Elsa y Elmar is the name of the musical project of Elsa Carvajal, a singer-songwriter from Colombia. The music of Elsa y Elmar can be described as synth-pop, and it integrates elements of folk, tropical, and Latin music. In 2014 Carvajal won the Grand Prize in the Latin category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song "Me Viene Bien",[1] and in 2016 she played in front of 40,000 people as the opening act for Coldplay at their concert at the Estadio El Campín in Bogotá. Since 2018 she has lived in Mexico.[2]

Elsa y Elmar
Elsa y Elmar in 2022.
Background information
Birth nameElsa Margarita Carvajal
BornBucaramanga, Colombia
Years active2012–present
LabelsElmar Presenta
Websitewww.elsayelmar.com

History

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Born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, Carvajal took some classes in musical appreciation and flute at the age of nine, but admitted that she had little discipline to continue with them. At the age of 16, she enrolled in a jazz academy, and then in 2011, she traveled to Boston, Massachusetts in order to study at the Berklee College of Music.[3] Carvajal came up with the concept of Elsa y Elmar in 2012 during her time in Boston. In an interview with Colombia's W Radio, Carvajal explained that she liked the idea of being accompanied rather than being a solo star, and that the people who surrounded her and supported her music were her "sea" – the name "Elmar" is a play on "el mar", meaning "the sea" in Spanish.[4] In 2013 she recorded a six-track EP titled Sentirnos Bien,[3] produced by San Francisco-born Colombian Mateo Lewis, himself a former student of Berklee. The EP was released in digital format on October 13, 2013. One of the tracks from Sentirnos Bien, "Me Viene Bien", was entered into the second session of the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for new songwriters and won the Grand Prize in the Latin category.[5][6]

On completing her studies at Berklee, Carvajal moved to San Francisco, where she assembled a band to accompany her live performances.[7] Elsa y Elmar's first full-length album, Rey, was released on September 25, 2015. It was preceded by a single, "Exploradora", which was accompanied by a video shot in various parks and beaches around San Francisco.[7] Carvajal described Rey as "spiritual pop".[8]

In 2015, Elsa y Elmar performed at a number of music festivals, including Estéreo Picnic Festival in Bogotá, Colombia[9] and Festival Coordenada in Guadalajara, Mexico.[10] On April 13, 2016, Elsa y Elmar performed as the opening act for British band Coldplay's concert at the Estadio El Campín in Bogotá.[11][12]

2019 brought the release of Elsa y Elmar's second full-length album: Eres Diamante, and a nomination for Best New Artist at the Latin Grammy Awards.[13]

On April 28, 2022 Elsa y Elmar released another LP: ya no somos los mismos. According to Carvajal the album is about a difficult breakup and the process of closing that chapter of her life, healing, and looking for new meaning.[14] The experience left her so shaken that she didn't know if she would continue making music.[15] The album was recorded in Hermosillo, Mexico and is accompanied by a short film (directed by Jorge Leyva) that combines twelve of the album's songs.[16][17]

Discography

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  • Sentirnos Bien (2013)
  • Rey (2015)
  • Eres Diamante (2019)
  • Cuatro Veces 10 (2020)
  • ya no somos los mismos (2022)
  • Palacio (2024)

Awards and nominations

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Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Latin Grammy Awards 2019 Best New Artist Elsa y Elmar Nominated [13]
2020 Best Pop Song "Una Vez Más" (as songwriter) Nominated [18]
2022 Album of the Year ya no somos los mismos Nominated [19]
Best Pop Vocal Album Nominated
Best Pop/Rock Song "qué voy a hacer conmigo??" Nominated
Premios Gardel 2024 Best Pop Song "Pelo Suelto" (with Conociendo Rusia) Nominated [20]
Premio Lo Nuestro 2023 New Artist – Female Elsa y Elmar Nominated [21]
Premios Nuestra Tierra 2020 Best Alternative/Rock Song "Ojos Noche" Nominated [22]
2023 Best Alternative/Rock/Indie Artist Elsa y Elmar Nominated [23]
2024 Best Rock/Alternative/Indie Song "Peso Suelto" (with Conocienci Rusia) Nominated [24]
UK Music Video Awards 2021 Best Pop Video - Newcomer "Corazones Negros" Nominated [25]
2024 Best Animation in a Video "entre las piernes" Pending [26]

Note: At the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, ya no somos los mismos was also nominated for Best Engineered Album, the nomination is given to Julián Bernal, Nico Cotton, Carlitos González, Alberto Hernández, Michel Kuri, Malay, Felipe Mejía, Jv Olivier, Juan Sebastián Parra, Alejandro García Partida, Alan Saucedo, Raúl López, Lewis Pickett, Harold Sanders & Dave Kutch, the engineers and mixers of the album.

References

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  1. ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy; Cantor-Navas, Judy (2015-05-06). "Elsa y Elmar Takes John Lennon Latin Prize". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  2. ^ Semana (2019-06-06). ""Hay que reconocer el dolor, no esconderlo": Elsa y Elmar". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  3. ^ a b "La colombiana Elsa promociona en California su "pop espiritual"" (in Spanish). EFE. April 12, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Elsa y Elmar abrirá el concierto de Coldplay en Bogotá (radio broadcast) (in Spanish). Bogota, Colombia: W Radio. March 28, 2016. Event occurs at 5:27. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy (May 6, 2017). "Elsa y Elmar Takes John Lennon Latin Prize". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  6. ^ "2014 Grand Prize Winners – Session II". John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
  7. ^ a b Torres, Daniel (March 17, 2015). "Elsa y Elmar, una voz colombiana que se hace oír". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  8. ^ "La colombiana Elsa promociona en California su "pop espiritual"". www.efe.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  9. ^ "Festival Estéreo Picnic publica cartel por días de edición 2015". El Espectador (in Spanish). November 27, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  10. ^ "Festival Coordenada 2015". OCESA. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  11. ^ "Concierto de Coldplay en Bogotá, una explosión de colores". El Espectador (in Spanish). April 13, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "Todo listo para el concierto de Coldplay la noche de este miércoles en Bogotá". El País (in Spanish). April 13, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "La bumanguesa Elsa y Elmar nominada a los Latin Grammy". www.vanguardia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  14. ^ "Elsa y Elmar estrena su nuevo álbum "ya no somos los mismos" - Mundo Indie" (in Spanish). 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  15. ^ ""Fue un proceso de reclamarme", Elsa y Elmar habla de su nuevo álbum "ya no somos los mismos"". es-us.vida-estilo.yahoo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  16. ^ "Elsa y Elmar sabe cuándo Ya no somos los mismos". Quadratín CDMX (in Spanish). 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
  17. ^ Elsa y Elmar - ya no somos los mismos (film), retrieved 2022-06-30
  18. ^ "Nominados al Latin Grammy se anunciarán en septiembre". AM Querétaro (in Spanish). 18 June 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
  19. ^ "23rd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards Final Nominations" (PDF). The Latin Recording Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "Nominados 2024" (in Spanish). Premios Gardel. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Nominados a Premio Lo Nuestro 2023: lista completa y cómo votar". Univision (in Spanish). January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "Premios Nuestra Tierra: Estos son los nominados en la edición 2020". RCN Radio. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  23. ^ "Premios Nuestra Tierra 2023: lista de los nominados y más detalles del evento". El Espectador (in Spanish). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  24. ^ LOS40 (2024-03-21). "Todos los nominados a Premios Nuestra Tierra 2024: Karol G, la artista que más posibilidades tiene | LOS40". LOS40 (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "UK Music Video Awards 2021: all the nominations for this year's UKMVAs". Promonews. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  26. ^ "UK Music Video Awards 2024: all the nominations for this year's UKMVAs". Promonews. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.