Zahara

Joining the likes of Russian Red, Anni B Sweet, and Alondra Bentley, Zahara was part of the new wave of Spanish indie folk, female singer/songwriters that emerged during the late 2000s. Born Maria Zahara Gordillo Campos in Jaen in 1983, she wrote her first song aged 12 and after studying at the music both at the Conservatorio de Musica de Ubeda and the Universidad de Almeria, released her debut album, Dia 913, in 2005. In the same year she teamed up with the Applebite's Alfonso Alcala and Pablo Garcia to record an EP influenced by the likes of Smashing Pumpkins and Death Cab for Cutie under the name Zahara Electrica. Featuring the official Vuelta Ciclista a Espana anthem, "Merezco," her sophomore album, La Fabulosa Historia De… was released in 2009, and was followed in 2011 by La Pareja Toxica. Zahara also appeared on the "Ay Haiti" charity single, collaborated with Love of Lesbian for an Antonio Vega tribute album, and starred as a cheerleader in the film La Mujer America. ~ Jon O'Brien