SHAZAM

Spanish Latin pop star Alex Ubago was born in Vitoria on January 29, 1981. His family moved to San Sebastian when Alex, an only child, was four. Just for the fun of creating, Ubago wrote his first song at the age of 15. He taught himself to sing, solely to hear how his songs sounded. Without career designs, after writing several songs Ubago contacted his cousin David, who was a musician with a home studio. Together, the two recorded some of Ubago's compositions, hoping to present them to Ubago's girlfriend as a birthday present. It didn't take long before these casual recordings fell into the hands of manager Inigio Argomaniz, who presented the material to some industry friends. Ubago was gently urged to record some more of his material, and in time enough material had been written to be formally presented. The hands in which the new songs landed were those of DRO Atlantic artistic director Alfonso Perez. In October of 2000 the contracts were signed. Three years later Que Pides Tu was released, followed by 2004's Fantasia o Realidad, which would win Ubago international stardom. The latter record achieved gold and platinum status, given its strong sales in Spain, Latin America, and the U.S. In 2006 Ubago released Aviones de Cristal, featuring the song "Viajar Contigo," one of Ubago's many Billboard chart successes. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi