Bad Gyal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bad Gyal
Gyal in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Alba Farelo Solé
Born	(1997-03-07) 7 March 1997 (age 28) Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona, Spain
Genres	Dancehall EDM reggaeton pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter DJ model
Years active	2016–present
Labels	Aftercluv Interscope

Alba Farelo Solé (born on March 7, 1997), known as Bad Gyal, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. She is famous for her unique sound and has gained many dedicated fans since starting her music career in 2016.

She first became known for her version of Rihanna's song "Work" sung in Catalan. Bad Gyal continued to make music on her own, releasing popular songs like "Jacaranda" and "Fiebre". Later, she released two mixtapes: Slow Wine (2016) and Worldwide Angel (2018). These helped her become a rising star in the Spanish urban music scene.

In 2019, Bad Gyal signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv. This helped her reach a wider audience. Songs like "Santa María", "Zorra", and "Alocao" became very popular. "Alocao" even became the number-one song in Spain in 2019. In 2021, she released her first official projects as a signed artist, Warm Up and Sound System: The Final Releases. Her first full album, La joia, came out in 2024.

Early Life and School

Alba Farelo was born on March 7, 1997, in Vilassar de Mar, a town near Barcelona, Spain. She is the oldest of five children. Her father, Eduard Farelo [ca], is a well-known actor and voice actor. Alba's younger sister, Irma, is also a singer who performs under the name Mushkaa.

When she was 18, Alba started studying fashion design at the University of Barcelona. While going to college and working at a call centre, she released her song "Pai". This song was her own version of "Work" by Rihanna and Drake, sung in the Catalan language.

Music Career

2016–2018: Early Mixtapes and Growing Fame

After her song "Pai" became popular on YouTube and was played on local radio, Alba started recording her first mixtape, Slow Wine Mixtape. She worked with producer Pablo Martínez on this project. The mixtape was released on November 9, 2016. It quickly got attention from music magazines like Pitchfork and Fact. Fact magazine even called her song "Jacaranda" the best single of 2017.

After releasing the song "Fiebre", Bad Gyal's popularity grew a lot. "Fiebre" has since become a favorite among her fans. The success of her mixtape led her to perform at many music festivals across Europe. In late 2017, she also went on tour in Mexico and the United States.

In February 2018, she released her second mixtape, Worldwide Angel. This album also received great reviews. It was distributed by Canada Editorial. The mixtape featured songs produced by famous artists like Jam City, Dubbel Dutch, Florentino, and El Guincho. Some of the popular songs from this mixtape include "Blink", "Candela", and "Internationally". To promote the album, she performed at international festivals like SXSW and Lollapalooza. She also toured the United States again. In November 2018, she went on her first tour in Asia, visiting Japan, China, and the Philippines. During this time, she also released other songs like "Open the Door" with Jamaican singer Govana, "Yo sigo iual", and "Unknown Feeling".

2019–2021: Becoming a Mainstream Artist

In April 2019, it was announced that Alba Farelo had signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv Dance Lab. This was a big step that helped her music reach a much larger audience. Her first song as a signed artist was "Santa María", which featured Busy Signal. This song was her first to appear on the music charts in Spain and later earned a gold certification. The song "Hookah", released with "Santa María", reached number 55 in Spain.

In October 2019, Bad Gyal worked with Omar Montes on the song "Alocao". This song became a huge hit, reaching number one in Spain for several weeks. It has been certified five times platinum, meaning it sold a lot of copies. Two months later, she released "Zorra", which peaked at number 2 in Spain. A new version of "Zorra" featuring Rauw Alejandro was released in February 2021.

In 2020, Farelo was featured on Kafu Banton's song "Tú eres un bom bom". This song was later remixed with Guaynaa. She also released "Blin Blin" in November, which became very popular and was widely used on TikTok in Spain. She also teamed up with Vodafone to offer a special online concert.

Bad Gyal released her first extended play (EP) called Warm Up on March 19, 2021. The EP reached number 5 on the charts in Spain. She also worked with the clothing brand Bershka to release her own clothing line. On June 25, she collaborated with Mariah Angeliq and María Becerra on the song "BOBO". As the touring season ended, Farelo released "Flow 2000". She also released her second EP, Sound System: The Final Releases. This EP included songs she had been performing live for years but had not officially released yet. She also released "A la mía" exclusively for the Grand Theft Auto Online radio station Motomami Los Santos. This radio station is hosted by Rosalía and Arca.

Discography

• La joia (2024)

Filmography

Television

Tours

Headlining

• Slow Wine Mixtape Tour (2017)
• International Bad Gyal Sound System (2019–2021)
• La Joia Tour (2022–2023)
• La Joia 24 Karats Tour (2024)

Supporting

• Mañana Será Bonito Tour (2023)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Bad Gyal para niños