Who is Sandra Carrasco
Sandra Carrasco Tavira (Huelva, December 13, 1981), better known as Sandra Carrasco, is a Spanish singer who comes from flamenco, with diverse musical styles such as Bossa Nova, Jazz, and World Music.
- Flamenco Singer: She is one of the leading flamenco singers in the current scene.
- Singer: She stands out for her great versatility in performing all kinds of music.
Raised in Huelva, she began her training at Alameda de Hércules in Seville with teacher Adelita Domingo, who introduced her to singing. Her professional career started as a backing vocalist for flamenco artists such as Arcángel, El Pele, Manolo Sanlúcar, Manuel Lombo, Miguel Poveda, and occasionally with Estrella Morente, among others.
“Culture is sacred, untouchable, and flamenco is a cult music.”
Between Canto and Cante
Other Music Styles
She is known for her foray into all kinds of music and her projects with very different artists from various styles.
Flamenco
She has collaborated with almost all the great flamenco artists, such as Arcángel, Manolo Sanlúcar, José Luis Montón, etc.
World Music
She has worked with Anoushka Shankar, Richard Bona, Chuchito Valdés, and Jerry González, among others.
Early career
Sandra Carrasco wins numerous Fandangos de Huelva competitions and receives a scholarship at the Cristina Heeren Flamenco Singing Foundation in Seville. She studies a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Huelva, and a Diploma in Music Education.
She arrived in Madrid in 2007 and joined the musical “Enamorados Anónimos” created by José María Cámara and Javier Limón, with Blanca Li as choreographer. It ran for several weeks on Madrid’s Gran Vía in 2008.
“A malleable voice with generous emission, capable of filling the milonga with rumba without difficulty, yet with vigorous sounds and some rhythmic tensions, thus proving to be a true cantaora.”
Manuel Martín from “El Mundo” (2022)
Under the guidance of Javier Limón, she recorded her first album with EMI Music titled Sandra Carrasco. Following that recording, she met Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi Shankar and sister of Norah Jones, with whom she toured worldwide for three years.
She delves into new music styles
She recorded her second album with Warner Music Spain titled “Océano”, recorded in 2013, accompanied by musicians Chuchito Valdés, Javier Colina, and Jerry González, among others.
In 2014, she collaborated with Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona in the Flamenco Project show, performing in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, and Paris.
Other professional collaborations
In 2015, she began recording her new album titled Travesía, produced by musician Melón Jiménez. In late 2016, she recorded several tracks for guitarist Rycardo Moreno’s album A Galeano, which they presented in May 2017 in Malaga. She also participated in “Electra” with the Spanish National Ballet, premiered in 2017, where she was the main voice of the show.
On November 5, 2017, the live album De cerca by Josemi Carmona & Javier Colina with Bandolero, recorded at Café Berlín, was released, featuring Sandra Carrasco on the tracks “Morente Habichuela” and “Flor de Lis.”
That same year, and on this occasion with María Mezcle and Pablo Rubén Maldonado, they formed the group Divas, a live show honoring the great female voices in music history.
In late 2017, her album “Travesía” was considered one of the top 100 albums in Spain, according to the website 100×100 música.
Most recently…
In November 2019, she presented her album with Pedro Ojesto, “La luz del entendimiento,” featuring flamenco singer Carmen Linares. In late March 2021, “Te espero en Jarra,” a collaboration with María Peláe, was released. She then collaborated on the premiere of D’MADRUGA by Eva Yerbabuena at Suma Flamenca 2020 and is part of her new show “Al igual que tú,” which premiered at the Jerez Festival 2021.
In 2021, she participated in the Flamenco & Classica album by guitarist and composer José Luis Montón, which also featured renowned flamenco and other music voices such as Miguel Poveda, Pitingo, María Toledo, Rosario “La Tremendita,” Rocío Márquez, Sheila Blanco, and Roko.
“Carrasco is a far-reaching cantaora who sometimes transcends flamenco to settle into other popular music styles.”
Javier Losilla from “El Periódico” (2021)
Guest artist in the latest show by dancer Alfonso Losa, presented at Suma Flamenca in 2021 and winner of the Critics’ Award at the Jerez Festival in 2022.
French and Spanish tour in 2022 through cathedrals with the show “Liturgia” featuring José Maya, Rafael Jiménez Falo, Diego Amador Júnior, and José Luis López.
In 2022, the artist’s latest duo album with maestro José Luis Montón, titled “Canciones al oído,” was released, presented in September 2021 at the Sala Roja of Teatros del Canal. An album of the Maestro’s songs sung by the artist, an intimate, eclectic, flamenco, profound, and fun proposal that was considered by the newspaper “El País,” in its annual music ranking, as one of the 5 best Flamenco albums and among the 100 best of 2022.