Mai Meneses

Mai Meneses
Mai Meneses (2013)
Background information
Birth name	Maria Isabel González-Meneses García-Valdecasas
Born	(1978-01-04) January 4, 1978 Madrid, Spain  Spain
Genres	Pop,
Occupation(s)	Singer & songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2002 – present
Labels	Universal Music Spain
Website	Nena Daconte

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

María Isabel González-Meneses García-Valdecasas (born January 4, 1978), known mononymously as Mai Meneses, is a Spanish singer and songwriter and leader of the Spanish pop band Nena Daconte.

Born in Madrid, Mai is the junior of six sibblings. Due to her parent's itinerant work, she grew up in Zaragoza and Jaen, and later settled in Madrid to attend college, where she received in 2000 a JD degree (law) from Universidad San Pablo CEU (Madrid).

She first rose to fame as a contestant of the second season of Operación Triunfo (Spanish TV singing contest). After her participation, she released her first single, titled Vuelve.

In 2005, Mai Meneses formed the band Nena Daconte in Barcelona along with musician Kim Fanlo. Mai. In 2010, Fanlo left the formation and Mai Meneses continues as the lead singer and songwriter of Nena Daconte.

He perdido los zapatos (2006)

Mai Meneses backstage before a concert in Madrid (2013)

In 2006, Mai, acting as the lead singer and songwriter of Nena Daconte,^[1] released its debut album titled He Perdido Los Zapatos (I Have Lost My Shoes) under their own label, Daconte Music.^[2] The following year, she signed a record deal with Universal Music Spain and the album was re-released with a new bonus track (a remix of the song Idiota).

Idiota (Idiot) was the first single of the record. Later editions of the album included a new version of Idiota produced by Carlos Jean and mastered in New York. Idiota reached number 25 of the Spanish billboard charts.

The second single was En que estrella estará (In What Star Will It Be). The song was selected to be the official theme for the Vuelta Ciclista a España (Spanish Cycling Tour) of 2006. En que estrella estará reached the number 1 position on the Spanish billboard charts for 5 weeks.^[3]

Nena Daconte´s debut album went Gold in Spain. Later on that same year, Nena Daconte was nominated for an MTV Europe Music Awards. He Perdido Los Zapatos became the 3rd best selling album in Spain in 2006 and En que estrella estará also became, that same year, the most downloaded song in Spain.

Retales de carnaval (2008)

Retales de Carnaval tour concert

Their second album, titled "Retales De Carnaval" (Carnival Leftovers), was released two years later, on September 30, 2008. The first single, Tenia Tanto que Darte (I Had a Lot To Give You), premiered on August 23, 2008. As with the first record, this second album was entirely composed by Mai.

On November 2008, Tenia tanto que darte reached the No.1 position on the Spanish billboard chart (40 Principales), clinching it for two consecutive weeks.^[4] The song´s music video has over 5 million views on YouTube^[5]

Tenia tanto que darte became Spain's Best Selling song of 2008 on iTunes. Likewise, record sales made the album become Platinum on September 2009.^[6]

Una mosca en el cristal (2010)

In 2010, Nena Daconte released its third album titled Una mosca en el cristal (A Fly in the Window), produced by Alejo Stivel.^[7] The single No te invite a dormir (I Didn´t Invite You Over)^[8] reached number 17 on the Spanish billboard charts (40 Principales).

In February 2011, Perdida (Lost)^[9] was released as the second single. On that same year, Nena Daconte started an acoustic tour throughout Spain under the name Nena Daconte Club.

Likewise, in late 2011, Mai Meneses participated on a tribute album for Antonio Vega, giving voice to the song Tesoros along with composer LA (native singer from Mallorca).

In 2012, Mai took a role in the single Pero si tu no estás, which was the main theme and soundtrack of "La Fuga", a Spanish TV series.^[10]

Solo muerdo por ti (2013)

Nena Daconte with her acustic guitar (Madrid 2013)

On April 30, 2013, Nena Daconte released in Spain their fourth studio álbum titled “Solo muerdo por ti”.^[11] It was recorded in Madrid at estudios Sonobox and produced by Manuel Colmenero and Jabibu Carretero (also produced of Spanish groups Vetusta Morla, Eladio y los seres queridos).^[12]

The álbum contains 13 new tracks^[13] (plus two more tracks in their digital edition), all composed by Mai Meneses. The album takes it´s title from the nursery rhyme that Mai composed for her son (track number 13).^[14] On the same day of its debut, Solo muerdo por ti became number 1 in sales in iTunes Spain.^[15]

According to Mai Meneses “I feel that this album is more mature and I have meditated each phrase for almost two years… there is nothing left to chance, everything is measured: every lyric, step, there is lots of work.^[16]”

As per the critics, the album is “clear and direct”. As for its sound, it is as genuine as the origins of Nena Daconte.^[17] The first single is titled “Dispare” and its on-air debut was on March 5, 2013. The music video was recorded at the abandoned factory of Pegaso, at the outskirts of Madrid and produced by Zoo and SevenSenses.^[18]

Singles

References

External links

• WEB Oficial de Nena Daconte