Amaia Montero

Spanish singer/songwriter Amaia Montero spent a decade fronting the globally successful Spanish pop/rock group La Oreja de Van Gogh, where she enjoyed repeated chart dominance and multiple awards, prior to launching her independent recording path that opened with a self-named debut reaching the top of the charts in 2008. She entered the world as Amaia Montero Saldías on August 26, 1976, in Irún, Guipúzcoa, Spain, and first aligned with the ensemble Los Sin Nombre in 1996. Once Montero came aboard, the group—now based in San Sebastián—adopted the name La Oreja de Van Gogh and secured a deal with Sony, which led to four consecutive blockbuster releases: Dile al Sol (1998), El Viaje de Copperpot (2000), Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías la Dormida (2003), and Guapa (2006). Following ten years of widespread acclaim as the band’s lead vocalist, Montero declared her exit in 2007. She returned the next year with the full-length solo effort Amaia Montero (2008), issued through Sony BMG and shaped in part by co-producer Claudio Guidetti. Entirely composed, performed, and overseen by the artist herself, the record surged straight to number one on the Spanish albums tally while its track “Quiero Ser” simultaneously claimed the summit of the singles chart. Montero followed up in 2011 with the album simply called 2, which included the single “Caminando.”