Azúcar Moreno

Azúcar Moreno
Occupation	Musical duo
Years active	1984–present
Known for	Eurovision Song Contest 1990 entry "Bandido"

Azúcar Moreno (meaning "brown sugar" in Spanish) is a musical duo from Spain, composed of sisters Antonia "Toñi" and Encarnación "Encarna" Salazar. Since their inception in 1984, they have achieved sales exceeding three million albums and singles within Spain and roughly twelve million globally, earning recognition across Europe, the United States, and Latin America throughout the 1990s.

Biography

Originating from Badajoz, sisters Toñi (born 1963) and Encarna Salazar (born 1961) come from a family deeply rooted in music, including their brothers who formed Los Chunguitos and their uncle, the singer Porrina de Badajoz. Their careers began as backing vocalists before securing a contract with EMI Spain in 1982. They released two albums in 1984 and 1986 that achieved moderate success. In 1988, after signing with CBS-Epic, they embraced a more daring production approach with the album Carne De Melocotón, which combined their Romani roots and flamenco singing style with contemporary urban dance influences such as disco, R&B, funk, and techno. Notable early tracks included a house remix of "Aunque Me Falte El Aire" (1988) and the dancefloor favorite "Debajo Del Olivo" (1989).

Their international prominence was solidified with the song "Bandido," produced by Raúl Orellana and performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990. Despite encountering technical issues during their live performance broadcast to an audience of 500 million viewers, the entry placed fifth overall and propelled them onto the global stage. Subsequent collaborations with producers Emilio Estefan and Estéfano in both the UK and US markets garnered them a Billboard Music Award for Best Latin Group. The 1991 release Mambo found success in Japan, while the title track from their 1994 album El Amor was featured in Luis Llosa's film The Specialist.

Azúcar Moreno broadened their musical scope by integrating flamenco vocals with various Latin and Caribbean styles including rumba, mambo, bolero, merengue, reggaeton, salsa, and dancehall. They also produced Spanish-language versions of rock and pop classics such as The Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black" and The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."

By 2006, their discography comprised approximately 40 singles and 13 studio albums. Their most successful single, "Solo Se Vive Una Vez," reached number one across Spain and Latin American charts and was featured in early Spanish editions of the karaoke game SingStar. With nearly two million albums sold domestically, Azúcar Moreno ranks among Spain’s top-selling artists and stands out as one of the most commercially successful acts to gain international acclaim via Eurovision alongside ABBA and Céline Dion.

The sisters have attracted media attention for their bold public personas and some provocative songs. They enjoy a dedicated LGBT following; their 2000 album Amén included the heartfelt ballad "Amigo Mío," dedicated to this audience, followed by flamboyant tracks like "Divina De La Muerte" and a flamenco rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s gay anthem "I Will Survive," retitled "Sobreviviré."

In 2006, after an 18-year association with CBS-Sony, Azúcar Moreno returned to EMI. Although considered for representing Spain at Eurovision once more, RTVE chose Las Ketchup instead, deeming Azúcar Moreno’s flamenco-centric homage to Lola Flores too specialized for broad appeal. Their 2006 album Bailando Con Lola opened with "20 Años," reflecting on twenty years of their career.

On November 28, 2007, Toñi announced an indefinite pause in activities following Encarna’s breast cancer diagnosis that required chemotherapy treatment. By September 2008 Encarna had fully recovered; however, personal disagreements postponed any musical comeback.

The sisters reunited publicly in October 2013 on the television program Tu Cara Me Suena, declaring their return as Azúcar Moreno for 2014 after resolving past conflicts. They resumed live performances across Spain along with TV appearances, releasing new singles such as “Punto De Partida” (2014), “Pegaíto” (2015), an updated version of “Debajo Del Olivo” (2016), “Agarraita A La Vida” (2016), and “No Me Des Guerra” (2018), which included their first music video in over ten years.

In October 2019 they announced the album “El Secreto” along with its lead single. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 they released four additional singles—“Pa’ Fuera,” “Love Is Love” (with proceeds donated to COVID-19 relief efforts), “Soy Yo,” and “La Cura”—supported by television performances and radio interviews.

“El Secreto” was officially released on September 4, 2020 featuring nine new tracks; signed physical copies were made available online. This marked their first full-length album release since Bailando Con Lola nearly fifteen years earlier.

In January 2022 Azúcar Moreno participated in Benidorm Fest with the song "Postureo," seeking to represent Spain at Eurovision but did not advance to the final round. Their Eurovision classic “Bandido” appeared in the Australian film Of an Age (2022). In 2023 they issued a cover of Rigoberta Bandini’s Benidorm Fest entry “Ay Mamá.”

Plans are underway for announcements throughout 2024 celebrating four decades of Azúcar Moreno’s career.

Albums

Year	Title	Sales Figures	Certification Status
1984	Con La Miel En Los Labios	Template:Center	Template:Center
1986	Estimúlame	Template:Center	Template:Center
1988	Carne De Melocotón	Template:Center	Template:Center
1989	Mix In Spain (Remix album)
1990	Bandido	Template:Center	Template:Center
1990	The Sugar Mix Album (Remix album)
1991	Mambo	Template:Center	Template:Center
1992	Ojos Negros	Template:Center	Template:Center
1994	El Amor	Template:Center	Template:Center
1996	Esclava De Tu Piel	Template:Center	Template:Center
1997	Mucho Azúcar - Grandes Éxitos	Template:Center	Template:Center
1998	Olé	Template:Center	Template:Center
2000	Amén	Template:Center	Template:Center
2002	Únicas	Template:Center	Template:Center
2004	Desde El Principio	Template:Center	Template:Center
2006	Bailando Con Lola	Template:Center	Template:Center
2020	El Secreto

(*) Figures correspond to sales in Spain

Singles

• 1984 "Azúcar Moreno" / "Luna Coqueta"
• 1984 "Que Si, Que No" / "No Quiero Que Me Quieras"
• 1984 "Canela" / "El Girasol"
• 1986 "Estimúlame" / "Ámame"
• 1988 "Aunque Me Falte El Aire" / "Limón Amargo"
• 1988 "Debajo Del Olivo" (Mix In Spain) / "Debajo Del Olivo" (Dub Mix)
• 1989 "Aunque Me Falte El Aire" (Lerele Mix) / "Aunque Me Falte El Aire" (Dub Mix)
• 1989 "Chica Vaivén" (Express Mix) / "Chica Vaivén" (Dub Mix)
• 1989 "Alerta Corazón" (Casablanca Mix) / "Alerta Corazón" (Dub Mix)
• 1990 "Bandido" / "Bandido" (Instrumental)
• 1990 "Ven Devórame Otra Vez"
• 1990 "A Caballo"
• 1991 "¡Torero!"
• 1991 "Mambo"
• 1991 "Tú Quieres Más (Porque Te Amo)"
• 1991 "Ahora O Nunca"
• 1991 "Lujuria"
• 1992 "Moliendo Café"
• 1992 "Hazme El Amor"
• 1993 "Veneno"
• 1993 "Azucarero" (Remix)
• 1993 "Mírame" (with Luis Enrique)
• 1994 "El Amor" / "Ando Buscando Un Amor"
• 1994 "No Será Fácil"
• 1994 "Hay Que Saber Perder"
• 1996 "Sólo Se Vive Una Vez" (The Caribbean Remixes) / (The Mediterranean Remixes)
• 1996 "Esclava De Tu Piel"
• 1996 "Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti"
• 1996 "La Cita"
• 1997 "Bandolero"
• 1997 "Hava Naguila"
• 1997 "Muévete Salvaje" / "Bandido"
• 1997 "Tápame"
• 1998 "Mecachis"
• 1998 "No Pretenderás"
• 1998 "Olé"
• 1998 "Cumbaya" / "Ese Beso"
• 1999 "Agua Que No Has De Beber"
• 2000 "Amén"
• 2000 "Dale Que Dale"
• 2000 "Mamma Mia"
• 2001 "Ay Amor"
• 2002 "Bésame" (Mixes)
• 2002 "Volvería A Nacer"
• 2002 "Tequila" (Mixes)
• 2002 "Divina De La Muerte"
• 2003 "Mi Ritmo"
• 2003 "Sobreviviré"
• 2004 "Se Me Va"
• 2004 "Él"
• 2006 "Clávame"
• 2006 "Bailando Con Lola"
• 2007 "20 Años"
• 2014 "Punto de Partida"
• 2015 "Pegaíto"
• 2016 "Debajo Del Olivo [2016 Version]"
• 2016 "Agarraita A La Vida"
• 2018 "No Me Des Guerra"
• 2019 "El Secreto"
• 2020 "Pa’ Fuera"
• 2020 "Love Is Love"
• 2020 "Soy Yo"
• 2020 "La Cura"
• 2021 "Postureo"
• 2023 "Ay mamá"

Sources and external links

• Official Twitter account of Azúcar Moreno
• Biography on Hispavista
• Biography at CMTV Argentina