Manuel Carrasco

After placing second on the 2002 season of Spain’s Operación Triunfo competition reality TV show, singer and songwriter Manuel Carrasco became one of his country’s most beloved, commercially successful pop stars. A sell out attraction, his recordings have consistently placed inside the top five, selling millions of copies. He regularly performs to packed houses filled with 30,000 to 50,000 fans across Spain and Latin America. His singing voice is a rich, grainy yet sweet baritone with enough power to be heard above a symphony orchestra without amplification. His 2003 debut Quiéreme combined pop and flamenco, and was certified double platinum. By the time he issued his third, 2006′s Tercera Parada, he was experimenting with funk, hard rock, and electronica. 2008′s double platinum Inercia offered the single “Que Nadie,” a duet with Spanish singer Malú that spent seven weeks at number one. Habla and its expanded sequel Habla II were both released in 2012. Between 2015 and 2017 he served as jurist and coach for La Voz Kids and La Voz. 2016′s chart topping Bailar el Viento was his most successful outing to date — it was certified platinum five times over. 2018′s La Cruz del Mapa was certified double platinum and spent more than seven weeks atop the Spanish pop charts and crossed over to Latin America’s.
Carrasco was born the youngest of five in a working-class family in the small town of Isla Cristina. Though Manuel’s siblings were artistically inclined (all skilled painters), he was the only one to take to music. He was given his first guitar at the age of 11 and began writing as soon as he’d mastered his first few chords, recording his songs on a small cassette player. By the time he was in high school, Carrasco was involved with every musical activity available, from church choir to drum and bugle corps. He recorded his first demo during that time, though it did not open many doors for him.
It was when Carrasco heard about the casting call for a new TV show called Operacion Triunfo that he set forth on the path that would lead him to record-industry stardom. Carrasco was selected out of more than 80,000 aspiring vocalists to compete on OT. He ultimately placed second, which won him a management and recording contract in Barcelona.
His debut album, Quiereme was produced by Miguel Ángel Arenas, combined pop and flamenco, and contained four of his own songs. It sold 100,000 copies during its first week; it was ultimately certified double platinum. Its support tour took Carrasco to Venezuela, where he recorded a self-titled, softer, intimate follow-up project. Produced by Jordi Cristau, it included three of the artist’s original songs. Its subsequent tour of more than 80 Spanish cities and towns insured the album a platinum certification.
For 2006′s Tercera Parada, retained Cristau as co-producer. The artist wrote all 14 songs on the disc and stretched himself musically to indulge rock, funk, electro, R&B and more. To achieve the sounds he wanted, he cut the record in Gerona with Spanish players and in New York City with American session aces. While some fans had a difficult time with the set’s stylistic sprawl, faster tempos, busy charts, and kinetic production, it reached number three and attained gold status. Musically it is regarded by many as his finest album.
Carrasco continued to expand his artistic reach on 2008′s Inercia. He recorded it in Buenos Aires with producer Cachorro López and retained Cristau as his studio arranger. The artist penned all 15 songs. It netted four chart topping singles on the way to achieving double platinum status. “Que Nadie,” a collaboration with Malú, remained at number one for seven weeks. Its commercial success and subsequent tour established him as a top drawing artist across several Latin American countries including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Mexico.
In 2012, Carrasco released one of his most popular albums, Habla. The album was recorded in Milan with the backing of the Rome Symphony Orchestra on three tracks, and produced by the respected Claudio Guidetti (Eros Ramazzotti, Sergio Dalma). Debuting at number one in January of 2012, the album continued to chart in Spain for nearly 18 months (often in the Top Ten), especially after the Christmas season release of Habla II, which included six additional songs. It was his first album to reach number one at digital and streaming as well.
In 2013 Carrasco made his first appearance as a special guest on the reailty show La Voz Kids. He also commemorated the ten-year anniversary of Quiereme with Confieso Que He Sentido, a re-recorded collection of hits cut in London with producer Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, James Morrison, Jamie Cullum). The record debuted at number one in Spain, and became his first to crack the Italian top ten.
In 2015, Carrasco appeared on another reality show, La Voz Kids, as a coach and jurist alongside David Bisbal and Rosario Flores. Thanks to his young charge, Sevillian José María, his team won the competition. A year later, he coached on the adult version La Voz and released his eighth album, Bailar el Viento. Co-produced by Pablo Cebrián and Raul Osuna, it was led to the success by its first single “Ya No.” A sweeping collection of pop, rock, Latin grooves, and orchestral ballads, it registered his most commercially successful venture attaining quintuple platinum status; it spent three weeks at the top of the Spanish album charts. For his achievement he was awarded the Medal of Andalusia. After its release, Carrasco toured Spain, Europe, and Latin America.
2018′s La Cruz del Mapa was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and produced by Cebrián. He also handled the set’s string arrangments. Three advance singles, “Me Dijeron de Pequeño,” “Déjame Ser,” and “Llámame Loco,” were issued in November; all placed inside the top five. On December 11, the album was released to platinum certification right out of the box. Featuring 14 original songs, the set was uncharacteristically lush in production and rich in sophisticated rhythms and elegant melodies. It songs cut across and sometimes wove together adult contemporary pop, Andalusian folk, flamenco, R&B, and even jazz. The album spent seven weeks at number one on its way to a quadruple platinum certification. Its ensuing 2019 tour sold more than 350,000 tickets. A 30-track live audio/video document titled La Cruz del Mapa: Directo Estadio Metropolitano Madrid was issued in 2020 containing the entire concert. The chart-topping set featured Carrasco accompanied by his road band, two choirs (adult and children’s) and an orchestra.
In 2021 Carrasco issued the six track outakes compilation EP Basicos. He also duetted with Spanish singer-songwriter Vanesa Martin’s on a re-recorded version of her 2020 hit single “Despidida y Cierre.” ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Thom Jurek