David Bisbal
Who is David Bisbal?
David Bisbal Ferre was born in Almería on June 5, 1979, the son of José Bisbal, a professional boxer and member of a flamenco music trio, and María Ferre. He is the youngest of three siblings. He showed a knack for singing from childhood, though quietly at first; it was as a teenager that he began taking music seriously and shed his shyness. Before pursuing music, he worked as a forest ranger at a municipal nursery in Almería, until the producer of the orchestra Expresiones heard him sing and offered him the role of lead vocalist.
Career
In 2001 he auditioned for the first season of “Operación Triunfo” in Barcelona and reached the final, finishing runner-up behind Rosa López. That momentum led him to sign with Vale Music and release his debut album, “Corazón Latino,” in the summer of 2002, recorded in Miami with Kike Santander; it debuted at number one with over 600,000 copies sold in its first week and went on to top a million copies in Spain, earning a diamond certification. Next came “Bulería” (2004), also a number one and diamond record with more than 1,300,000 copies sold internationally; “Premonición” (2006), which earned him five platinum records and produced the single “Ave María,” along with a duet with a Japanese singer that took “Oye el boom” to number one in Japan; and “Sin mirar atrás” (2009), whose lead single, “Esclavo de tus besos,” reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
Over his career he has sold more than four million records across Spain and the Americas, with thirty platinum and fifteen gold certifications, and has undertaken three major world tours totalling around 300 concerts. In 2003 he won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist, and in 2008 he recorded a duet with Rihanna, “Hate That I Love You.”
Personal life
Bisbal supports various social causes, including the Red Hand Foundation, dedicated to helping child soldiers, and the ALAS Foundation, in which he takes part alongside other Latin artists such as Chayanne, Ricky Martin and Shakira, as well as charity events like the Teletón. He was romantically linked to singer Chenoa, his fellow contestant from Operación Triunfo, and later to Cuban-American designer Elena Tablada, with whom he had a daughter.