Sílvia Pérez Cruz

Sílvia Pérez Cruz (born in Palafrugell, 15 February 1983) is a Spanish singer and composer. In 2012, she recorded her first solo album, 11 de Novembre, which was nominated for album of the year in both Spain and France. A song performed by her, "No te puedo encontrar", received a Goya Award for Best Original Song for 2012. In 2014, she released her album Granada. Both releases have been in collaboration with Raül Fernández Miró. She received another Goya Award for best original song, for the song "Ai, ai, ai", composed and performed by her, for the film At Your Doorstep. In 2022, the Spanish Government awarded her the "Premio Nacional de la Músicas Actuales" ("National Prize for contemporary music"). In her latest album, Toda la vida, un día (2023), Cruz "recreated her whole life in a single album, embarking on what would become a year-long work recorded in Barcelona, Pontós, Madrid, Jerez, Buenos Aires, Coatepec and Havana." On July 1, 2024, she performed on NPR's "Tiny Desk Concert."

Background Cruz's parents were both singers who sang together. Her mother, Glòria Cruz i Torrellas, taught her to play the saxophone and piano as well as how to dance and sculpt. Her father, Càstor Pérez Diz, was a self-taught guitarist. She has a daughter, Lola.

She went to Catalonia College of Music in Barcelona, where she received classical training studying the piano and saxophone and receiving a degree in vocal jazz. While she was at Catalonia College of Music, she and three other women founded a flamenco group called Las Migas. They combined their different musical approaches to create a new type of flamenco. It was not long after this that she became well known in the Spanish music scene.

Granada In 2014, Cruz released her second album Granada, again collaborating with Raül Refree. It reflects Cruz's practice of singing in multiple languages: French, German, English, and four Iberian languages. Included on the album is the song "El Cant Dells Ocells," a Catalan folk song previously made famous by Pablo Casals. Another song is "Gallo Rojo, Gallo Negro", a well-known song from the Spanish Civil War. Cruz first understood the story in the song when she was part of a concert honoring the remaining veterans of the International Brigades who fought against the Nationales in the civil war. Cruz told NPR that she saw tears in the veterans' eyes when they sang the song in their own language. She said, "These people have lived through so much. It's good that I can sing and help them remember."

Discography

Awards and nominations AwardYear Category Nominated work Result Ref. Feroz Awards 2017 Best Original Score At Your Doorstep Gaudí Awards 2017 Best Actress Best Original Score Goya Awards 2017 Best New Actress Best Original Song "Ai, Ai, Ai" Latin Grammy Awards 2024 Song of the Year "313" Best Short Form Music Video Premios de la Academia de Música 2024 Artist of the Year Herself Album of the Year Toda la Vida, un Día Best Singer-Songwriter Album Best Recording Package Best Music Video "Toda la Vida, un Día" Best Catalan/Valencian/Aranese Song "Ell no vol que el món s'acabi" Premios Max 2018 Best Musical Composition for Stage Performance Grito Pelao