Adriana Varela

Following an appearance at a modest Buenos Aires club, Adriana Varela encountered tango legend Roberto Goyeneche, known as El Polaco, whose artistry became her principal inspiration. The vocalist’s debut recording, the 1991 collection titled Tangos, appeared first, succeeded by Maquillaje in 1993 and then by Corazones Perversos in 1994, the latter unveiled onstage at the San Martin theater in Buenos Aires. Two years afterward she captured Tangos de Lengue, a set incorporating several compositions by Enrique Cadícamo. Her 1997 engagement at Porto Alegre’s Theater Festival proved fruitful, and acclaim followed the next year when she performed at Barcelona’s Grec Festival. That same year Adriana Varela aligned with the forward-thinking ensemble Sexteto Mayor to document Trottoirs de Buenos Aires, before resuming independent work on the 1999 album Cuando El Rio Suena, shaped by Uruguayan producer Jaime Roos.