José Miguel Carmona

Born in Madrid in 1971, José Miguel Carmona, often credited as Josemi Carmona, grew up in a flamenco environment shaped by his family ties to guitarist Pepe Habichuela and dancer Amparo Bengala, and began playing guitar at a very young age. His trajectory is rooted in a family tradition while opening onto a nuevo flamenco aesthetic in which the guitar converses with pop, Latin music and, at times, a jazz‑inflected approach. José Miguel Carmona took part in La Barbería del Sur alongside Pepe Luis Carmona, Juan José Suárez “Paquete” and Enrique Heredia “Negri”, before taking on a prominent role in Ketama, the Spanish group associated with the renewal of flamenco in the 1980s and 1990s. At the same time he developed collaborative work with other singers and instrumentalists, notably Niña Pastori, Guadiana and Carles Benavent. His discography under his own name includes Sumando (2005) and Las pequeñas cosas (2012). In José Miguel Carmona’s playing, the guitar remains anchored in the flamenco compás while embracing more open and contemporary forms.