Alaska (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alaska
Alaska in 2016
Born	María Olvido Gara Jova (1963-06-13) 13 June 1963 (age 62) Mexico City, Mexico
Other names	The Mexican Acid Queen
Occupation	Singer-songwriter actress record producer television presenter author businesswoman
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Mario Vaquerizo ​ (m. 1999)​
Musical career
Origin	Madrid, Spain
Genres	Pop electronica dance
Labels	Chapa Discos Zafiro Hispavox DRO GASA Running Circle Subterfuge Warner Music Group

Olvido Gara Jova (born June 13, 1963), known as Alaska, is a famous singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born in Mexico and later moved to Spain. People often call her the "Queen of La Movida". This was a big cultural movement in Madrid, Spain, in the 1980s.

Alaska is known for always changing her music style and look. She has been very creative in her songs and how she presents herself. She moved from Mexico to Spain in 1973. There, she joined her first band, Kaka de Luxe, as a guitarist. Later, she became the lead singer for Alaska y los Pegamoides. With this group, she had her first number one hit song, "Bailando." This made her very popular in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.

From 1983, she was the singer and songwriter for Alaska y Dinarama. This band also released many popular albums. Many of her songs have been number one hits around the world. Some of her most famous songs include "Perlas ensangrentadas," "Ni Tú Ni Nadie," and "A Quién Le Importa."

Life and Music Journey

Early Life and Influences

Alaska was born in Mexico City on June 13, 1963. Her parents were from Spain and Cuba. They were living in Mexico because of political reasons in their home countries. In 1973, her family moved to Madrid, Spain.

When she was young, Alaska loved artists like Lou Reed and T-Rex. But David Bowie was her biggest inspiration. She even used the pen name Alaska for a fanzine. She got the name from a song by Lou Reed called "Caroline Says II."

The punk music movement also had a big effect on young Alaska. She soon decided she wanted to start a band. She met Nacho Canut and Carlos Berlanga at a flea market in Madrid. They would later become her bandmates.

Starting Her Music Career in the 1970s and 1980s

Alaska performing in Madrid, Spain

In 1977, Alaska and her friends formed the band Kaka de Luxe. This was one of Spain's first punk rock bands. Alaska played the rhythm guitar in this group. In 1979, she became the lead singer for a new band called Alaska y los Pegamoides. They chose their name to honor a band they admired, Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Later, some members left "Pegamoides" to form a new band called "Dinarama." In 1982, Alaska joined "Dinarama." Their first album in 1983 was called Canciones Profanas. For their next album, they changed the band name to "Alaska y Dinarama." They kept this name until 1989. During this time, they released many popular songs.

In 1989, "Alaska y Dinarama" broke up. Alaska and Nacho Canut then started a new band called "Fangoria." They changed their music style to electronic pop. Their first album as Fangoria was Salto Mortal. After that, they released a series of albums called Un día cualquiera en Vulcano. During this time, Alaska became a strong supporter of the LGBT community. She was very active in events like Madrid Gay Pride.

Fangoria became very popular with their album Una Temporada en el Infierno. Many people consider it a masterpiece of electronic music. Their next album, Naturaleza muerta, also showed how amazing Fangoria was.

In the late 1980s, Alaska also hosted a children's TV show in Spain. It was called La Bola de Cristal on Televisión Española.

Alaska in the 21st Century

In 2005, Fangoria visited Mexico to promote their album Arquitectura efímera. Alaska also appeared on a Mexican comedy show called Desde Gayola.

Since 2011, Alaska has starred in a MTV Spain reality series called Alaska y Mario. She appears on the show with her husband and manager, Mario Vaquerizo.

Working with Other Artists

Alaska has also acted in movies. In 1980, she appeared in the film Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón by Pedro Almodóvar. She has also had small roles in other films.

She has helped create music for movie soundtracks. These include The Killer Tongue and The Bear Cub. She also sang on a song called Bandid Lover for Miguel Bosé's album Papito in 2007.

Music Albums

Alaska performing in 2013

Here are some of the main albums from the bands Alaska has been a part of:

Kaka de Luxe

• Kaka de Luxe (1978)
• Kaka de Luxe/Paraíso (1982)
• Las canciones malditas (1983)

Alaska y Los Pegamoides

• Grandes Éxitos (1982)
• Alaska y Los Pegamoides (1982)
• Llegando hasta el final (1982)
• Mundo Indómito (1998)

Alaska y Dinarama

• Canciones Profanas (1983)
• Deseo carnal (1984)
• No es pecado (1986)
• Diez (1988)
• Fan fatal (1989)

Fangoria

• "Salto mortal" (1990)
• "Un día cualquiera en Vulcano" (Super Extended Play 1.0) (1992)
• "Un día cualquiera en Vulcano" (Super Extended Play 2.0) (1993)
• "Un día cualquiera en Vulcano" (Super Extended Play 3.0) (1995)
• Interferencias (1998)
• Una temporada en el infierno (1999)
• Naturaleza muerta (2001)
• Arquitectura efímera (2004)
• El extraño viaje (2006)
• Entre Punta Cana y Monte Carlo (2008)
• Absolutamente (2009)
• El paso transcendental del vodevil a la astracanada (2010)
• "Policromía" (2013)
• "Cuatricromía" (2012)
• "Canciones para robots románticos" (2016)
• "Pianissimo" (2017)
• "Extrapolaciones y dos preguntas 1989–2000 (2019)
• "Extrapolaciones y dos respuestas 2001–2019 (2019)
• "Existencialismo pop" (2021)
• "Edificaciones paganas" (2022)
• "Exprofeso" (2022)

See also

In Spanish: Alaska (cantante) para niños