Mikaela
Who is Mikaela?
Micaela Rodríguez, known by the stage name Mikaela, was born in Seville in 1935, in the Triana neighborhood, birthplace of flamenco figures such as La Niña de los Peines, Gitanillo de Triana, Carmen Florido, Gracia de Triana and Matilde Coral. She grew up in that setting and drifted, almost without realizing it, into the world of song and dance, training at the Seville academies of Eloísa Albéniz and Adelita Domingo, with whom she toured Andalusia in her earliest performances.
Career
After her start in Andalusian song, Mikaela moved to Madrid, where she held the stage for thirty-two consecutive weeks on the popular radio show “Cabalgata Fin de Semana,” breaking every record for a run. She recorded her first singles with songs such as “Y la luna me engañó,” “Sierra de luna” and “Qué son los celos,” and cemented her fame with the musical comedy “El proceso del cuplé” at Madrid’s Teatro Goya, where she was already performing under the name Mikaela.
Her career also included a substantial period in film, in which she combined acting with singing in titles such as “La rosa roja” (1960, directed by Carlos Serrano de Osma), “La reina del Tabarín” (1960), “Vampiresas 1930” (1961, by Jesús Franco), “Las tres espadas del Zorro” (1962), “Gringo” (1963, by Ricardo Blasco) and “Agente 077, Dall’Oriente con furore” (1965). She also worked with Italian director Mauro Bolognini on “Mademoiselle de Maupin” (1965). Her popularity even took her to the Teatro Chino in Mexico City.
Recognition
Over the course of her career she received honors including the Popularity Medal from New York television, the Artist of the Year title awarded by the newspaper Pueblo, an adoptive daughter of Puerto Rico title, and the Mount Zion Medal in Tel Aviv. In 1957 she recorded a set of twelve classic songs that reaffirmed her Andalusian song roots, showing a remarkable command of styles such as the pasodoble.