Buika November 18, 2012

Hailed as the “Flamenco Queen,” Buika is the daughter of political refugees from the African nation of Equatorial Guinea and grew up in a gypsy neighborhood on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The New York Times calls her unique blend of flamenco, jazz, soul and blues, “luminous…magnificent…superb!”

Buika has become a true revelation to those who thought flamenco had little left to contribute to Spanish music, and to jazz. Her evident African roots and her cosmopolitanism, developed in clubs in Spain and Americanized during a strange detour to Las Vegas as a Tina Turner impersonator, explain Buika’s rare self-possession. But nothing can quite explain her ability to connect – one of those rare and wonderful “one listen” artists.

Her CD El Ultimo Trago (The Last Drink) made with the legendary Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes is a homage to the Mexican singing legend Chavela Vargas. The album was nominated for two Latin GRAMMY awards and won for “Best Traditional Tropical Album.” She recorded a duet with Seal entitled “You Get Me” for his CD Seal 6: Commitment. And she made her screen debut in Pedro Almodóvar’s film La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I’m In).