LiberPress Song Award 2009

Born in Manila in September 1943, the son of a Catalan father and a Philippine mother of Spanish descent, he writes and sings in Spanish. He began writing songs in 1967, when he released a record with Catalan versions of two of his early hits: Al·leluia núm. 1 and Roig damunt el negre. He is also a painter and held his first exhibition in a gallery in Madrid in 1960. He spent a lot of time in Paris, where he discovered the music of singers like Brassens and Brel. He began to compose songs, which were sung by other singers such as Massiel, Mari Trini, Ana Belén, Marisol and Rosa León. In 1978 he began to sing regularly in public. His paintings have been exhibited in several countries, and have been selected for international fairs, such as the Paris Biennial, the Biennial of São Paulo and ARCO Madrid. In 1971 he won first prize for painting at the twenty-eighth Mostra Fundazione Michetti (Italy).

He has written various books of poetry: La matemàtica del espejo, La liturgia del desorden, Animal (various collections), Cuerpo del delito and Canciones. He has also written film scripts and directed short films, many of which have been selected at film festivals. They include Senses, A flor de piel (with Ana Belén), El muro de las lamentaciones, and La pupila del éxtasis, and he has produced the soundtrack for numerous films and television series. He directed and drew Un perro llamado dolor. Among his most famous songs are: Al alba, Pasaba por aquí, Las cuatro y diez, Cine, cine, Siento que te estoy perdiendo and Una de dos. In 1983 he was awarded the National Disc Prize in Spain for his album Entre amigos.