| Virginia Maestro | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Virginia Maestro Díaz |
| Also known as | La Niña Azul, Viki |
| Born | September 29, 1982 |
| Origin | Linares, Jaén, Spain |
| Genres | Pop, Indie, Jazz, Blues |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Sony Music (2009–present) |
| Website | http://www.labuat.com |
Virginia Maestro Díaz (born September 29, 1982) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. She is the winner of Operación Triunfo 2008, a Spanish version of "Pop Idol".
In 2009 she associated herself with Labuat, a musical project with Risto Mejide, one of the judges of OT, and The Pinker Tones.
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Virgínia has said in various interviews that she was exposed to lots of different kinds of music from an early age, especially those of her parents adolescence. Nowadays, she takes most influence from the 50's and 60's, naming Eva Cassidy, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Solomon Burke, Radiohead, Otis Redding, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke as her favorite artists.[1]
At the age of twelve,influenced by her sisters, she began teaching herself how to play the guitar and she wrote her first songs in a diary, to whom she called "Diario de Sensaciones" (Sensations' Diary). When she was fifteen, she entered in her first band and started to participe in jam sessions. Until her entrance in OT, she had been a part of Fundación Virginia, Little Vicky & the Shout Band, 7Funk, The Flik Flak Duo, Boogie Flu and had shared the stage with such bands as Black Jack Bob & the New Deal and Mingo & The Blues Intruders.[2] Aside from that experiences, she had also been a soprano at the University of Seville choir, where she studied music.[3]
After being turned down on the castings for the second and third series of the contest,[4] finally, in 2008, Virginia Maestro was casted to the sixth series of Operación Triunfo, (roughly Operation Victory) a talent show in Spain. She differentiated herself from other contestants with her distinctive style and song choices, preferring jazz-blues tunes over pop. She was almost voted off the show several times but was saved by the public, until she was named the winner in the finale. During the contest, she gained a fan base who began to call her "La Niña Azul" (the Blue Girl). Therefore, her fan base is often called "La Marea Azul" (the Blue Tide). She is the only contest in history of the OT to reach number 1 on the Spanish i-tunes chart, which she accomplished with covers of Creep, My Baby Just Cares For Me and Moonlight Shadow.[5] While in the competition, she received support from Risto Mejide, the most opinionated member of the jury. He would later became the producer of Labuat.
After winning OT and earning a contract with Sony BMG, she became part of the musical project Labuat, which opened for Beyonce in Spain in May, 2009.[6] Her music video of Soy Tu Aire, the first single from the album, is an Internet sensation. On June 2009, "De Pequeño" was released as the second single. " She made an appearance in the sixth gala of OT 2009 singing the song. Also in June, it was announced that a second album is being prepared and that Risto Mejide would not be involved.[7] Carta de Otoño", the only song composed solely by her, was released as the third and last single on October 2009. The first album of the band was nominated for best album of the year.[8]
In March, 2010, during an interview for OperacionTriunfo.com, Maestro announced that, due to time conflicts, the Pinker Tones will not produce the new album, leaving her as the only initial member of the band working on the second album. She has also confirmed the album will include her own compositions, in both Spanish and English.[9]
On October 2010, Maestro announced the title of the second album, "Dulce Hogar" (Sweet Home, in Spanish) and that she would use the moniker Virginia Labuat. The first single debuted on 25 January 2011 in Europa FM and was available for download on 8 February 2011, and the whole album was released on 29 March 2011. A limited special edition of the album includes an EP with a few rare songs she had performed live during the previous years, as well some Spanish versions of the English songs. Shortly after the release, the album was already on Spanish Top Charts.
In OT, Virginia confessed she has never been able to quit smoking. When she entered to the academy, she had a boyfriend, but they broke up soon after. There have been rumors she was dating Risto Mejide, which has been denied by both.[10]
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