La Oreja de Van Gogh Biography
An exceptionally well-regarded Spanish pop/rock band, La Oreja de Van Gogh are also one of the most commercially successful, with each of their albums selling around a million copies worldwide. Driven by electric guitar and keyboard, their music is easily enjoyable and accessible while, at the same time, smartly crafted and distinct, with lyrics that deal generally with the complexities of relationships. La Oreja de Van Gogh formed in 1996, after guitarist Pablo Benegas, bassist Álvaro Fuentes, keyboardist Xabi San Martín, and drummer Haritz Garde met at a local university. Vocalist Amaia Montero joined the band subsequently, following an invitation by Benegas, whom she'd met at a dinner party. San Martín, Benegas, and Montero are the band's primary songwriters. Signed by Sony Discos, La Oreja de Van Gogh debuted in 1998 with Dile al Sol, which spawned numerous hit singles, including "El 28" and "Cuentame al Oido", and earned the band a Ondas Award for Best New Act. Their second album, El Viaje de Copperpot (2000), did the same, except this time singles like "Cuídate" and "La Playa" registered internationally, charting in Latin America and the United States. Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías la Dormida (2003) continued the band's success; eight singles from the album charted in Spain, four of them reaching number one, and the band continued to break into the Latin American markets, including the States. While La Oreja de Van Gogh were no strangers to success by this point, Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacías la Dormida proved to be their breakout album in some ways. For one, they toured heavily behind it, as documented on En Directo: Lo Que Te Conté Mientras Te Hacias la Dormida (2004). Secondly, they won several awards in the wake of the album, including an Ondas Award for Best Album and an MTV Latin Award for Best Group. Plus, it was their first album to sell impressively in the Americas, with over 100,000 copies sold in the States alone. La Oreja de Van Gogh commemorated their tenth anniversary with the release of their next album, Guapa (2006). Their most dynamic album yet, with notably surging guitar and a more extensive use of keyboards, Guapa nonetheless measured up to their past successes; its first two singles, "Muñeca de Trapo" and "Dulce Locura", were chart-toppers in Spain, while the album itself reached number five on the Top Latin Albums chart in the States, their highest peak position yet. Furthermore, Guapa won the band a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In December 2006, a special double-disc edition of the album, Más Guapa, was released in Spain, containing numerous unreleased tracks and demos.Biography by allmusic.com
