Alba Farelo Solé (born 7 March 1997), known professionally as Bad Gyal, is Spanish singer and songwriter. Known for her distinctive overall use of Auto-Tune, Bad Gyal has developed a strong cult following ever since her musical career began in 2016, with an interpretation of Rihanna's "Work" in the Catalan language.[1] She continued to make music as an independent artist, releasing records like "Indapanden", "Jacaranda" and "Fiebre". Bad Gyal later released two mixtapes: Slow Wine Mixtape (2016) and Worldwide Angel (2018), which consecrated her as an emerging artist within the Spanish urban scene.[2]
Alba Farelo Solé was born on 7 March 1997 in Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona. The eldest of five children,[6] Farelo is the daughter of Eduard Farelo [ca], actor and voice actor.[7][8] Farelo's younger sister Irma is also a singer, performing under the name Mushkaa.[9]
At 18, Farelo entered the University of Barcelona, aiming to study fashion design. While attending university and simultaneously working at a call centre, she released "Pai", an adaptation of "Work", by Rihanna and Drake, in Catalan.[10] Although she never meant for that song to become viral, and that she just did it "to create a funny memory with her group of friends", Farelo became noticed. While working in a bakery in her hometown, she decided to drop out of college to pursue a professional musical career. She began as an independent artist, singing covers and playing music in nightclubs in and around Barcelona. She later became more interested in producing her own music and, with the money she made from gigs, soon rented recording studios and hired new producers. She would then team up with producer Fakeguido, releasing "Indapanden" and "No Pierdo Nada", among other songs.
Career
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2016–2018: Slow Wine Mixtape and Worldwide Angel
After "Pai" gained popularity on YouTube, and was picked up by a local radio, Farelo started recording Slow Wine Mixtape, alongside producer Pablo Martínez. The mixtape was released on 9 November 2016 and caught the attention of several professional magazines and music outlets, including Pitchfork and Fact. The latter named her song "Jacaranda," the best single of 2017.[11] After releasing the record's debut single "Fiebre", Bad Gyal's popularity grew exponentially. The song has developed a cult following ever since. The mixtape's success and critical acclaim led Farelo to perform at numerous festivals throughout Europe.[12][13] In late 2017 she also toured Mexico and the United States.
In February 2018, she released her second mixtape, Worldwide Angel, to critical acclaim. The album was licensed and distributed by Canada Editorial.[14] The mixtape was produced by Jam City, Dubbel Dutch, Florentino and El Guincho. It spawned many singles including "Blink", "Candela" and "Internationally". To promote the album, she took part in international festivals such as SXSW and Lollapalooza and toured the United States once again. In November 2018, she embarked on her first Asian tour, which visited Japan, China, and the Philippines. She also released "Open the Door" featuring Jamaican singer Govana, "Yo sigo iual" and "Unknown Feeling".
2019–2021: Commercial breakthrough and Warm Up
Formerly signed with the production company Canada Editorial, in April 2019 it was announced Farelo had signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv Dance Lab.[15] As a signed artist, was able to enter the mainstream. Her first release was "Santa María", featuring Busy Signal, which became her first charting song in Spain, and was later certified gold.[16] Its B-side, "Hookah", peaked at 55 in Spain. In October 2019, Farelo collaborated with Omar Montes on "Alocao", which peaked at number one in Spain for several weeks and is certified five times platinum.[17] Two months later she released "Zorra", which peaked at number 2 in Spain. A remix featuring Rauw Alejandro was released in February 2021.
In 2020, Farelo was featured on Kafu Banton's "Tú eres un bom bom", which would later be remixed in collaboration with Guaynaa.[18] She also released "Aprendiendo el Sexo" later on, with a music video produced by Canada and filmed at the W Hotel in Barcelona.[19] In November, she released "Blin Blin" to commercial success and the acclaim of the general public. The track became viral in her home country and significantly used TikTok. She also partnered with Vodafone and offered a unique virtual concert.[20]
Bad Gyal released her first extended play Warm Up on 19 March 2021.[21][22] The EP peaked at 5 in Spain.[23] She also collaborated with clothing brand Bershka and released an exclusive clothing line.[24] On 25 June, she collaborated with Mariah Angeliq and María Becerra on "BOBO", which sampled TLC's "No Scrubs" and sparked controversy due to similarity with Luchy DR's "Bufón".[25][26] As tour season came to an end, Farelo published "Flow 2000" as well as her second extended play Sound System: The Final Releases featuring songs she had been performing live for years yet remained unreleased.[27] She parallelly released "A la mía" exclusively for the Grand Theft Auto Online radio station Motomami Los Santos hosted by Rosalía and Arca.[28]
^Bowe, Miles; Horner, Al; Lobenfeld, Claire; Twells, John; Clare Welsh, April; Wilson, Scott (15 December 2017). "The 50 Best Tracks of 2017". Fact. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
^"Guanyadors als Premis ARC 2021" (in Catalan). Associació Professional de Representants, Promotors i Mànagers de Catalunya [Professional Association of Representatives, Promoters and Managers of Catalonia]. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
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