Guadalupe Pineda

Guadalupe Pineda Aguilar (born February 23, 1955) is a Mexican singer considered one of Mexico's grassroots musical icons. She is a recipient of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a multi-Latin Grammy nominee, she has released more than 30 albums during her career covering various styles of music with sales over 14 million copies worldwide. In 1984, she recorded her breakthrough hit "Yolanda", also known as "Te Amo", composed by Pablo Milanes, selling more than 1.5 million copies. She primarily sings in Spanish, but has also sung in French, Italian, English, and Hebrew. She has been called the “Queen of Bolero”, but has also sung ballads, mariachi, tango, ranchera, and opera. Pineda has performed all over México, Latin America, and Spain, as well as in Europe and North America.

She has received gold and platinum certifications for some of her best-selling records, including "Un Poco Más" (1986), "20 Boleros de Siempre" (1990), "Costumbres" (1991), and a double-platinum certification for her album, "Arias de Opera" (2004). Her voice has transcended Mexican frontiers; she has participated in Mexican and international films, and also has been part of musical projects abroad such as "Buddha-bar" of France, or the "Monte Carlo" Italian collection, that have been edited and released all over the world. Her albums have been released in countries as far as Japan and she has performed on stage around the world (United States, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Central and South America). Some of her most notable shows have taken place in Paris in 2005, and at the historic Argentinian opera house, Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, in November 2006. There have been also shows at some of the most important and recognized forums in Mexico, such as Palacio de Bellas Artes, Sala Nezahualcoyotl, Teatro de la Ciudad de Mexico, Teatro Degollado, El Teatro Juarez, and forums of the Cervantino Festival, as well in the most representative and famous civic square of the country, the Zocalo de la Ciudad de Mexico. Her mother, Josefina Aguilar Barraza, is a sister of singer and actor Antonio Aguilar. She is a first cousin of singers Antonio Aguilar, hijo and Pepe Aguilar.

Career She began her singing career while studying sociology at UNAM in Mexico City, leaving school to pursue a singing career full-time. At first, she was paid only thirty pesos plus food per performance. She learned Hebrew and Yiddish from the owner of one of the clubs she sang at.

For the next ten years, she mostly performed at universities, public plazas, and other such venues until her first major hit Yolanda (Te amo) came in 1984 which sold 1.5 million copies in Mexico. This led to major venues in Mexico such as the Teatro de Bellas Artes, La Sala Nezahualcóyotl, the Auditorio Nacional, the Teatro de la Ciudad de México, the Teatro Degollado, the Teatro Juárez and the Festival Internacional Cervantino. Other countries she has performed in include United States, Italy, Ireland, Spain, France, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. She has appeared in festivals and venues such as the Rimini Italia Festival (1987), El casino de Madrid, Spain (1989), MGM Grand Las Vegas (1996), Teatro de Bellas Artes in Puerto Rico (2003), Saint Germain des Prés Cultural Festival, La maison de L’Amerique Latine (2005), El Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (2006), the New York Theater and UIC Pavilion in Chicago (2007), Festival Internacional del Mariachi at the Santa Barbara Bowl (2008), Harris Theater in Chicago, Du Rond Point Theater in Paris, and Notre Dame (2009) .

Recordings Pineda has recorded 30 albums, the last eight of which she produced herself under the Inter-sound label, with distribution by Televisa-Emi. Her first album as an independent producer was Arias de Ópera. Her albums have sold in various parts of the world in countries such as Japan, the U.S., Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia as well as in various other countries in Latin America. In 2009, she became the first Mexican to receive the Grand Prix Sacem Award in France for her album Francia con Sabor Latino.

In 2016, her album collaboration with Tania Libertad and Eugenia León titled Las Tres Grandes: Primera Fila, receives Gold certification in Mexico and a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video.

In 2017, she receives the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award to honor her brilliant musical career and achievements. She has performed operatic aria compositions by Verdi, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Donizetti and Puccini. A Flor de Piel pays homage to two Latin American singers, Olga Guillot and Mercedes Sosa, to whom she gave a tribute performance at Lincoln Center in New York City. Other albums have contains songs in other languages such as Corcovado in Portuguese on the Gracias a la Vida album and Over the Rainbow in English. In 2009, she recorded the French language album called Francia con sabor latino. The album originally was only going to be marketed in France, but it was sold in Mexico reaching number one in sales for a period of eight weeks in the country. Though not a native speaker, she has studied the language since childhood. She sang selections from the album at a gala in Los Pinos in honor of French president Nicolas Sarkozy who was present.

Discography Homenaje a Los Grandes Compositores (2018) Las Tres Grandes: Primera Fila (with Tania Libertad and Eugenia León) (2015) - Gold Certification Tiempo de amar (2015) En Bellas Artes, Vol. 2 (2013) En Bellas Artes, Vol. 1 (2013) A flor de piel (2011) Francia con Sabor Latino (2009) - Winner of the Grand Prix Sacem Award in France La voz en vivo, Vol.2 (2007) La voz en vivo, Vol 1 (2007) Gracias a la vida (2006) Un mundo de arrullos Canciones de mi tierra (2004) Arias de ópera (2002) - Double Platinum Certification Con los tríos del siglo (2000) Vestida de besos (1998) Así como tú (1997) Enamorarse así (1994) De nuevo sola (1993) Costumbres (1991) - Gold Certification Boleros de siempre (1990) - Gold Certification Eclipse de Mar Un Canto a México Para Comenzar Solamente una vez Todo cambia (1980) Un poco más (1985) - Gold Certification Te amo (1984) - Platinum Certification Guadalupe Pineda (1981) Guadalupe Pineda y Carlos Díaz “Caito” Coral Terrestre (Grupo Sanampay) Yo te nombro (Grupo Sanampay)