Paloma San Basilio
Spanish singer with over 16 million records sold.
Paloma San Basilio is a Spanish singer who has sold over 16 million records and received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her musical range spans melodic songs to pop, and she has performed in musicals including the Spanish-language premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita in Madrid. She announced her retirement in 2013, touring in Europe and America, and is currently doing a symphonic tour in Colombia, stopping in Armenia, Cali, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Bogotá, Medellín and Manizales as one of her last musical projects.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez
- Born
- 22 November 1950
- Birthplace
- Madrid, Spain
- Genre
- Latin pop
- Occupation
- Singer
- Years active
- 1975–present (singer)
- Label
- Hispavox
- Capitol
- Epic
- EMI Latin
- Columbia
- EMI International
- Parlophone
Facts from the source article.
Life
In the early 1970s, she married athlete Ignacio Gómez Pellico; they divorced shortly after and had a daughter, Ivana. She later began a relationship with businessman Claudio Rey, lasting over 30 years. She keeps her personal and private lives separate and has a cordial relationship with the press, receiving the Premio Naranja in the 1980s, an award granted by journalists to public figures with whom they better relate.
Career
Born in Madrid, she spent childhood in Seville and adolescence in Lugo. She began studying Philosophy and Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid but did not complete them. In the early 1970s, she hosted the TV show Siempre en domingo and acted in a zarzuela show called Divertido siglo. Her first album, Sombras (1975), was an international hit with her own songs and covers including 'The Way We Were', 'The Long And Winding Road' and 'Feelings'.
The follow-up, Dónde vas (1977), included dynamic tunes composed by Bebu Silvetti and ballads like 'Dónde vas', which was pre-selected for the Eurovision Song Contest 1977. On 23 October 1978, she recorded En Directo at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, featuring her popular song 'Beso a Beso… dulcemente' and covers of international songs like 'I Say a Little Prayer' (Aretha Franklin), 'People' (Barbra Streisand), 'Parole Parole' (Mina) and 'Sweet Sadie the Savior' (Patti Austin).
Singles included 'Secretos' and 'Beso a beso... dulcemente', the latter becoming a classic in her repertory. In December 1980 she released the musical Evita in many theaters including Madrid, Barcelona, San Juan de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Ciudad de México, Caracas, Panamá, Santo Domingo, San José, Bogotá, Quito, Lima, Santiago de Chile and Miami with huge success. Andrew Lloyd Webber praised her as one of the best Evita's performances. She participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song 'La fiesta terminó', composed and produced by Juan Carlos Calderón.
She hosted the OTI Festival 1985 with Emilio Aragón. Her album Vuela alto (1986) was one of the best-selling of her career, and Grande (1987) was awarded a Platinum album.
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