La Shica

Centered on vocalist and dancer Elsa Rovayo, the Madrid-rooted ensemble La Shica fuses flamenco and copla traditions with hip-hop and pop inflections. Rovayo entered the world in Ceuta, the self-governing Spanish enclave hugging the Mediterranean shore just east of the Strait of Gibraltar, then relocated to Madrid at fifteen to study as a bailaora. Years of performing in the city’s tablaos followed, yet her aspirations always leaned toward singing. During that period she crossed paths with Brazilian flamenco guitarist Fernando de la Rúa, another tablao regular; the pair soon formed a band first known as Dios los Cría. By roughly 2004 Rovayo had turned her focus entirely to music, abandoning dance work and cutting her hair short. Rebranded La Shica—a nod to her petite frame—the project began drawing local attention, aided by an October 2005 Flamenco-world.com feature that cast the group as an emerging alternative flamenco act. A deal with Warner Music Group followed, leading to the 2008 release of debut album Trabajito de Chinos. Among its highlights are the collaborations “Carnes Paralelas” with Miguel Poveda and “Vicio” with Elbicho singer Miguel Campello, plus the lead track “Zíngara Rapera,” which received its own promotional clip.