Leo Rojas

Leo Rojas
Born	Ecuador
Genres	Latin music Easy listening
Occupation	Pan flute player
Instrument	Pan flute
Years active	2011–present
Labels

Juan Leonardo Santillia Rojas (born 1984) is a panflutist from Ecuador who won the fifth season of the television show Das Supertalent, the German version of Britain's Got Talent.

Biography

Rojas came from his home country to Spain in 2000 while his family remained in Ecuador. From there, he went to Germany with a tourist visa again and again. He lives with his Polish wife in Berlin, where he makes money as a street performer. A passerby alerted him to the talent show Das Supertalent. He applied for the fifth season in 2011 and was able to qualify for the final rounds. With an interpretation of El Cóndor Pasa with the Panflute and other South American wind instruments, he came through the semi-finals. There transpired a reunion of the musician with his mother from Ecuador, making for an emotional performance. At the finals on 17 December 2011, Rojas played the instrumental track "The Lonely Shepherd", written by James Last that became a hit in 1977 when performed by Last and Gheorghe Zamfir. The South American won the competition with a distinct lead.

His winning song was released after the competition and ranked at #48 on the German sales chart during the week of Christmas. On the 27th of January, 2012, his first album was released with known instrumental pieces, entitled Spirit of the Hawk. Produced by Dieter Bohlen, the album reached the Top 5 on the charts in the German-speaking nations and, by the end of February, 2012, it achieved gold status in Germany.

Discography

Songs

• The Lonely Shepherd (2011)
• El Cóndor Pasa (2012)

Albums

• Spirit of the Hawk (2012)
• Flying Heart (2012)
• Albatross (2013)
• Das Beste (2015)