Eugenia León

Biography

Eugenia León (born June 7, 1956) is a Mexican singer. She won first place at the prestigious OTI Festival 1985 in Seville, Spain, with the song "El fandango aquí×El fandango aquí1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1El fandango aquí3:06A2Así te quiero3:49A3Oh qué será2:55A4Luz4:01A5Vara-varal2:37B1Si quisiera hablar con Dios4:16B2Te hallaré2:39B3Ay qué adiós3:36B4Ni modo3:00B5Arena obscura3:26" written by Marcial Alejandro. A recipient of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, she has had a career spanning more than 40 years and 26 recorded albums, of which several million copies have been sold. She has performed in some of the most important venues in Mexico, such as the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Auditorio Nacional, the Sala Nezahualcóyotl, the Teatro de la Ciudad, and the Cervantino Festival.
Internationally, León has been acclaimed at the Royal Opera House in Oman, the Concert Hall in Shanghai, the Cairo Opera House and Alexandria Opera House in Egypt, the Royal Palace of Marrakesh, the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona, the European Parliament in Brussels, the Teatro de Cristóbal Colón of Bogotá, the Teatro Oriente in Santiago, the Lincoln Center's Mexico Now Festival, the Central Park Latin Festival, Joe's Pub and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center Jazz Club, The Harold M. Williams Auditorium of the Getty Museum and the Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Coolidge Auditorium of The Library of Congress, Jackson Hall of the Mondavi Center in Davis, Millennium Park in Chicago, the Tucson Convention Center, the Discovery Green in Houston, and the Palacio de los Deportes in Bogotá. She is the only Mexican to have represented her country as a singer at four consecutive World Exhibitions: Seville, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Hannover, Germany; and Aichi, Japan.
In 2003, she made her debut as a presenter on the arts and culture program Acústico, broadcast on Canal 22. Eugenia León has shared the stage with personalities such as Rosario Flores, Pablo Milanés, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Lila Downs, Chavela Vargas, Sin Bandera, José Feliciano, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Armando Manzanero, Los de Abajo, Ramón Vargas, Tania Libertad, and Guadalupe Pineda. Over the years, several musical celebrities, such as Ramón Vargas, Fito Páez, Mercedes Sosa, Willie Colón, and Armando Manzanero have praised her qualities as a singer.
In 2016, she received a gold record certification with Tania Libertad and Guadalupe Pineda for the high sales of their successful project Las Tres Grandes en Primera Fila, awarded by Sony Music. They went on a promotional tour with full concerts throughout Mexico, at venues such as the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the TelMex Auditorium in Guadalajara, and the Auditorio Banamex in Monterrey. This CD/DVD album received a nomination at the 17th Latin Grammy Awards, in the Best Long Version Music Video category.

Early years

Born in 1956 in Tlalnepantla de Baz, State of Mexico, Eugenia León entered the Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades of Naucalpan.
At age 18, she decided to leave home to complete her education at the UNAM National School of Music.

Career

With the support of her sister, León founded the Víctor Jara group, which was dedicated to Latin American folk music. She later joined the group Sanampay, composed of Mexican and Argentine musicians and singers, directed by Naldo Labrín, from which she decided to emerge individually in 1982, building a repertoire made up of pieces by contemporary Mexican composers, playing bolero and Brazilian music.
She released her first album in 1983, Así te quiero×Así te quiero1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Arena oscura3:26A2Inventar la verdad1:43A3Te digo compañero3:09A4Oh, qué será2:55A5Así te quiero3:49B1Vamos a andar3:58B2El sol, la rosa y el niño1:39B3Tierra‐luna4:41B4Caminando por el monte1:38B5Alta hora de la noche2:56, and toured the Mexican Republic, accompanied by a small group of musicians.
In 1985, she won the 14th Mexican national selection for the OTI Festival with the song "El fandango aquí×El fandango aquí1985 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1El fandango aquí3:06A2Así te quiero3:49A3Oh qué será2:55A4Luz4:01A5Vara-varal2:37B1Si quisiera hablar con Dios4:16B2Te hallaré2:39B3Ay qué adiós3:36B4Ni modo3:00B5Arena obscura3:26", written by Marcial Alejandro, and thus represented Mexico at the OTI Festival 1985, which she also won; but there were no celebrations, interviews, or contract signings after her victory, because a devastating earthquake struck Mexico City the day before.
León has recorded more than 20 albums. Some composers whose works she have interpreted are Fito Páez, David Haro, Guillermo Briseño, Joan Manuel Serrat, Marcial Alejandro, Armando Manzanero, José Alfredo Jiménez, Francisco Gabilondo Soler, Liliana Felipe, and María Grever. She has performed in various genres such as mariachi, bolero, and tango.
In 1998, the government of Veracruz presented her with the Agustín Lara medal, in recognition of her interpretations of the composer from that state.
She worked with Pablo Milanés during the Cómplices tour, covering a large part of the Mexican Republic. She also worked with Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas during the production of the album Corazón Mexicano×Corazón mexicano1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Piensa en mí2Amorcito corazón3Sabor a mí4Bésame mucho5Arráncame la vida6Granada7Como yo te amé8Piel canela9Que seas feliz10Júrame11Amor, amor, amor12Cucurrucucú paloma13Albur de amor14La malagueña15Serenata huasteca, sponsored by the Government of the Federal District.
In 2003, she began hosting the television program Acústico on Mexico City Canal 22, where she interviewed Ibero-American music personalities. She performed duets with guests such as Daniela Romo, José Feliciano, Lila Downs, Regina Orozco, Susana Zabaleta, Sonora Santanera, Chavela Vargas, Los Folkloristas, Maldita Vecindad, and Amaury Pérez.
Commemorating her 20 years as a performer, Eugenia León gave a concert at the Auditorio Nacional on November 1, 2003, accompanied by Mariachi Vargas and the Symphony Orchestra of the Americas.
She has given international performances in France, Japan, New York, Seville, Cartagena, Germany, Brazil, Morocco, Beijing, and Egypt.
In 2008, León participated as a guest artist in a Mexican special entitled Fiesta Mexicana for the US cultural television network PBS, along with Vikki Carr, Alberto Angel "El Cuervo", and the mariachi group Los Camperos de Nati Cano. She was honored by the municipal government of Tlalnepantla as a favorite daughter of the municipality at the 2008 Equinoccio Festival.
That year she ventured into acting in the film Tear This Heart Out, based on the acclaimed novel by Ángeles Mastretta. She played Toña la Negra, sharing credits with Ana Claudia Talancón, Daniel Giménez Cacho, and José María de Tavira.
León appeared at the opening of the Pan American Games in Guadalajara on October 14, 2011.

Groups

Grupo Víctor Jara, Vamos Patria, Polygram 1978
Sanampay, A Pesar De Todo, NCL 1981

Soloist

Así te quiero, Polygram 1983
Luz, Polygram 1984
El Fandango Aquí, Polygram 1985
Otra vez, Polygram 1986
Algo viene sucediendo, Polygram 1987
Maradentro, Polygram 1988
Ven acá, Polygram 1989
Lo esencial, Universal Music 1989
Juego con fuego, BMG 1991
Eugenia corazón de león, BMG 1993
Eugenia León interpreta a Cri-Cri, BMG 1994
Tangos, La Voz De La Sirena 1995
Que devuelvan, Ediciones El Hábitos-Discos Cabaret 1996
Tirana, Sony Music 1996
Oh, noche, Ediciones El Hábitos-Discos Cabaret 1996
Eugenia León en Directo, Discos Cabaret 1996
Norteño, Melody 1998
Corazón mexicano, Gobierno De La Ciudad De México 1998
La suave Patria, Opción Sónica 1999
Ni esto, ni l'otro, La Voz De La Sirena 1999
Acércate más, Universal Music 2000
Tatuajes, Universal Music 2003
Ellas Cantan Así, BMG 2003
La Más Completa Colección, Universal Music 2006
Pasional, IC21 2007
Puño de tierra, IC21 2008
Cine, IC21 2009
Agua de Beber, Universal Music 2011
Ciudadana del Mundo Vol. 1, Universal Music 2013
Ciudadana del Mundo Vol. 2, Universal Music 2013
Las Tres Grandes en Primera Fila together with Tania Libertad and Guadalupe Pineda, Sony Music 2015
Una Rosa Encendida, Sony Music 2017
A los cuatro Vientos 2020
Esperanza 2023

Collaborations

México 68 Vol. 1, IMM 1968
Amparo Ochoa Canta Con Los Niños, Discos Pueblo 1984
Está Valiendo... El Corazón, 1987
Canciones del Íntimo Decoro, Pentagrama 1988
Entre Amigos, BMG 1993
30 Años, BMG 1993
Boleros, Voz Y Sentimiento, Sony Music 1996
Un Mundo Una Esperanza, 1998
Un Canto De México, Sony Music 2002
Pablo Queriido, Universal Music 2003
Angeles y Pequeños Diablitos, 2003
El Pop Ha Muerto Viva El Pop, Universal Music 2005
Reunidos Por Siempre, Universal Music 2005
Chava Flores: Tributo De Sus Amigos, 2006
Buenas Noches, Sony Music 2006
5x5=, 2006
Quemar Las Naves, 2008
La Morena, Fonarte 2008
Sin Fecha De Caducidad, WEA 2009
Huapanguenado, 2009
Por Mi Culpa, WEA 2010
Tengo Que Hablarte, Pnetagrama 2010
Zona Preferente: En Vivo Desde El Auditorio Nacional, WEA 2012
33, 2013
Zona Preferente: Mi Tributo Al Festival, WEA 2013
Necesito Un Bolero, Sony Music 2014
Mujer Divina, Sony Music 2014
Caricia Urgente, 2015
He for She, Sony Music 2015
Primera Fila (En Vivo)—Las Tres Grandes, Sony Music 2016
Rocío Dúrcal, Duetos, Sony Music 2016
La Sonora Santanera en Su 60 Aniversario, Sony Music 2016
Amar y Vivir, Universal Music 2017