Paula Arenas Álvarez (born May 1, 1988 in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

) is a Colombian

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

singer-songwriter.

Early life and career beginnings

Paula Arenas Álvarez was born on May 1, 1988 in Bogotá, Colombia. She has two siblings, named Federico and Mariana. She discovered her love for singing in 1994 while watching Colombian

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

''"Cafe con aroma de mujer,"'' the main character of which, Gaviota, would often sing in a way that Arenas tried to replicate, which earned her the nickname "Gaviotica." She then joined her school choir at age 7. During her teenage year sand early adulthood, Arenas was seeking to pursue an education in music, applying to enroll in Colombian universities Los Andes and

Pontificia Universidad Javeriana The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (English: Xavierian Pontifical University) is a private university in Colombia founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest and most traditional Colombian universities, directed by the Society of Jesus, with its ...

. After being rejected into both schools, she decided to dedicate herself fully to singing, and started singing popular song covers in local bars and restaurants. After some time of covering songs she wasn't feeling passionate about, Arenas got hired to work at El Bandido Restaurant, where she started covering Frank Sinatra, and then went on to form a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

. It was during this time that she worked with Colombian singers Esteman and Juan Pablo Vega. It was through Vega that Arenas became acquainted with Colombian record producer

Julio Reyes Copello Julio Reyes Copello (born April 26, 1969) is a Colombian producer, composer, songwriter and record engineer. Throughout his career he has worked with various artists such as Jennifer López, Marc Anthony, Thalía, Chayanne, Kany García, Ale ...

, to whom she often credits for helping her take singing and music seriously. In January 2015, Arenas moved to Miami to pursue music full-time. In 2019 she married Beto Perez, a Colombian artist and graphic designer from

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...

. During their wedding, Arenas performed her song "Una Vida Contigo" alongside Colombian singer-songwriter Santiago Cruz, and filmed its music video. In 2020, the pair welcomed their first child, León.

Career

2011–2014: Independent breakthrough

Arenas debuted independently in November 2011 with a self-titled EP, which included singles such as "Me Hace Bien", "Sola", "Lo Que El Tiempo Dejó" (featuring Esteman), "Excesos" and "Un Día Cualquiera". "Lo Que El Tiempo Dejó" was a top 10 hit in Colombia. In 2014 she was nominated in the New Artist of the Year category at the Colombian Nuestra Tierra Awards.

2015–2017: Art House Records, new debut, and ''Matices''

In 2015 she moved to Miami to start her music career over, after signing to Julio Reyes Copello's label, Art House Records. In 2016 released her debut single called "Nada," produced by Reyes Copello. It received a generally positive response and support from the public, as well as peers such as

Carla Morrison Carla Patricia Morrison Flores (born July 19, 1986) is a Mexican indie-pop guitarist and singer. She has released three studio albums and has received various awards and nominations including two Grammy Award nominations and three Latin Grammy A ...

and Colombian singers

Juanes Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 1972), known professionally as Juanes, is a Colombian musician who was a member of the Rock music, rock band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. Since releasing his solo debut album ''Fíjate B ...

and Fonseca. In May 2016 she joined

Alejandro Sanz Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz (; born 18 December 1968), is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. He has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Latin Grammy Award ...

as the opening act on his ' Sirope Tour' in Colombia. In 2017 she released a single called 'Tanto, Tanto' followed by her third EP ''Matices'', which earned her a

Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

nomination in the

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that ar ...

category at the awards' 18th edition in 2017.

2018–2020: Sony Music and ''Visceral''

In 2018 she signed to Sony Music Colombia, and later that year released a single called "Tiempo al Viento" with Cuban singer Diana Fuentes. The song would serve as the lead single from her first full-length studio album, "Visceral," which was released in 2019 and received several Latin Grammy nominations at the awards' 20th edition, including Album of the Year and

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented ...

. The second single off the album, "Buena Para Nada" was also nominated in the Best Pop Song category. Later that year, she released a music video for her song "Una Vida Contigo (feat. Santiago Cruz)". The music video was filmed during Arenas' wedding to Beto Perez, where she performed the song with Cruz. Later that year, Arenas performed her song ''"Ahora Soy Libre"'' at the 20th Latin Grammy Awards Ceremony. In 2020, Arenas received a Premios Nuestra Tierra nomination in the Album of the Year category for "Visceral."

2021–2022: Profesor Records and ''Mis Amores''

In 2021 she participated in the Latin Recording Academy "Ellas y su Música" tribute concert alongside Olga Tañón, Nella González and Vikky Carr, one of the artists honored in the concert. Later that same year, she released "A Tu Lado", the lead single off her EP "Mis Amores", which was recorded in 2020 in Arenas' home in Miami, amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The EP was released in May 2021 and received several Latin Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The albums lead single, "A Tu Lado" was also nominated in the

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

category. Arenas was also invited to perform at the ceremony during the tribute to Armando Manzanero, algonside

Carlos Rivera Carlos Augusto Rivera Guerra (born March 15, 1986) is a Mexican singer who rose to fame by winning the third generation of ''La Academia''. He has released four studio albums and participated in six theatre productions. Early life Rivera w ...

and Nella González. This also marked the first time Arenas was nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

award, with the EP receiving a nod in the

Best Latin Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors in ...

category. In 2022 she signed with Mexican Independent Label Profesor Records and released two singles: "Puro Sentimiento" with Colombian singer Manuel Medrano, in May, and "Un Día a la Vez" in October. In December of that year, she visited Mexico on a press tour, where she also joined mexican pop group

Reik Reik is a Mexican pop rock band from Mexicali, Baja California, formed in 2003 by Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas (lead vocals), Julio Ramírez Eguía (guitar, background vocals), and Gilberto Marín Espinoza (guitar). The group's first five album ...

as their opening act on their

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

stop at Auditorio Nacional on their tour. She also opened for mexican pop group

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

, and mexican singer-songwriter Ale Zéguer in Texcoco.

2023–present: ''A Ciegas''

In 2023 she released two more singles: "A Ciegas" in March, and "Déjame Llorarte", alongside

's frontman Jesús Navarro, in April. Both singles, along with her previous two releases, would become part of her second studio album, also titled "A Ciegas", released on May 19, 2023. The album spawned a mini tour across

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Colombia and Mexico, which marked Arenas' first headlining tour, after joining mexican singer

as an opening act on his 3 shows in Mexico City's Auditorio Nacional. In May of that year, "Puro Sentimiento" received a nomination for Best Pop Song at that year's Premios Nuestra Tierra. In September of that year, Arenas received 4

nominations at the awards' 24th edition in the Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album categories for "A Ciegas", as well as the Record of the Year and Best Pop Song for "Déjame Llorarte".

Discography

Studio Albums

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

A Grammy Award is an accolade by

The Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. ! Ref. , - , rowspan=1,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, , ''Mis Amores'' , , rowspan=2,

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2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, , ''A Ciegas'' , , , ,

Latin Grammy Awards

A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the

Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., trading as The Latin Recording Academy (; ), is a multinational membership-based association composed of Latin music industry professionals, musicians, producers, recording engineers, and ...

to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. ! Ref. , - , rowspan=1,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, , Paula Arenas , ,

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2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, , rowspan=2, ''Visceral'' , , Album of the Year , , , , rowspan=3, , - ,

, , , - , "Buena Para Nada" , , Best Pop Song , , , - , rowspan=3,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, , rowspan=2, ''Mis Amores'' , , Album of the Year , , , , rowspan=3, , - ,

, , , - , "A Tu Lado" , ,

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2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, rowspan=2, ''A Ciegas'' , Album of the Year, , , rowspan=4 , , - , Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, , , - , rowspan=2, "Déjame Llorarte" , Record of the Year, , , - , Best Pop Song, ,

Premios Nuestra Tierra

a Premio Nuestra Tierra is an accolade by

RCN Radio RCN Radio (''Radio Cadena Nacional'', "National Radio Network") is one of the main radio networks in Colombia. Founded in 1949 with the integration of ''Radio Pacífico'' (Cali), ''La Voz de Medellín'' and ''Emisora Nueva Granada'' (Bogotá). C ...

and

RCN Television RCN may refer to: * ''Radio Cadena Nacional (disambiguation)'', a broadcast network in Colombia ** RCN Radio ** RCN TV * RCN Corporation (formerly Residential Communications Network), a cable television, telephone, and Internet service provider in ...

to recognize outstanding achievements for artists in the Colombian music industry. !Ref. , - , rowspan=1, 2014, , Paula Arenas, , New Artist of the Year, , , , , - , rowspan=1, 2020, , ''Visceral'', , Album of the Year, , , , , - , rowspan=1, 2023, , , , Best Pop Song, , , , Notes * Arenas shared the nomination with Manuel Medrano, her collaborator on the song.

References

External links

Paula (Official Website)Art House Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arenas, Paula 1988 births Living people Colombian pop singers Colombian women pop singers Colombian jazz singers Colombian women jazz singers Colombian guitarists Colombian women guitarists 21st-century Colombian women singers Musicians from Bogotá Women in Latin music Latin music songwriters