Alejandro Sanz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alejandro Sanz
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Sanz in 2025
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| Birth name | Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro |
| Born | 18 December 1968 Madrid, Spain |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, known as Alejandro Sanz (born December 18, 1968), is a famous Spanish musician, singer, and composer. He has won many awards, including 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year three times. Alejandro Sanz is known for his beautiful ballads, which are often inspired by flamenco music. He also explores other styles like pop, rock, funk, R&B, and jazz.
Alejandro was born in Madrid, Spain. His parents were from Andalusia. He started playing guitar at age seven, inspired by his family's flamenco background. His first album came out when he was nineteen. He became very popular in Spain with his second album, Viviendo Deprisa (1991). His albums Si Tú Me Miras (1993) and 3 (1995) were also successful. But it was his 1997 album Más that made him famous worldwide. His album El Alma al Aire (2000) sold over a million copies in its first week. In 2002, he was the first Spanish artist to record an MTV Unplugged album.
In 2005, he worked with Shakira on the song "La Tortura", which became a global hit. He continued to try new music styles with albums like No Es lo Mismo (2003) and El Tren de los Momentos (2006). His 2009 album, Paraíso Express, brought him back to his classic sound. In 2011, Sanz joined Universal Music Group. He released his tenth album, La Música No Se Toca, in 2012, followed by Sirope in 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Alejandro Sanz was born on December 18, 1968. He was the youngest son of María Pizarro and Jesús Sánchez. He grew up in the Moratalaz neighborhood of eastern Madrid. Alejandro remembers growing up playing in the street. He was often the one who played guitar and sang for his friends. This helped him stay out of trouble. His father sold books door-to-door and also played guitar professionally. This inspired young Alejandro to learn the instrument at age seven. He practiced so much that his mother once broke his guitar because his playing kept the family awake.
Every summer, Alejandro visited his parents' home in Andalusia, southern Spain. There, he learned about traditional flamenco music. He first wanted to be a flamenco performer. However, he found the flamenco teachers very strict. He felt he could not keep up with other students. So, he decided to create pop music with flamenco influences instead. He saw flamenco as a "lifestyle" that suited others better.
Alejandro Sanz's Music Journey
Early Albums and Rising Fame
As a teenager, Alejandro Sanz performed in many places in his hometown. He met Miguel Ángel Arenas, a music executive. Arenas helped Sanz get a record deal with the Spanish label Hispavox. In 1989, Sanz released his first album, Los Chulos Son Pa' Cuidarlos. He used the name Alejandro Magno for this album. The record mixed techno and flamenco. It was not very popular, and Sanz now sees it as "insignificant." However, it is now a rare item for collectors. After this, Sanz took a break from music to study business. He also worked at a recording studio, writing songs for other artists. He sent his song demos to record companies and was signed by Warner Music Latina. At this time, he started using his current name, Alejandro Sanz.
Sanz became famous in 1991 with his first album from Warner, Viviendo Deprisa. Songs like "Pisando Fuerte" and "Se le Apagó la Luz" helped him gain many fans in Spain. In 1993, he released Si Tú Me Miras, followed by a live album called Básico. That same year, he recorded "Mi Primera Canción" with flamenco legend Paco de Lucía. Sanz had always looked up to Paco de Lucía. In 1995, he released his third studio album, 3. This album was released in Italian and Portuguese too. "La Fuerza del Corazón" was the first song from 3 to become popular internationally. All three albums were very successful, selling millions of copies in Spain.
International Success with Más and El Alma al Aire
Sanz spent two years in Milan, Italy, working on his next album after 3. He wanted to mix many different sounds. He started learning saxophone and piano, in addition to guitar. In 1997, Sanz released his fifth album, Más. This album had ballads with strong flamenco, pop, and tropical influences. Songs like "Corazón Partío", "Y, ¿Si Fuera Ella?", and "Amiga Mía" made Más a huge hit. It sold over two million copies in Spain. This made it the best-selling album in Spanish history. The album stayed on the Billboard Latin Albums chart for 74 weeks. A year after its release, Sanz won an Ondas Award for Best Song for "Corazón Partío". This album made Sanz a global star. After its success, Sanz toured the United States for the first time.
His fifth album, El Alma al Aire, came out on September 26, 2000. On this album, Sanz explored more music styles. These included jazz, R&B, soul, and tango. In Spain, the album sold over one million copies in its first week. This broke his own record set by Más. At the 2001 Latin Grammy Awards, Sanz won four awards. These included Best Pop Male Vocal Album and Album of the Year for El Alma al Aire. He also won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the album's title track. Later that year, El Alma al Aire was released in a special edition. It included duets with the Irish band The Corrs. In October 2001, Sanz worked with Michael Jackson and other artists. They sang the Spanish version of "What More Can I Give" to help victims of the September 11 attacks.
In 2002, Sanz recorded MTV Unplugged in Miami, Florida. He was the first Spanish artist to record an MTV Unplugged album. Sanz said recording this album changed how he made music. It helped him rediscover performing and recording with live musicians. He won three Latin Grammy Awards for MTV Unplugged. These were Album of the Year, Recording of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Y Sólo Se Me Ocurre Amarte". At the 2002 Grammy Awards, Sanz performed "Quisiera Ser" with Destiny's Child.
Exploring New Sounds and Collaborations
On September 2, 2003, Sanz released his sixth album, No Es lo Mismo. On this album, Sanz shared his thoughts on important topics. For example, the song "Sandy a Orilla do Mundo" talks about oil spills. "Labana" tells the story of people leaving Cuba. The album won four awards at the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards. These included Album of the Year and Record of the Year. In 2004, he became the first Spanish musician to give a lecture at Harvard University. He spoke about Hispanic culture.
In 2005, Sanz worked with Shakira on her song "La Tortura". Sanz helped write the song. It became a huge international hit. It broke the record for the most weeks at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart. This song introduced Sanz to many new listeners. It also built excitement for his next album. The first song from his album El Tren de los Momentos, "A la Primera Persona", became his first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album also featured other famous artists. These included Shakira, Juanes, Alex González of Maná, and Residente of Calle 13.
In 2007, Sanz took a break from his world tour for health reasons. This break was needed because of several personal challenges. He spent time in therapy, which helped him feel stronger and ready to perform again.
New Albums and Continued Success
To promote his new album, Paraíso Express, Sanz started a special campaign. Fans could create videos about their idea of paradise and upload them to his YouTube channel. Other artists like Shakira and Laura Pausini also joined in. On November 10, 2009, Sanz released Paraíso Express. This album was seen as a return to his classic style. It focused more on melodies than on trying new sounds. Sanz said it was more of a rock album with positive lyrics. The song "Looking for Paradise" with Alicia Keys reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. At the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Album of the Year. The song "Desde Cuándo" was nominated for Record and Song of the Year.
On February 15, 2011, Sanz announced he was joining Universal Music Group. He had been with Warner for twenty years. In the same year, Sanz received the Latin Heritage Award from ASCAP. This award recognized his important contributions to Latin music. On September 2, 2012, he showed the cover art for his ninth album, La Música No Se Toca. Sanz released La Música No Se Toca on September 25, 2012. It included the song "No Me Compares", which was the theme song for the TV show Amores Verdaderos. On August 21, 2012, Sanz released "Irrepetível (Me Sumerjo)". This was a duet with Brazilian singer-songwriter Ana Carolina. It was a Portuguese-Spanish song. On September 17, he released the album's second song, "Se Vende". In 2013, Sanz was named Pop Male Artist of the Year. He also received the Excellence Award at the 26th Lo Nuestro Awards for his achievements in music.
Recent Works and Honors
On November 6, 2013, Sanz received an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College of Music. He said it was a great honor to receive this degree from one of the best music schools. He promised to keep working hard to deserve it.
Sanz released his eleventh album, Sirope, on May 4, 2015. It featured the song "A Que No Me Dejas". This song was a collaboration with Alejandro Fernandez and was used as the theme song for the TV show A Que No Me Dejas. The album took over a year to record. Sanz described its sound as "eclectic," meaning it had many different elements. These included flamenco, R&B, and folk music. He worked with producer Sebastian Krys.
In November 2017, Alejandro Sanz was honored as the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year.
In November 2018, he released the song "No tengo nada." This was the first song from his next album, #ElDisco. The album came out in April 2019. It was recorded in Miami and featured collaborations with Camila Cabello, Nicky Jam, Residente, and Judit Neddermann.
In May 2020, Sanz announced new dates for his La Gira tour. The tour was originally planned for June 2020 but was moved to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour began on June 12, 2021, in Valencia.
In July 2021, he sang "Imagine" as part of the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. He represented Europe. On October 29, 2020, Sanz appeared with Argentine singer TINI on "Un Beso en Madrid." This was a song from her third album Tini Tini Tini.
On September 15, 2024, Sanz announced a Netflix show about his music and plans. On October 14, 2024, Sanz received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award. On May 17, 2025, Sanz announced a new EP called ¿Y Ahora Qué?. It was released on May 23, 2025. It has six songs, including collaborations with Manuel Turizo, Grupo Frontera, and Shakira. On the release day, the song "Bésame" with Shakira was released as a single. This was their third time working together.
Musical Style and Influences
When Alejandro Sanz first started, his music was mostly romantic ballads. But in the late 1990s, working with other artists helped him expand his musical style. On No Es lo Mismo, he experimented with rock, salsa, and hip hop. Sanz said that when he went into the studio, he often had a basic idea for a song. Then, the guest artists would "mix it with their rhythms...in a good way." El Tren de los Momentos continued this exploration of different music types. It included genres like funk, jazz, and country. Even with these changes, his main strength remained romantic songs, usually ballads, with a flamenco touch.
Sanz is known for his unique, slightly rough voice. He says this comes from his flamenco roots. He credits the singer Camarón de la Isla as a big influence. In his song "Sí, He Cantado Mal" (Yes, I Have Sung Badly), he jokes about his voice. He says he is harder on himself than any music critic. When he was young, Sanz was very influenced by English heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Dio. He even called himself a "heavy metal radical." He also feels that living in the city of Cadiz greatly shaped his music. In Cadiz, many young kids know how to play guitar and sing. When families get together, they often sing. He sees it as more than just music; it's a part of the culture.
Personal Life
Alejandro Sanz married Mexican model and actress Jaydy Michel in Bali on December 30, 1999. This marriage was not legally recognized in their home countries. Sanz felt that a legal marriage was not necessary. He believed that being married "with the heart" was enough. Their daughter, Manuela Sánchez Michel, was born on July 28, 2001. The couple separated in 2005. Sanz later had a son named Alexander with Valeria Rivera, a Puerto Rican fashion designer.
Sanz married his former assistant, Raquel Perera, on May 23, 2012. This was a private ceremony in Sabadell, Barcelona. They have two children: a son, Dylan, born in 2011, and a daughter, Alma, born in 2014. The couple separated in July 2019.
The famous Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía was the godfather of Sanz's son. Sanz and his wife are godparents to David Bisbal's daughter, Ella.
Besides music, Sanz enjoys painting. He often paints when he is looking for ideas for new songs. He says painting teaches him that taking chances rarely leads to failure. He believes that taking a risk means you have already succeeded.
In 2016, Sanz spoke out against violence against women. He said that a man who "beats a woman, beats the whole humanity." He also wore make-up to show his support for women.
In January 2019, Sanz supported Juan Guaidó during the Venezuelan presidential crisis. He recognized Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela during an Instagram interview.
In October 2021, Sanz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his music. The ceremony took place in front of the Capitol Records building. His partner, Cuban artist Rachel Valdés, was with him. He mentioned her in his speech, saying she holds the dreams of his heart.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Notes |
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| 2003 | Celebridade | Musical Guest |
| 2015 | A que no me dejas | Musical Guest |
| 2018 | Lo Que Fui es Lo Que Soy | Documentary |
Discography
Studio albums
- 1989: Los Chulos Son Pa' Cuidarlos
- 1991: Viviendo Deprisa
- 1993: Si Tú Me Miras
- 1995: 3
- 1997: Más
- 2000: El Alma al Aire
- 2003: No Es lo Mismo
- 2006: El Tren de los Momentos
- 2009: Paraíso Express
- 2012: La Música No Se Toca
- 2015: Sirope
- 2019: #ElDisco
- 2021: Sanz
- 2025: ¿Y Ahora Qué?
Tours
- (1990–1992) Viviendo Deprisa Tour
- (1993–1994) Si Tú Me Miras Tour
- (1995–1996) 3 Tour
- (1998) Más Tour
- (2001–2002) El Alma Al Aire Tour
- (2004) No Es Lo Mismo Tour
- (2007–2008) El Tren De Los Momentos Tour
- (2009–2011) Paraiso Tour
- (2012–2014) La Música No Se Toca Tour
- (2015) Sirope Tour
- (2019–2022) ESP
- (2023) Sanz En Vivo 2023
Images for kids
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Sanz in 2025
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Alejandro Sanz performing in Managua, Nicaragua on November 1, 2007.
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Sanz performing on May 28, 2008.
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Sanz with Shakira and Juan Carlos I, The King of Spain during the IberoAmerican Summit of El Salvador.
See also
In Spanish: Alejandro Sanz para niños
- List of best-selling Latin music artists
External links
- Alejandro Sanz's Official Site: http://www.alejandrosanz.com/
- Alejandro Sanz Guitarras
