Buika, who has not received any music training, says that, like many artists of African origin, this talent came to her from God and she sees it as a gift from God. She is confident enough to say, “I am African and Africans do not receive music education.”
The Spanish artist, whose full name is Maria Conceğcion Balboa Buika, was born on May 11, 1972, as the daughter of an Equatorial Guinean family who had previously been exiled to the island of Mallorca for political reasons.
Buika, who grew up listening to flamenco melodies from the Spanish gypsies living on the island of Mallorca, started singing in some clubs on this island and the nearby island of Ibiza.
The artist, who later moved to Madrid and tried to make a living by making music in various bands, even went to Las Vegas and pretended to be Tina Turner in casinos to earn money.
María Concepción Balboa Buika (born 11 May 1972), known as Concha Buika or just Buika, is a Spanish singer. Her album Niña de Fuego was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year and La Noche Más Larga was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014.
Buika, who released her first album attempt "Mestizüo" with pianist Jacob Sureda in 2000, which was not very successful, also worked as a vocalist in various electronic dance music tracks. The most important of these is Smurf & Perry's album "Lovin' You", released in 2001.
After Madrid, she settled in London to study drama. The breaking point of Buika's artistic life was when she met producer Javier Lemon, one of the Latin Grammy Award winners, at the Pat Manthey concert to which she was invited.
He received great acclaim in Spain with her self-titled album "Buika", which she released in 2005. This style of music, which penetrates flamenco, jazz, soul, and Latin melodies and blends these rhythms softens the hearts and conveys this rich blend to the depths of the soul with its emotional and steamy sound, has created a new excitement and expectation for music lovers.
The album "Mi Niña Lola", released a year later in 2006, broke sales records in Spain. She received the Best Song and Producer Album award for this album. Buika, who added color to her songs as a songwriter in 2008, worked with Javier Lemon again and started to make her name known in other countries with her successful album "Niña de Fuego". She was nominated for Best Album of the Year with this album at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Meanwhile, the artist, who published her first poetry book, won the Best Traditional Tropical Album Award at the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards with her album "El Último Trago", which she presented to music lovers with Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés a year later and was a tribute to Mexican singer Chavela Vargas. She won.
Buika moved to Miami, America in 2011 and released the album "En Mi Piel: The Best of Buika" the same year. In the same year, Buika sang two songs in the movie "La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live In)" directed by Pedro Almodóvar and even took part in a scene of the movie.
After a year of tours and concerts, she started working in the studio again to prepare the album. On June 4, 2013, she presented her album "La Noche Más Larga" to music lovers with a large team of musicians, including pianist Ivan Melon Lewis, percussionist Ramon Porrina and guitarist Pat Metheney.
The artist, who published her second poetry book, “A Los Que Amaron a Mujeres Dificiles y Acabaron por Soltarse,” in 2014, also writes a novel, is interested in photography, and works intensively on her child's artwork.
Buika, who has not received any music training, says that, like many artists of African origin, this talent came to her from God and she sees it as a gift from God. She is confident enough to say, “I am African and Africans do not receive music education.”
Buika, who has created a unique style of music, summarizes the meaning of music by saying, "Sometimes a person's art lies in her pain, and I think a person should express this as if she were breathing in every moment."
Discography
Mestizuo (2000)
Buika (2005)
Mi Niña Lola (2006)
Niña de Fuego (2008)
El Último Trago (2009)
En Mi Piel: The Best of Buika (2011)
La piel que habito (2011)
La Noche Más Larga (2013)