TVE continues preparing what will be the second edition of the ‘Benidorm Fest’. The public channel has already revealed the names of the 18 artists who will participate in its format to choose the next representative of Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place next May in Liverpool (United Kingdom).
In the absence of knowing the songs with which they will compete in the Benidorm Fest 2023 galas, there are former participants of ‘Operación Triunfo’, ‘Factor X’, ‘Fama a Bailar’ and ‘Drag Race España’, in addition to a finalist of the first edition of TVE’s preselection. Under these lines we collect the list of the 18 confirmed contestants of the Benidorm Fest 2023.
agoney (Tenerife, 27 years old)
Singer, musician and composer, he was the sixth finalist of ‘Operación Triunfo 2017’, he has been playing the trumpet since he was 6 years old and at 14 he began to study singing. After several months of touring in 2018, he presented his first single, ‘Maybe’, a funky pop song where the artist showed all his potential. In 2019 he presented ‘Black’, and ‘Libertad’ and ‘Más’. His first album, ‘Libertad’, was number # 1 in sales throughout the country. In March of this year he premiered ‘Bangover’, #1 on iTunes in Spain, Argentina and Chile, and in July ‘Cachito’. He is currently participating in the program ‘Incredible Duos’ on La 1 and is preparing his second studio album.
Alfred Garcia (Barcelona, 25 years old)
With 5 gold and 5 platinum records, he is the first Spanish artist to place 16 songs from his debut album ‘1016’ in the Top 200 of Spotify and in the Top 100 of Itunes on the first day of release of his album. Multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, producer, singer and audiovisual communicator, he was a finalist in ‘Operación Triunfo 2017’ and representative, along with Amaia, of Spain in Eurovision 2018. After two and a half years, he returns to the stage in October with his album ‘1997 ‘ Alfred García has sold more than 150,000 records and has more than 200,000,000 views on his digital platforms.
Alice Wonder (Madrid, 23 years old)
It is the clear example of the arrival of a musical generational change. At just 23 years old, the artist/composer has burst onto the music scene with an artistic maturity that can scare the veterans. In May 2021, she published ‘Que Se Joda Todo Lo Demás’, the artist’s first album entirely in Spanish, which accumulates millions of reproductions on platforms, and a concert tour that continually hangs the sold-out sign.
Aritz Aren (Valencia, 30 years old)
Singer, dancer and actor, he began very young to train in artistic disciplines. He is a dancer of national and international musical and audiovisual productions, work that he combines with acting; he has been part of the cast of various musicals and series; and from TV shows like ‘Fama a danza’, where he came in second. In addition to being a dancer, he also trained as a singer for years with prestigious voice coach, a discipline that he cultivates in a very intense way in recent times. He accumulates close to 2 million followers on his social networks, with more than 1,500,000 followers on TikTok and close to 200,000 on Instagram.
White Dove (Elche, 33 years old)
He is one of the most unique voices on the national music scene. Despite her long association with root music in bands such as De mar a mar or Afalkay, the artist from Elche will launch her personal project in 2021 with her first single, ‘Secreto de agua’, a song that was the title of the series ‘Lucía in the web’, by RTVE Play, and with which he participated in the first edition of the Benidorm Fest. In May of this year she released her second single, ‘Niña de fuego’, a look at tradition from the most daring sound avant-garde. In June she began a tour of Spain to present what will be her first album.
E’ffemme (Madrid)
Is a girl band Spanish born in Madrid in 2019 formed by Sandy (1997), Melania (1998), BUBU (1999) and Lottie (2000). Together with her trusted producer Luki and with the help of all her friends, they have been able to take the project they believe in so much forward. E’FEMME’s philosophy is art as a global concept: music, voice, rap, dance, visuals, fashion; take care of each and every aspect of your product. They have more than 100,000 views on both Spotify and YouTube, 6k followers on TikTok and 3k on Instagram. With three singles and video clips published, they continue to work to earn a place in this industry.
Famous (Seville, 23 years old)
He is a Spanish singer and composer of Nigerian descent, residing in Madrid. In 2018 he participated in the ‘Operación Triunfo’, talent RTVE musical of which he was the winner. Currently, he is part of the cast of ‘“El Rey Leon, El Musical’ at the Lope de Vega Theater in Madrid, while he continues to be immersed in the preparation of his new musical project, which fuses urban sounds, Afrobeat, reggaeton and pop in Spanish.
Fusa Nocta (Gandía, 28 years old)
Miriam, better known as Fusa Nocta, became the great female promise of the urban scene. Her appearance on X Factor in 2019 made NoGyals viral and she was one of the favorites of the contest. She did a 2020 Tour and played in many festivals like Arenal, Madcool, Dreambeach, puro latino, weekend beach. She has more than 30k followers on instagram and 34k youtube. During this time, she has been working on her new project that she will launch in this new season.
Jose Otero (Las Palmas, 32 years old)
Born in Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, he obtained a scholarship at the prestigious music school The BRIT School for Performing Acts, known for training artists like Adele in 2012. After finishing his studies in England, Otero moved to Mexico, where he participated in ‘La Voz’ in 2019 reaching the top 3. Then he released his first single that currently accumulates more than 11 million on platforms.
karment (Albacete)
He began his artistic career in 2012 when he decided to move to Malta. There he begins to interact with international musicians and write the songs that would make up his first album ‘Mudanzas’, published in a self-published way in 2015. Starting from the songwriter and pop, Karmento tells timeless stories through his music, enriching it with the folklore and traditional music. Five years after his debut, she published ‘Este devenir’ (El Tragaluz, 2020) with which she achieved critical and public recognition.
Megara (Madrid)
It is, more than a band, a concept. A lifestyle. A universe. Listed as the perfect mix between the sinister and cotton candy, Megara has placed herself, from the beginning of her career, in the spotlight of the press and the public. His bipolar facet (somewhat shocking at first) mixes darkness, trinkets and fuchsia… lots of fuchsia! His style? The band has called it ‘Fucksia Rock’ in an attempt to encompass everything that the group’s concept means. Music, show, choreography, history… In short, in Megara there are no laws. There are no labels.
Meler (Madrid)
There will be those who randomly grant the credit that Jonathan, Javier and Lorenzo got to know each other, but it would be to despise the power of music. It cannot be due to chance that three young talents who swarmed separately -from Marbella to Miami and from Ireland to Alicante- ended up converging in Madrid, in a contest to which more than 400 artists aspired. Their three incipient careers converged there, which they decided to turn into one and give it the name of Meler, starting their career playing in the subway. What emerged aims to become the new revelation of Spanish pop.
Rakky Ripper (Grand, 27 years old)
At the age of 15, Raquel focused on music in a self-taught way. In 2019 she released her debut album ‘Neptune Diamond’, which positioned her as one of the pioneers of hyperpop in Spain, along with PUTOCHINOMARICÓN and producers such as eurosanto. She followed ‘Xtra Cost EP’ (2021) and later, preview singles of what will be her 2nd album, with hits like ‘where are you??’, ‘ZIP’ or ‘LOVE’. With a solid international fanbase, she has been part of line ups such as Sónar, ValleEléctrico, Covaleda, BIME, WarmUp or SXSW.
Sharonne (Sabadell, 46 years old)
It is the artistic name of Cristóbal Garrido. Singer, Drag Queen and actor. He was the winner of the second season of the Drag Race Spain contest. She started in amateur theater and has been mistress of ceremonies for the show THE HOLE, she has participated in Tu Cara no me sonido, La Marató de TV3, in the Catalan series El cor de la ciutat, among many others. He currently co-stars in the Gran Hotel de las Reinas tour throughout Spain.
sideland (Barcelona)
Group formed by Uri Plana (vocals and guitar), Albert Sort (bass) and Andreu Manyós (drums), three friends from Barcelona convinced that everything, good and bad, happens at night. His obsession with darkness is only comparable to the desire to get closer to the sound of international pop hits. Dance, electronic and tropical music combined with epic choruses, in a style that they have taken the liberty of calling Night Pop. His debut album is titled ‘Totes les nits del món’ (2021) and includes songs like ‘Només vull amor’ or ‘Tragèdia o calor’.
Sophia Martin (Alicante, 26 years old)
is a Spanish and German singer-songwriter. Her passion for music stems from a very young age and her multicultural upbringing had a great influence on her music and contributed to her love for different styles. From a very young age, Sofia herself began to write songs in three languages. Her music is heavily influenced by a mix of electronic and contemporary Latin American rhythms. She has a charming stage presence and is able to encapsulate her irresistible melodies, creating a joyous atmosphere for singing and dancing.
Twin Melody (24 years old, Ordizia)
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is the artistic project of the twins Paula and Aitana. Their success began on social networks thanks to their versions of songs and choreographies for Instagram and TikTok, where they accumulated 18.2M becoming the most followed Spanish content creators. They have collaborated on television, acted in TV series, collaborated with multiple brands and even written a book. Artists like Shakira, J Balvin and Camilo -who came to compose their single ‘Someone like you’- have already noticed them.
Vicco (27 years)
She is a Spanish artist, composer, pianist and music producer. Sponsored by Alejandro Sanz, she was the opening act for several concerts on his Sirope tour in 2015. She has worked with various artists and producers, including Alizzz, Bejo, Alex Ubago, Natalia Lacunza, Edurne, Chenoa, La Pegatina… As an independent artist, has managed to add a total of 2.5 million streams on all digital platforms. Currently, she is working with Sony Music Spain on her new album and revamped project.