Sergio Dalma

Sergio Dalma, born Josep Sergi Capdevila Querol, developed an early fascination with R&B, counting James Brown among his most admired performers. Raised in Sabadell just north of Barcelona, he first sang in the chorus at his Catholic school and later performed in a band alongside classmates from the Pau Vila Institute.

His professional debut arrived in 1989 with Esa Chica Es Mia, followed by Sintiendonos la Piel in 1991. That same year he represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest and placed fourth with “Bailar Pegados.” Adivina appeared the next year and reached the summit of the charts, driven by the single “Ave Lucia.” In 1993 Dalma served on the jury at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival and performed before his largest audience up to that point.

He married model Maribel Sana in January 1994, and the couple welcomed their first son in August 1995. Shortly after that family milestone he signed with PolyGram and released De Colección. Although his albums from the late 1990s and early 2000s continued to perform strongly on Spanish charts, A Buena Hora in 2008 signaled a more mature artistic direction and delivered his first commercial breakthrough. The project became his initial platinum-certified album in Spain and launched a run of successes that culminated with Via Dalma in 2010.

Via Dalma, a collection of Spanish-language versions of popular Italian songs, was produced by Claudio Guidetti, best known for his work with Eros Ramazzotti. The album held the number-one position in Spain for seven weeks during 2010 and 2011 before achieving six-times platinum status. Guidetti returned for Via Dalma II, issued in November 2011, which nearly matched its predecessor’s success by spending five weeks at the top. Cadore 33 followed at the end of 2013; although recorded in Italy with Guidetti’s assistance, it consisted entirely of original compositions and also reached number one in Spain.

Two years later Dalma issued the more guitar-driven Dalma, produced by Pablo Cebrián and tracked at Arcadia Studios in Madrid, marking the first time he had recorded in Spain in more than a decade. The album peaked at number two on the national charts. In 2017 he completed the trilogy with Via Dalma III, the final installment of his Italian-music concept albums. The set featured twelve songs associated with artists ranging from Lucio Dalla and Domenico Modugno to Drupi, Toto Cutugno, and Matia Bazar. Once again produced by Claudio Guidetti and recorded entirely at the Cadore 33 studios, it topped the Italian charts. Dalma marked his thirtieth year in music in 2020 with Sergio Dalma 30 y Tanto, offering new interpretations of thirty of his most popular songs.