was an artistic movement that promoted Catalan music in Francoist Spain. The movement sought to normalize use of the Catalan language in popular music and denounced the injustices in Francoi ...
movement.


Career

Feliu was born on 21 September 1941 in the
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
neighbourhood of
Sants Sants is a neighbourhood in the southern part of Barcelona. It belongs to the district of Sants-Montjuïc and is bordered by the districts of l'Eixample, Eixample to the northeast, Les Corts (district), Les Corts to the northwest, and by the mun ...
, a neighborhood where she lived her entire life. There she made her earliest theatrical performances; she was part of the "Agrupació Dramàtica de Barcelona" and participated in several children's choirs in the neighborhood. She made her debut as a singer in 1964 with the group "Els Quatre Gats". Feliu released her first two albums the following year, ''Anirem tots cap al cel'' and ''Gent'', with American songs covered in Catalan and soon became part of the Nova Cançó movement. She was discovered by the composer
Antoni Ros-Marbà Antoni Ros-Marbà (; born 1937 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat) is a Spanish people, Spanish conducting, conductor and composer from Catalonia. He began his musical education at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona. He studied conducting ...
, who promoted her career until 1966, when Feliu entered the world of jazz and began to collaborate with
Tete Montoliu Vicenç Montoliu i Massana, better known as Tete Montoliu (28 March 1933 – 24 August 1997) was a Spanish jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. Born blind, he learnt braille music at age seven. His styles varied from hard bop, through Afro-Cuban, ...
, becoming the first jazz singer in Catalan. They then released an LP with Erich Peter, Billy Brooks and
Booker Ervin Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...
, and in 1997 a compilation album with the title ''Tete Montoliu-Núria Feliu, 1965–1990'' was published. From 1991 onwards, her appearances on stage were sporadic. In 1992, she made a cameo for an episode of the
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...
sitcom "". She also participated in other programs such as ''Hora once'' (1970), ''Quitxalla'' (1980), ''Malalts de tele'' (1999, 1992) and ''Herois quotidians'' (2008), and in films such as ''El vicari d'Olot'' (1981), ''Puta misèria!'' (1989) and ''Any de Gràcia'' (2011). Her book ''Vols ballar? 93 cançons i ballables'', a compilation of songs from all periods, was published in 1995. She retired in 2005, with 50 albums and more than 400 songs recorded. In 2007, she published a book-disc compiling the most popular Catalan sardanas, and in 2011, she celebrated her 50 years as a singer with a concert at the
Liceu The Gran Teatre del Liceu (; ; ), or simply Liceu, is a theater in Barcelona, Spain. Situated on La Rambla, it is the city's oldest theater building still in use for its original purpose. Founded in 1837 at another location, the Liceu ope ...
, where several artists participated. In 2016, she published the memoirs ''Dies i records d'infantesa''. One of her last public appearances took place in November 2020, on the TV3 program ''Al cotxe'', during which she stated that "I have not sung for the sake of singing, I have sung for the people" (''Jo no he cantat per cantar, he cantat per a la gent'') and that she felt satisfied with her musical career. Feliu sang not only in the jazz music genre, but also popular Catalan songs, boleros, cuplés and
sardanes The ''sardana'' (; plural ''sardanes'' in Catalan) is a Catalan musical genre typical of Catalan culture and danced in circle following a set of steps. The dance was originally from the Empordà region, but started gaining popularity througho ...
. She also covered songs by
Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer, and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style has b ...
.


Biography

She was born on 21 September
1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...
in the
Sants Sants is a neighbourhood in the southern part of Barcelona. It belongs to the district of Sants-Montjuïc and is bordered by the districts of l'Eixample, Eixample to the northeast, Les Corts (district), Les Corts to the northwest, and by the mun ...
neighborhood of
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, a fact she always regarded with pride. Her early artistic career began in acting, but she made her debut as a singer in
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
, quickly gaining recognition for her recordings of Catalan popular music, as well as
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
s and
cuplé The cuplé was a popular risqué Spanish theatre song style in the late years of the 19th century. From 1893 to 1911 the songs were a feature of the "género ínfimo" (lowest type) cabaret theatre sung by solo female singers, or men in drag, and ...
s. She also popularized American standards,
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, and was especially noted for her collaboration with pianist
Tete Montoliu Vicenç Montoliu i Massana, better known as Tete Montoliu (28 March 1933 – 24 August 1997) was a Spanish jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. Born blind, he learnt braille music at age seven. His styles varied from hard bop, through Afro-Cuban, ...
, being the first to perform some of these genres in the
Catalan language Catalan () is a Western Romance languages, Western Romance language and is the official language of Andorra, and the official language of three autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia, the Balearic I ...
. She also interpreted film songs in Catalan. One of her lyricists was the poet Josep Maria Andreu i Forns. She was frequently accompanied by pianist Lucky Guri. Although she was often associated with the
Nova Cançó The Nova Cançó (, meaning in English "The New Song") was an artistic movement that promoted Catalan music in Francoist Spain. The movement sought to normalize use of the Catalan language in popular music and denounced the injustices in Francoi ...
movement, the variety of genres she performed distinguished her from it and gave her a unique artistic identity. Another distinguishing trait was that she never composed her own songs, a fact she later expressed regret over: "I would have liked to compose a song of my own. I was too naive. I should have written a couple of songs and registered them with SGAE." She debuted as a singer in 1964, and the following year released her first singles, '' Anirem tots cap al cel'' and ''Gent'', beginning her collaboration with Tete Montoliu, who introduced her to the international jazz scene. She recorded with Erich Peter, Billie Brooks, Lou Bennett, and others. Her contact with international musicians and her location in Barcelona allowed her to use her profession as a vehicle for promoting Catalan culture and language, reinforcing her commitment to her identity. At one point, she also sang in
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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
, which stirred controversy among proponents of the Nova Cançó, especially as the movement was evolving into a broader and more diverse Catalan cultural and musical expression. Her forays into Spanish and English were not particularly successful, prompting her to return to her core mission: the popularization of Catalan song, both within and beyond the country's borders. In this context, she even toured the United States with the La Principal de la Bisbal. Her international appearances often went beyond the role of performer to that of cultural ambassador. "It's a way to normalize the language through song," she once said in Catalan during an appearance on Italian public television hosted by
Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), known professionally as Raffaella Carrà () and sometimes mononymously as Raffaella, was an Italian singer, dancer, actress, television presenter and model. She is often widely cons ...
. She died on 22 July 2022 in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, according to her family, due to complications following a stroke she had suffered in early 2021. Her ashes were interred in the new columbarium of the Santa Maria de Sants parish, in the Chapel of the Immaculate. She always maintained a strong bond with her neighborhood; the ''Cançó de Sants'' is one of the most popular songs in her repertoire. For her seventieth birthday and fiftieth career anniversary, she commissioned the creation of a giant figure (geganta) in her likeness, which is now displayed at the local civic center and featured during festivals organized by the Sants giant-figure troupe.


Personal life and death

Feliu never married and never had children. Her brother Albert was her manager throughout her artistic career. She was in favor of the independence of Catalonia, of the "yes" vote in the
2017 Catalan independence referendum An independence referendum was held on 1 October 2017 in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, passed by the Parliament of Catalonia as the Law on the Referendum on Self-determination of Catalonia and called by the Generalitat de Catalun ...
and participated in the main mobilizations of the sovereigntist entities. Feliu's health deteriorated during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
; she had pneumonia and
shingles Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide mark either on the left or right side of the body or face. T ...
and did not leave her home for a year. In early 2021 she suffered a
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
, and she died in Barcelona on 22 July 2022, at the age of 80, due to subsequent complications. The Catalan government and the press called her an "indispensable icon" of Catalonia for her popularity among the public and for being a reference of Catalan music.


Awards

* "Trofeu de l'any" of to the best singer (1966) * Award of the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
to the best traditional song record for ''Cançons d'Apel-les Mestres'' (1976) * Medal of the Cercle Català de Madrid (1979) * Best album of the year by Ràdio 4 for ''Viure a Barcelona'' (1979) *
Creu de Sant Jordi The Creu de Sant Jordi (, in English language, English 'St George's Cross') is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia (Spain), surpassed only in protocol by the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Gold Medal of the G ...
(1985) * "Dia de la Sardana" Award of the (1989) * Sant Jordi Award for the diffusion of cinematographic music (1990) * SGAE Award to the diffusion of songwriters (1990) * Ramon Aramon i Serra Award for language loyalty (1995) * "Fill de Sants" Award (1995) * Jaume I de la Franja de Ponent Award (2001) * Medal for Civic Merit of the Obra del Ballet Popular (2001) * Altaveu Honorary Award to the trajectory (2005) * " Enderrock" Honorary Award (2020) Source:


Discography

* ''Núria Feliu amb Tete Montoliu'' (1965) * ''Núria Feliu amb Lou Bennett i els seus amics'' (1966), with Lou Bennett * ''Mai no goses'' (1967) * ''Senzillament'' (1968) * ''El cuplet a Barcelona'' (1970) * ''Homenatge a Mistinguett'' (1971) * ''Núria de nit'' (1972) * ''El retaule del flautista'' (1972) * ''Te per tots'' (1973) * ''Cançons que m’agraden'' (1973) * ''Cuplets tradicionals catalans'' (1974) * ''Cinema ranci ... cinema d’avui'' (1974) * ''Núria Feliu i Los Guacamayos'' (1975) * ''Cançons d’Apel·les Mestres'' (1976) * ''El cant del poble'' (1977) * ''I les gavines seran de paper de xarol'' (1978) * ''La comèdia musical catalana'' (1979) with
Mary Santpere Mary Santpere (1913–1992) was a Spanish film and TV actress.Comas p.89 Selected filmography * ''Gentleman Thief'' (1944) * '' Unexpected Conflict'' (1948) * ''Eleven Pairs of Boots ''Eleven Pairs of Boots'' (Spanish: ''Once pares de botas'' ...
* ''Viure a Barcelona'' (1981) * ''Més que mai'' (1985), with
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...
* ''Cançons d’entreguerres del 18 al 39'' (1986) * ''Els Oscars de la Feliu'' (1989) * ''Amb cor i ànima'' (1989) * ''Núria Feliu 25 anys'' (1990) * ''Us ho devia'' (1994) * ''Per raons sentimentals'' (1996) * ''Amb un aire country'' (2002) * ''Núria Feliu: 40 anys'' (2005) * ''Les sardanes més populars'' (2007) Source:Núria Feliu in Discogs
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References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Feliu, Núria 1941 births 2022 deaths Actresses from Barcelona Catalan-language singers Singers from Barcelona Spanish jazz singers Spanish women jazz singers Singers from Catalonia