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Alex Cartañá
Birth name	Alexandra R. Cartañá-Marks
Also known as	Beasty & Pollito
Born	April 7, 1981 (1981-04-07) (age 27)
Origin	Spain & England
Genre(s)	Pop, Soul, Trip Hop, Latin, World
Occupation(s)	Singer-Songwriter
Years active	2003–present
Label(s)	EMI (2003–2005)
Website	www.alexcartana.com MySpace

Alex Cartañá born Alexandra R. Cartañá-Marks (on April 7, 1981) is a Spanish/British singer-songwriter & Actress. Cartañá first came to fame in 2003 as the featuring artists and Co-Writer of Hit Dance Record “Shake It (Move A Little Closer)” Lee-Cabrera, which peaked at #16 in the UK’s National Pop Charts.^[1]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years & influences 1.2 Career 1.2.1 Shake It (Move A Little Closer) 1.2.2 The B.B. & EMI Years 1.2.3 2006 – Present 1.3 Discography 1.3.1 Singles 1.4 References 1.5 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early years & influences

Cartañá was born to a Jewish/British mother of English, Irish, Russian and Polish decent, Sandra Marks, and a Catalan/Spanish Catholic entrepreneur father, Antonio Cartañá. She was raised on the Island of Mallorca, Balearic Islands Spain in the city of Palma. Cartañá spent her academic years between English and Spanish educational systems, making her fully Bilingual from a toddler. Although able to speak a third language Catalan, Cartañá will very rarely be heard speaking it, due to the imposition of its usage at school, which she was strongly opposed to.

Cartañá’s academic career begun in a small Farming, rurally-located British school in Mallorca - The Academy – English Preparatory School, at 11 years of age, she moved to a strict Spanish Catholic School in the centre of Palma - Colegio San Cayetano. By the age of 17 she had convinced her parents to transfer her, yet again, into the British schooling system, this time attending Ardingly College, a British Boarding school in West Sussex - Something Cartañá had been longing for since the age of seven. It would be here that Cartañá would start developing her performance skills through Theatre Studies, Extra Speech & Drama Lessons and Acting Course with LAMDA, as well as forming the schools first Gospel Choir with a few of her Soul & Gospel loving, school friends. Spending most of their spare time practicing songs such as; Whitney Houston's version of “”Jesus Loves Me” and mimicking En Vogue's - “Does Anybody Hear Me”. Cartañá would leave the Choir before it’s first performances due to the lack of seriousness and poor commitment of other Choir members. Notably taking her music as serious then as she does now.

By the end of her schooling years Cartañá had been exposed to a variety of musical genres, Commencing with “home” influenced music primarily lead by her mother who’s love for Motown, and Early Soul and R&B, would leave a real mark in the young artist. Her father’s love for world music including Spanish Flamenco, and Brazilian bossa nova) would instil a tropical and exotic feel to her current music as well as Spanish Pop & American Popular music which could be heard on the radio during her early years. ^[2] Later on she would be utterly captivated by mainstream R&B, hip hop, trip hop, which in her own words has been described as “My childhood deprivation, which I had been longing to hear all my life! The missing part of the puzzle!” Her influences have included Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men, Stevie Wonder, Cece Winans, Nat King Cole, Mary Wells, Her mother’s all-time-favourite Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Alejandro Sanz, Rosario Flores, Mary J. Blige, and many more.

As well as A-Levels in Theatre Studies, Business Studies, Geography & Further Spanish, she took AS levels in General Studies and Religious Studies. She attended the University of Greenwich in her first year of her BA Business Studies and E-Commerce degree, but would move to the University of Westminster in her second year thanks to her achievement of first-class grades. It was during her time there that she would first enter the Music Business by working in her 3rd/Sandwich Year for a London based Management company; JBS Management & Hardzone Marketing. It was during her time there, whilst working as a club promoter for Def Jam Records and Death Row Records, as well as marketing various British Acts and Artists that Cartañá came into contact with Big Brovaz and first struck a friendship with Dino McIntosh. Another Songwriter Cartañá would become friends with, would be Ali Tennant an Artist in his own right, but better known for writing hits for Artists such as Westlife, Boyzone & Blue. It would be Tennant who would help Cartañá make her first Demo. But things would be kept quiet and under wraps until after graduation. Cartañá returned to complete her fourth and final year at the University of Westminster and would graduate in the Autumn/Fall of 2002.

[edit] Career

[edit] Shake It (Move A Little Closer)

In mid-2003 only months after her signing with EMI, the opportunity of Co-writing and featuring on an already smashing instrumental dance track arose. She co-wrote and performed on the monster hit Shake It (Move A Little Closer) by Lee-Cabrera (notorious New York production duo Steven Lee and Albert Cabrera erstwhile collaborators with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Brian McKnight and Tori Amos) for Credence/EMI UK and thoroughly supported by Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong.^[3] Cartañá was swiftly flown to Malaga to shoot a video and perform in front of seven thousand rabid, bronzed music fans at the BBC Radio One Road Show in Ibiza. The single, released on the 26th August 2003, smashed into the Top 20 in the National UK charts. Her great friendship with Albert Cabrera would lead the way for a second collaboration. See 2006 onwards for details.

[edit] The B.B. & EMI Years

After graduating, thanks to her continued contact with Dino McIntosh, Cartañá would Swiftly team up with Big Brovaz’ production unit in Brixton. Alex’s exceptional voice and her inimitable sense of style couldn’t help but impress, and tapes began rolling. Co-written by Alex, alongside Big Brovaz Entertainment’s hottest team, the resulting collection of songs was blissfully eclectic, which spanned the spectrum from primary colour Pop-Soul to dusky, heartfelt ballads, via shades of soul and funk and a smudge of Ragga and Rock.

Her first solo single to be released under the EMI label, would be 26th April 2004 “Hey Papi”. The title and introduction would showcase her Spanish heritage and the sentiment of the song, would be inspired the relationship between Alex and her father, whom, after the tragic death of her elder sister, became over-protective. Despite the moving autobiographical background, the song has a universal appeal and will immediately chime with any woman who has been over-guarded by a male figure, be it a father, lover or husband. ‘’Hey Papi’’ entered the Top 40 in the UK despite poor promotion, exposure and airplay. The video was directed by American director Charles Mehling^[4] also known for directing James Morrison’s “One Last Chance” video.^[5] This would be her last piece of music to be released under the EMI label, as difficulties in decision-making towards her second single, would start to take Artist and Label as well as her then management in very different directions, also triggering uncertainty amongst all of those involved.^[6] An amicable decision was finally made in 2005, to allow Cartañá to walk away from her deal after almost eight months of deliberation. Two months after this major transition, Alex would leave her management too.
During this time, Cartañá would also feature on the Roll Deep album – ‘Be Careful’ song featured on their “In At The Deep End” album (Relentless Records).^[7]

In October 2004, A third solo Hit from Alex, "Lost your Mind" was released on music channels in the UK and available for download but it was unpopular and did not have a good download rating. It was therefore not released as a record and it is now extremely difficult to get hold of the track.

[edit] 2006 – Present

2006 would be a fresh start for Alex, effortlessly and naturally coming together with Paul Smith, a member of 365 Artists Management Company, considered one of Britain’s most successful Producer/writer management companies. Currently working on a new album with an array of collaborators, including RESTLESS – Sarah Erasmus & Pete (Kristian Leontiou, Belle, Paolo Nutini), Paul Statham (Shelly Poole), Pop Queen Hannah Robinson (Sugababes, Liberty X, Jamelia), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), Jasmine Baird, Pete Martin (Alesha, Sugababes, Brand New Heavies), Rory Cushnan (George Michael, All Saints), Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Tyler James, Emma Bunton) and Paul Simm (Sugababes, Amy Winehouse, Mutya Buena). Side Dance projects such “Dig The Vibes” with long-time friend & collaborator Albert Cabrera is now available through Kidology Records and a second dance Co-write with “Funkmanouver” commercially known as “Wait For Me” features on the forthcoming Ministry of Sound compilation 'Housexy: Summer In The City' released in March 2007.

It has recently been reported by Cartana that she is currently working two albums - her own solo album which she describes as Quirky Pop/Soul and a trip hop / left-field album as part of a collective.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

• 2003: "Shake It (Move A little Closer)" (Hot Dance Music/Club Play) #9, (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks) #83
• 2004: "Hey Papi"
• 2004: "Lost Your Mind"

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• AlexCartana.com — official site
• AlexCartana.co.uk — official UK site
• official MySpace