Núria Feliu

Núria Feliu i Mestres (21 September 1941 – 22 July 2022) was a Spanish Catalan singer and actress, a singular figure of the Nova Cançó movement.

Career Feliu was born on 21 September 1941 in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Sants, a neighborhood where she lived her entire life. There she made her earliest theatrical performances; she was part of the "Agrupació Dramàtica de Barcelona" and participated in several children's choirs in the neighborhood. Feliu released her first two albums the following year, Anirem tots cap al cel and Gent, with American songs covered in Catalan and soon became part of the Nova Cançó movement. In 1992, she made a cameo for an episode of the TV3 sitcom "". She also participated in other programs such as Hora once (1970), Quitxalla (1980), Malalts de tele (1999, 1992) and Herois quotidians (2008), and in films such as El vicari d'Olot (1981), Puta misèria! (1989) and Any de Gràcia (2011). Her book Vols ballar? 93 cançons i ballables, a compilation of songs from all periods, was published in 1995. Her brother Albert was her manager throughout her artistic career.

Feliu's health deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic; she had pneumonia and shingles and did not leave her home for a year.

Awards "Trofeu de l'any" of to the best singer (1966) Award of the Ministry of Culture to the best traditional song record for Cançons d'Apel-les Mestres (1976) Medal of the Cercle Català de Madrid (1979) Best album of the year by Ràdio 4 for Viure a Barcelona (1979) Creu de Sant Jordi (1985) "Dia de la Sardana" Award of the (1989) Sant Jordi Award for the diffusion of cinematographic music (1990) SGAE Award to the diffusion of songwriters (1990) Ramon Aramon i Serra Award for language loyalty (1995) "Fill de Sants" Award (1995) Jaume I de la Franja de Ponent Award (2001) Medal for Civic Merit of the Obra del Ballet Popular (2001) Altaveu Honorary Award to the trajectory (2005) "Enderrock" Honorary Award (2020)

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Appearances in literature and audiovisual media

The traditional Catalan song "El vestir d'en Pasqual", interpreted by Núria Feliu, is referenced in popular culture. For instance, in the Catalan edition of the comic book Tintin in Tibet by Hergé, the character Captain Haddock sings this song at the end of the story, as the protagonists return from their journey in Tibet, thus introducing a Catalan cultural element into the Tintin universe.

Feliu was also the subject of the documentary El swing de la Feliu, broadcast by TV3 on 27 July 2024. Directed by Mireia Mallol, the film provides an intimate portrait of the artist, including testimonies from musicians, friends and family members, as well as archive footage and concert clips. The documentary explores her influence on contemporary Catalan music.

The documentary is available on the official platform of the Catalan broadcaster 3cat.