Malu

Malú, a Spanish pop performer whose recordings have repeatedly attained platinum status and high chart placements, has evolved into a lasting fixture of cultural life both at home and throughout Europe as well as Latin America. After issuing her first album, Aprendiz, in 1998 while still a teenager, she maintained a pattern of multi-platinum releases that regularly landed inside the Top Five. Her clips for “Blanco y Negro” and “Invisible” have each accumulated hundreds of millions of views, while individual singles, among them the 2018 chart success “Invisible” recorded as a duet with Alejandro Sanz, have occupied prominent positions on streaming and retail rankings. Her style fuses Spanish rock and pop into a theatrical and energetic hybrid that has drawn listeners along with high-profile partners such as David Bisbal, Pastora Soler, and Tony Bennett.

María Lucía Sánchez Benítez came into the world on March 12, 1982, in Madrid, Spain. She is the daughter of flamenco singer and songwriter Pepe de Lucía and Spanish traditional singer Pepe Benítez, and she is also the niece of legendary flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía. Her full-length introduction arrived with Aprendiz, on which she joined forces with singer/songwriter Alejandro Sanz for several tracks, most notably the blockbuster title cut. The project secured a Top Ten berth on the albums chart and yielded multiple singles beyond the lead track, confirming her arrival as a striking new presence in Spanish pop. One year afterward came her sophomore effort, Cambiarás; although it did not crack the Top Ten, it still generated an array of singles.

She regained momentum with her third album, Esta Vez, released in 2001. This release ended her association with Jesús Yanes, producer of the opening pair of projects. Cut in Miami under Estéfano—who had lately guided Paulina Rubio’s blockbuster Paulina—Esta Vez climbed to the Top Five on the Spanish albums chart and supplied five singles, all but one written by Estéfano. Another Top Ten placement followed with the 2003 album Otra Piel, a partnership with producer Kiko Campos. The live recording Por una Vez appeared in 2004; captured in Madrid, it features guest spots from Alejandro Sanz, Antonio Orozco, and Paco de Lucía.

In the middle of the decade Malú enlisted Mauri Stern and Graeme Pleeth to shape the 2005 album Malú and the 2006 album Desafío. A greatest-hits collection, Gracias, surfaced in 2007 before she stepped away temporarily. Her 2009 return, Vive, presented an energetic set of rock-oriented material produced by Stern. That same year she also oversaw the limited-edition Malu by Yo Dona before issuing the full studio album Guerra Fría late in 2010. The record reached number one and stayed on the Spanish chart throughout 2011 and most of 2012, logging an impressive eighty weeks. An intimate concert captured at La Casona in Mexico City, spotlighting material from that album, was released in 2011 as the audio/video package Íntima Guerra Fría.

Dual arrived in 2012, gathering earlier duet successes while adding six fresh tracks that included contributions from Alejandro Sanz, Rocio Jurado, Pablo Alboran, and Miguel Bosé, among others. It peaked at number twelve in Spain and remained on the chart for more than a year. For her ninth studio album, Sí, she worked in 2013 with producer Armando Ávila. Issued in October, the set opened at number one and extended its chart run beyond twelve months, ultimately earning platinum certification. Returning to the same producer for 2015’s Caos, she fashioned what some reviewers labeled “Si 2.0,” an album she characterized as rooted in her established sound yet refreshed by contemporary production values. Caos debuted at number one, held the summit for five weeks, and achieved double-platinum standing.

Following extensive touring she withdrew from the spotlight until mid-2017, her sole public role during the interval being that of coach on La Voz España. While away she composed material with numerous collaborators, then entered the studio with producer, arranger, and engineer Julio Reyes Copello. The advance single “Invisible,” again a duet with Sanz, appeared in September and ascended directly to number one. March of the next year brought her second chart-topping single, “Ciudad de Papel.” June delivered the number-one track “Contradiccion” and another Sanz collaboration, “Llueve Alegría,” written as a tribute to their mutual bereavement following the death of Paco de Lucía—her uncle and his closest friend. Sony issued the completed album Oxigeno in September. Malú co-wrote seven of its eleven songs. The project entered the chart at number one and received double-platinum certification within two weeks.