Gaby Moreno
+ Los Calendarios + DJ Paola Feregrino
After a whirlwind couple of year’s Gaby Moreno won the Latin Grammy for best new artist in November 2013. Born and raised in Guatemala, she started listening to blues, r&b and soul at a young age. Singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin inspired her to take on singing herself.
A little over 10 years ago, Gaby moved to Los Angeles, USA and after winning “John Lennon Songwriting Contest” in 2006, she released her debut album Still The Unknown in 2008. Later that year she was asked to write the theme song for NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” (co-written with Vincent Jones), that was nominated for an Emmy Award. Latina Magazine acclaimed her “Best New Latin Artist 2010”, and she was the support act for both Ani DiFranco’s and Tracy Chapman’s world tours in 2009 and 2010. Also in 2010, she participated in one of the most prestigious and long time rock festivals in Denmark, Roskilde, where she emotively sang in front of 17,000 people accompanied by the Youth Radio Symphony of Denmark, directed by the legendary pianist, composer, producer and Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks. The next year without any push or support from a label, her independently released second album llIustrated Songs reached #1 in sales on Latin Itunes and Amazon Latin. That led her to many concerts in the U.S. and Europe.
In 2012, Gaby Moreno entered into the Latin-American music scene, thanks to the invitation extended by her fellow countryman and one of the most successful Latin American artists of all time, Ricardo Arjona, to record the duet “Fuiste Tu”. The song won wide approval with a Latin audience as well as two Latin Grammy nominations for “Song of The Year” and “Recording Of The Year”. Subsequently Gaby released her third album Postales which retains the same swing as her previous records but is sung completely in Spanish.
In 2013, she recorded a duet with Hugh Laurie, for his new album Didn’t It Rain, a cover of the popular song “Kiss Of Fire” and Gaby has been touring the world with Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band.
Support comes from Los Calendarios, the funky Latin Soul Collective formed and based in London by Domingo Candelario, Luis Florian Bravo and Lya Reis and from uplifting DJ Paola Feregrino.
“The Guatemalan songwriter Gaby Moreno plucked ragtimey syncopations on a well-worn acoustic guitar, and let loose a tangy, bluesy voice with the feistiness of Édith Piaf.”
– NY Times
“Moreno’s breathtaking voice is passionate and stylistically malleable, as she glides back and forth easily between bossa nova and bluesy rock.”- NPR Tiny Desk
“Gaby Moreno’s soulful vocals and ability to switch languages and genres have made her a rising star.” – NPR All Things Considered