Estefani Brolo

Nearly ten years after leaving her native Guatemala, singer-songwriter and producer Estefani Brolo returns to the Central American nation determined to transform traditional understandings of pop and electronic genres.
“Who says that Guatemalan music can only be ballads, rock or traditional Marimba? There is so much musical heritage to draw from Garifuna music or chanting and incorporate that with contemporary beats and arrangements,” Brolo explains.
Growing up, she had undertaken acting leading her to enroll in The Academy of Dramatic Arts in Madrid in 2003. However halfway through her studies, Brolo’s potent mezzo-soprano voice and agility with words led her to perform in improvisational jam sessions across Spanish nightclubs convincing her once and for all that music was her true calling.
Shortly thereafter in 2005, she met talented producer Leo Carro (Argentina) whose work consists mainly of composing Trip Hop mixing in Deep House and Down Tempo elements. It was there, Brolo’s first collaborative project, Tripsounder was born. (www.reverbnation.com/tripsounder. Together, the pair recorded over 30 original songs, including the single “Back Door.”
Brolo’s work with Carro allowed her to later dabble in Deep House. Performing in clubs in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. While in Spain, she got a call from world-renown producer and DJ Francis Dávila who asked her to participate in his latest album, “Shine” (2010), where she sang and composed four tracks.
But it was her return to the heart of Mesoamerica that finally convinced Brolo to write, sing, and produce her first solo album: “Fix.”
She spent the last year-and-a-half working on its completion while continuing to play impromptu jazz arrangements as she used to in Barcelona.
Brolo says it was important for her to make this album in Guatemala. She attributes her interest in the myriad of cultures embedded under one roof.
“I’m a third generation Guatemalan woman with grandparents that disembarked from Spain and Italy. I grew up listening to Davie Bowie, Super Tramp, Janis Joplin and other artists from the 60s but I was inspired by the sounds of Punta too.”
Now with the release of her single “Fix Myself,” Brolo hopes to turn these dichotomies topsy-turvy challenging notions of Central American music and bring them to the rest of the world.