Born in Extremadura, a region of Spain near the Portuguese border, BEBE grew up with musical parents who were bandmates in a folk group Surberina. Bebe, whose sobriquet is a childhood nickname, took up guitar at 11 years old and later began her career as a background singer in a group called Vanagloria. In 1995, she headed for Madrid to study dramatic arts, but shortly thereafter found herself with a group of songwriters that performed at bars around the city. In 2001, Bebe won a songwriting contest in Extremadura. Two years later, she snagged a recording deal with Virgin/EMI that would eventually propel the reserved songsmith to wide fame throughout Spain.

Pafuera Telerañas (which means "out with the cobwebs") is undeniably a most appropriate title as Spain's renowned singer/songwriter has awakened the Latino music scene with a riveting CD (her Virgin/EMI debut) that expertly interweaves impassioned confessionals of elusive and unrequited love with a beguiling assortment of fresh musical arrangements containing flamenco, hip-hop, samba, ska, rock, and folk.

Whether breezily gliding through the house-tinged romantic ode "Men Señará," or skillfully navigating the choppy, groove-tinged lament of a lost love "Siempre Me Quedará," Bebe delivers a gripping performance throughout Pafuera Telarañas that deftly draws out a song's emotional content.

But Bebe, who wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs on Pafuera Telerañas does not limit her well-crafted tales to affairs of the heart. The charismatic performer also neatly applies her singular raspy voice to environmental concerns ("Ska De La Tierra"), female pride ("Ella"), and marital abuse ("Malo"). In fact, "Malo," which is set to a flamenco-laced rock groove, became a runaway hit in Spain.

Now, Bebe is poised to replicate her success throughout Latin America. She was nominated for five Latin Grammy Awards including Record of the Year ("Malo"), Album of the Year (Pafuera Telarañas), and Song of the Year ("Malo"), and she won for Best Female Pop Vocal Album (Pafuera Telarañas) and Best New Artist.

Pafuera Telarañas has cleared out the cobwebs for music enthusiasts throughout Latin America. Bebe's November performance on the Latin Grammy Awards on the U.S. Spanish-language television network Univision allowed viewers to get their first-ever chance to check out the charismatic stage presence and diverse artistic personality of this gifted singer/songwriter whose is astonishingly versatile, both vocally and musically.

06/06