Ana Torroja

Ana Torroja is a Spanish vocalist, and was the lead singer of the million-selling trio Mecano. Daughter of a noted engineer, she was born in Madrid on December 28, 1959, and met José María Cano while studying economics at university. The two became good friends, and José María soon introduced Ana to his younger brother Nacho. Upon hearing Ana singing along to his brother's compositions on the guitar, Nacho suggested that the three should form a band, and in 1981 Mecano was born. After seven Mecano albums and fame in Europe and Latin America, months of continuous touring were taking their toll on the band, especially on Ana who was starting to develop vocal problems. In 1993 the band announced a "temporary split". While José and Nacho composed solo albums, Ana chose to travel round the world to visit places like Hawaii, Bombay and New York, cities she had sung about while fronting Mecano. It was in New York that she set up home and took dance classes. By 1997 Ana felt confident enough to sing again and moved to London to record her first solo album Puntos cardinales. The album marked a curious change for Ana, as her new songs were not written from a male point of view by the Cano brothers, she felt she could express herself in Spanish as a woman for the first time. The first single from the album A contratiempo was a Spanish cover of an old Bette Midler song, "Bottomless". The video showed a "new" Ana Torroja with plumper lips and other attributes hitherto unseen on the former Mecano star. In 1998—partially due to the expense and commercial failure of José María's opera project—Mecano reformed for the double-disc greatest hits compilation Ana, José, Nacho, which also featured seven new songs. In 2006, Ana released "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte", an album which featured 13 of Mecano's greatest hits reborn. "Hijo de La Luna" was remade as a Huapango Jarocho, featuring a whole Mariachi ensemble. "Maquillaje" was given a burlesque, cabaret sound, while "Barco a Venus" was made a Rumba. Other hits included were "Los Amantes" (w/ a Samba makeover), "Mujer Contra Mujer" (in a solo orchestral rendition), "Busco Algo Barato", "Cruz De navajas," and "La Fuerza Del Destino." Amazingly, the title track is nowhere to be seen.