Antonio Carmona
Who is Antonio Carmona?
Antonio Carmona Amaya (Granada, May 21, 1965) is a singer and guitarist, known internationally as one of the leading figures of nuevo flamenco, the movement that fused flamenco cante with other musical styles. He comes from a leading flamenco dynasty: son of guitarist Juan Habichuela, nephew of Pepe Habichuela, brother of Juan José “El Camborio” Carmona and cousin of José Miguel Carmona, with whom he formed the group Ketama.
Before turning to fusion, Antonio was already a deep connoisseur of pure flamenco thanks to his family background. Building on the work of percussionist Rubén Dantas, he also developed his own way of playing the Peruvian cajón adapted to flamenco compás, a technique now known as cajón flamenco.
Career
Most of his career is tied to Ketama, a group founded in the early 1980s by his brother Juan Carmona “El Camborio” and José Soto “Sordera,” together with singer Ray Heredia, with the aim of breaking down the barriers between the Habichuela and Sordera flamenco dynasties. Antonio joined the band in 1990, and in the years that followed Ketama established itself as one of the foundational groups of Spanish pop-flamenco, releasing eleven studio albums, two compilations and live recordings such as “Akí” (Mercury, 1995), selling more than a million copies over more than twenty years together.
After Ketama’s split, Antonio Carmona launched his solo career with the album “Vengo, vengo, vengo, venenoso” (Universal Music, 2006), featuring collaborations with La Mala Rodríguez, Juanes and Alejandro Sanz. He toured it in 2007, with guests including Miguel Poveda and his former Ketama bandmates. Beyond music, he has had a modest acting career, appearing in films such as “Gitano” (2000), alongside Joaquín Cortés, Pilar Bardem and Laetitia Casta, “Vengan a ver” (1997), produced by Wim Wenders, and “Berlin Blues” (1988), by Ricardo Franco.
Notable discography
His time with Ketama produced classics of Spanish pop-flamenco, while his solo career centers on the album “Vengo, vengo, vengo, venenoso,” with notable collaborations from artists like Juanes and Alejandro Sanz that reflect his role as a bridge between flamenco and other popular Spanish-language music.