Jorge Drexler

Born in Montevideo in 1964, Jorge Drexler has, since the early 1990s, built a repertoire of songs in Spanish where milonga, candombe, murga, bossa nova, pop, folk and electronic touches intersect, with the lyrics occupying a central place. Trained as an ENT physician, Drexler first released La luz que sabe robar (1992) and Radar (1994) in Uruguay, before settling in Madrid after meeting Joaquín Sabina in the mid-1990s. That period led to albums such as Vaivén (1996), Llueve (1997), Frontera (1999), Sea (2001) and Eco (2004), often in dialogue with Uruguayan musicians like Juan Campodónico and Carlos Casacuberta. He has also written for other performers, notably Rosario Flores and Shakira. In 2005 his song Al otro lado del río, heard in the film The Motorcycle Diaries, won the Oscar for Best Original Song — a first for a Uruguayan artist. Since then he has alternated acoustic formats and more rhythmic approaches with 12 segundos de oscuridad (2006), Amar la trama (2010), Bailar en la cueva (2014), Salvavidas de hielo (2017) and Tinta y tiempo (2022).