Álex Ubago

Early life

When he was four years old, his parents moved to San Sebastián. He wrote his first song at the age of 15. He taught himself how to sing. Alex replied "Without thinking, just because, I would write a song. That's how I started at 15. Then one day I finished a song that I liked and wanted someone to listen to it, I wanted to sing it to someone. That first song still exists, it's written but not recorded. From that moment on I kept writing".

Career

Álex Ubago taught himself to sing, and at the age of 22 released his debut album ¿Qué pides tú?, which sold 900,000 units in Spain and was certified 2X platinum in Mexico. Ubago received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2003, but the award was won by fellow Spanish performer David Bisbal. Ubago's album Fantasía o Realidad was released in 2004, and was as successful as his first album. Ubago was nominated again for a Latin Grammy for his album Calle Ilusión which peaked at number three in the Spanish Albums Charts.

Alex Ubago wrote several songs. He contacted his cousin David, who was a musician with a home studio. Together, the two recorded some of Ubago's compositions, hoping to present them to Ubago's girlfriend as a birthday present. Soon these casual recordings were received by manager Inigio Argomaniz, who presented the material to some of his friends working in the industry. Ubago was gently urged to record some more of his material, and in time enough material had been written to be formally presented. The new songs were received by DRO Atlantic artistic director Alfonso Pérez. In October, 2000, the contracts were signed. Three years later ¿Qué Pides Tu? was released, followed by Fantasia o Realidad in 2004. The latter record achieved gold and platinum status, given its strong sales in Spain, Latin America, and the U.S.

In 2006, Ubago released Aviones de Cristal, featuring the song "Viajar Contigo", one of Ubago's many Billboard chart successes. He immediately made it to the top of the Latin music charts, and Ubago’s face appeared on almost every cover of Latin and Spanish entertainment magazines, including Rolling Stone. He performed over 100 concerts in his home country after that release, and his album went platinum several times worldwide.

In 2010, Alex collaborated with Cuban singer Lena and the ex-Bacilos member, Colombian Jorge Villamizar, forming a new project titled Alex, Jorge y Lena. Their first single was "Estar Contigo". In 2011 the trio was nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro for Best Breakout Group or Duo. They also performed "Estar Contigo" during the ceremony.