Antonio Orozco
Who is Antonio Orozco?
Antonio Orozco is a Spanish singer and songwriter born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) on 23 November 1972, to parents from Osuna, in Andalusia, from whom he inherited a love of southern Spanish music. At just 15 he saved up to buy his first guitar after watching young men sing and play in Seville’s Triana neighbourhood, an episode he points to as the starting point of his vocation.
Before turning to music full time, he formed a band called Shivari with a group of friends, which eventually split up. Orozco then worked as a computer technician at a company while performing in bars and recording his first record on the side; there came a point when he was earning as much from music as from his day job, which pushed him to make the leap. It was during this period that he met producer Xavi Pérez, who would go on to produce all of his albums.
Career
His debut album, “Un reloj y una vela,” came out in March 2000 and sold more than 100,000 copies. His second record, “Semilla del silencio,” followed in October 2001, selling over 300,000 copies and getting a 2003 reissue with a DVD recorded live at Barcelona’s Sala Luz de Gas. In May 2004 he released “El principio del inicio,” which went triple platinum and included songs such as “Quiero ser,” “Estoy hecho de pedacitos de ti” and “Es mi soledad.” Late in 2005 came “Edición Tour 2005,” a compilation featuring three new songs, among them “Tapas,” used in the soundtrack of a Spanish film.
On 6 November 2006 he released “Cadizfornia,” a title blending Cádiz, where his story began, and California, one of the farthest places his music had taken him. Recorded between Tarifa and Barcelona, the album featured collaborations with Tote King, Senegalese artist Youssou N’Dour, and former Pirates member Iván Ferreiro, with whom he sang “Soldado 229”; the single “Tres corazones” was dedicated to his becoming a father. He went on to present tours such as “Diez” and later the show “Único,” revisiting his biggest hits with an especially polished staging, with stops including the Teatro Villamarta.
Discography
Over the course of his career Antonio Orozco has released six studio albums and sold more than 600,000 records, touring across Spain and the Americas, earning ten platinum albums and several number-one hits on the charts in Spain, the United States and Latin America. Live, he is usually backed by regular collaborators such as Xavi Pérez (musical direction, keyboards, cajón and backing vocals), John Caballés (guitars, bass, effects and backing vocals) and Marcos Orozco (electronic drums and percussion).