Estrella Morente

Born in Granada, Spain, singer Estrella Morente is the daughter of flamenco legend Enrique Morente. Carrying the Morente name meant anticipation was high in the flamenco community when it was announced in 1999 that Estrella was to release an album. Two years in the making under her father’s watchful eye, her passionate debut, Mi Cante y un Poema, appeared in early 2001, with the Christmas album Calle del Aire seeing release by year’s end. In 2002 her debut was re-released by the Real World label under its English title, My Songs and a Poem. Rocker Lenny Kravitz soon declared himself a big fan, as did the director Pedro Almodóvar, who asked the singer to record a song for his next film, Volver. Her title track to the film appeared on her 2006 release, Mujeres, an album that paid tribute to the great female flamenco singers of the past. Mujeres received a nomination for Best Flamenco Album at the 2006 Latin Grammys. ~ David Jeffries