Niña Pastori

Among the young pop-flamenco vocalists who rose to prominence near the millennium, Niña Pastori stands out as one of the most skilled cantaoras. Born María Rosa García García on January 15, 1978, in San Fernando within Spain’s Cádiz province, she is the daughter of established flamenco performer La Pastori. From an early age she accompanied her mother on tours and stages, which inspired her stage name as a nod to that familial tie. Her first record, Entre Dos Puertos, arrived in 1996 under the production of Paco Ortega alongside Alejandro Sanz, who holds the distinction of Spain’s top-selling musician. That release featured the successful track “Tú Me Camelas” and presented a pop-flamenco approach aimed primarily toward adolescent listeners. Consistent with her later work, Pastori covered material by various writers, among them Ortega and Sanz. She maintained a pattern of issuing albums at approximately two-year intervals thereafter—Eres Luz in 1998, Cañailla in 2000, María in 2002, No Hay Quinto Malo in 2005, and Joyas Prestadas in 2006—while her sound evolved toward greater sophistication in tandem with her maturing fan base. Latin Grammy recognition has come her way repeatedly; No Hay Quinto Malo earned a 2005 nod for Best Flamenco Album, and Joyas Prestadas received one in 2006 for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. Esperando Verte, her seventh studio effort, came out in 2009. Entirely composed in partnership with her spouse Chaboli, it yielded the Top Five single “Capricho de Mujer.” In 2011 she put forth La Orilla de Mi Pelo, whose tracks ventured into pop and rock territories to a greater degree than her earlier recordings.