Diego El Cigala
Who is Diego El Cigala?
Diego El Cigala, the stage name of Diego Ramón Jiménez Salazar (Madrid, 1968), is a Spanish cantaor from a Roma family who began performing from a very young age in the tablaos and flamenco clubs of Madrid. His raw, expressive voice quickly made him one of the most respected young figures in flamenco singing at the end of the 20th century.
For years he worked alongside great names in flamenco dance and singing, forging a personal style before making the leap to a solo career.
Career
The great turning point of his career came with “Lágrimas negras” (2003), an album recorded together with Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés that fused flamenco and Cuban boleros to enormous international critical and commercial success. That album put him on the musical map beyond flamenco circuits and opened the doors to stages and audiences all over the world.
After that milestone, El Cigala continued exploring fusions with Latin American genres on albums such as “Dos lágrimas” (2008) and “Romance de la luna tucumana” (2011), the latter dedicated to Argentine folk music, while always continuing to return to more traditional flamenco alongside these explorations.
Legacy
Diego El Cigala is considered one of the great renewers of contemporary flamenco for his ability to engage with other Hispanic musical traditions without losing the roots of cante jondo. His work with Bebo Valdés remains an essential reference in the recent history of flamenco fusion.