Miranda!'s Parque Roca concert in January 2011 (Courtesy of Miranda!)
Our song for the weekend comes from Miranda!, an Argentine band who formed around this week, ten years ago.
The band, which defines itself as the “group of melodramatic Argentine electro pop”, consists of Alejandro Sergi (vocals), Juliana Gattas (vocals), Lolo Fuentes (guitar) and Nivolás Grimaldi (bass), who joined the band in 2003.
Miranda! are known for their playful songs, catchy lyrics and eccentric shows. Having sold over half a million albums in Latin America, the band achieved platinum sales in Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Argentina.
Thanks to their extraordinary music, style and look, the group did not only find success in Latin America, but also received great attention in the US and Europe.
Miranda! started off the usual way, a group of friends getting together to have fun and make music. Less usual was the quick success Miranda! had during its first year: Giving their debut in 2001, the band spent their first season playing at independent music festivals. In less than a year, they already ranked third place in the annual survey of the Rolling stone magazine and were nominated for the Clarín Award 2002 in the category Rock Music Revelation.
A promising start. In 2002 the band continued to gain fans with its unique live performances, in which the band members focus on entertainment and act according to the lyrics of their songs. In November of that year the band recorded their debut album ‘Es mentira’.
The year of the big breakthrough for Miranda! was 2005. The song ‘Yo te diré’ rotated in the popularity rankings of the biggest radio stations in Buenos Aires, and their second album ‘Sin restricciones’ won the Gardel Award for Best Pop Album Group. (the Gardel Award is the Argentine equivalent to the Grammy). Since the creation of the band, Miranda! was also nominated for countless MTV Latinoamérica Awards and won the Award for Best Artist South in 2008.
Going into a more mature direction, their 2009 album ‘Es impossible’ puts greater weight on the guitars and is not as danceable as the previous albums.
Coinciding with Miranda!’s tenth anniversary, the group revealed the name of their next album: ‘Magistral’.
Fun fact: Miranda! is named after Argentine actor Osvaldo Miranda, who died in April this year at the age of 95. The band met Osvaldo in 2002 for the first time, during the Buen Día Arriba Festival in Buenos Aires.
Genre: Electro Pop
Dates active: 2001 – Present
In their own words: “The most important thing is that we have the chance to make music. We do not care about whether its rock or pop – what matters is the music. It all comes back to the same thing.”
Most famous song: ‘Yo te dire’
Best lyric: “You didn’t listen to me, perhaps unintentionally. Could be though that the sound of my voice is a little weak.”
Famous for: feel-good upbeat music
Best to listen to: Ideal for pre drinking sessions and if you feel like clubbing!
