Álex Ubago
| Alex Ubago | |
|---|---|
|
Alex Ubago | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alejandro Martínez de Ubago Rodríguez |
| Born |
January 29, 1981 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Voice, Guitar, Piano |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Associated acts | Amaia Montero, Alex, Jorge y Lena, Maite Perroni |
| Website |
alexubago |
| Notable instruments | |
| Voice | |
Álex Ubago (born Alejandro Martínez de Ubago Rodríguez on January 29, 1981, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. He is especially known for his heartfelt voice and his ballads. He was able to record his debut album "Que Pides Tu" when manager Iñigo Argomaniz that used to go to Alex's cousin's bar heard a demo that Alex made for his girlfriend, his first cd contain songs from this first demo, the songs are "Sabes" and "Hay Que Ver". Alex started to tour national radios with his guitar to sing his songs live and be interviewed. Eventually this strategy worked and his album finally hit the charts. But he reached absolute fame with the publication of the song "Sin Miedo A Nada", featuring Amaia Montero, his biggest hit to date.
Early life
When he was four years old, his parents moved to San Sebastián. He wrote his first song at the age of 15.[1] 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?,[2] which sold 900,000 units in Spain and was certified 2X platinum in Mexico.[3][4] Ubago received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2003, but the award was won by fellow Spanish performer David Bisbal.[5] Ubago's album Fantasía o Realidad was released in 2004, and was as successful as his first album.[2] Ubago was nominated again for a Latin Grammy for his album Calle Ilusión which peaked at number three in the Spanish Albums Charts.[6][7]
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.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPN |
ARG | ||||||||||||
| ¿Qué Pides Tú? |
|
1 | - | ||||||||||
| 21 Meses, 1 Semana y 2 Dias |
|
1 | - | ||||||||||
| Fantasía o Realidad |
|
1 | - | ||||||||||
| Álex Ubago: En Directo |
|
6 | - | ||||||||||
| Aviones De Cristal |
|
3 | 61 | ||||||||||
| Calle Ilusión |
|
3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Mentiras Sinceras |
|
||||||||||||
| "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPN |
ARG |
MEX |
Ibero America |
CHI |
VEN |
COL |
BOL |
ECu |
URU |
PAN |
COSTA RICA |
GUA |
HON | |||
| "A Gritos De Esperanza" | 2001 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ¿Qué Pides Tú? |
| "Sin Miedo A Nada" (duet with Amaia Montero) | 2001 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | — | 6 | — | — | |
| "No Te Rindas" | 2001 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "¿Sabes?" | 2002 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Por Esta Ciudad" | 2002 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "¿Qué Pides Tú?" | 2002 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Sigo Aquí" (El Planeta Del Tesoro Theme song) | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 Meses, 1 Semana y 2 Dias |
| "Aunque No Te Pueda Ver" | 2003 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Fantasía o Realidad |
| "Fantasía o Realidad" | 2003 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Dame Tu Aire" | 2003 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Cuanto Antes" | 2003 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Otro Día Más" | 2003 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Allí Estaré" | 2004 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Despertar" | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Álex Ubago: En Directo |
| "Viajar Contigo" | 2006 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Aviones De Cristal |
| "Sigo Buscando" | 2006 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Instantes" | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Siempre en mi mente" | 2008 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Me arrepiento" | 2009 | 8 | — | 54 | — | 2 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 31 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 2 | Calle Ilusión |
| "Mil horas" | 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Amarrado a tí"(duet with Sharon Corr) | 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released | ||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Gutierrez, Evan C. "Biography: Alex Ubago". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- 1 2 Gutierrez, Evan C. "Álex Ubago – Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Spanish certifications" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España.
- ↑ "Certificaciones – Alex Ubago" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
- ↑ "The nominees are ...". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. July 23, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Conoce a los nominados a los Grammy Latinos" (in Spanish). Terra Networks México. September 19, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ↑ "Alex Ubago – Calle Ilusión". Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Spanish certifications" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España.
- 1 2 3 "Certificaciones – Alex Ubago" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas.
- ↑ "Spanish certifications" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España.
- ↑ "Spanish certifications" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Álex Ubago. |