After the success of her 2009 album, Metamorfosis, Spanish singer/songwriter Vega made the courageous decision to move to Los Angeles to work on her next album. Unlike Metamorfosis, which was released by Universal Music Spain, this next venture was to be worked independently. But Sony Music grew interested and could not help but pick up the album, releasing it in September 2011 under the name La Cuenta Atras.
Now, that release is nominated in the “Best Album Pop/Rock” category for a 2012 Latin Grammy against albums from El Cuarteto Nos, JotDog, Leiva and Los Claxons. The awards ceremony takes place on November 15th in Las Vegas.
Vega enlisted the help of 12-time Grammy winner Sebastian Krys for the album and wrote all of its lyrics. Recording took place between Los Angeles and Madrid with the collaboration of stellar musicians such as Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney, Sting, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Lady Gaga), Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morrisette, Slash), guitarist David Levita (Shakira, Nelly Furtado, Katy Perry), and Roger J. Manning (Jellyfish, Beck and Blink-182).
In La Cuenta Atras, Vega fuses the sensibility and soulfulness of her voice and lyrics with a rock & roll energy that gives the album an edgy sound– reminiscent of other Spanish bands fronted by female voices, such as Amaral and defunct band Tauhres Zurdos.
As a singer/song writer, Vega describes herself in the following fashion: “I am like a psychologist who listens to what is happening out there. I diagnose through my songs, and some of them act like a remedy”. “ [I try to]…to swallow up life without restrictions, fears nor caution… to talk about beauty and cruelty equally. I write songs that aspire to be the soundtrack of a moment in the lives of others, and many of the ones I have written have already managed to do that”.
Vega is currently wrapping up the last leg of the La Cuenta Atras promotional tour throughout Spain, which began early this year. The album is available on iTunes.
*Official photo courtesy of Vegaoficial.com
