Ana Gabriel

Ana Gabriel
Background information
Birth name	María Guadalupe Araujo Yong
Born	December 10, 1955 (1955-12-10) (age 55)
Origin	Mexico
Genres	Latin pop, Mexican pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1977–present (singer)
Labels	Sony International
Website	Ana Gabriel

Ana Gabriel (born on December 10, 1955) is a Mexican singer and composer.

Ana Gabriel was born as María Guadalupe Araujo Yong, in Santiago de Comanito, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. She moved to Tijuana, Baja California and studied accounting. At age 21, in 1977, she recorded her first song, titled "Compréndeme". During her long career, she has hits in three different genres of music: rock en español, Latin Pop, and rancheras. In 2006 she received the Lo Nuestro award's "Premio a la Excelencia" (Excellence Award).

Personal Life

In 1988 Gabriel released her first album, Tierra de Nadie, followed by Pecado Original in 1989, which met with some chart success. Her 1990 album Quien Como Tu made her a force within the Mexican music industry. Eight months later, her live album En Vivo showcased her powerful stage act and scored several hits: "Hice Bien Quererte, " "Propuesta, " and "Solamente un Vez."

Throughout the 1990s Gabriel released an album almost every year. A versatile singer, she showcased her talent as an interpreter of many different musical styles, from lambada to mariachi and romantic ballads to pop music. She also honed her skills as a songwriter and a producer, releasing Mi Mexico, a ranchera-influenced, mariachi-backed pop album, in 1991. This unique blend of styles was also reflected in the songs, all written by Gabriel. Her lyrics described strong, active women involved in their love lives, counter to their passive, traditional depiction in older songs. The album also included a tribute to Mexico's most popular singer-songwriter, Juan Gabriel (no relation).

Gabriel scored a number-one hit with the duet "Cosas del Amor" in 1991, which she sang with Vicki Carr, a Mexican-American pop singer famous in the 1960s. The single earned Gabriel a Billboard Latin Music Award as Song of the Year in 1992. At the same awards ceremony Gabriel was also named Female Artist of the Year in the Mexican regional category and Pop Female Artist of the Year; Mi Mexico was named Regional Mexican Album of the Year.

In 1996 she released the pop-oriented Viven-cias. She followed this with the traditional ranchera album Con un Mismo Corazon in 1997, an album she wrote and produced herself. Of particular interest is her title-track duet with Vicente Fernandez, one of the most prolific and popular ranchera singers in Mexican history. Burr wrote of the duet, "The beauty here lies in the melding of two great voices—Gabriel's husky sensuality and Fernandez's powerful, understated expressions—set against a 25-piece symphony."

Gabriel released another live album in 1998, En la Plaza de Toros Mexico, a 30-track boxed set. That same year she traveled to Miami to work with the renowned producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., on her 1999 album Soy Como Soy. The result was a pop-influenced ranchera album that went gold in the Latin music market and helped Gabriel win the Ritmo Latino Music Award for Female Pop Artist of the Year in 2000.

With the release of Eternamente in 2000 Gabriel returned to mariachi love ballads, using only guitar as accompaniment. That same year she also appeared with other Mexican music icons in an independence day television special called Viva Mexico, a celebration of Mexican music and history. In 2001 Gabriel released Huelo a Soledad, once again balancing the traditional sounds of Eternamente with sophisticated pop songs, a cappella numbers, and dance tracks.

In 2002 Gabriel's platinum-selling album Sagitario was released. In that same year she won the Billboard Latin Music Estrella Award in recognition of her contribution to the Latin music industry, performed at a tribute concert for Vicente Fernandez sponsored by the Latin Music Awards, and participated in the ninth annual Las Cruces International Mariachi Concert and Festival in New Mexico. In December of that year she was scheduled to perform at the eleventh annual Christmas Mariachi Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, but was denied a work visa and refused entry into the United States.

Gabriel is a devout Catholic, telling Luther Orrick-Guzman of QV Magazine, "I believe and have a lot of faith in God." She places a red rose and a white carnation onstage at each of her performances, telling Orrick-Guzman the flowers symbolize "communication between myself and God." Her performances are also noted for their power and the respect she has for all of her fans.

Albums

• 1985: Un estilo
• 1986: Sagitario
• 1987: Pecado Original
• 1988: Tierra de nadie
• 1989: Quién como tú
• 1990: En Vivo
• 1991: Mi México
• 1992: Silueta
• 1993: Luna
• 1994: Ayer y hoy
• 1995: Joyas de dos siglos
• 1996: Vivencias
• 1997: Con un mismo corazón
• 1998: ...En la Plaza de Toros México
• 1999: Soy como soy
• 2000: Eternamente
• 2002: Huelo a soledad
• 2003: Dulce y salado
• 2004: Tradicional
• 2006: Dos amores, un amante
• 2007: Arpegios de amor
• 2009: Renacer...Homenaje A Lucha Villa ARDC music division .
• 2010: Renacer...Special Edition

Compilation

• 1992 The Best
• 1995 Ayer Y Hoy Sony
• 1998 The Best: The Latin Stars Series Sony International
• 1999 20th Anniversary Sony International
• 1999 3 CD Box Sony International
• 2001 Una Voz Para tu Corazón - 30 Grandes Éxitos
• 2002 Coleccion de Oro
• 2002 Personalidad: 20 Éxitos
• 2005 Historia de Una Reina
• 2006 Canciones de Amor
• 2006 La Reina Canta a México
• 2006 Best of Ana Gabriel
• 2006 Con Sentimiento
• 2007 Los Gabriel… Simplemente Amigos
• 2008 Los Gabriel: Cantan a México

References

http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/gabriel-ana-biography

Bibliography

• Lipsitz, George, Footsteps in the Dark: The Hidden Histories of Popular Music, U of Minnesota Press, 2007, ISBN 0816650209

External links

• Ana Gabriel
• Ana Gabriel at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Gabriel, Ana
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 10, 1955
Place of birth	Fedinio
Date of death
Place of death