Alejandra Guzman life and biography

Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal, better known as Alejandra Guzmán, is a Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican rock singer and actress. She has had a dedicated fanbase throughout Latin America since the late 1980s, and is known as the "Queen of Rock" in the Hispanic world. She has sold 15 million albums.

The daughter of Mexican rock pioneer Enrique Guzmán, she has managed to establish herself as a major player in the rock en Español genre. Her records consistently produce hit singles and often reach platinum sales levels. True to her rock 'n' roll style, Guzmán has had her share of scandals but has overcome them while continuing to work hard, earning her first Latin Grammy Award in 2002 for her album Soy.

Born Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal on February 9, 1968, to Enrique Guzmán, an actor and singer, and Sylvia Pinal, an actress, Guzmán made her first television appearance at two months old on her famous parents' variety show, Sylvia y Enrique. As a child she studied dance, including jazz, ballet, and tap. She was interested in the entertainment industry, but she had promised her mother that she would finish her education before making a commitment.

Guzmán started out touring with her mother's theater company, performing in a production of Mame. Later she acted in several episodes of Mujer: Casos de la Vida Real, which was produced by Pinal. Unsure at first whether to focus on dancing or singing, in 1988 she worked with the famous Mexican producer Miguel Blasco on her first album Bye Mama. When the album earned gold record sales, her decision was made. Its two singles "Bye Mama" and "La Plaga" rocketed up the charts won Guzmán several best new artist awards. She followed her debut success with Dame Tu Amor in 1989; the album went platinum and earned her a number of singer of the year awards. She was also recognized for her philanthropy, receiving an award from the AIDS Health Foundation as well as the Mexican Association for Kids with Cancer.

Her third album, Eternamente Bella, released in 1990, earned triple platinum sales. With the release of this album, Guzmán began to tour the Americas extensively, making stops in Central and South American as well as the United States. Still more awards followed, along with her film debut in the comedy Verano Peligroso. In 1991 she released Flor de Papel, which went double platinum.

While Guzmán continued to score chart hits, the 1990s were a tumultuous time in her personal life. In 1992 she gave birth to her daughter, Frida Sofia, but later separated from the child's father. Six years later she married Farrell Goodman, but when he was arrested in Germany for drug possession a month after their wedding, Guzmán promptly divorced him. She has also admitted that during the 1990s she had drug problems of her own, from which she has since recovered. Adding to the controversy, she posed for Playboy Mexico in 1994.

Guzmán continued to release successful albums despite the turmoil in her private life. Adhering to a demanding schedule, she released the double platinum album Libre in 1993, followed by Enorme in 1994. Her 1996 release Cambio de Piel, which highlights her tough, sexy voice, is a guitar-driven pop-rock effort that produced the hit singles "Todo la Mitad," and "Ven," which topped international charts and received impressive amounts of airplay in the United States. She finished the decade with two more popular releases: a live album in 1997, La Guzmán, and Algo Natural in 1999.

The advent of crossover stars such as Ricky Martin and Shakira gave Guzmán an opportunity to reach a wider audience. She turned to American producer Desmond Child, who has worked with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Kiss, to produce her 2001 album Soy. Child co-wrote the song "Soy Tu Lluvia" with Aerosmith band members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and rock guitarist Joe Satriani also made an appearance on the song "Labio de Fuego." The album was an overwhelming success, earning her a Latin Grammy for Female Pop Artist of the Year and a Rock en Español Artist of the Year award at the 2002 Ritmo Latino Music awards.

Guzmán, a frequent performer in the United States, contributed to the 2001 Hispanics United for New York benefit concert in Madison Square Garden, which raised funds for the families of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as well as those affected by the crash of American Airlines flight 587 two months later. In March 2002 she was chosen as the Fiesta Queen for 13th annual Fiesta Broadway Cinco de Mayo celebration in Los Angeles. In April she performed at the ceremonies for the Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Private hardships followed Guzmán in the new millennium. Her 2003 wedding to Gerardo Gomez de la Borbolla was postponed when she miscarried in late April. Guzmán blamed the miscarriage on the Mexican press, which had printed reports earlier in the month that Borbolla was under investigation for both vehicle theft and credit card fraud.

A member of Mexico's entertainment royalty, "la Reina del Rock" expresses a strong sense of pride in her nationality. Discussing the tendency of some Latin music stars to play down their origins, she told CBS News "I won't dye my hair or try to be an American because I'm not. I love my culture. I love my language, and that's why my music is in Spanish." Despite her plans to release an album that may include some songs in English, Guzmán appears determined to maintain her distinctive style.

In 2006, she released Indeleble. The first single was Volverte a amar, which became one of her biggest hits in Mexico and hit the Top 10 in the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks, peaking number #6 and number #1 in Hot Latin Pop Airplay chart. The album (which reached the #1 spot in Mexico) has been certified double-platinum and won two awards at the Premios Oye! 2006 (Mexico's most important music awards), including Best Album of the Year and Pop Vocal Female. She was also nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Album Indeleble and Best Rock Song for "Volverte a amar".

Selected discography:
-Bye Mama Fonovisa, 1988.
-Dame Tu Amor Fonovisa, 1989.
-Eternamente Bella Fonovisa, 1990.
-Flor de Papel Fonovisa, 1991.
-Libre RCA, 1993.
-Enorme RCA, 1994.
-Cambio de Piel RCA, 1996.
-La Guzmán RCA, 1997.
-Algo Natural RCA, 1999.
-Soy RCA, 2001.
-Ella Cantan Así RCA, 2003.
-Indeleble,2006
-Fuerza,2007
-Unico,2009

Actress:
-Tiempo de amar,1987
-Hoy con Daniela,1995
-LATV en concierto,2006
-Zorro: La espada y la rosa,2007
-Atrévete a soñar,2009
-Una familia con suerte(protagonist),2010

Read more