I
Miguel Bosé

About:

3 April 1956

Miguel Bosé has been a force in Spanish popular music in a career that has spanned 21 albums, roles in more than 35 films, his own television show, and work as a theatre director. With Picasso as his godfather and Ernest Hemingway among his family friends, Bosé grew up in the arts, constantly travelling from his Panama homeland to Milan, New York, London, Paris, and Madrid. He made his film debut at the age of 15, and at age 21, he began his singing career which eventually lead to international pop stardom.

Between 1977 and 1982, he recorded several albums for CBS, but it wasn't until 1985 that he had his first hit with 'Bandido'. A year later, he signed with Warner Bros., which led to more introspective albums like 'Salamandra', which was overseen by producer Celso Valli (well known for with work with Eros Ramazzotti). This production was followed by 'XXX', 'Los chicos no lloran', and 'Directo '90', a live recording compiling many of the artist's hits.

In 1993, Bosé's music moved into a more political vein with the album 'Bajo el signo de Cain', which addressed such issues as Yugoslavia's political turmoil, ecological concerns, and aspects of his stardom, and it ended up being his first platinum album. With an increasingly powerful international profile as a singer and actor, he released 'Laberinto' in 1995 and went on a 125-concert tour of Spain and Latin America to support the album.

During his career as an international pop star, Bosé portrayed a cross dresser in Pedro Almodovar's High Heels, worked with Andy Warhol on two videos, and witnessed the banning of his video 'No encuentro un momento pa' olvidar' for its controversial sexual imagery. Defying the contemporary formula for pop success, his music has been described as a global fusion of many musical influences. At the center of his music is all the passion and expression of a Latin artist, yet Miguel Bosé has constantly incorporated more diverse musical elements than many of the genre's crossover pop stars.

In 2007 Miguel celebtrated his 30 years in the music business with the duet album 'Papito'. It was followed by an extensive 2,5 year tour, during which he gained 40 pounds. After he overcame his weight strugle, he released a new album 'Cardio' in 2010.

On the web:

- Miguels website: http://www.miguelboseonline.net

If you like this, you probably like... / european counterparts:

Etiene Daho (France)

What do we think:

PR: Wow, does this guy have a sexy, sultry voice...! I saw a Bosé-video on MTV in 1993 for the first time, when they tried to break his album 'Under the sign of Cain' throughout Europe. I bought the record and was very impressed by it. At the time, I was very into David Sylvian and I heared a lot of similarities. During the years, I collected all Miguels albums and he is one of the artists I just do not get tired of listening to. Forget his first records (unless you are a real fan), but from 'Bandido' on, all his records are worth listening to. If you are into inteligent pop music mediterranean style (and got tired of Iglesias, Bruel and Ramazotti), you should definitely try Miguel Bosé.

DB: MMM, one of the better and certainly most romantic voices on the site. Don't mistake romantic with easy listening though. Bosé is one (if not thé one) of the most interesting and musically intelligent artists coming from Spain. His hits are numerous (in Spain) and everybody can sing along with songs like 'Nena', 'Amante Bandido' and 'Il capitan treno'. His full artistic potential comes alive mid-eighties but if you want to explore the spanish teenage music scene just after Franco died you can try one of the older albums. 'Linda' was his first mayor hit.

Recommended albums:

♪♪♪ - Made in Spain - 1983

♪♪♪♪ - Bandido - 1985

♪♪♪ - Salamandra - 1986

♪♪♪♪♪ - Bajo el signo del Cain - 1993

♪♪♪ - Laberinto - 1995

♪♪♪♪ - Sereno - 2002

♪♪♪ - Por vos muero - 2003

♪♪♪♪♪ - Velvetina - 2005

♪♪♪ - Papito - 2007

♪♪♪♪ - Cardio - 20101

Further listening:

Soy - 1975; Es tan fácil - 1976; Linda - 1978; Miquel Bosé - 1978; ¡Chicas! - 1979; Miguel - 1980; Más allá - 1981; XXX - 1987; Los chicos no lloran - 1990; Directo '90 - 1990; 11 maneras de ponerse un sombrero - 1998; Girados (live, with Ana Taroja) - 2000; Pepito Tour - 2008

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♪♪♪♪♪= outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided