Álex Ubago

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de Ubago and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Alex Ubago
Alex Ubago
Background information
Birth nameAlejandro Martínez de Ubago Rodríguez
Born (1981-01-29) January 29, 1981 (age 43)
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Spain
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Instrument(s)Voice, guitar, piano
Years active2000–present
Websitealexubago.com

Álex Ubago (born Alejandro Martínez de Ubago Rodríguez on January 29, 1981, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. He is especially known for his heartfelt voice and his ballads. He was able to record his debut album ¿Qué pides tú? when manager Iñigo Argomaniz that used to go to Alex's cousin's bar heard a demo that Alex made for his girlfriend. His first album contains songs from that first demo recording; the songs are "Sabes" and "Hay Que Ver". Alex started to tour national radios with his guitar to sing his songs live and get further exposure. Eventually, this strategy worked, and his album finally hit the charts. But he reached absolute fame with the publication of the song "Sin Miedo A Nada", featuring Amaia Montero, which is his biggest hit to date.

Early life

When he was four years old, his parents moved to San Sebastián. He wrote his first song at the age of 15.[1]

Career

Álex Ubago taught himself to sing, and at the age of 20 released his debut album ¿Qué pides tú?,[2] which sold 900,000 units in Spain and was certified 2× platinum in Mexico.[3][4] Ubago received a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 2003, but the award was won by fellow Spanish performer David Bisbal.[5] Ubago's album Fantasía o realidad was released in 2003, and was as successful as his first album.[2] Ubago was nominated again for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Album for his album Calle Ilusión which peaked at number three in the Spanish Albums Charts.[6][7]

In 2019, he collaborated in the CD edited by La Marató de TV3, a telethon devoted to raise funds for the research of incurable diseases, with a version in Catalan of his song "Sin miedo a nada".[8][9]

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
SPN
[10] 		ARG
¿Qué pides tú?
  • Released: September 23, 2001
 1 —
  • ARG: Platinum[11]
  • MEX: 2× Platinum[12]
  • SPA: 9× Platinum[3]
21 meses, 1 semana y 2 días
  • Released: July 21, 2003
 1 —
Fantasía o realidad
  • Released: February 24, 2004
 1 —
  • ARG: Gold[11]
  • MEX: Platinum+Gold[12]
  • SPA: 3× Platinum[13]
  • US: Platinum (Latin)[14]
Álex Ubago: En Directo
  • Released: August 20, 2004
 6 —
Aviones de cristal
  • Released: September 26, 2006
 3 61
Calle Ilusión
  • Released: March 10, 2009
 3 3
Mentiras Sinceras
  • Released: December 4, 2012
 16 —
Canciones Impuntuales
  • Released: May 5, 2017[16]
 14
[17]		 —
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

References

  1. ^ Gutierrez, Evan C. "Biography: Alex Ubago". Allmusic. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Gutierrez, Evan C. "Álex Ubago – Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Spanish certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select under "Categoría", select 2004 under "Año". Select 01 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  4. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Alex Ubago in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Que Pides Tu? in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  5. ^ "The nominees are ..." Los Angeles Times. July 23, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "Conoce a los nominados a los Grammy Latinos" (in Spanish). Terra Networks México. September 19, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  7. ^ "Alex Ubago – Calle Ilusión". Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  8. ^ "TV-3 celebra el 15º aniversario del 'Disc de la Marató' a lo grande". El Periodico (in Spanish). November 15, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  9. ^ "El disc de La Marató fa 15 anys picant l'ullet al Nadal". Ara.cat (in Catalan). November 14, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  10. ^ After 2005: "spanishcharts.com – Discography Alex Ubago". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Argentinian album certifications – Alex Ubago". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
  12. ^ a b c "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Alex Ubago in the box under the ARTISTA column heading.
  13. ^ "Spanish certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select under "Categoría", select 2005 under "Año". Select 02 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  14. ^ "American album certifications – Alex Ubago". Recording Industry Association of America.
  15. ^ "Spanish certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select under "Categoría", select 2007 under "Año". Select 01 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  16. ^ "Canciones Impuntuales de Alex Ubago". iTunes. May 5, 2017.
  17. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 19: del 05.05.2017 al 11.05.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
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