María José Llergo

In the organizer's words:

María José Llergo brings flamenco back to life - born from Andalusian pain and resistance, it meets electronic beats, soul and urban rhythms. In this way, she creates a soundtrack for the 21st century, powerful, vulnerable and boundless.

Born in 1994 in rural Pozoblanco, Córdoba, Llergo grew up with the songs of her grandfather and the untamed nature of southern Spain. From the very beginning, her world was permeated by her family's Romani culture - characterized by pride, but also by the wounds of historical exclusion. At the age of 19, she moved to Barcelona to study at the renowned Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. There she learned the intricacies of traditional flamenco from grandmaster José Miguel "Chiqui" Vizcaya, but soon deconstructed it to combine it with influences from gospel, jazz and electronic music.

She first attracted attention in 2018 with her debut single "Niña de las Dunas". Her first EP "Sanación" (Healing), released in 2020, was a manifesto of transformation: intimate, spherical soundscapes that transformed pain and vulnerability into poetry and strength. This was followed by acclaimed performances at COLORS as well as a Tiny Desk Concert and a KEXP session, which made her voice known far beyond Spain's borders.

Her debut album "Ultrabelleza" was released in 2023, an artistic liberation and a declaration of love to the beauty and diversity of the world. Rolling Stone named it one of the best Spanish-language albums of the year, while Pitchfork praised it as "courageous, tender and revolutionary".

Llergo sings about patriarchal structures, queer tenderness, childhood poverty, her identity as a Romani woman in an often prejudiced Spain. It is music as self-empowerment, full of spirituality and hope.

On stage, María José Llergo effortlessly combines all facets of her work: blazing intensity, intimate moments and a voice that sometimes whispers, sometimes explodes. Her concerts are emotional journeys - deeply rooted in flamenco and at the same time open to the whole world. This fall, María José Llergo will be coming to Berlin for an exclusive concert. An evening between tradition and avant-garde, intimacy and ecstasy. An evening not to be missed.