User:Mtuchman/Alex, Jorge & Lena

ALEX, JORGE & LENA is a Latin music trio made up of Alex Ubago, Jorge Villamizar (formerly of Bacilos), and Lena Pérez (the oldest daughter of well-known Cuban singer Malena Burke and granddaughter of legendary Cuban singer Elena Burke). ALEX, JORGE & LENA are signed both individually and collectively to Warner Music Latina.

Hometown

Alex Ubago was born in Vitoria, Spain, the capital city of the Basque province of Álava. When Alex was young his parents moved their family to nearby San Sebastián. There, Alex grew up and taught himself how to sing.

Born in Montería, Córdoba, Colombia, Jorge Villamizar moved with his family to Quito, Ecuador, when he was ten years old. At the age of eighteen, Jorge returned to Colombia and enrolled in the Naval school in Cartagena. Later, Jorge went to London where he spent two years studying Political Science. Then, he moved to Miami to study at the University of Miami where he formed the rock en español band Bacilos with classmates André Lopes and José Javier Freire.

Lena Pérez was born in Havana, Cuba. As a child, she took both guitar and classical piano lessons. Lena is the oldest daughter of well-known Cuban singer Malena Burke and granddaughter of legendary Cuban singer Elena Burke. Lena now lives in Miami.

The Start

In 2004, Jorge and Alex met in Chile. The success of their respective careers took them both to perform at Viña del Mar -- Jorge with his group "Bacilos" and Alex promoting his second album. Similarly, Jorge and Lena met the following year in Miami, where they both live. Lena was in the middle of promoting her self-titled debut album and Jorge was preparing the last album he would record with “Bacilos”. Shortly thereafter, the two artists began writing songs and playing shows together. A year later, Alex met Lena during a promotional trip in Miami.

At first, only Jorge and Lena composed and exchanged ideas together; however, the two musicians did not want to simply record a duet album. Ultimately, they decided to invite the Spanish Singer and Songwriter Alex Ubago to join the project. Upon hearing the idea, the label embraced the project with great enthusiasm.

The Album

“We are musicians, composers, and singers. [While] we each have our own particular style, we each search to make an album with great pop songs. A project [that will] leave a foot print,” Lena explains. Alex, Jorge, and Elena beleive that the album represents the each of the three musicians' unique strengths.

With respect to production, the task of creating a structure that cohesively wedded the three styles was delegated to Mexican producer Áureo Baqueiro (Sin Bandera, Alejandro Fernández, Motel, Paulina Rubio, Beto Cuevas).

Individual Awards

As a member of Bacilos, Jorge Villamizar won a Grammy in 2002 for “Best Latin Pop Album” for the group’s third album "Caraluna." Bacilos also won three Latin Grammys: “Best Pop Album” in 2005 for "Sin Vergüenza"; “Best Pop Album” in 2003 for "Caraluna"; and “Best Tropical Song” in 2003 for "Mi Primer Millon.”

As a songwriter for Marc Anthony, Jorge contributed to the song "Viviendo" on the album “Libre,” which was nominated for the 2002 Latin Grammy Award for “Best Salsa Album” and won a Billboard Latin Music Award for “Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year.” The song “Vivendo” itself won a Billboard Latin Music Award for “Tropical/Salsa Airplay Track of the Year” and was nominated for a Lo Nuestro Award for “Tropical Song of the Year.” Further, Jorge contributed to Julieta Venegas’ album, “Limón y Sal,” which won a Latin Grammy Award for "Best Alternative Album" and a Grammy Award for “Best Latin Pop Album.”

Jorge also contributed to the acclaimed song "Yo No Sé Mañana" on Luis Enrique’s album, Ciclos. In 2009, the Album received five Latin Grammy Award nominations and won for “Best Tropical Song” ("Yo No Sé Mañana") and Best Salsa Album. Ciclos also won the Grammy Award for “Best Tropical Latin Album.”

Finally, Jorge was a substantial contributor to Paulina Rubio’s “Pau-Latina” album which was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Pop Female Vocal Album” and a Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Vocal Album."

Lena won several awards as a concert pianist before beginning her career in Latin Pop.