Azucar Moreno

Drawing inspiration from disco icons Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor, sisters Toñi and Encarna Salazar long aspired to pop stardom. Encarna sang and danced from early childhood onward, whereas Toñi made her stage debut at age thirteen in their native Badajoz. After supplying backing vocals for Los Chunguitos—the band founded by their brothers—the pair formed Azucar Moreno, which surfaced in 1984 with Con la Piel en Los Labios and broke through in 1988 via Carne de Melocotón. Merging contemporary flamenco with rhumba and pop, the Spanish duo returned in 1990 with Bandido. Over the ensuing years Encarna and Toñi Salazar partnered with producers Emilio Estefan and Estefano, earning a Billboard music award and establishing themselves among the leading sellers in Latin pop.