Luz Casal

Luz Casal
Casal in 2018.
Background information
Birth name	María Luz Casal Paz
Born	(1958-11-11)11 November 1958 Boimorto,Galicia (Spain),Spain
Genres	Pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Hispavox Zafiro
Website	Luz Casal

María Luz Casal Paz(Spanish pronunciation:[luθkaˈsal];born 11 November 1958) is a Spanish rock singer. She grew up inBoimorto,Galicia (Spain),took singing, piano and ballet classes, and moved toMadridto pursue a career as amusician.

She became famous in the early 1980s, and remained an important figure in Spanish pop music all through said decade and beyond, with her sound gradually maturing towards soft adult pop. She recorded a cover version ofÉtienne Daho's French language song "Duel au Soleil" in Spanish called "Un nuevo día brillará", which became a hit song. Since the beginning of her career, she has sold over five million albums.

In 1992, she enjoyed great success with her appearance in the soundtrack ofPedro Almodóvar's acclaimed filmHigh HeelssingingAgustín Lara's theme "Piensa en mí".

In January 2007, Luz Casal was diagnosed withbreast cancerand underwent an operation at the Ruber Clinic in Madrid,seven months later, she revealed to the Spanish media that she had overcome her disease. More recently in May 2010, she announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in her other breast and had to cancel her current tour to be operated on.

Her middle name, Luz, means "light" in Spanish.

Biography

Early years

Luz Casal is the daughter of José Casal and Matilde Paz. When she went to live in Avilés she studied at Paula Frassinetti School, founded by the Dorotean Sisters of Charity. Then the family went to live inGijónwhere she performed for the first time in front of fifty people. There she studied piano and ballet and formed part of a rock group called Los Fannys that made versions of other artist's songs. Luz also formed part of another band that performed inAsturias,LeónandGalicia.Nevertheless, she always wanted to be a solo singer.

In 1977, to start her career on the music scene, and after convincing her parents, she went toMadrid,where she made her first recording called "La guapa" (The beautiful), and made contact with a lot of record labels until an independent production company gave her an audition as a backing singer, which is how she entered the world of professional music. She was a backing singer for many artists' recordings and she accompanies Juan Pardo in his live performances. From that moment on, she started composing her first songs, of which she recorded ten, but they were not released. In these years, she made her only appearance in the theatre, taking the role ofRaquel Mellerin the musical "Las Divinas" (The Divines), performed in the Reina Victoria theatre in Madrid.

In 1980, she released her first single with a multinational company, "El ascensor" (The elevator), a song with a strongreggaeflavour as a tribute toBob Marley.She presented this song in "Tocata", a very popular music show inRTVE.After that she took part in many festivals held in a lot of countries and took dance classes withKaren Taft,Arnold Taraborelli,Lindsay Kemp,Merche Esmeralda,andGoyo Montero.

First recordings

In 1981, seeking less control over her private life, she joined the company Zafiro and took part in the live album published by the groupLeño.The following year she started the recording of her first solo album, in Madrid, Brussels and Amsterdam, which was released in September 1982 and was named "Luz". The album was produced by Carlos Narea, and included songs composed by herself and by Roque Navaja. She appeared for the first time in a TV program, and participated in a book-album of the poet Xaime Noguerol. In 1983 she recorded the video of themaxi single"No aguanto más" (I can't stand anymore), then she started making live performances and took part in the tour "El rock de una noche de verano" (The rock of a summer night), withMiguel RíosandLeño,with whom she performed in 35 cities of Spain.

In 1984 she released her second album, "Los ojos del gato" (The eyes of the cat), recorded in Spain,Belgiumand Germany. Some of the songs, written by Ramoncín and Hilario Camacho, gained listeners throughout Europe. Luz kept on studying: piano, chorus and performance. Luz III, released in 1985, contains a very popular track called "Rufino", by Carmen Santonja (Member of the band Vainica Doble). That year she performed in a festival held inCzechoslovakia,with artists from other countries; Luz still remembers the impact of hearing "No aguanto más" and "Ciudad sin ley" (Lawless city) being played by an orchestra with wind instruments. In 1986 she gave more than 90 concerts and performed again forCzech Television.In (Germany) she recorded the song "The water is life", for an environmental campaign, with stars such asMark Knopfler.

In 1987 she recorded an a capella song with the group 'The Christians' for a television program and in May of that year, her next album "Quiéreme aunque te duela" (Love me even if it hurts you), was launched, in which she started to be less of a rocker and discovered herself as a performer of ballads, which were the greatest hits of that release. The album included her hit "A Cada Paso",which became her breakout hit inLatin America.It climbed to the number one position in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Mexico. The Mexican female pop-bandFlansmade a cover of the song in 1990, which also became a big hit in that country.She participated in the TV program "¡Qué noche la de aquel año!" (¡How incredible was that year's night!), that was hosted byMiguel Ríos,then she travelled toMexico,Venezuelaand New York City.

In 1988 she appeared in the TV program "Viaje con nosotros" (Travel with us), byJavier Gurruchaga(Lead singer ofOrquesta Mondragón), and in a benefit gig inSeville,she performed atangoversion of Quiereme aunque te duela.

Massive success

In 1989 Luz Casal released with her new company,Hispavox,the album "V" produced by Paco Trinidad and Chucho Merchán, a regular collaborator withEurythmics.The album, which sold over 300,000 copies and was her definitive leap to stardom, includes two of the most important songs of her career: "Te Dejé Marchar" (I Let You Go) and "No Me Importa Nada" (Nothing Matters For Me). That year she took part in a festival held in Chile in favour of human rights, among artists and groups such asStingandU2.

In 1991 Luz releasedA Contraluz(Backlight), which sold over 400,000 copies, obtaining fourplatinum albums.In this album are thebolero"Piensa en mí" (Think Of Me), composed byAgustín Lara,and the song "Un año de amor" which were chosen byPedro Almodóvarfor his filmTacones Lejanos(High Heels). Almodóvar translated the latter song, originally by the FrenchNino Ferrer,from the Italian hit version byMina.These two massive hits made her a European superstar, especially admired in France.

Following that, Luz took a four-year break away from recording studies, a time when she started thinking about her career because of her success, but she kept on performing in Spain, Latin America, France and other European countries.

In early 1995, Luz travelled to London with producer Paco Trinidad, to work withEurythmicsengineerDarren Allisonand the members ofPaul McCartney's band, namelyPaul "Wix" Wickens,and Robbie Mackintosh, on tracks for her next album, entitledComo La Flor Prometida(Like The Promised Flower). The album was released later in 1995, four years after her previous album. It sold over 800,000 copies, being the most successful album of her career.

In 1996 she released a compilation album,Pequeños Y Grandes Exitos(Hits, Great And Small). Two years later, she released another compilation album, only in France, "Luz Casal ",that sold more than 400,000 copies and included two songs in French, "Tu Ne L'Emporteras Pas" and "Entre Mes Souvenirs". versions of "No Me Importa Nada" and "Entre Mis Recuerdos," respectively. She performed those songs in the Olympia Theatre of Paris and became the first Spanish pop singer to perform in La Cigale Theatre.

Subsequent albums

In 1999, after four years without having released anything following the death of her father, she recorded "Un Mar De Confianza" (A Sea Of Trust) which sold over 600,000 copies. That year, the song "Mi Confianza" (My Trust) was awarded theOndas Awardin the category for Best Song. She then started a European tour performing in France, Italy,SwitzerlandandBelgium.Soon after, she collaborated on an album byRosendocalledSiempre Hay Una Historia(There's Always A History), recorded in theCarabanchel Prison.In 2001, she received theGoya Awardin the category of Best Original Song from the soundtrack of the animated filmEl Bosque Animado(The Living Forest).

In November 2002 Luz released the albumCon Otra Mirada(With Another Look), with 150,000 copies sold and in October 2004 she released the albumSencilla Alegría(Single Happiness), recorded in Du Manoir Studio with production by Javier Limón. The album, which sold over 150,000 copies includes influences fromFlamencotojazzand also featuresChris Barron(fromSpin Doctors),Jerry Gonzalez,Olivier Durán, Pablo Guerrero, Rui Veloso, Niño Josele,Quique Gonzálezand Pablo Novoa amongst some collaborators. This album includes "Negra Sombra" (Black Shadow), a poem byRosalía de Castro,set to music by Juan Montes Capón, which was on the soundtrack toMar Adentro,byAlejandro Amenábar.

Luz Casal promoting "La pasión" (2009)

Having overcome breast cancer, on 12 October 2007 Luz released a new single "Se Feliz" (Be Happy) from her new album,Vida Tóxica(Toxic Life), inspired by her experience with chemotherapy. The album was recorded and mixed in London once again, withDarren Allisonand the same team of musicians who had performed onComo La Flor Prometida,with the addition of bass guitaristPino Palladino.Vida Tóxicaappeared in November 2007.

On 29 September 2009 she published a new album calledLa Pasión(The Passion), an album in which the singer paid homage to the most important bolero singers from the 1940s to the 1960s. In that album she made versions of songs such as "Alma Mía" (My Soul), "Cenizas" (Ashes), and "Historia De Un Amor" (The History of a Love). This album went gold in Spain and platinum in France. Apart from the release of the new album, Luz Casal was awarded with the Medal Of Arts And Culture of France which coincided with the release of her new album.

In 2011 she released "Un ramo de rosas", a compilation album of all the love songs and boleros she recorded during her career. Two years after this release in 2013 the singer launched a new studio album called "Almas gemelas" (Twin souls).

After a long hiatus, in 2017 Luz released in France an album with covers ofDalida,the French diva who inspired many of Casal's songs. One year later, back in Spain, she launched the album "Que corra el aire" (Let the air flow), which was greeted by her fans and also very well received critically.

Discography

Albums / Singles

Year	Album title	Peak position SPA	Peak position FRA	Singles from the album
1977				1977: "La guapa"
1980				1980: "El ascensor"
1982	Luz			1982: "No aguanto más" 1982: "Ciudad sin ley" 1982: "Eres tú"
1984	Los ojos del gato			1984: "Los ojos del gato" 1984: "Detrás de tu mirada" 1984: "Secreto"
1985	Luz III			1985: "Voy a por ti" 1985: "Rufino" 1985: "Hechizado"
1987	Quiéreme aunque te duela			1987: "Quiéreme aunque te duela" 1987: "Un día marrón" 1987: "Qué rabia" 1987: "A cada paso"
1989	Luz V			1988: "Te dejé marchar" 1989: "Loca" 1989: "No me importa nada" 1990: "El tren" 1990: "He visto a un ángel"
1991	A contraluz			1991: "Piensa en mí" 1991: "Un pedazo de cielo" 1991: "Un año de amor" 1992: "Es por ti" 1992: "Tal para cual"
1995	Como la flor prometida			1995: "Entre mis recuerdos" 1995: "Lo eres todo" 1995: "Besaré el suelo" 1996: "Plantado en mi cabeza" 1996: "Te ofrezco lo que tengo"
2000	Un mar de confianza		52	1999: "Mi confianza" 2000: "Sentir" 2000: "Sumisa" 2000: "Quisiera ser y no puedo" 2000: "Inesperadamente" 2001: "Sentir (Alex Gopher Wings Remix)"
2002	Con otra mirada	4	18	2002: "Ni tú ni yo" 2003: "Dame un beso" 2003: "A veces un cielo" 2003: "Pueden ser tantas cosas"
2005	Sencilla alegría	2	36	2004: "Un nuevo día brillará" 2005: "Sencilla alegría" 2005: "Ecos" 2005: "No te vayas"
2007	Vida tóxica	9	—	2005: "Sé feliz" 2007: "Soy" 2007: "18 años"
2009	La Pasión	3	11	2009: "Con mil desengaños" 2009: "Historia de un amor" 2009: "No, no y no"
2011	Un ramo de rosas	9	42	2011: "Un ramo de rosas" 2011: "Gracias a la vida"
2013	Almas gemelas	8	61	2013: "¿Por qué no vuelves, amor?"
2017	Luz Casal chanteDalida,A mi manera(France only)		97	2017: "Fini la comédie"
2018	Que corra el aire	2		2018: "Miénteme al oído"

Compilation albums

• Pequeños y grandes éxitos(1996)
• The Best of Luz Casal(1998)
• Pequeños, medianos y grandes éxitos(2006) (also separate French edition for France)

Soundtracks

• Tacones lejanos[1](1991)
• El Bosque animado[2](2001)

External links

• Official Homepage
• Luz CasalatIMDb
• Boimorto info (in Spanish)
• Review of 'La Pasion'(English)
• Luz Casal at Morkol.comListen the songs and read the lyrics.