Russian Red

Russian Red
Background information
Also known as Lourdes Hernández González
Origin Madrid, Spain
Genres Indie, Folk
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 2007–present
Labels Octubre / Sony Music Entertainment
Website http://www.russianred.com

Russian Red is the stage name of Lourdes Hernández, a Spanish indie and folk singer-songwriter.[1]

Known by many as the Spanish Feist,[2] in reference to the Canadian singer-songwriter who inspires her in many of her attitudes on the microphone, Hernández—who writes and sings all of her compositions in English—states that she sings in that language instinctively because she has always listened to music in English.[3]

History

Russian Red's project began when Hernández met Brian Hunt, a musician with an English father and Spanish mother, with whom she recorded a demo (which included tracks that remain unpublished like "Reason", "The Night of the Paper", and "Sadie") that reached more than 70,000 visits on her MySpace page by 2008.[4]

The name Russian Red comes from the colour of a lipstick that Hernández herself usually wears.[5] When asked how she chose the name, Hernández stated: "I had a band without a name some time ago. Since then, I was haunted by an obsession: to find the ideal artistic name. One day, I fell in love with this colour that a girl was wearing. I pronounced its name, and now it is my pseudonym."[6]

Little by little, Hernández has become well known in the Spanish indie arena, performing more than 60 shows during 2007 and taking part in the prestigious Primavera Sound, among other festivals.[7]

2008: I Love Your Glasses

The Spanish producer Fernando Vacas asked Hernández to record an album to be issued by his label Eureka. The album, her first, was called I Love Your Glasses and quickly became a success,[8] leading El País columnist Alfonso Cardenal to deem Russian Red the "revelation of the year".[9][10]

2011: Fuerteventura

Lourdes singing

With the release of her first album I Love Your Glasses Russian Red became well-known and popular in Spain. In late 2010, Russian Red signed with Octubre of Sony Music Spain. In May 2011, she released her second album Fuerteventura. At the same time, she toured in Asia including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. She also published a duet with Elvis Presley of his song "Love Me Tender" in the special Spanish edition of the album Viva Elvis. Fuerteventura was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland with producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, David Byrne, Mogwai).

After the release of the album she begins with the promotion throughout Spain with presentations and concerts in major cities. In the summer of 2011 she starts playing in the major festivals (Bilbao BBK Live, FIB, Arenal Sound ...) and opens in the Asian market with a first visit to Taiwan where she achieves success unlike any previous Spanish artist.

In October 2011 it was announced that Russian Red was awarded with MTV award for best Spanish artist of the year. That same month the singer covered the classic "So Long, Marianne" by Leonard Cohen as a tribute to him.

After a short break in the tour of Fuerteventura in December 2011 Russian Red was back on the road in January 2012 with a different format of concerts to what had been seen so far, accompanied by Brian Hunt (who had not seen since 'I love your glasses ") and Pablo Serrano. During the rest of the year are turning to this format also travel to Spain and other European countries alike (France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Britain, Portugal, Netherlands ...) and Asia (China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea South), in many of which Fuerteventura disc went on sale.

May 2, 2012, the President of the Community of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, awarded with the Medal of the Community of Madrid, in the Silver category, to Lourdes Hernandez (Russian Red), a distinction for their work and career. In the summer of 2012, Russian Red recorded the songs ‘A la luz del sol’ and ‘Volaré’ included in the soundtrack of the Disney / Pixar Brave (film) which came to theaters on August 10, 2012. Lourdes he feels ‘privileged’ to be able to interpret the songs of the new production of Disney / Pixar: ‘It is a goal achieved every girl who has grown up watching Disney movies.’ In late summer of 2012 Pablo Serrano was replaced by Juan Diego Gosálvez (Juandi) and 3 (Lourdes, Juandi and Brian) continue with the tour of Fuerteventura and combine with a mini tour of 5 concerts as a tribute to The Beatles . In these five performances Alex Ferreira joined as bassist and singer in one of the songs. In December 2012 she terminates the 'Fuerteventura' tour but still leaves some concerts for 2013 in some Latin American countries.

January 2013 to present: 'Third album Agent Cooper'

In January 2013 Lourdes went to live to Los Angeles where she prepared and recorded her third studio album, Agent Cooper. Recorded at Sunset studios in Los Angeles, this third work brings together some of the best professionals in the American music scene. Recorded and produced by Joe Chiccarelli, known for his work with The White Stripes, The Strokes, Morrissey, My Morning Jacket, U2, The Shins, Brian Wilson, Beck or Mica among others, the album features the collaboration of Mark Needham (The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, Bloc Party, Blondie, Chris Isaak) by mixing and Emily Lazar (Vampire Weekend, Björk, David Bowie, Lou Reed) as a mastering engineer.

Discography

Albums
Singles

References

  1. ↑ malagahoy.es Ha nacido una estrella
  2. ↑ europapress.es "Cantar en inglés es instintivo", reconoce la intérprete de Russian Red, poco consciente de la notoriedad alcanzada
  3. ↑ larioja.com «He intentado componer en español, pero no me sale nada»
  4. ↑ plus.es El álbum de la semana en plus.es
  5. ↑ philthymag.com Russian Red Talks About Belle & Sebastian, Her Personal Inlook, And The Men That Inspire Her
  6. ↑ lafonoteca.net Biografía de Russian Red en Lafonoteca.net
  7. ↑ primaverasound.com Ficha de la artista en primaverasound.com
  8. ↑ lafonoteca.net Biografía de Russian Red en Lafonoteca.net
  9. ↑ elpais.com Sonorama, el placer de comer en casa Accessed August 2008
  10. ↑ regiondigital.com Los premios Pop-Eye 2008 se entregarán en septiembre coincidiendo con el V Festival Cáceres Pop Art accessed September 2008
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