Javiera Mena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Javiera Mena
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Javiera Mena in March 2023
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| Birth name | Javiera Alejandra Mena Carrasco |
| Born | June 3, 1983 Santiago, Chile |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
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Javiera Alejandra Mena Carrasco (born June 3, 1983) is a talented singer, songwriter, and musician from Chile. She is now based in Madrid, Spain. Javiera began her music career in Chile's indie music scene in 2001. She became widely known after releasing her first album, Esquemas Juveniles, in 2006. Her music style often features electronic sounds from synthesizers. However, when she first started, she also made acoustic songs with just her guitar.
Contents
Javiera Mena's Music Journey
Early Years and First Steps (1983–2003)
Javiera Mena started performing live when she was 17 years old. Her very first concert was in a classroom at the University of Chile. In 2002, she began studying music composition and arrangement at the ProJazz music academy. At the same time, she performed at small parties and clubs. In 2003, she recorded some demo songs. These songs were shared online by her friends. In 2004, she performed outside Chile for the first time. She opened for the Argentine electropop band Entre Ríos in Buenos Aires.
Between 2003 and 2006, Javiera was also part of an electropop duo called Prissa. She formed this group with her friend Francisca Villela. They released a digital EP (a short album) called Ni Tú Ni Yo.
Esquemas Juveniles and Growing Fame (2004–2009)
Javiera's first song released officially was "Sol de Invierno." It was a duet with her friend and singer Gepe. This song was part of a music collection called Panorama Neutral in 2005. Another song, "Cámara Lenta," was soon used in the movie Se arrienda.
Her first album, Esquemas Juveniles, was recorded between 2004 and 2005. It was produced by Cristian Heyne. The album first came out in 2006 in Argentina. Later, it was released in Chile and Japan. Her music started to get attention around the world, especially through websites like MySpace. This album was later called the second-best album of the 2000s by a Latin music website. Its first song, "Al Siguiente Nivel," was named the best song of that decade.
In 2009, Mena performed in Europe for the first time. She was invited by the Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience to open their concerts in Spain and Portugal.
Mena Album and Big Success (2010–2013)
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After four years of work, Javiera's second album, Mena, was released in October 2010. This album was also produced by Cristian Heyne. It had a more dance-focused style compared to her first album. The first song from the album, "Hasta la Verdad," was chosen as one of the "Singles of the Week" on the American iTunes Store. iTunes Mexico also named Mena the breakthrough album of the year. A music website gave Mena a perfect score and named it their 2010 album of the year.
In April 2011, Javiera Mena performed live for the first time at the Chilean version of Lollapalooza. In May, she toured Spain and performed at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. She received praise for her performance and got attention from the Spanish press.
In 2012, Mena was featured in El Guincho's song "Novias." In March 2013, Mena and fellow Chilean artist Gepe worked with Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas on a song called "Vuelve."
Otra Era and New Sounds (2014–2016)
In October 2014, Javiera Mena released her third album, Otra Era. This album showed her interest in a strong 1980s disco sound. It used more synthesizers and had more danceable beats than her earlier work. This period also showed her greater focus on the visual side of her career, like music videos and live shows.
The first song released from the album was "Espada" ("Sword") in 2013. Its video and lyrics became very popular because they included references to the LGBT community. The video has been viewed millions of times online. The album cover for Otra Era showed Javiera in a black and white picture. She wore special sunglasses that became a symbol for her. The cover was censored by some media and music services.
In 2015, she went on the Otra Era tour, performing in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Chile.
In 2016, Javiera was a judge at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, a very popular music festival in Chile. She also performed a show at the festival, which was shown on national TV. Javiera created a colorful and exciting show with many female dancers. This performance helped many people in Latin America discover her music. At the end of her show, she said, "I'm very happy to be here. It's very difficult to be an independent artist in Chile, and besides the numbers and sales, I make music because it comes from my soul, from my heart."
The year 2016 marked 10 years since Javiera Mena released Esquemas juveniles. She celebrated this with a special concert in Santiago in September.
Espejo and I. Entusiasmo (2017–2021)
In 2017, Javiera signed a contract with Sony Music for a new album. Its first song, "Dentro de mi," was shown in November in Santiago. Her fourth album, Espejo, was released in April 2018. In 2019, Javiera Mena performed at the Coachella Music Festival in California.
Javiera released her first digital EP, I. Entusiasmo, in 2021. It had five songs, all of which became singles.
Nocturna and Recent Work (2022–Present)
Since Javiera Mena has been living in Spain, she was invited to take part in the first Benidorm Fest in 2022. This festival is Spain's way of choosing its entry for the famous Eurovision Song Contest. She performed her song "Culpa" in the second semi-final. She placed 6th and did not make it to the final.
Her fifth album, Nocturna, was released in October 2022. She toured Spain, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico to promote it.
On August 13, 2024, Mena released the song "Volver a Llorar." This was the first song from her upcoming sixth album. She then released two more songs, "Entropía" and "Mar de Coral." Her sixth album, Inmersión, was officially released on April 23, 2025. It received very good reviews.
Javiera's Artistic Style
Early in her career, Javiera was greatly influenced by the Spanish singer Jeanette. While her first music was indie pop, she later moved towards an electropop sound. This electronic pop style has become what she is known for today.
Javiera Mena is openly lesbian, and this has influenced the themes in her music. In a 2019 interview, she mentioned the Argentine pop duo of Sandra Mihanovich and Celeste Carballo as influences. She spoke about their songs "Puerto Pollensa", "Soy lo que soy" and "Mujer contra mujer".
Music Albums
Studio Albums
- Esquemas juveniles (2006)
- Mena (2010)
- Otra era (2014)
- Espejo (2018)
- Nocturna (2022)
- Inmersión (2025)
EPs (Short Albums)
- I. Entusiasmo (2021)
Awards and Nominations
Javiera Mena has been recognized for her music with several awards and nominations.
Latin Grammy Awards
She was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Song in 2015 for her song "Otra Era".
MTV Europe Music Awards
Javiera Mena was nominated twice for the Best Latin America Central Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, in 2014 and 2015.
Premios Pulsar
At the Pulsar Awards, a major music award in Chile, Javiera Mena won the award for Best Pop Act in 2015. She was also nominated for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for Otra Era), and Song of the Year (for "Otra Era") in the same year. In 2019, she was nominated for Best Record Producer.
Other Awards
Javiera Mena won the Best Chilean Act at the MIN Awards in 2011. She was also nominated for Best Chilean Act at the Premios 40 Principales América in 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Javiera Mena para niños
