Gaby Moreno
Maria Gabriela Moreno Bonilla (born 16 December 1981) is a Grammy-winning Guatemalan singer-songwriter and guitarist. Singing in both English and Spanish, Moreno's music covers many genres including Latin, alternative, blues, folk and Americana.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Moreno and the second or maternal family name is Bonilla.
Gaby Moreno
Maria Gabriela Moreno Bonilla
December 16, 1981
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Singer, musician, songwriter
Vocals, guitar
1997–present
Metamorfosis, Nonesuch
Early life[edit]
Maria Gabriela Moreno Bonilla[1] was born on 16 December 1981 in Guatemala City[2] and later moved to Los Angeles.
Career[edit]
Music[edit]
In August 2009, Moreno toured with Tracy Chapman. Later, in November 2009, Moreno toured as direct support for Ani Difranco on an East Coast tour. Difranco invited Moreno back out on tour in January and February 2010. In July 2010 Moreno went on tour in Germany (e.g. in Constance, Heidelberg, and Ravensburg) and France.
In early 2011 Moreno and her band played their first headlining tour. They toured through the Netherlands and Belgium performing as part of the "World Sessions" tour. In addition, Moreno and her band opened as direct support for Nouvelle Vague for three shows in Germany. In late 2011 Gaby toured the U.S. East coast as direct support for The Milk Carton Kids.
Moreno played some concerts in France in February 2012. Later that spring, she performed with Ricardo Arjona during his "Metamorfosis World Tour." In June, Moreno performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to commemorate 50 years of Amnesty International, together with Kris Kristofferson and others. Throughout May and June, Moreno played concerts in Ireland ("Electric Burma" in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi together with Bono, Damien Rice, Bob Geldof, Angelique Kidjo, etc.), Germany, France, and London (with Van Dyke Parks) In July, Moreno played concerts in France, including Le Havre, Verdun, and Paris.
In 2013, she toured with Hugh Laurie and The Copper Bottom Band through Europe, in March 2014 in South America, namely Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.
On 28 February and 1 March 2015, Moreno played at Festival Acústico under the name "Gaby Moreno y amigos". Her performances featured guest appearances by Oscar Isaac, Sara Watkins, Ishto Jueves, Devorah Rahel (with whom she played the song "Y Tu Sombra") and El Gordo. Moreno also played a song called "Maldición, Bendición".
Reception[edit]
Moreno has been received positively by Al Borde,[8] KCRW,[9] Latina,[10] NBC Latino, NPR[11] (including All Things Considered,[12] Alt. Latino,[13] and Tiny Desk Concerts[14]), Orlando Weekly[15] and The New York Times.[16]
The music video for "Fuiste Tu", her duet with Ricardo Arjona, has amassed over 1 billion views on YouTube.[17]
"This Guatemalan American singer-songwriter alternates fluidly between languages, whether spoken (English and Spanish) or musical, easing in and out of everything from folksy alt country to retro blues rock …Plucky, quirky and insightful, Moreno has the grace and the skill to make it big." – Rhapsody: No. 3 in Top 10 Latin Alt Albums of Spring 2011[18]
In 2012, she was listed as one of the "5 Latinos to Look Out for in 2012" by NBC Latino.[19]