AMARAL

Eva Amaral, from Zaragoza, has composed her own songs since she was little and at a tender age began to play various instruments (guitar, drums and harmonica.) Juan Aguirre was born in San Sebastian although he lived in Zaragoza. He began playing with “Dias de Vino y Rosas,” a pop band with hints of psychedelia, with whom he recorded an album and received considerable critical acclaim (for example, labelled “Revelation of the Year” by Radio 3 on 1991).

In 1992 they quickly established a loyal fanbase in Zaragoza, playing small venues and supporting artists like the late Willy Deville.
After a small bars tour with Irish singer Aidan Bartley supported by local label called Grabaciones en el Mar (Café del Mar, Ibiza) and they established their home in Madrid.

In 1998 they signed to Virgin and recorded their first album Amaral, which included collaborations with renowned artists like Alvaro Urquijo (Los Secretos), and Fernando Alfaro (Chucho and Surfing Bichos).

Having established themselves with their work on this first album, Eva and Juan decided to put together a group of musicians to strengthen their live shows, and embarked upon a tour of the whole of Spain.

In 2000 Una Pequeña Parte Del Mundo (“A Small Part of the World”) is released. Produced by Cameron Jenkins in London. Word of mouth brought them more and more success, together with their concerts, which excited public and critics alike.

February 2003 brought their 3rd album Estrella de Mar (“Star of the Sea”), again produced and recorded by Jenkins in London. It immediately became part of the best-selling albums of the year and in just four months went platinum. An avalanche of prizes followed and over 800,000 copies were sold, followed by a 2 year long tour. The two members are committed to human rights, and on top of being representatives for Oxfam International. Eva made her cinema debut in the short film “Flores Para Maika” (Flowers for Maika), a denunciation of the mistreatment of women.

In this storm of activities, Eva and Juan wrote their 4th album Pájaros En La Cabeza (“Birds in the Head”) sold more than 700,000 copies, becoming one of the highest selling Spanish albums of 2005. It remained in the list of best-sellers for two years, unprecedented in Spain´s history.

On this album the group collaborated with the songwriter Enrique Morente. The songs No soy como tu boast exquisite string and guitar arrangements that left no listener indifferent.

Meanwhile they also opened in 7 cities for Bob Dylan, Eva and her guitar with Juan in the harmonica.

The last two albums were released in Chile, Mexico, Argentina and the USA, marking the beginning of their burgeoning international career. Soon after Amaral became one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in Spain, an unbelievable dream for two students from Zaragoza not long time ago.

They received countless awards, including

 Best Spanish Group (MTV Europe, 2002)
 Best Song for “Sin Ti No Soy Nada” (Ondas Awards, 2002)
 Best Spanish Group (El Pais de las Tentaciones, 2002)
 Best Pop Album, Best Song for “Sin Ti No Soy Nada”, Best Pop Song for “Sin Ti No Soy Nada”, Best New Songwriter, Best New Artist (Spanish Music Awards, 2003)
 Best Album for Pájaros En La Cabeza, Best Song for “Dias de Verano” and Best Video for “Dias de Verano” (Spanish Music Awards, 2005)
 Best Album for Pájaros En La Cabeza (Ondas Awards, 2005)
 Nominated for a Best Pop Album (Latin Grammys, 2005)
 Best Group of 2005 (selected by readers of El Pais – the most widely circulated newspaper in Spain)
 Best Group of 2005 (selected by readers of El Mundo – the second largest daily newspaper in Spain)

In 2006 Amaral released their first live DVD, "El comienzo del Big Bang", a high-quality production which recreates the unforgettable concert in the Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona)

That same year Amaral covered Moby´s Slipping Away in the Spanish version, titled Escapar. The new version featuring Eva Amaral was included in the Greatest Hits collection “Go, the Best of Moby”

In 2006 Amaral say goodbye to the year performing in the first concert in Spain broadcasted on live through 3G mobile and internet.

In 2008, the double album Gato Negro Dragón Rojo (Black cat – Red Dragon) appeared Amaral´s fifth album. It represented a turning point in the band’s career – the music encompassing more of a rock sound and simultaneously heightening its pop appeal. Gato Negro Dragón Rojo was the impulse for some of the most successful tours of the year. Produced by Cameron Jenkins, it has sold 300,000 copies and gone platinum, achieving Number 1 on the Album Charts in its first week of release. It has also won various awards, including:

 Best Spanish Album (selected by the readers of EP3, El Pais newspaper supplement,
 2009)Best Song for “Kamikaze” (Ondas Awards 2008)
 Best Album (Sp