Dorian Wood | |
|---|---|
 Dorian Wood at the Moers Festival 2017 | |
| Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer, performance artist, visual artist, writer |
Dorian Wood (born 1975) is an American singer, composer, performance artist, visual artist and writer. [1]
Wood was born in Los Angeles, California to Costa Rican parents. They began their musical education at a very early age, under the tutelage of their grandfather, the pianist Calasanz Alvarez. [2] In their early teens, Wood’s parents divorced, and Wood’s mother moved them and their sisters to Costa Rica. They continued their studies at the Conservatorio de Castella, and after graduating, they made their way back to Los Angeles. They studied film at Los Angeles City College for two years but then dropped out to concentrate on music. [3] Wood first gained exposure performing on the gay bar circuit. [4]
Wood released their debut album, BOLKA, independently in 2006. Produced by Rebecca Stout, BOLKA received wide critical acclaim for its impeccable merging of folk, soul, Bulgarian choral music and experimental music. [2] They quickly followed up BOLKA with the EP, Black Pig Suite. [5] In 2010, they released the album Brutus, which featured only Wood on vocal and piano, and was recorded live at the church St. Giles in the Fields in London, in the midst of their European tour. [6]
Wood was a member of the Los Angeles-based experimental orchestra Killsonic for three years. [7] Wood received critical praise for their performance and "picture perfect" art direction (Los Angeles Times) in the Killsonic opera, Tongues Bloody Tongues, presented at the REDCAT in Los Angeles in 2010. [8] Wood performed at the REDCAT again in 2011 in the opera Zoophilic Follies, along with Timur and The Dime Museum. [9]
In 2011, Wood was commissioned by LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions) to present a new work for the performance series Los Angeles Goes Live, part of Pacific Standard Time. Wood's performance installation, Athco, Or The Renaissance of Faggot Tree, incorporated over 30 performers, and was presented at Barnsdall Art Park. [10] That same year, Wood performed with acclaimed artist Marina Abramović in her piece An Artist's Life Manifesto, presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. [1]
Wood released the album Rattle Rattle in 2013. An epic collection of original doomsday-themed songs that form one strong, continuous piece, Rattle Rattle incorporated over 60 musicians, including a 45-member choir assembled by Wood themself, The Difficult Women, as well as duets with Angela Correa (Correatown, Les Shelleys) and Nina Savary. [11] Wood directed the controversial video for the first single "La Cara Infinita" (a duet with Eddika Organista), which featured a guest appearance by Margaret Cho. [12] Wood's following video for their single "O" featured performance artist Rafa Esparza and model/make-up artist Taryn Piana. [13]
In October 2014, Wood toured Europe in support of the release of their EP, Down, The Dirty Roof, via Atonal Industries. [14] In 2015, Wood released a digital EP, "Hymn to Freedom", also via Atonal Industries. [15]
In May 2017, Wood released the album XALÁ. Recorded at the Auditori Municipal in Vila-Real, Spain, "XALÁ" is their first full-length release recorded completely in Spanish. Described by Wood as an exploration and simultaneous devaluing of hyper masculinity, they are accompanied on the recording by bassist Xavi Muñoz and percussionist Marcos Junquera. [16]
In April 2019, Wood debuted their orchestral tribute project to iconic Mexican/Costa Rican singer Chavela Vargas, XAVELA LUX AETERNA, at the Festival Internacional de Arte Sacro in Madrid. The project was created in collaboration with Spanish artist Alberto Montero. The project toured Europe, the U.S. and Mexico from 2019 through the beginning of 2020. [17] In May 2020, Wood released the EP Paloma, which was recorded at Teatro Real Coliseo de Carlos III in Spain, during the final concert of the tour. [18]
Wood announced in 2020 the release of two back-to-back albums, ARDOR and REACTOR. The albums were recorded during an artist residency at Human Resources LA. [19]
In 2022, Wood debuted their tribute to the singer Lhasa De Sela, entitled LHASA, at the Festival Internacional de Arte Sacro in Madrid, in collaboration with singer Carmina Escobar and composer Adrián Cortés. [20]
Rattle and Hum is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was released on 27 October 1988. Following the breakthrough success of the band's previous studio album, The Joshua Tree, the Rattle and Hum project captures their continued experiences with American roots music on the Joshua Tree Tour, further incorporating elements of blues rock, folk rock, and gospel music into their sound. A collection of new studio tracks, live performances, and cover songs, the project includes recordings at Sun Studio in Memphis and collaborations with Bob Dylan, B. B. King, and Harlem's New Voices of Freedom gospel choir.
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Puerto Rican born Mexican singer and record producer. Born in Puerto Rico to an Italian mother and a Spanish father, he is often referred to as El Sol de Mexico, derived from the nickname his mother gave him as a child: "Mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in multiple genres and styles, including pop songs, ballads, boleros, tangos, jazz, big band, and mariachi. Luis Miguel is also recognized as the only Latin singer of his generation to not cross over to the Anglo market during the "Latin Explosion" in the 1990s.
Alejandro Fernández Abarca is a Mexican singer. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, he is the son of the Mexican singer Vicente Fernández. Nicknamed as "El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk, such as mariachi and charro, until he successfully branched out into pop music. Over the course of his career, he has been awarded two Latin Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both the Spanish and Catalan languages.
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, known professionally as José José, was a Mexican singer. Also known as El Príncipe de la Canción, his performance and vocal style have influenced many Latin pop artists in a career that spanned more than four decades. Due to his vocals and popularity, José José was considered by Latin audience and media as an icon of Latin pop music and one of the most emblematic Latin singers of his time.
Paloma Cecilia San Basilio Martínez, known as Paloma San Basilio, is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She was awarded with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to Latin music. She has sold over 16 million records throughout her career, with styles that range from melodic songs to pop. She often appeared in various musicals such as the Spanish-language premiere production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita in Madrid. Some other musical theater works include Man of La Mancha, My Fair Lady, Victor/Victoria, and Sunset Boulevard.
Carlos Marín Menchero was a Spanish baritone and a member of the classical crossover group Il Divo, which has sold over 28 million records worldwide.
Próxima Estación: Esperanza is the second solo album by Manu Chao. The album was released in Europe in 2001. It was released in the United States on 5 June 2001 on Virgin Records.
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, known mononymously as Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the "Queen of Latin Music" and has been praised for her musical versatility. She made her recording debut with Sony Music Colombia at the age of 13. Following the commercial failure of her first two albums, Magia (1991) and Peligro (1993), she rose to prominence in Hispanic countries with her next albums, Pies Descalzos (1995) and Dónde Están los Ladrones? (1998). She entered the English-language market with her fifth album, Laundry Service (2001), which sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Buoyed by the international success of her singles "Whenever, Wherever" and "Underneath Your Clothes", the album propelled her reputation as a leading crossover artist. Broadcast Music, Inc., described Shakira as a "pioneer" who extended the global reach of Latino singers.
No Age is an American noise rock duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to Sub Pop records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, Snares Like a Haircut, was released by Drag City on January 26, 2018. Drag City also released Goons Be Gone, their fifth studio album, on June 5, 2020, and their sixth studio album People Helping People in 2022.
Mariana "Lali" Espósito is an Argentine singer, actress, dancer, and model. She began her career in 2003 in the children's telenovela Rincón de Luz. Espósito continued to build her acting and singing career with subsequent supporting roles in other telenovelas such as Floricienta and Chiquititas. However, it was her main role in the telenovela Casi Ángeles that really propelled her to fame, making her a household name in Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. From 2007 to 2012, she was a part of the popular teen pop band Teen Angels, which originated from the television series Casi Ángeles. The group was commercially successful and toured throughout Argentina and countries such as Israel, Spain, Italy, and Latin America.
Sergio Rivero Hernández is a Spanish singer born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, Spain on 1 April 1986. He took part and won the title in the fourth series of Spanish version of Operación Triunfo in 2004.
Carla Patricia Morrison Flores is a Mexican indie-pop guitarist and singer. She has released three studio albums and has received various awards and nominations including two Grammy Award nominations and three Latin Grammy Awards.
Brava! (Brave!) is the tenth studio album and second bilingual album by Mexican recording artist Paulina Rubio, released on November 15, 2011 by Universal Music Latino. Two of its three singles "Me Gustas Tanto" and "Boys Will Be Boys" became hits for Rubio.
The Violet Seller, better known under its Spanish title La Violetera, is a 1958 Spanish–Italian historical jukebox musical film produced by Benito Perojo, directed by Luis César Amadori and starring Sara Montiel, Raf Vallone, Frank Villard, Tomás Blanco and Ana Mariscal.
Carmina Escobar is an experimental vocalist, improviser, performance artist, multimedia artist, composer, and educator from Mexico City who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Jeffrey Fleishman from the Los Angeles Times has written that Escobar "can make her voice sound like insects dancing on dry leaves or a rocket ship dying in space." She is on the VoiceArts faculty of the California Institute of the Arts where she teaches on "voice technique, experimental voice workshops, contemporary vocal music, and interdisciplinary projects regarding the voice".
Antón Álvarez Alfaro, known professionally as C. Tangana, is a Spanish rapper and songwriter. He began his musical career while in high school, rapping under the pseudonym Crema and releasing a seven-track EP titled Él Es Crema (2005). He gained recognition in Spain as a member of the band Agorazein. In 2016, Tangana began performing as a solo act under the stage name C. Tangana.
Aitana Ocaña Morales, known mononymously as Aitana, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. She first gained national recognition in 2017, placing as the runner-up in the revival series of the Spanish reality television talent competition Operación Triunfo. While competing on the show, Aitana recorded the single "Lo Malo" with fellow contestant Ana Guerra. The song became an instant hit in Spain, debuting at number-one and holding the spot for several weeks. Following the competition, Aitana signed a 360º record deal with Universal Music and released her debut solo single "Teléfono" to commercial success and streaming-breaking records.
Rosalia Vila i Tobella, known mononymously as Rosalía, is a Spanish singer, songwriter, producer and actress. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. After being enthralled by Spanish folk music at age 13, she studied musicology at Catalonia College of Music while also performing at musical bars and weddings.
Camila Anastasia Gallardo Montalva, known as Cami, is a Chilean singer and songwriter. She started her career after appearing in the Chilean vocal talent show The Voice Chile, where she came second place. She has released two studio albums and has received a Grammy Award nomination as well as two Latin Grammy Award nominations.
