Núria Feliu

Núria Feliu i Mestres (21 September 1941 – 22 July 2022) was a Spanish Catalan singer and actress, a singular figure of the Nova Cançó movement.

Career

Feliu was born on 21 September 1941 in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Sants, 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, who promoted her career until 1966, when Feliu entered the world of jazz and began to collaborate with Tete Montoliu, becoming the first jazz singer in Catalan. They then released an LP with Erich Peter, Billy Brooks and Booker Ervin, 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 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, 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. She also covered songs by Joan Manuel Serrat.

Biography

She was born on 21 September 1941 in the Sants neighborhood of Barcelona, a fact she always regarded with pride. Her early artistic career began in acting, but she made her debut as a singer in 1965, quickly gaining recognition for her recordings of Catalan popular music, as well as boleros and cuplés.

She also popularized American standards, country music and jazz, and was especially noted for her collaboration with pianist Tete Montoliu, being the first to perform some of these genres in the Catalan language. 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 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, 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.

She died on 22 July 2022 in Barcelona, 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 and participated in the main mobilizations of the sovereigntist entities.

Feliu's health deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic; she had pneumonia and shingles and did not leave her home for a year. In early 2021 she suffered a stroke, 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 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 (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
* ''Viure a Barcelona'' (1981)
* ''Més que mai'' (1985), with José Carreras
* ''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

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{{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