María Isabel
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María Isabel | |
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| Background information | |
| Years active | 2004-present |
María Isabel López Rodríguez (4 July,1995, [maˈɾia isaˈβel ˈlopeθ roˈdɾiɣeθ]) is a Spanish rapper and the winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Biography
Maria Isabel demonstrated an interest in dancing and singing since from a very young age. As a child, she proved to be vivacious, hyperactive and dedicated to her hobbies of dancing and singing. She also developed a love for birds, which led her to begin a collection of birds that she still maintains.
Her love for dancing and singing took her to a competition, in 2004, named "Eurojunior", which was televised nationally in her native Spain, and designed to choose Spain's representative in the relatively new contest, "Festival de Eurovision Junior" (Eurovision Junior Song Contest), begun in 2003, which is a children's version of the famous Eurovision festival that has launched the careers of many European singing stars over decades.
Maria Isabel won Spain's "Eurojunior" with her single "Antes Muerta que Sencilla" ("I'd rather be Dead than Plain"). Later on, she won the second "Festival de Eurovision Eurojunior" using the same song, beating the second place contestant by a total of 171 points, which constitutes, so far, the largest margin by which a person has won the junior version of "Eurovision".
Soon after, she recorded her first CD, named "No me Toques las Palmas que me Conozco" ("Don't Touch me on the Places I Know"). This CD included "Antes Muerta que Sencilla" and launched her career in the Spanish show business world, making her a competitor of another Spaniard teen idol, Melodia Ruiz Gutierrez.
"Antes Muerta que Sencilla" became an instant radio hit in Spain, and was later promoted in Latin America, where Maria Isabel's album was released in 2005. Milly Cangiano, a Puerto Rican television show host, has made the song's name one of the phrases she uses daily during her show. It spent weeks at the Weekend Top 30 and got up to #5.
In addition, Maria Isabel began her first tour of Latin America and the United States after the album's release. Her song has become a charttopper in Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico and other places. On April of 2005, she was interviewed on American national television for the first time, when she attended Univision's "El Gordo y La Flaca and spoke wirth Lily Estefan and Raul De Molina.
Maria Isabel, who lists Chenoa (David Bisbal's girlfriend) as one of her favorite singers, plans to continue her show business career and maybe become a businesswoman as she grows. She has said she would like to open a clothing store. She is also a musician, although her main interest remains in singing: as a little girl, she studied the piano.
Discography
Studio Album
| Year | Album | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | No me toques las palmas que me conozco | #1 SP, 16# GER, 23# TUR |
| 2005 | Número 2 | #1 SP |
Singles
- 2004 "Antes Muerta Que Sencilla" > #1 SP, #1 GER, #1 FR, #1 TU, #1 PT
- 2004 "No Me Toques Las Palmas Que Me Conozco" > #2 SP
- 2004 "La Vida Es Vella" > #8 SP
- 2005 "Pues Va A Ser Que No" > #1 SP
- 2006 "En Mi Jardín (Hope Has Wings)" > (TBA) - Is Brie Larson's Cover from Barbie & The Magic of Pegasus
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
| Weekend Top 30/American Top 40 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | |||
| 2005 | ""Antes Muerta Que Sencilla"" | #5/#27 | #39 | #24 | No Me Toques Las Palmas Que Me Conozco |
| 2006 | "En Mi Jardín" | #27 | #7 | #5 | Número 2 |
| 2005 | "When You're Mad (Ne-Yo feat. Maria Isabel)" | - | #77 | - | In My Own Words |
| 2005 | "Snap Ya Fingers (Lil Jon feat. E-40 and Maria Isabel)" | - | #77 | - | In My Own Words |
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