Sílvia Pérez Cruz

Sílvia Pérez Cruz is a celebrated Spanish singer and composer born on 15 February 1983 in Palafrugell, Catalonia. Raised in a musical household—her mother Glòria Cruz i Torrellas taught her piano, saxophone and even sculpture while her father Càstor Pérez Diz was a self‑taught guitarist—Cruz absorbed diverse artistic influences from an early age. After completing classical training in piano and saxophone at the Catalonia College of Music, where she also earned a degree in vocal jazz, she co‑founded the innovative flamenco ensemble Las Migas, blending traditional flamenco with contemporary sounds and quickly gaining recognition in the Spanish music scene. In 2012 she released her debut solo album 11 de Novembre with guitarist‑producer Raül Refree, a work that interwove fado, jazz improvisation and flamenco and earned a Gold Award disc as well as a Goya Award for Best Original Song for No te puedo encontrar from the film Blancanieves. Her follow‑up album Granada (2014) continued this cross‑cultural dialogue, featuring songs in French, German, English and several Iberian languages, and included poignant renditions of Catalan folk and Spanish Civil War anthems that resonated deeply with veteran audiences. Cruz’s songwriting philosophy—viewing each song as a story inherited from her mother’s storytelling tradition—has guided her collaborations on film soundtracks, netting a second Goya for Ai, ai, ai from At Your Doorstep (2016). In 2022 the Spanish government honored her with the Premio Nacional de las Músicas Actuales, acknowledging her impact on contemporary music, and her 2023 album Toda la vida, un día captured a year‑long creative journey across Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Havana and beyond. On 1 July 2024 she performed a celebrated Tiny Desk Concert for NPR, further cementing her international reputation as a versatile and emotive artist.