Gabriel Rios
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Gabriel Rios (b. 1978) is a Puerto Rican musician currently residing in, and working out of, Belgium.
[edit] Biography
As a child Rios was member of his church choir, and in addition to this early exposure to music his father also taught him to play the guitar. After finishing high school in 1996 he moved to Ghent, Belgium to live with his girlfriend, whom he had met while she was on holiday in Puerto Rico. For a short time he also lived in Los Angeles. In Ghent he joined the art academy, eventually deciding on becoming a professional singer/songwriter although still being interested in painting.
Rios started the band The Nothing Bastards, and a few years later the more Latin inspired L. Santo. Alas!. His debut solo album, titled Ghostboy, was released in 2004, followed by his live album En vivo one year later. He has garnered considerable solo success in Belgium, even being chosen "Best Belgian Singer" by readers of the Flemish weekly Humo in 2006.
His music is a mix of different styles: rock, punk, hip hop, and salsa.
[edit] Of Note
His song Broad Daylight was used by the late Dutch film director Theo van Gogh in the film 06/05 (concerning the assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn). After the assassination of Van Gogh Rios and his band performed at a last party held in his honor, because they were his favorite band.
In 2006, Rios and Michael Franti contributed their voices to a project by Flip Kowlier, which involved a cover of the song What's This? from the stop-motion movie The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. This single was released as a fund raiser for a benefit action against landmines, organized by the Belgian popular radio station Studio Brussel.
