Concha Buika

Biography

Concha Buika was born on May 11, 1972, in Palma de Mallorca in Spain. She is the daughter of Equatoguinean parents, the late writer Juan Balboa and Honorina Buika. Her brother Guillermo "Guillem" Balboa was also born in Equatorial Guinea and he is the current alcalde of Alaró. Her brother and her parents were political exiles of their native Equatorial Guinea and arrived to Spain in 1969, three years before Buika's birth. She currently lives in Miami, Florida, United States. She is openly bisexual.

Buika is a singer, poet, composer and music producer. Her music draws on a wide range of influences, from jazz and flamenco to pop, soul and African polyrhythm. She began her career as a drummer and bassist, turning to singing only because "in Spain nobody wanted a female drummer, and I got tired of hearing no, no, no." Buika then gained fame singing coplas in Madrid nightclubs in the late 1990s. She has been compared to Nina Simone, Chavela Vargas, Cesaria Evora, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf, and Amy Winehouse.

In 2000, Buika released her first album Mestizuo (2000, Producciones Blau S.L.). This was followed by Buika (2005, DRO) and a trilogy produced by music producer Javier Limón: Mi Niña Lola (My Girl Lola - 2006, DRO), Niña de Fuego (Girl of Fire - 2008, Warner), which included her first book of poems, and El Ultimo Trago (The Last Sip - 2009, Warner), an anthology album featuring Chucho Valdés, Cuba’s standard-bearing pianist, and songs associated with Chavela Vargas, the Mexican ranchera singer.

Buika's largely self-produced seventh album, La Noche Mas Larga (Warner), recorded in New York City and Madrid, came out on June 4, 2013. The album contains five of her own compositions, including a collaboration with Pat Metheny on Buika's own composition "No Lo Se", as well as her take on such classic songs as "La Nave del Olvido", "Don't Explain", "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "Siboney".

Buika's second book of poems, A Los Que Amaron a Mujeres Dificiles y Acabaron por Soltarse ("To those who loved difficult women and ended up letting go"), came out through Edaf (Madrid) in the fall of 2014. She continues to work on producing her first movie based on one of her poems, which is titled "From Solitude to Hell". Buika is also working on a novel, an opera and an exhibit featuring her photography and her son's artwork.

In the fall of 2015, her eighth album, Vivir Sin Miedo, was released, the first album containing her own compositions sung in English, Spanish and a mix of the two languages. Vivir Sin Miedo was recorded over four months in Miami, New York, London and Madrid, co-produced with producer Martin Terefe. The first track, also titled "Vivir Sin Miedo", was released through all digital channels on July 31, 2015. The album contains a number of collaborations, including with Me'shell Ndegeocello and Jason Mraz.

Buika has collaborated with musicians and singers in Spanish, Catalan, English, French and Portuguese, with artists such as Anoushka Shankar, Chick Corea, Niño Josele, Mariza, Bebo and Chucho Valdes, Luz Casal, Ivan "Melon" Lewis, "Dizzy" Daniel Moorehead, Jose Luis Perales, Seal, Armando Manzanero, Nelly Furtado, Charles Aznavour, and Javier Limon.

Buika has also collaborated on the soundtracks of several films. In 2011, director Pedro Almodóvar included two Buika songs--"Por el amor de amar" (For love's sake) and "Se me hizo facil" (I found it easy)--in his movie La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In). Buika also appeared onscreen for the movie.

Buika has performed all over the globe, including the United States, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Argentina and Mexico in the last 12 months alone. She has sometimes toured with a small ensemble, usually a guitarist, bassist and cajón player.

Discography

Awards and nominations

Buika's albums have received the following awards:

Buika's albums and songs have received the following nominations: