Gaby Moreno

Hailing originally from Guatemala yet long based in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno weaves together blues, jazz, pop, R&B, soul, and Latin folk idioms while performing in both Spanish and English; she refers to her hybrid approach as “Spanglish folk soul.” Her first album, the 2008 release Still the Unknown, was produced by Jay Bellerose and centered on spare Americana and roots-rock material. The 2011 follow-up Illustrated Songs, jointly overseen by the artist and Ryan Freeland, adopted a richer sonic palette and a wider range of material that drew label attention to her live performances. Her Warner Bros. debut Postales consisted entirely of original Spanish-language songs and earned a Latin Grammy for best new artist. A bilingual holiday set titled Posada appeared in 2015. Ilusión, issued in 2017 and featuring tracks in both languages, brought a Grammy nomination. Working with renowned arranger and composer Van Dyke Parks, she created ¡Spangled!, a bilingual collection exploring varied facets of the American experience. In 2020 she co-wrote, produced, and performed the duet “Bolero a La Vida” alongside Cuban vocalist Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club. The full-length Alegoría arrived in June 2022 with appearances by Marc Ribot and David Garza. The acoustic EP X Mí (Vol. 1) followed in 2023, succeeded by the 2024 album Dusk.

Although she began vocalizing as a toddler in Guatemala, Moreno first encountered Latin pop through domestic radio broadcasts and became fully immersed in music after her parents took her to New York City, where she attended a staging of Les Misérables. During a subsequent visit to a Manhattan record store she heard Koko Taylor’s rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle” over the speakers and developed an immediate passion for the blues, purchasing multiple recordings on the spot. Sister Rosetta Tharpe exerted a major early influence, while the Boswell Sisters and the Mexican trio Los Panchos soon entered her listening as well.

Following high-school graduation she relocated to the United States and enrolled at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, where she met her bassist and drummer and launched live performances. Her composition “Escondidos” won the 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Still the Unknown, the self-produced debut, surfaced in 2008; KCRW and National Public Radio both championed the record, resulting in opening slots on national tours alongside Tracy Chapman and additional artists. The sophomore album Illustrated Songs appeared in 2010, and she co-composed the instrumental theme for the television series Parks and Recreation, securing an Emmy nomination. Further original material found placement across several other television programs. That summer she joined Van Dyke Parks at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival for a program blending Latin American music, calypso, and Americana. In 2011 she contributed vocals to Ricardo Arjona’s hit “Fuiste Tu,” then released her third album Postales in 2012 and captured the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist the following year. Also in 2013 she appeared on Hugh Laurie’s second album Didn’t It Rain and subsequently toured with him through the United States, Europe, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.

Moreno issued the bilingual Christmas collection Posada on her own in 2014, incorporating seasonal songs, hymns, and carols drawn from multiple traditions. She maintained an active touring schedule for roughly eighteen months, highlighted by her own Festival Acústico (presented as Gaby Moreno y Amigos) across Latin America, Europe, and the United States, before returning to the studio. The pre-release single emerged simultaneously in July 2016 as the Spanish-language “Se Apagó” and the English-language “Love Is Gone” (the latter featuring Jonny P), timed with her recording of the title theme for the Disney film Elena of Avalor. Her fifth album Ilusión arrived that September. In 2019 she again partnered with composer, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks on ¡Spangled!, a set of “Pan-American Anthems” delivered in both English and Spanish. The next year she produced, co-wrote, and sang the duet “Bolero a La Vida” with legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club, earning a Latin Grammy nomination in the best tropical song category.

Self-produced and containing ten songs in Spanish and English written with various collaborators—including Jesse Harris on “Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow” and Venezuelan singer-songwriter Ulises Hadjis on “Si en El Fondo”—Alegoría reached stores in June 2022. Moreno’s core band was augmented by studio musicians such as guitarists Marc Ribot, Greg Leisz, and David Garza, keyboardists Rachel Eckroth, Patrick Warren, and Keefus Ciancia, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Jim Keltner. The album also contained one cover, Lee Hazlewood’s “Your Sweet Love,” rendered in Spanish as “Dulce Amor.” The EP X Mí (Vol. 1), comprising acoustic reworkings of earlier material, appeared in 2023. That November she offered the single “Dance the Night Away” as an advance preview of the February 2024 long player Dusk, which again featured contributions from Van Dyke Parks and singer Oscar Isaac.