Ana Bárbara
| Ana Bárbara | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Altagracia Ugalde Motta |
| Born | January 10, 1971 |
| Origin | Rioverde, San Luis Potosí, Mexico |
| Genres | Grupero, Banda, Mariachi, Cumbia, Latin pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Actress, TV personality, Model |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
Fonovisa AB Productions Lo Busqué Productions Sony Music Latin |
| Website | Ana Bárbara Official Website |
Altagracia Ugalde Motta (born January 10, 1971) better known as Ana Bárbara is a Mexican recording artist. She has become a prominent figure within Latin entertainment since her professional debut in 1994 and is among one of the leading female figures in regional Mexican music.
Recognized for her musical talent as well as her sex appeal. With a distinct vocal range, songwriting and producing talent, Bárbara has defined the modern Grupero performance and is one of the few regional Mexican acts to garner an international following that extends beyond México and the United States.
In the past two decades, Bárbara has released eleven studio albums, eighteen compilation albums, over thirty music videos, as well as four music video DVD's. she has sold over 6 million records in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the United States; she is also recipient of Latin music's most prestigious accolades.
Bárbara showed immense musical potential from an early age. She was particularly influenced and inspired by her older sister, Viviana Ugalde, who was a popular singer locally. Today, Ugalde represents Bárbara as part of her management team.
In 1988, Bárbara entered the local Miss Universe-sponsored Miss Mexico beauty pageant representing her native state of San Luis Potosí and won; however, she lost at the national level. By then, an unknown Altagracia Ugalde moved forward and began to seize any opportunity to sing at local talent shows, and at times professionally at variety of music events and festivals. In 1990s she had the opportunity to tour overseas in Colombia and represent Mexico's mariachi music.
In 1993, Bárbara was proclaimed the Ambassador of Ranchera Music. She also earned the El Rostro Bonito de El Heraldo de México ("The Heraldo's Beautiful Face") award. As a result, she was invited to perform for Pope John Paul II during a Mass at The Vatican. When Mass neared its close; however, she still hadn't been given an opportunity to sing, so she interrupted the proceedings, commanded the attention of the Pope, and began to sing. After mass Pope John Paul II approached her, blessed her, and wished her luck in her career. In 1994, she was noticed by record executives from Fonovisa, one of the top labels in the regional Mexican market. After signing with Fonovisa, she created artistic stage name "Ana Bárbara" and launched her self-titled debut album Ana Bárbara. The album was produced and largely written by Aníbal Pastor; it also included songwriting from fellow Mexican singer Joan Sebastian. Songs like Sacúdeme and Nada helped Bárbara establish herself as a Grupero star. Bárbara released her second album titled La Trampa in July 1995, also produced by Aníbal Pastor. La Trampa catapulted her popularity and immediately became a commercial and radio hit. Bárbara received industry accolades as well as invitations to tour and open for some of the biggest regional Mexican artist such as: Vicente Fernandez and Los Tigres del Norte. She also appeared on important Latin American television shows such as: Sabado Gigante and Siempre en Domingo. Consecutive hits and popular music videos, such as Me Asusta Pero Me Gusta and La Trampa, topped Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and established her as La Reina Grupera (The Queen of Grupero Music).
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