Biography:

Many can play rock n' rock and come out looking like pros. Yet only a
handful can capture the spirit of rock: catchy melodies, pulsating beats,
romantic rebelliousness. Rock is an art, and in capable hands, by twisting,
mixing and mashing different elements, a great artist can make a wholesome
sound. It is called musicianship, and Julieta Venegas has a lot of
musicianship to spare. She is foremost a musician who happens to plays great
rock. Some may say she can also write and sing pop music without betraying
her rock roots. And it's true. In any case, she's a wonderful performer with
a unique style and vision.

Born and raised in Tijuana, the legendary border town in Baja California,
Julieta heard music all the time while growing up: blues, jazz, rock,
mariachi, pop, rhythm & blues, norteña music, boleros and much more.
Tijuana, you see, is one of those places where radio stations can capture
the sounds of the North, while letting the imaginations of local musicians
ring free.

So it was no accident Julieta wanted to become a musician. In fact, she was
the only one of five siblings to take music as a way of life. Her parents were
both photographers, and loved the arts, but young Julieta went a step
further by studying classical music and piano at an early age. She also
studied theory, cello, and singing, which she did with such a passion that many thought she
would be a teacher, or maybe a classical concert performer.

But rock and pop were part of her life already. So much so that when she
began her formal training at the Escuela de Música del Noroeste, and later
at the South Western College of San Diego, Julieta applied the fundamentals
of classical music to her rock aesthetic.

Actually, it was in high school where a friend of Julieta invited the would
be rocker to become part of the group Chantaje, which would later become the
mythical Tijuana No, a band that brought ska and reggae to the forefront of
rock in Espanol. The band worked only two years, but Julieta continued
playing on and off with two members of Chantaje, Luis Güereña and Alex
Zúñiga. With Zuñiga she wrote 'Pobre de ti,' a sort rock anthem with a
catchy melody and sing along spirit.

Julieta started writing songs at an early age. Those early songs won't
betray her influences, but back then she was listening very carefully to
performers such as Suzanne Vega, David Bowie, Prince, and Charly García.

In 1992, Julieta wrote the music for Edward Coward's 'Sirenas de Corazón,'
staged at the Muestra Nacional de Teatro in Monterrey. It was a modest hit,
but the audiences' reaction to the music gave Julieta the push to continue
writing songs.

A few months short of her 22nd birthday, Julieta moved to Mexico City in
search of new experiences. There she met Fratta and members of the hip band,
Café Tacuba, among others. They began a strong friendship, where they invited Julieta
to play at their gigs, as well as playing in hers.

In 1995, Julieta was commissioned to write the music for Francisco Franco's
'Calígula Probablemente,' a smashing hit for the Mexican theater that ran for
over twelve months. During this time, Julieta formed the rock band Lula, and
also started playing the accordion, an odd instrument but one that gave her
sound an edge, a dark, rusted tone unheard of in rock. The instrument has
become an indispensable tool to her songwriting.

With Lula, Julieta jammed enough to polish her style. The band gave her the stage experience
and, indeed, the knowledge needed to write better songs. In any
case, it was a lab to test the water of rock. And she made the best of it.
But after a few months, Julieta formed La Milagrosa, a band
featuring Fratta and Rafa González. The band morphed immediately into The
Julieta Venegas Band, a group with a fresh sound, suitable for the recording
studio as well as the rock stage.

In 1997, Julieta signed her first recording contract (with BMG) and released
her debut album, 'Aqui' (Here). Recorded in Los Angeles, California, the
album was produced by the talented Gustavo Santaolalla, who fine-tuned what
was already a mature and indeed incredible sound. In fact, the album is
considered a cult album, with music at once dark gentle, smart,
romantic, highly poetic but also harsh. It's a personal statement in the
making, one for which Julieta played the accordion, piano, guitars and
vibraphone, and also received the help from talented musicians such as
Joselo and Quique Rangel (Café Tacuba), Rafael González (Botellita de Jérez)
and Patricio Iglesias (Santa Sabina)

Featuring the hit 'Como sé,' 'De mis pasos,' and 'Andamos huyendo,' the
album turned Julieta into a rock icon. That same year, she received the
Nuestro Rock Award for 'Best Album by a New Artist.' She also started
playing more for other artists, including being a featuring guest star in
Enanitos Verdes' 'Tracción Acústica.'

One year later, MTV named her video 'Como Sé' (directed Francisco Franco)
the best by a female vocalist. With this exposure, Julieta was invited to
tour with Ely Guerra and the band Aurora y la Academia, playing mostly
college campuses in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Chihuahua, Ciudad
Juárez and Chicago.

She was also invited to be part of the international tour 'Calaveras y
Diablitos,' which gathered the best Latin bands: from Fabulosos Cadillacs,
Café Tacuba and Aterciopelados to Santa Sabina and Molotov. The tour visited
Madrid, Barcelona, Salamanca and Seville.

1999 was also a busy year for Julieta, who added experience by playing
festivals and music conferences: Miami's Midem Américas, Granada's Festival
Generación Ñ (where she shared the stage with Enrique Bunbury and Pastilla),
Colombia's Festival Rock Al Parque de Bogotá, Venezuela's El Hatillo.

More and more, Spain became one of her favorites places to perform and learn
new sounds. So from 1999 on she started visiting the country frequently,
invited mostly to perform with Spanish bands and solo artists, including the
talented Nacho Mastretta, a sort of genius of electronic music and film
scores. With Mastretta, she recorded the single 'Luna de Miel,' part of the
album of the same title. Released by the mythical recording label
Subterfuge, the album is a classic through and through, especially because
of Mastretta's talent to flesh out sublime music from dubs and loops, and
place it at the service of such artists a Alaska (Fangoria), Ana Belén, and
Ajo (Mil Dolores Pequeños), among others.

It was Mastretta who encouraged Julieta to write songs for movies. And she
did, writing and performing 'Lo que pedi' for the film 'En el país de no
pasa nada,' directed by María del Carmen de Lara. For the same film, she
also performed 'Mala Leche' (written by Liliana Felipe and Jesusa Rodríguez)
and 'Ay' (written Julieta and Francisco Franco).

For the highly successful film 'Amores Perros' (Alejandro González
Iñárritu), one of the best Mexican films of the 1990s, Julieta wrote and
arranged 'Me van a matar,' perhaps the most stunning song in a stunning
soundtrack itself.

Performing in Europe and the U.S., writing songs and playing gigs in Mexico
prepared Julieta for her next adventure: the superb 'Bueninvento,' the album
that reflects a mature artist, one who's definitely in control of her sound,
delivering and songwriting. Produced again by Gustavo Santaolalla,
'Bueninvento' is Julieta flirting with rock as pop music. Songs about love
and desire are beautifully written and performed, and Julieta breakout of
the conventional role of a rock star as someone aloof. She even performs the
gorgeous 'Siempre en mi mente,' a Mexican pop classic by singer/songwriter
Juan Gabriel.

Buenivento was released in 2000 to critical and commercial acclaim. It
established Julieta as a powerful voice in Latin rock. It also gave her an
international exposure. That year, Julieta was invited to performed in
various European festivals, including Italy's Arezzo Wave, an alternative
music fest featuring Asian Dub Foundation, Henry Rollins and Lenine.

Back in the America, she headlined the Revolución tour with Jaguares, Jumbo,
La Gusana Ciega and Lisa Flores. Julieta also kept herself busy by writing
songs for films, including the soundtrack for 'Demasiado Amor' (Ernesto
Rimoch) for which she recorded two versions of 'Acaríciame,' one arranged by
the classical composer Joan Valent, and one by electronica whiz Mastretta.

During the summer of 2001, Julieta traveled throughout Spain with
Aterciopelados and María Gabriela Epumer as part of Fémina Rock tour. She
also received two Latin Grammy nominations in the categories of Best Rock
Song (Hoy no quiero) and Best Rock Album (Bueninvento). For a tribute to
Mexican corrido band Los Tigres del Norte, Julieta recasts 'La jaula de oro'
into one of the most beautiful songs ever performed.

That same year, Spanish singer-songwriter Pedro Guerra graced his album
'Ofrenda' with a superb version of 'Niños,' performed with Julieta.
Mastretta also invited Julieta to record 'Música de Automóvil,' an
electronica tour-de-force.

In 2002, Julieta toured extensively, including an exclusive performance at
the prestigious Havana's Cubadisco. She also performed with Molotov at the
XXX Festival Internacional Cervantino, dedicated to Los Tigres del Norte.
Los Angeles radio station KCRW invited her as well to be part of the album
'Sounds Eclectic Too, for which she recorded 'Casa Abandonada.' The album
features songs by Nick Cave, Dido and Zero 7, among others.

Julieta has always been a film buff, and writing for movies has been both a
challenge and a pleasure. In 2003, she wrote and performed for various
movies projects, including Mexican Antonio Urrutia's 'Asesino en serio ('El
Listón de tu Pelo,' performed with Pau Dones, of Jarabe de Palo), American
Joshua Marston's 'María llena eres de gracia' ('Lo que venga después") and
Chilean Marcelo Ferrari's 'Subterra ('Lo que tú me das').

Invited by Spanish songwriter and producer Víctor Manuel, Julieta was also
part of a beautiful tribute to Joaquín Sabina, 'Entre todas las Mujeres,'
featuring Chavela Vargas, Rosario, Ana Belén and Pasión Vega, among others.

By now, Julieta was considered more than a rock star. She was indeed
performing rock en espanol, but was also stretching the definition of what a
rocker should be. Some say she's still a rocker at heart who likes to flirt
with pop, ballads and electronica. Actually, Julieta is just a damn good
singer and a wonderful performer. All this comes alive in the magnificent
'Si,' her third album. It is pop through and through, but not any kind of
pop since it has a great rock edge and explosive, romantic feel to it.

Produced by Argentineans Coti Sorokin and Cachorro López (with songs co
written by Sorokin), 'Si' is Julieta's masterpiece. Every single song is a
classic, a tour-de-force of good writing, delivery and intention. It is no
accident the album sold more than 550,000 copies. And songs such as 'Andar
Conmigo,' 'Lento' and 'Algo está cambiando' still resonate and are played in
radio stations across the U.S. and Mexico.

Yet Julieta is ready to place herself on the top of her game with the new
'Limon y sal,' which will be released in May. Her fan can't wait to get
their hands on it.