Alejandro Sanz is a Spanish musician who is best known for his Flamenco style of music. His full name is Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro and he was born in Madrid in 1968. Here are ten things about him that you may not know:
1. He Started Playing Guitar When He Was Seven Years Old
Sanz was just seven when he first started to play guitar. He was influenced a lot by his dad who also used to play the guitar professionally. He became so obsessive over learning to play well that on one occasion his guitar was broken by his mother after he had kept the family up all night while he was practicing. He was born in Madrid but both of his parents were from Andalusia and this is where he picked up his love of Flamenco music. He spent summers in the Andalusian region with his family and this region is closely associated with Flamenco. In the early days of his career he was well-known for the Flamenco inspired ballads that he produced.
2. He Released His First Album When He Was Nineteen
His first album was released when he was just nineteen years of age. The album was entitled Los Chulos Son Pa’ Cuidarlos and was released under the name of Alejandro Magno. The tracks were described as a fusion of techno and flamenco. The album was not met with a great deal of success and Sanz himself now describes the album as insignificant. However, it has become something of a collector’s piece among his fans.
3. It Was His Second Album That Bought Him Commercial Success
Sanz first really came to the attention of the public in Spain after the release of his second album. This album was released after he had signed for the Warner record label. He had taken a short break from music before the release of this album and so in some ways it was a bit of comeback for him. The album went nine times platinum in Spain and also sold particularly well in Argentina and Mexico. After the release of this album his career took off and future albums went to sell even better than this one. It was his fifth album, Mas, that is credited with bringing him international success.
4. He Has Won The Latin Grammy For Album Of The Year More Times Than Any Other Artist
According to Celeb Couples, he had won the Album of the Year award at the Latin Grammys three times. This is more than any other artist. In total he has won 17 Latin Grammy and 3 Grammy awards. This makes him one of the most successful Spanish recording artists of all time. There have been several occasions where he has gone into the Latin Grammys as the artist with the most nominations.
5. He Has Released Thirteen Studio Albums To Date
Sanz has been in the music industry for thirty years and in this time he has released thirteen studio albums. This includes an MTV Unplugged album, and he was the first Spanish artist to record one of these albums. The frequency with which he releases albums does tend to change over time. The longest gap between albums has been four years, whereas he has also released albums in three consecutive years.
6. He Has An Honorary Degree From Berklee College Of Music
Berklee College of Music is considered to be one of the best music colleges in the world. The information on their website shows that they have campuses in Spain and the United States. He was awarded an honorary doctor of music degree by the college in November 2013, which he has said was one of the greatest honors that he has achieved in his career. He has said that it inspires him to keep working until the point when he feels that he is truly worthy of this honor.
7. He Usually Does A Tour To Accompany The Release Of A New Album
The tours that he has done in the past have all coincided with the release of a new album. This is a popular choice with his fans as it means that they get a chance to listen to his new music in a live environment. These tours mainly take place in Spain and Europe, although he has traveled further afield in the past. His upcoming tour will take see him performing dates in Mexico and Chile.
8. He Has Worked With Shakira And Alicia Keys
Throughout his career he has worked with many other stars including Alicia Keys and Shakira. His duet with Shakira was one of the biggest hits that he has had to date. The single La Tortura was released in 2005 and to date it has gone 32 times platinum, selling almost 2 million copies. The song reached the number one position in Spain, Venezuela and Hungary. His collaboration with artists such as these meant that he became more experimental in his musical style.
9. He Has A Net Worth Of $12 Million
Celebrity Net Worth reports that Sanz has a net worth of $12 million. His income comes almost entirely from his music career. Some of his albums such as El Alma al Aire have sold over one million copies in just one week which would have earned him a great deal of money. His career has spanned thirty years so far and it shows no sign of ending anytime soon. This means that his net worth could increase significantly in the future.
10. Away From Music He Also Enjoys Painting
When Sanz has some free time he enjoys painting. He has said in the past that painting helps him come up with ideas for new music. He has not made any of his completed works public as he prefers to keep his paintings private. The main thing that he says painting has taught him is that just because something does not go to plan, this does not mean that it is a failure. This is a lesson that he can carry with him into his musical career.
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