Margarita Rosa de Francisco

Born to a singer and actor father and a mother employed as a clothes designer, Colombian singer and songwriter Margarita Rosa de Francisco first entered the entertainment world in 1984 by winning a local beauty contest. She relocated to Madrid in 1991 to pursue acting studies and came back to Colombia in 1993. Her initial foray into music took shape when she composed the soundtrack for the soap opera Café Con Aroma De Mujer, an effort that secured her a record contract and resulted in the release of her debut album Margarita Rosa. Drawing chiefly on Afro-Cuban rhythms, Brazilian bossa nova, and Spanish flamenco, she issued La Madre in 1998 and La Caponera in 2000. In that same year UNICEF appointed her Colombian ambassador.