Kany García

Born in Puerto Rico, Kany García works as a singer, songwriter, and producer within the Latin pop sphere. Dramatic and confessional material forms the core of her output, which moves fluidly across folk, rock, cumbia, tropical idioms, and Americana while examining desire, sexual identity, domestic violence, aging, human indifference, commitment, and family, all conveyed through a husky, emotionally resonant contralto. The 2007 debut Cualquier Día earned platinum certification. Boleto de Entrada, released in 2009 and certified gold, climbed into the Top Ten. Limonada from 2017, widely viewed as her signature release, reached the summit of album charts in three countries, while Billboard later placed the 2018 album Soy Yo on its list of “The 50 Best Latin Albums of the Decade.” Regarded as a feminist Latin classic, the 2019 album Contra el Viento weaves spoken-word introductions from admired women into each song. Mesa Para Dos arrived in 2020 with multiple collaborations among Latin artists and captured a Latin Grammy; two years later she released the concept album El Amor Que Merecemos. After the 2023 duet “La Siguiente” with Christian Nodel, she issued her 2024 full-length GARCÍA.

She is the daughter of former Spanish priest Antonio and puertorriqueña Encarnita García de Jesús. Music filled the household in Toa Baja where she grew up as the youngest of three siblings who shared musical interests. Kany began classical studies in childhood. Already fluent on cello and grounded in music theory and voice, she entered the Escuela Libre de Música at age 13. By her mid-teens she had set aside classical ambitions to focus on pop songwriting. After high-school graduation she continued training at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico. In her early twenties a near-fatal car accident followed a successful audition for the television program Objetivo Fama, costing her the chance to appear on the show.

The setback did not deter her commitment to songwriting and performance. Sony BMG soon took notice, and while negotiations proceeded the label arranged for her to share a Puerto Rico stage with Franco De Vita. Her performance earned the evening’s sole standing ovation and quickly led to a recording contract. Cualquier Día appeared in July 2007, reaching number ten on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart and earning platinum status in the United States plus gold in Mexico. In 2008 she received Latin Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album. Boleto de Entrada entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number six in 2009; its single “Feliz” reached the Top Five of the Latin Pop Songs chart, and the album earned a Latin Grammy nomination.

She toured extensively the following year and contributed vocals to Tego Calderón’s El Que Sabe, Sabe and Gilberto Santa Rosa’s Irrepetible. Her self-titled third album, released in July 2012, debuted at number one on charts in both Puerto Rico and the United States, produced four charting singles, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. The concert recording En Vivo appeared in 2014. During non-touring periods she collaborated with producer David Kahne, whose past clients include Paul McCartney and Lana Del Rey. The 2015 pre-release single “Perfecto Para Mí” charted inside the Top 40 of the Latin Pop Songs survey and performed strongly on streaming platforms.

Limonada, her fourth studio album, arrived in May 2016, three months after she publicly identified as lesbian while in a relationship with personal trainer Jocelyn Troche. The project opened at number one, remained there for two additional weeks despite surrounding media attention, and stayed on the chart for the rest of the year, becoming her most widely recognized album. In December she wrote the hit “Chegaste” for Jennifer Lopez and Roberto Carlos.

Following tours across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, García paused briefly before reuniting in the studio with producer and guitarist Afo Verde, Sony’s Chairman and CEO for Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, along with musical director Marcos Sánchez. The resulting 2018 album Soy Yo reached number one on the Top Latin Albums chart and featured guest appearances by Melendi on “A Mis Amigos” and longtime friend Residente of Calle 13 on the closing track “Banana Papaya,” which also received a popular video. That year she additionally served as producer on Natti Natasha’s Illuminati and co-wrote the hit duet “Chegaste” for Jennifer Lopez and Roberto Carlos.

Contra el Viento, her sixth album, entered the marketplace in May 2019 and peaked at number 22 on the Top Latin Albums chart and number three on the Latin Pop Albums chart. Alongside duets with Natalia Lafourcade, Tommy Torres, and Fito Páez, each song carried a spoken introduction from a woman she admired: Mercedes Sosa, Sofía Vergara, Natti Natasha, Thalía, Soledad Pastorutti, and Lila Downs. The album earned her a Latin Grammy for Best Singer/Songwriter Album. She also wrote the hit duet “Esa Mujer” for Roberto Carlos and Alejandro Sanz, included on Carlos’s first Spanish-language album Amor Sin Límite. García and Troche married on Christmas Day 2019.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 she released her seventh album, Mesa Para Dos. The ten-track collection featured collaborations with Mon Laferte, Carlos Rivera, Carlos Vives, Reik, Spanish rock singer Leiva, Colombian singer Goyo of ChocQuibTown, Argentine singer Nahuel Pennisi, and Catalina García of Monsieur Periné. It received a nomination for Album of the Year and won Best Singer/Songwriter Album, her second consecutive victory in that category. The single “Lo Que en Ti Veo” with Pennisi earned nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while “Búscame” was nominated for Best Tropical Song. Mesa Para Dos also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

El Amor Que Merecemos, her eighth album, appeared in May 2022. The diverse set included collaborations with Alejandro Sanz on the ballad “Muero,” Rozalén on the urbano-cumbia track “Justito Tiempo,” and Jay Wheeler on the bolero “No Vuelvas.” Conceived as a narrative about a contemporary woman who recognizes her own worth, practices radical self-acceptance, and clarifies what she seeks in relationships, the project prepared the way for an accompanying tour. During that period García accepted Christina Aguilera’s invitation to contribute songs to the singer’s forthcoming Spanish-language album. Following the 2022 La Fuerza EP, that album marked Aguilera’s first non-English full-length in more than two decades. In 2023 García duetted with Christian Nodel on “La Siguiente.” She returned in 2024 with the biographical title track of her ninth album, GARCÍA.