Glenda del E

Glenda del Monte Escalante, known professionally as Glenda del E, is a Cuban-Canadian pianist, singer, record producer, arranger and composer, nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in 2022 for her album Ella, in collaboration with Venezuelan violinist Daniela Padrón.

Born and raised in Havana, she became interested in music since childhood due to the influence of her parents. She received musical training on the island and later moved with her family to Canada to study at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

During this period, she collaborated with artists like Paquito D'Rivera, Fernando Osorio, and Oriente López, and in 2015 she was invited by Alejandro Sanz to be part of his Sirope tour. Since then, she has accompanied the Spanish singer as a pianist in his live performances and in some studio recordings. In November 2020, she joined the band of Venezuelan singer José Luis Rodríguez during a streaming presentation.

After being nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards, in 2023 she released her first full-length album as a soloist, entitled Kaleidoscope.

Early life Glenda was born in Havana and grew up in a musical family, daughter of Cuban singer Mireya Escalante and percussionist Mayito del Monte.

Although she received classical training, she had the opportunity to form a group with her mother called Mireya Escalante & Latin Street, in which she had her first approach to salsa and Latin jazz. in the 2010s she formed the group Glenda del E & Q-ban Mixology, with which she released the album Q-ban Mixology in September 2010. According to Diario Las Américas, it is an album "that reflects the union of the genres it represents", With her band Q-ban Mixology she has performed at events such as the Beaches Jazz Festival,

In 2012, she was one of the artists who participated in the recording of the compilation album The New Generation, released by the Beaches International Jazz Festival label. In 2015, she was invited by Colombian singer-songwriter Fernando Osorio to play piano on his album Todo el resto que no estás,

Collaboration with Alejandro Sanz and Latin Grammy nomination

In 2015, she received an invitation from Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz to be part of his Sirope tour, in which she performed as a pianist and backing vocalist. In 2018, she participated in the recording of #El disco de Sanz and its subsequent backing tour, and collaborated as a pianist on the album Llueve alegría by Spanish singer Malú.

In November 2020, she collaborated with Venezuelan singer José Luis Rodríguez during a streaming presentation entitled Directo a casa. The album received a Latin Grammy Award nomination in the category of best instrumental album, and includes versions of songs like "Bésame Mucho" by Consuelo Velázquez, "Te aviso, te anuncio" by Shakira, "Dr. psiquiatra" by Gloria Trevi, and "Babalú" by Margarita Lecuona.

Solo career and present day After recording the singles "Me gusta" (2019) and "Soy de aquí" (2020) as a soloist, the Yamaha Music School, the Miami Conservatory of Music, the New York Piano School and the Art Plaza Conservatory, among others.

Glenda is a cultural ambassador for New York's Transdiaspora Network, a non-profit project whose mission is to promote HIV prevention and to ensure the integral development of low-income urban communities in the city through school and artistic plans.

Influence and style In an interview for the digital media Toronto Hispano, Glenda mentioned Cuban artists Chucho Valdés, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bebo Valdés, and José María Vitier, and international musicians Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone, Alejandro Sanz, Hazel Scott, and Erykah Badu as her main influences.

Filmography

Video clips +YearSongNotes2016"L.U.P."2017"Inside"Ft. Yainer Horta"Glenda del E & Q-ban Mixology Live""Me gusta"2023"Old Havana"