Beatriz Luengo

Beatriz Luengo
Background information
Birth name	Beatriz Luengo
Also known as	Bea, BL
Born	(1982-12-23) 23 December 1982 Madrid, Spain
Genres	Latin pop, pop, R&B, soul
Occupations	Singer–songwriter, actress, dancer, entrepreneur
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Universal, Sony
Associated acts	UPA Dance, Yotuel, Mónica Cruz, Silvia Marty, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Pablo Puyol
Website	www.beatrizluengooficial.com

Beatriz Luengo (born 23 December 1982) is a Spanish singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and entrepreneur. She gained international recognition by portraying Lola Fernández in the Antena 3 series One Step Forward (Spanish: Un paso adelante) and its spin–off musical group UPA Dance. Consisting of Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Mónica Cruz and Silvia Marty, UPA Dance released one studio album, UPA Dance, which reached number one at the Spanish Albums Chart and sold over 1.1 million units in Spain and France.

Following the ending of Un paso adelante, Luengo launched a solo career and released her debut studio album Mi generación in 2005, followed by BL (2006), Carrousel (2008) and Bela y sus moskitas muertas (2011). She also co–wrote the song "Más fuerte" for Cucu Diamantes and earned a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Song in 2009. In 2007 Beatriz Luengo won an EBBA Award.

Early life and career

Beatriz Luengo was born in Madrid on 23 December 1982. The daughter of Angelines and Juan, she grew up and lived in the district of Hortaleza. In her free time, she played on the district basketball team.

When she was six years old she began to be interested in show business, after seeing a TV broadcast of the musical film Cabaret starring Liza Minnelli, who became a role model. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, where she studied ballet, jazz dance, Funky and flamenco.

When she was ten, she formed a musical group called Tatu with two childhood friends. They recorded a CD but the record label went out of business and their debut album was not released. Disappointed, Luengo gave up attending casting calls. After months, she successfully auditioned as a dancer for the Rita and Miliki Circus.

She danced on different TV spots for Televisión Española and was the singer in the TV program Esto Me Suena. She performed in musicals such as La Magia de Broadway I and II, Annie, Jekyll & Hyde, Hermanos de Sangre, and Peter Pan. During her stage performances she had the chance to work with Luis Ramirez, musical directors Alberto Quintero and Cesar Belda, and choreographer Luka Yesi.

Music career

Mi generación and BL: 2005–07

In 2005 she released her debut solo album, Mi Generación, on the Universal Music label. It was recorded in Spain, Belgium, and the United States. The album is a R&B/Pop album, mixing some flamenco beats.

In early 2005, she released the first single from the album, "Mi Generación", but it failed to make impact on the Spanish charts, despite peaking at #4 on the Airplay chart.

The second single from the album was "Go Away", a song written by American Pop star Justin Timberlake, and peaked at #1 on the Spanish Singles Chart. The third and final single was "Hit Lerele", a R&B song which peaked at #4 in Spain.

The album peaked at #20 in Spain, and sold in excess 30,000 copies, a commercial failure for Luengo and her label. Mi Generación had an exclusive release in France via FNAC stores, and peaked at #4 on the FNAC Top 20 without any form of promotion.

She won the prize "Better Musical Future", and she was chosen by the Spanish audience to represent Spain at the "Wanadoo Discoveries" in Nice, where she placed second. She was nominated to the MTV European Music Awards celebrated in Lisbon. She was invited in 2005 to the Grammy Awards and in 2006 to Cannes Festival.

In 2006, after the success of "Un Paso Adelante" in France, Universal released an edition of Mi Generación there, called BL. The lead single was "Hit Lerele", which peaked at #14 in France with sales of more than 90,000 copies. The second single was "Escape", and did also well on the charts, peaking at #14, selling 90,000 copies.

The album was released in mid-2006, and peaked at #7, selling 130,000 copies and being certified as Gold. The third and final single from BL was the R&B song "May Yo Lo", featuring Ruzzo from Orishas. However, this was only a promo single for French music stations; it did well on some radio stations.

The album peaked at #58 on the European Top 100 Albums Chart, and the single "Hit Lerele" was a Top 50 hit on the European Hot 100 Singles Chart.

Carrousel and Bela y sus moskitas muertas: 2008–present

After three years outside the music scene, Luengo recorded a new album, Carrousel, in France in early 2008.

The album was produced by Yotuel Romero and Andres Levin, and Luengo wrote all the lyrics. The album is a mixture of various rhythms, from flamenco to R&B and Adult-Contemporary Pop. The album was released on May 4, 2008, via Universal Music Spain.

Despite the success of the lead single, "Pretendo Hablarte", which peaked at #4 on the Spanish Singles Chart, the album only peaked at #25 on the Spanish Top 100 Albums Chart.

On September 20, 2011, Beatriz released Bela y Sus Moskitas Muertas. The album was released in Europe, USA, and Latin America. The album received rave reviews and was highlighted in the New York Times as "a whimsical and sensual mix of soft reggae-minded rock". Her first single from the album "Como Tú No Hay 2" reached the top of radio charts in the United States, Spain, and Argentina. The video for the single was nominated for Music Video of the Year at Univision's Premio Lo Nuestro Awards.

Bela y Sus Moskitas Muertas earned a nomination for the 2012 Latin Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album.

Other work

Television and film

Luengo had her first appearance in a feature film in Pasión Adolescente in 2000.

In television, she appeared in episodes of Spanish soap operas such as Robles Investigador Privado, Policías, Periodistas, and El Comisario. In 2001, Luengo starred in the TV series Un paso adelante, which made her well known in Spain, Europe, and some South American countries; it was here that the musical group Upa Dance was born. Upa Dance sold more than 600,000 copies of their first record.

Entrepreneurship

Luengo owns a dance school in her native Madrid, The Beatriz Luengo School, where alumni are taught modern dance, classical dance and Spanish dance.^[1]

Personal life

Luengo is good friends with her Un paso adelante fellow Miguel Ángel Muñoz.^[2] Since 2003 she has dated Cuban musician and actor Yotuel Romero, she met him on the set of " One step forward " TV Show. Since 2008 they are married.^[3]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Filmography

Stage credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beatriz Luengo.

• Official Website
• Beatriz Luengo at the Internet Movie Database
• Beatriz Luengo at the Facebook
• Beatriz Luengo at the Twitter
• Beatriz Luengo at the YouTube