Manuel Carrasco

Manuel Carrasco

Manuel Carrasco Galloso (born January 15, 1981) is a Spanish pop singer from Isla Cristina, Spain. He rose to fame during his participation in the second edition of the Spanish reality TV program, "Operación Triunfo," where he finished second. He has gone on to record four studio albums, including his debut album, "Quiereme," which sold more than 200,000 records.

Early life

Manuel Carrasco was born on January 15, 1981 in Isla Cristina, a seaside town in Huelva, Spain. Son of Jose Carrasco and Maria Galloso, he is the fourth of five siblings. From a very young age, he worked as a painter with his brothers, while he rehearsed and performed with a carnival group from his town. He joined the group when he was 13 and led it at age 16.

Operación Triunfo

At 21, he tried out for the second edition of the Spanish interactive reality TV show, Operación Triunfo (Spain's version of American Idol or Fame Academy) where he finished second. The winner of that edition of OT was Ainhoa Cantalapiedra.

Recording career

His first album, “Quiéreme,” was released a month after the show's end in 2003. The album was produced by Miguel A. "Capi" Arenas and included four songs written by Carrasco himself. His first album sold more than 200,000 copies. The "Quiereme" concert tour performed in 39 cities throughout Spain.

While recording his second album, Carrasco was offered the chance to participate in the Latin American music festival, “II Festival Mundial de Canción,” in Puerto Rico. After competing against 22 singers from countries around the world, Carrasco finished first with his self-composed song titled, “Dibujar Tu Olvido.”

In October 2004, he released his second album, "Manuel Carrasco." It was produced by Jordi Armengol, Jordi Cristau and Carrasco himself. All of the 13 songs (lyrics and music) were composed by Carrasco. He sold more than 100,000 albums and performed in 80 cities in the tour for his second album, including Ceuta, Baleares and the Canary Islands. Throughout the tour, Carrasco was accompanied on stage by renowned musicians, including Jordi Armengol (electric guitar and artistic direction), Jordi Cristau (keyboards), Jordi Portaz (bass), Eduardo Cortés (Spanish guitar), Carlos Martín (percussion) and David Simó (drums).

After spending more than a year recording in studios in the U.S. (NYC) and Spain (Girona), Manuel Carrasco released his third album, "Tercera Parada," on September 5, 2006, with 13 self-composed songs plus an added bonus track. His first single off of the album was titled "Y Ahora."

Carrasco's self-composed song, "El Beso de la Vida," was the theme song for the Venezuelan soap opera, "Ser Bonita No Basta."

In February 2005, Manuel Carrasco won the "Premio Dial" prize and went on to win the "Premio Musical 2005" for best new artist. He most recently received the "Premio Cadena Dial 2006" prize on February 28, 2007.

On September 16, 2008, Manuel Carrasco released his fourth studio album, "Inercia." It was recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and produced by Cachorro Lopez. To promote the album, Carrasco will be performing in theatres and auditoriums throughout Spain from January to March, 2009. The official "Inercia" concert tour was set to begin in April, 2009. "Inercia" entered the Spanish charts("Lista 40 Principales") in its first week at number 34. As of November 29, 2008, the first single off of the CD, "Sigueme," was at number 27 on the Spanish charts.

Discography

Studio albums

• Que corra el aire (2003)
• Manuel Carrasco (2004)
• Tercera Parada (2006)
• Inercia (2008)

Extended Play

• Quiereme (2003)

External links

• Manuel Carrasco Official Website

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Name	Carrasco, Manuel
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Date of birth	January 15, 1981
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