Ruth Lorenzo

Early life

Ruth Lorenzo was born on 10 November 1982 in the Region of Murcia, in south-eastern Spain. At a very young age she became a fan of the musical Annie and although she had no idea of what the words meant she would sing along to the songs in English. When she was six years old she discovered music by Catalan opera singer Montserrat Caballé, and after her mother bought her an album by Caballé, Lorenzo began to sing opera, imitating Caballé's vocals until she was pitch perfect. At the age of 12, Lorenzo's family moved to Utah in the United States, where for the first time she had the opportunity to be involved in music at school. After much encouragement from her teachers, Lorenzo was entered into competitions and played lead roles in musical productions such as The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady. When Lorenzo turned 16 the family returned to Spain and although having had singing lessons by this time, she had to cancel these lessons due to family financial difficulty and as a result Lorenzo gave up on her dream of becoming a recording artist. When Lorenzo was 19 she joined a rock band, which was a challenge for her as she had only sung opera music. She also made a big decision to quit her job in her family's business in order to pursue her dreams once again, but after three years of touring around Spain the group decided to split up. Lorenzo landed a contract at Polaris World where in addition to performing, she worked as a PR consultant.

Career

2008: ''The X Factor''

Main article: The X Factor (British series 5)

In 2008, Lorenzo auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor in front of judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh. She sang "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She impressed the judges and made it through to the next stage of the show, "bootcamp". Lorenzo passed both stages of bootcamp and was sent to St. Tropez with the other successful contestants from the over-25s category. There she auditioned in front of Dannii Minogue who was her X Factor mentor. After an emotional performance of "True Colors", sung in Spanish, Minogue decided to pick Lorenzo for her final three who would proceed to the live shows. On the first live show she sang "Take My Breath Away" in English and Spanish. She had mainly good comments, especially from Cowell, who told her she should sing in Spanish more often. However, the next week Lorenzo sang "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" in English only, and ended up in the bottom two. She performed "Purple Rain" in the singoff, and it saved her into the next week. In Week 5, Lorenzo was in the bottom two again against one of the crowd favourites Laura White. This time she sang "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and was saved by Cowell, Minogue and Walsh. Her performance was overshadowed by the uproar over White's departure. Voting statistics revealed that White received more votes than Lorenzo meaning if Walsh sent the result to deadlock, White would’ve been saved. During Take That week, Lorenzo sang "Love Ain't Here Anymore". She received high praise for her performance, with Cowell saying it was sensational. By the quarter-final, Lorenzo was Minogue's last remaining contestant and she was eliminated after receiving the fewest public votes. Lorenzo bowed out with another performance of "Always". Former friend Alexandra Burke went on to win the show.

Performances on ''The X Factor''

2009–10: After ''The X Factor''

Lorenzo performed at gigs across the UK and Ireland in December 2008 and January 2009. In February and March 2009, she joined the X Factor Live tour with fellow contestants. She was nominated for three awards at the Digital Spy Reality TV Awards. Lorenzo officially confirmed her record deal with Virgin Records on 6 May with an interview with Xpose.

In 2010, Lorenzo was approached by Spanish TV Channel Cuatro and asked to write a song for their new fictional drama Valientes. She accepted and composed two songs for the show, one for the opening ("Quiero Ser Valiente") and one for the end credits ("Te Puedo Ver"). Ruth performed "Quiero Ser Valiente" on Friday 22 January on the Spanish talent show Fama a bailar (which was also aired on Cuatro). In July 2010 it was revealed that Lorenzo had written songs for Dannii Minogue's comeback album revealed on Dannii's ITV2 show Style Queen. Lorenzo confirmed in a blog posting that she parted away from Virgin Records/EMI due to "creative differences" and that she would continue working on her album as an independent artist. [[File:Rurthinscotland.jpg|thumbnail|Ruth performing live in [[Ayr]], [[Scotland]]]]

2011–13: ''The Raspberry Pattern''

She signed up to website indiegogo.com where fans helped to fund her debut single. The funding was for airplay, the video shooting, marketing and PR services. The CD version included "Burn", an acoustic version of the song and "Eternity". The Raspberry Pattern became the name of her band. Lorenzo was booked for more dates around the United Kingdom for the summer and autumn of 2011. She released a free track download titled "The Night" for her Facebook fans in August 2012 which was officially released in June 2013 with a videoclip. On 11 November a lyric video for her single "Love is Dead" was uploaded to her YouTube channel. The single was released under the independent H&I Music on digital platforms, including the song "Pain" as a B-side. At the end of 2013 Lorenzo signed with a new record company, Spanish company Roster Music, and unveiled her new website.

During 2013 she took part on the Celebrities On Ice tour in the UK.

2014: ''Planeta Azul'' and Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Eurovision Song Contest 2014, Planeta Azul

Her website announced the upcoming release of her first studio album. She went to Los Angeles, California to record various tracks for her album, to be titled Planeta Azul.

On 20 January,2014 Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) selected Lorenzo as one of the potential five candidates to represent Spain at Eurovision Song Contest. Months earlier the eurovision-spain.com website made a survey known as "La Elección Interna" among Eurovision fans and international juries from thirteen countries to check who could be the ideal Spanish candidate to represent Spain. Lorenzo came second in the list among one hundred Spanish candidates In February the song "Dancing In The Rain" was released as one of the Spanish pre-selection entries for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. The song was released on 18 February and it became number one on iTunes Spain. On 22 February she won the Spanish national final. Therefore, she represented Spain in the contest with the song "Dancing In The Rain" on 10 May 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The song finished 10th during the grand final.

Her debut album Planeta Azul was released on 27 October 2014. The album contains thirteen new songs, and also a new version of "Dancing In The Rain". The release of the album was preceded by the release of its lead single, "Gigantes", on 7 October 2014, which debuted at number six on the Spanish Singles Chart. The official video for the single was released on 22 October.

2015–2016: After Eurovision, ''Tu Cara Me Suena''

In 2015, Lorenzo served as a judge in the Spanish talent show Levántate (Spanish version of Stand Up for Your Country), aired on Telecinco from 10 February 2015 to 17 March 2015. She also served as a member of the Spanish jury in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

On 16 October 2015, a special repackage of her debut album Planeta Azul was released, which includes new tracks and some songs she had recorded previously in English language. One of the new tracks, titled "99", was released as a single on 28 August 2015.

On 30 July 2015, Lorenzo was announced to join the cast of the fourth season of spanish version of the television show Your Face Sounds Familiar, in which celebrity contestants impersonate a different iconic music artist on stage each week. The season premiered on 18 September 2015 on Antena 3. In the season finale that took place on 29 January 2016, she was declared winner with 47% of the televote.

Performances on ''Tu Cara Me Suena''

''Voces Tour''

After a short break from television, the artist focused on music, recording her new album between Berlin, Stockholm, Madrid, Barcelona and London.

On 14 May, she joined the television show Objetivo Eurovisión to discuss about the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and the Spanish candidate.

In September 2016, she announced that on 19 October she would achieve a Guinness World Record with the goal of getting funds breast cancer cause. The record consisted in holding eight concerts in eight Spanish towns in less than twelve hours (Un Récord Por Ellas - a Guinness Record Award for Women).

At the end of 2016, she started the Voces Tour touring Spain, visiting some cities as Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia and Murcia.

2017: Entrepreneurial projects

On 13 October 2017, after a break from the music industry, Lorenzo released "Good Girls Don't Lie", the first single of her upcoming second studio album Loveaholic.

She also worked on a collaborative cover of the Spanish hit song "¿A quién le importa?", originally performed by Alaska y Dinarama, as the anthem for WorldPride Madrid 2017, with other famous Spanish singers such as Marta Sánchez, Rosa López, Vicky Larraz, La Terremoto de Alcorcón, Soraya Arnelas and Nancys Rubias, among others.

On 29 September 2017, Lorenzo announced "Good Girls Don't Lie", the first song of Loveaholic. The song was released on the 13 October 2017, reaching number one in sales on the main digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play Music and Amazon. The song became a trending topic on Twitter during that first weekend, and it was also played on the main Spanish radio stations. Soon after that, she announced The Loveaholic Tour for 2018.

Record label: Raspberry Records

After declining an offer from Virgin EMI Records, being part of Roster Music from 2013 and releasing a charity single with Universal Music. Due to creative differences, Lorenzo decided to create her own record label, Raspberry Records, and release her music under this label.

White Lion

Lorenzo announced the creation of her own clothing line, White Lion. The name was chosen in homage to the name given to her fans (lions).

2018–2019: ''Loveaholic'', ''La Llamada'', new single, and television projects

Her second album, Loveaholic, was released on 9 March 2018; the album includes a collaboration with Jeff Beck. It peaked at number 9 on the Spanish Albums Chart.

In December 2018, Lorenzo debuted in musical theatre with the role of God in La Llamada, at the Teatro Lara in Madrid.

On 29 March 2019 she performed at the sold-out Festival Mil·leni at the Teatro Coliseum in Barcelona.

In May 2019, Lorenzo starred in an episode of the La Sexta travel show Viajeras con B.

In June 2019, she released the single "Underworld". Its official music video was directed by Pablo H. Smith and produced by The Panda Bear Show.

During the summer of 2019, she toured Spain with La Llamada: Musical.

In November 2019, she starred in the multimedia event show El gran secuestro for Playz.

2020–present: ''Crisálida'', ''Veo cómo cantas'' and Benidorm Fest

In June 2020, Lorenzo released "Miedo", the first single from her third studio album, to be titled Crisálida. A second single that precedes the album, the same-titled "Crisálida", will be released on 29 January 2021.

In 2021, Lorenzo joined the Antena 3 music game show Veo cómo cantas (the Spanish version of I Can See Your Voice) as a panelist. In 2022, she was guest judge on season 2 of Drag Race España. Lorenzo was also a contestant on the seventh season of reality television cooking show MasterChef Celebrity.

In January 2023, she was confirmed as the main host of the RTVE singing competition series Cover Night, along with Ana Guerra and Abraham Mateo.

In January 2024, she was announced as one of the hosts of Benidorm Fest 2024, the Spanish selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, alongside Marc Calderó and Ana Prada.

On 12 September 2024, she was revealed to be one of the presenters of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024, along with Melani García and Marc Clotet.

Lorenzo released her third studio album, BlackSheep, on 31 October 2025 with a performance with her band.

Discography

Main article: Ruth Lorenzo discography

;Studio albums

• Planeta Azul (2014)
• Loveaholic (2018)
• BlackSheep (2025) ;Extended plays
• Burn (2011)
• The Night (2013)
• Love Is Dead (2013)
• Dancing In The Rain (Cahill Remixes) (2014)
• Renuncio (Remixes) (2015)

Filmography

Television

Guinness World Records 2016

On 19 October, International Breast Cancer Awareness Day, she performed in 12 hours in eight different Spanish cities, achieving a Guinness World Record for this special cause. The name of the event was "Un récord por ellas".

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (2010-08-04). "'X Factor' Lorenzo splits from EMI".
2. (2012-03-14). "X-Factor Horoscopes". Russell Grant.
3. (24 July 2013). "Dannii Minogue is releasing a new greatest hits and it'll feature a new song called "'Cos You're Beautiful' • Popjustice". Popjustice.
4. (18 October 2017). "Ruth Lorenzo, número 1 en virales de Spotify en España".
5. (25 October 2016). "La cantautora Ruth Lorenzo establece récord con ocho conciertos en 12 horas a través de España para recaudar fondos para fundación para la cura del cáncer".
6. (2008-12-05). "La murciana que cabreó a Price". El País.
7. "Archived copy".
8. (18 January 2010). "Ruth Lorenzo compone e interpreta la cabecera y el cierre de 'Valientes'". FormulaTV.
9. "Ruth Lorenzo - Single Pre-Sales and VIP Exclusives". Indiegogo.
10. "Ruth Lorenzo - Single Pre-Sales and VIP Exclusives". Indiegogo.
11. "Entrevista con Ruth Lorenzo".
12. Laws, Roz. (19 April 2013). "Q & A with Celebrities On Ice star Ruth Lorenzo".
13. (8 March 2023). "La Reina - Ruth Lorenzo".
14. Thorne, Liam. (2 June 2014). "Ruth Lorenzo heads to Los Angeles to record new album".
15. (20 January 2014). "TVE confirma a Ruth Lorenzo, Brequette, Jorge González, Raúl y la Dama para su preselección".
16. (29 September 2013). "La joven promesa Roko se alza con el título de artista ideal de España para Eurovisión".
17. (28 February 2014). "Ruth Lorenzo -"Dancing in the rain"".
18. (30 September 2014). "Xavi Martínez presentará en exclusiva Gigantes, lo nuevo de Ruth Lorenzo".
19. (6 February 2015). "Manuel Villanueva: "Es un orgullo que 'Levántate' sea un formato español y que seamos la primera cadena en ponerlo en marcha"".
20. (28 August 2015). "Ruth Lorenzo publica hoy su nuevo single en inglés, '99'". Europa Press.
21. "RUTH LORENZO - 99 (SONG)". Hung Medien.
22. "Ruth Lorenzo concursará en 'Tu Cara Me Suena'". 20 Minutos.
23. ""Tu cara me suena", un espectáculo total". La Razón.
24. "Ruth Lorenzo gana 'Tu cara me suena'". [[El Mundo (Spain).
25. "tour poster". Twitter.
26. Gregoris, Ángel M.. (2017-10-13). "Ruth Lorenzo presenta Good girls don't lie, primer single de su esperado nuevo álbum".
27. (28 June 2017). "'A quién le importa': Así suena el himno oficial del World Pride Madrid 2017".
28. (2018-11-30). "RUTH LORENZO SE SUMA A 'LA LLAMADA' DE LOS JAVIS". [[Los 40]].
29. (2019-11-24). "#ElGranSecuestro, o cómo revolucionar la TV".
30. LaInformacion. "Un secuestro de culto, emitido en directo por RTVE".
31. (2020-11-24). "Ruth Lorenzo regresa cantando a sus miedos".
32. (2021-01-20). "RUTH LORENZO ANUNCIA LA FECHA DE LANZAMIENTO DE SU NUEVA CANCIÓN: 'CRISÁLIDA'".
33. (2021-01-15). "Manel Fuentes y los asesores de 'Veo cómo cantas' comparten fotos en el inicio de sus grabaciones".
34. (1 May 2022). "La semana que viene nos espera: · Lucha de sumos 🤼‍♀️ · Spots publicitarios para convencer a todas las drag queens del mundo que España es el mejor destino 😍 · @RuthLorenzo de jurado invitada 💫 👠 Directo ▶ http://atres.red/sj3ec #DragRace6".
35. (2022-09-27). "Ruth Lorenzo, tercera expulsada de MasterChef Celebrity 7". [[El Mundo (Spain).
36. (26 January 2023). "Exclusiva: Abraham Mateo presentará 'Cover Night' en TVE junto a Ruth Lorenzo y Ana Guerra". El Televisero.
37. (2023-02-04). "Chanel, Mónica Naranjo y Juan Magán serán jurado de 'Cover Night', nuevo talent musical de TVE, con Miguel Bosé".
38. (2024-01-09). "Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó y Ana Prada serán los presentadores del Benidorm Fest 2024". ESCplus España.
39. (2024-09-12). "The hosts of Junior Eurovision 2024 revealed". [[European Broadcasting Union]].
40. (20 October 2016). "Ruth Lorenzo bate un récord Guinness al actuar en ocho ciudades en 12 horas".
41. (2 November 2015). "2015 Music In Visual Media Nominees".
42. (4 October 2015). "Ruth Lorenzo recibe Premio ESAEM 2015".
43. (25 October 2016). "La cantautora Ruth Lorenzo establece récord con ocho conciertos en 12 horas a través de España para recaudar fondos para fundación para la cura del cáncer".
44. (1 August 2018). "Premios Yudeo 2018 | Ruth Lorenzo arrasa (5) y Sergio Rivero da la sorpresa (3) en la categoría nacional o latina".