Meet the participants of Benidorm Fest 2024
Spanish broadcaster RTVE has revealed the 16 artists that will be competing in ‘Benidorm Fest 2024’ and hoping to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.
All eyes were on Andalusia on Saturday 11 November, as RTVE set up camp in the city of Seville to ceremoniously unveil the 16 names that have been selected to participate in Benidorm Fest 2024.
2024 will be the third edition of Spain’s Eurovision Song Contest pre-selection, Benidorm Fest. And as well as looking for the next Eaea and SloMo, Spanish music fans will also be hoping to find the next Ay Mamá and Nochentera – two breakout hits from their respective Benidorm Fest years that managed to crossover into big commercial success on the Spanish charts.
Benidorm Fest 2024 will consist of two semi-finals (taking place on Tuesday 30 January and Thursday 1 February) and a grand final (happening on Saturday 3 February).
Sought-after tickets to the three events will be released in stages. On 4 December, tickets for the first semi-final will go on sale, followed by those for the second semi-final on 11 December. And finally, on 18 December, tickets for the big final will be made available. RTVE will be launching a platform through which to obtain these tickets.
As for the songs competing, those will be released on 14 December… And yes, it’s fast turning into a tradition that we are looking upon these song reveals as a ‘regalo de navidad’ from our good friends at RTVE!
Now, let’s meet the 16 acts that will be behind those songs, one of which will be Spain’s next entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Almácor
Almácor began to be interested in music when he was a child. His first musical connections came when he was only 8 years old: “My cousin and my grandfather played the guitar, that’s how my love for music began”. During his teenage years, he went through many moments that were marked by the variety of artists he listened to frequently at that time: “I listened to American underground rap, reggaetón or pop… very eclectic”.Almácor, 26 years old, also composes music for other artists such as Nyno Vargas, Ms Nina, Elettra Lamborgini, Aina Da Silva and Mar Lucas.
Angy Fernández
Angy Fernández, born in Palma de Mallorca in 1990, is a singer, actress and presenter. She gained recognition as one of the finalists of the first edition of the talent show X Factor. The songs she has released since then include Quiero que me dejes salir, Sola en el silencio and Boy Toy. After 10 years away from music, she made a comeback with the song Dualidad. She also gained popularity thanks to her role as Paula Blasco in the beloved TV series Física o Química.
Dellacruz
Jorge de la Cruz Correa, known artistically as Dellacruz, is a singer and composer from the Canary Islands. He has composed songs for both national and international artists, such as Sergio Dalma, managing to quickly gain a foothold in the music industry. As an artist himself, he has a very solid reputation and stands out for his urban pop music with fresh, striking sounds. He has been placed in some of the most important playlists in the country, and worked on some high-profile collaborations; some of which have already been released and others that are to come very soon.
Jorge González
Jorge’s passion for and relationship with music began at a very young age, with him participating in TV shows such as Operación Triunfo 2006, La Voz and Tu cara me suena, the latter of which he won. In 2021, he participated in the acclaimed New Wave festival (Russia), reaching third position. During the last year, he has released his album Íntimo and the single Agüita, with Soraya Arnelas.
Lérica
Lérica is a multi-platinum Spanish duo that has created hits such as Flamenkito, De Tranquilote and Hijos contigo. Formed by Juan Carlos Arauzo and Tony Mateo, both from Cádiz and friends since their childhood, they have collaborated with artists such as L-Gante, Gente de Zona, Belinda, Abraham Mateo, Beret, Mau & Ricky, Omar Montes, Juan Magán and Cali y The Dandee, among many others. They have managed to become the most streamed duo in Spain, obtaining 14 platinum records and 9 gold records, and a tour that has already taken in 300 concerts throughout Spain. Lérica have also composed for other top artists, such as Luis Fonsi, Farruko, Manuel Turizo and Abraham Mateo.
Mantra
Mantra is a group formed in 2020 by Carlos Marco, Paula Pérez and Charly Weinberg. Their first album, Epicentro, entered at number 1 on the chart of the best-selling physical albums in Spain and has remained on the list for 10 weeks. Currently, their latest hit, ¿Te acuerdas o no?, is playing on some of the biggest radio stations in the country. On Spotify, they have accumulated more than 8 million streams.
María Peláe
María Peláe is a singer and songwriter from Málaga who was born in 1990. She has a successful career of more than 15 years, with multiple awards to her name. In 2016, she released her first álbum, Hipocondría, and in 2020 she began an innovative tour that fused folklore, singer/songwriter sounds and flamenco music. Her second album, La Folcrónica (2022), won the Odeón award for Best Flamenco Album, which led to another successful tour. In addition to all of the above, she is a versatile composer. In June 2023, she was awarded the Rainbow Award from the Ministry of Equality and released La Putukita, a song that precedes her album Al Baño María.
MARLENA
Ana (voice) and Carolina (guitar) were both known thanks to the TV shows X Factor Italia and Factor X España. They formed MARLENA and in just three years they had positioned themselves as quite the revelation on the Spanish music scene. With Me Sabe Mal they got their first big success: a double-platinum album, no less. They have performed at more than 30 concerts and festivals throughout the country. Thanks to their songs Gitana, Bailamorena and Niñata, they can boast 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 90 million streams; and their latest hit racking up the streams is called Último Baile. They have collaborated with artists such as Nil Moliner, La Pegatina or Andrés Suárez.
Miss Caffeina
Alberto Jiménez (vocals), Sergio Sastre (keyboards, guitar and synthesizer) and Antonio Poza (guitar and electric bass) are the members of this alternative electronic pop band that began its journey in 2005. Throughout their career, Miss Caffeina have stood out for their artistic evolution and their energetic live shows that have become indispensable in the calendar of the most important festivals on the music scene. In April 2023, they released their latest EP Shanghai Baby, which represents something of a new stage for the band. It is a musical and personal reset that they wanted to do and that they consider necessary to position themselves in a world that is rising from the post-pandemic ashes.
Nebulossa
Nebulossa is a synthpop duo formed by María Bas (vocals and production) and Mark Dasousa (synthesizers, production). The duo’s music always contains two important factors: a lot of pop music and a lot of synth. And they make music based on the sounds and melodies of the ’80s. Poliédrica de mí is the title of the debut album that the duo released in 2021, after previewing songs such as Glam, chosen as Best Song of 2021 by the Indie Cool jury. The band is currently on tour, passing through venues and festivals in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga and Zaragoza. They have won the Studio mans contest and have also been nominated for the Pop eye awards as Best New Group.
Noan
Noan is a 25-year-old singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer born in Zarautz (Basque Country) and living in Asturias. He is considered one of the most promising names in the new wave of Spanish pop and this has been confirmed thanks to hits such as ME MATA(S) and Superpoder. For influence, Noan has drawn upon Spanish pop-rock of the 2000s.
Quique Niza
Quique Niza is both a singer and and actor. He was born in Madrid in 2003 and began his artistic training at the age of 5. He debuted on the stage in Madrid when he was just 10 years old, in the production of the musical Sonrisas y Lágrimas. Two years later, he took part in the children’s musical Laura y el enigma and at the end of that same year in Agua, azucarillos y Aguardiente. In 2021, he participated in the Grease musical, filmed the series Días Mejores and starred in the series UPA NEXT. In 2023, he released his very first single, Ardo.
Roger Padrós
A singer, composer and pianist, with his first EP Roger Padrós had the opportunity to be part of the talent show La Voz, where he reached the finals. In 2023 alone, he has done more than 30 concerts and, in addition to his own tour, he is also a resident musician at the well-known Casa Batlló in Barcelona. In 2022, he presented his very first album. Now he wants to claim his place in the music scene with a second album, where the quality and diversity of his music will no doubt have him marked as one to watch.
Sofia Coll
Sofia Coll is a singer, dancer, actress, composer and presenter from Barcelona. Extroverted, charismatic, edgy and fashion-forward, she is known for her participation in La Voz Kids 2014, Bany Compartit and, more recently, in Euforia 2. She is currently working as a presenter on the programs Dèficit d’Atenció and Epic Nails. The last two years, she has been working on her next musical project between Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Her main references are pop culture, camp and the most current trends. Her first album, Génesis, rightly earned her a loyal fanbase.
st. Pedro
st. Pedro is the alter ego of the artist and composer Pedro Hernández. After being a finalist in La Voz España, Pedro joined Interscope Records with the mission of projecting a new way of understanding Latin music. After publishing his first single, Romance, he is now working on his new album that will be released in the coming months; a concept album that immerses us in a journey through different Latin rhythms, ranging from ballads to salsa, ranchera and merengue.
Yoly Saa
From a very young age, Yoly Saa listened to the boleros that her father played for her. And when she was 15, her parents gave her her first guitar. It was then, learning on her own through Internet videos, that her passion for music was born. For a long time she kept it as a hobby, but one day, after watching a Coldplay concert on television, she decided to leave everything behind and pursue her dream of carving out her own niche in music. She left her native Galicia and moved to Madrid, where she gained experience playing on the subway. She avoids being pigeonholed into any genre and likes to tell stories that move her. In 2020, she released her first EP, Magma, which included Todo contigo; one of her most famous songs with more than 7 million streams on Spotify. Two years later, in 2022, she released his debut album.
The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, Sweden on Tuesday 7 May (First Semi-Final), Thursday 9 May (Second Semi-Final) and Saturday 11 May (Grand Final) 2024.
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