Bad Gyal

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Farelo and the second or maternal family name is Solé.
Bad Gyal
Bad Gyal in 2022
Born
Alba Farelo Solé

(1997-03-07) 7 March 1997 (age 27)
Vilassar de Mar, Catalonia, Spain
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • DJ
  • model
Years active2016–present
WorksDiscography
RelativesMushkaa (sister)
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Website

Alba Farelo Solé (born 7 March 1997), known professionally as Bad Gyal, is Spanish singer, songwriter, DJ and model. Known for her distinctive overall use of Auto-Tune, Bad Gyal has developed a strong cult following ever since her musical career began in 2016, with an interpretation of Rihanna's "Work" in the Catalan language.[1] She continued to make music as an independent artist, releasing records like "Indapanden", "Jacaranda" and "Fiebre". Bad Gyal later released two mixtapes: Slow Wine Mixtape (2016) and Worldwide Angel (2018), which consecrated her as an emerging artist within the Spanish urban scene.[2]

Bad Gyal signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv in 2019 and saw mainstream acclaim with songs like "Santa María", "Zorra" and "Alocao", the latter becoming the number-one song in Spain for 2019.[3] 2021 saw the release of her first project as a signed artist Warm Up, and The Final Releases.[4][5] Her debut album La Joia was released in 2024.

Early life

[edit]

Alba Farelo Solé was born on 7 March 1997 in Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona. The eldest of five children,[6] Farelo is the daughter of Eduard Farelo [ca], actor and voice actor.[7][8] Farelo's younger sister Irma is also a singer, performing under the name Mushkaa.[9]

At 18, Farelo entered the University of Barcelona, aiming to study fashion design. While attending university and simultaneously working at a call centre, she released "Pai", an adaptation of "Work", by Rihanna and Drake, in Catalan.[10] Although she never meant for that song to become viral, and that she just did it "to create a funny memory with her group of friends", Farelo became noticed. While working in a bakery in her hometown, she decided to drop out of college to pursue a professional musical career. She began as an independent artist, singing covers and playing music in nightclubs in and around Barcelona. She later became more interested in producing her own music and, with the money she made from gigs, soon rented recording studios and hired new producers. She would then team up with producer Fakeguido, releasing "Indapanden" and "No Pierdo Nada", among other songs.

Career

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2016–2018: Slow Wine Mixtape and Worldwide Angel

[edit]

After "Pai" gained popularity on YouTube, and was picked up by a local radio, Farelo started recording Slow Wine Mixtape, alongside producer Pablo Martínez. The mixtape was released on 9 November 2016 and caught the attention of several professional magazines and music outlets, including Pitchfork and Fact. The latter named her song "Jacaranda," the best single of 2017.[11] After releasing the record's debut single "Fiebre", Bad Gyal's popularity grew exponentially. The song has developed a cult following ever since. The mixtape's success and critical acclaim led Farelo to perform at numerous festivals throught Europe.[12][13] In late 2017 she also toured Mexico and the United States.

In February 2018, she released her second mixtape, Worldwide Angel, to critical acclaim. The album was licensed and distributed by Canada Editorial.[14] The mixtape was produced by Jam City, Dubbel Dutch, Florentino and El Guincho. It spawned many singles including "Blink", "Candela" and "Internationally". To promote the album, she took part in international festivals such as SXSW and Lollapalooza and toured the United States once again. In November 2018, she embarked on her first Asian tour, which visited Japan, China, and the Philippines. She also released "Open the Door" featuring Jamaican singer Govana, "Yo sigo iual" and "Unknown Feeling".

2019–2021: Commercial breakthrough and Warm Up

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Formerly signed with the production company Canada Editorial, in April 2019 it was announced Farelo had signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv Dance Lab.[15] As a signed artist, was able to enter the mainstream. Her first release was "Santa María", featuring Busy Signal, which became her first charting song in Spain, and was later certified gold.[16] Its B-side, "Hookah", peaked at 55 in Spain. In October 2019, Farelo collaborated with Omar Montes on "Alocao", which peaked at number one in Spain for several weeks and is certified five times platinum.[17] Two months later she released "Zorra", which peaked at number 2 in Spain. A remix featuring Rauw Alejandro was released in February 2021.

In 2020, Farelo was featured on Kafu Banton's "Tú eres un bom bom", which would later be remixed in collaboration with Guaynaa.[18] She also released "Aprendiendo el Sexo" later on, with a music video produced by Canada and filmed at the W Hotel in Barcelona.[19] In November, she released "Blin Blin" to commercial success and the acclaim of the general public. The track became viral in her home country and significantly used TikTok. She also partnered with Vodafone and offered a unique virtual concert.[20]

Bad Gyal released her first extended play Warm Up on 19 March 2021.[21][22] The EP peaked at 5 in Spain.[23] She also collaborated with clothing brand Bershka and released an exclusive clothing line.[24] On 25 June, she collaborated with Mariah Angeliq and María Becerra on "BOBO", which sampled TLC's "No Scrubs" and sparked controversy due to similarity with Luchy DR's "Bufón".[25][26] As tour season came to an end, Farelo published "Flow 2000" as well as her second extended play Sound System: The Final Releases featuring songs she had been performing live for years yet remained unreleased.[27] She parallelly released "A la mía" exclusively for the Grand Theft Auto Online radio station Motomami Los Santos hosted by Rosalía and Arca.[28]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Bad Gyal discography

Filmography

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Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Ref.
2019 La hora musa  [es] Performer [29]
2020 Gaudir Co-protagonist [30]
2021 Maestros de la costura  [es] Guest appearance [31]
Drag Race España Guest judge [32]

Tours

[edit]

Headlining

[edit]
  • Slow Wine Mixtape Tour (2017)
  • International Bad Gyal Sound System (2019–2021)[33]
  • La Joia Tour (2022–2023)
  • La Joia 24 Karats Tour (2024)

Supporting

[edit]

Awards and nominations

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List of awards and nominations received by Bad Gyal
Award Year Recipient Category Result Ref.
Heat Latin Music Awards 2024 Herself Best New Artist Nominated [34]
iHeartRadio Music Awards 2024 Best Latin New Artist Nominated [35]
Los 40 Music Awards 2022 Best Urban Act Nominated [36]
2023 Best Spanish Urban Act Nominated [37]
ARC Awards 2021 Best Self-Titled Artist Tour Won [38]
Latin American Music Awards 2024 New Artist of the Year Nominated [39]
Latin Music Italian Awards 2020 "Alocao" (with Omar Montes) Best Eurolatino Song Won [40]
MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 Herself Best Spanish Act Won [41]
MTV Millennial Awards 2024 Celebrity Crush Nominated [42]
Crack Artist Nominated
Bellakeo Supremo "Bota Niña" (with Anitta) Nominated
Premios Juventud 2022 Herself New Female Artist Nominated [43]
2023 Female Artist – On The Rise Nominated [44]
Premios Lo Nuestro 2023 Breakthrough Female Artist Nominated [45]
Premios Odeón 2021 "Alocao" (with Omar Montes) Best Urban Song Nominated [46]
Herself Breakthrough Urban Artist Nominated
2022 Urban Artist Nominated [47]
Warm Up Album of the Year Nominated
Best Urban Album Nominated
"44" (with Rema) Best Urban Song Nominated
Premios Tu Música Urbano 2022 Herself Top New Artist – Female Nominated [48]
2023 Top Rising Star — Female Nominated [49]
Rolling Stone en Español Awards 2023 Voice of the Audience Nominated [50]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sherburne, Philip (5 October 2017). "Bad Gyal Is a Rihanna-Loving Dancehall Badass from Barcelona". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. ^ Diez-Garde, Jose Luis (28 November 2019). "Bad Gyal, la bomba sexual que quiere el trono de Rosalía" [Bad Gyal, the sex bomb that wants Rosalía's throne]. La Razón (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Bad Gyal da el salto a una multinacional y firma por Interscope y Aftercluv". jenesaispop.com (in Spanish). 1 May 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Bad Gyal estrena su nuevo EP "Warm Up"". Billboard (in Spanish). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Bad Gyal viaja de Barcelona a "Nueva York" en su nuevo single". Billboard (in Spanish). 30 November 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  6. ^ Martin, Felicity (2 August 2018). "A Little Bit International: Bad Gyal Interviewed". Clash. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  7. ^ Joshi, Tara (23 February 2018). "The Catalan reggaeton queen growing angel wings". Dazed. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  8. ^ Sherburne, Philip (5 October 2017). "Bad Gyal Is a Rihanna-Loving Dancehall Badass From Barcelona". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  9. ^ Fortuny, Ignasi (20 January 2023). "Mushkaa, algo más que la hermana de Bad Gyal: reguetón para ellas y portentosa sensibilidad juvenil". El Periódico de Catalunya.
  10. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (5 July 2018). "Bad Gyal: 'Young people feel really represented by reggaeton'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  11. ^ Bowe, Miles; Horner, Al; Lobenfeld, Claire; Twells, John; Clare Welsh, April; Wilson, Scott (15 December 2017). "The 50 Best Tracks of 2017". Fact. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Bad Gyal - Access All Areas". FACT Magazine. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Bad Gyal presenta en Estados Unidos su nuevo disco recopilatorio". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  14. ^ Myers, Owen (Summer 2018). "The dazzling melancholy of Bad Gyal's dancehall-inspired party music". The Fader. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  15. ^ Madeleine, Fernando (30 April 2019). "Bad Gyal Signs With Interscope and Aftercluv: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Rosalía suma su cuarto top 1 en España con 'Milionària'; Bad Gyal, top 14 con 'Santa María'". jenesaispop.com (in Spanish). 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  17. ^ "BAD GYAL AND OMAR MONTES TEAM UP ON STEAMY NEW RECORD "ALOCAO" – Skope Entertainment Inc". 26 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Guaynaa se suma a Bad Gyal & Kafu Banton en BOM BOM". Periódico Digital Centroamericano y del Caribe (in Spanish). 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Bad Gyal retoza con su chico en un hotel de lujo en 'Aprendiendo el sexo'". jenesaispop.com (in Spanish). 29 July 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Bad Gyal : concierto en streaming 5G con "Vodafone yu Music Shows" 15 diciembre, 2020". Qué! (in Spanish). 15 December 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  21. ^ LOS40 (20 November 2020). "Bad Gyal: "No tiene sentido cantar una canción de empoderamiento femenino escrita por un hombre"". LOS40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ "El puertorriqueño Rauw Alejandro colabora en remezcla de española Bad Gyal • Hola News". Hola News. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  23. ^ Música, El portal de, WARM UP - BAD GYAL | EPDM, retrieved 27 June 2021
  24. ^ Baró, Mar (3 June 2021). "Bad Gyal inspira una nueva colección para Bershka". Time Out Barcelona (in European Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Bad Gyal, Mariah Angeliq y María Becerra juntas en BOBO". Neo2 Magazine (in Spanish). 25 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  26. ^ "La artista Luchy DR acusa a Mariah Angeliq de plagio por su tema 'BOBO'". Los de la Música (in Spanish). 26 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Bad Gyal empieza su calendario de adviento con "Nueva York (tot*)"". YOUNG España (in Spanish). 26 November 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Todas las canciones de Motomami Los Santos, la emisora de GTA V presentada por Rosalía". Marca (in Spanish). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  29. ^ "The Cat Empire, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Bad Gyal y Flamingo Tours, esta semana en 'La Hora Musa'". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 14 November 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  30. ^ "Bad Gyal protagoniza el spot de los Premis Gaudí junto a su padre". Mondo Sonoro (in Spanish). 10 January 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Bad Gyal lleva la moda TRAP a Maestros de la Costura". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 16 February 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  32. ^ "Así será la cuarta gala de 'Drag Race España', con Bad Gyal como nueva invitada". Vertele (in Spanish). 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  33. ^ Palao Murcia, Alberto (19 November 2021). "Nueva música: "Voy a lanzar temas que lleváis pidiendo tres años"". Los 40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  34. ^ Roiz, Jessica (10 May 2024). "Karol G & Feid Lead 2024 Heat Latin Music Awards Nominations: Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  35. ^ Grein, Paul (18 January 2024). "Taylor Swift Leads 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nods, With Jelly Roll, 21 Savage & SZA Close Behind: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  36. ^ Zavala, Cristina (5 November 2022). "NOMINADOS LOS40 MUSIC AWARDS 2022: ROSALÍA LIDERA CON 7 CANDIDATURAS EN UNA EDICIÓN MUY FEMENINA ©copyright los40.com". Los40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  37. ^ "Nominados a LOS40 Music Awards 2023: lista completa". El Mundo (in Spanish). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  38. ^ "Guanyadors als Premis ARC 2021" (in Catalan). Associació Professional de Representants, Promotors i Mànagers de Catalunya [Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia]. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  39. ^ "FEID & PESO PLUMA TOP NOMINEES FOR THE 2024 LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS". TelevisaUnivision. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Latin Music Official Italian Awards 2020: lista completa dei vincitori" (in English and Italian). Latin Music Official. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  41. ^ "Bad Gyal, mejor artista española en premios europeos de MTV". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  42. ^ Tinajero, Enrique (11 June 2024). "MTV MIAW 2024 revelan nominados: destacan Peso Pluma, Danna, Yeri Mua y Young Miko". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  43. ^ Moral, Selene (22 July 2022). "Lista de ganadores de los Premios Juventud: del triunfo de Karol G al 'casi vacío' de J Balvin". Los 40 (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  44. ^ Flores, Griselda (13 June 2023). "2023 Premios Juventud Nominations: See the Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  45. ^ "Nominados a Premio Lo Nuestro 2023: lista completa y cómo votar". Univision (in Spanish). 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  46. ^ "Ganadores 2021 – Premios Odeón" (in Spanish). Odeón Awards. Retrieved 29 March 2022.[permanent dead link]
  47. ^ "Ganadores 2022 – Premios Odeón" (in Spanish). Odeón Awards. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  48. ^ Mauro, Florencia (23 June 2022). "Premios Tu Música Urbano 2022: Nominados y ganadores". Billboard Argentina (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  49. ^ Roiz, Jessica (2 May 2023). "Rauw Alejandro lidera nominaciones a Premios Tu Música Urbano 2023: Lista completa". Billboard (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  50. ^ "Vota por tu artista favorito en los Premios ROLLING STONE en ESPAÑOL". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). 29 September 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
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