Francisca Valenzuela
| Francisca Valenzuela | |
|---|---|
Valenzuela performing in Antofagasta, Chile in February 2012.
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|
| Born |
March 17, 1987 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Santiago, Chile |
| Nationality | American, Chilean |
| Citizenship | Chilean |
| Occupation | Singer, poet, fashion designer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | franciscavalenzuela |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop, jazz, folk, alternative rock |
| Instruments | Voice, piano, acoustic guitar, percussion |
| Labels | Feria Music Records, Independent |
| Associated acts | Los Bunkers, Julieta Venegas, DJ Bitman |
Francisca Valenzuela (born March 17, 1987 in San Francisco, California) is an American-born Chilean singer, poet, and multi-instrumentalist. Valenzuela was born and raised in San Francisco, California, where she resided until the age of 12, before moving to Santiago, Chile. She gained to popularity in Chile and Latin America, following the release of her debut album, Muérdete La Lengua in June 2007. Her second album, Buen Soldado followed in March 2011. Valenzuela has earned both gold and platinum album certification in Chile.
Francisca Valenzuela was born in San Francisco, California to Chilean-born scientists, Pablo Valenzuela Valdés and Bernardita Méndez Velasco. She is the fourth oldest and only daughter of five children. Valenzuela attended Park Day School in nearby Oakland, California. At a very early age, Valenzuela demonstrated an interest in music and began taking music lessons at the age of 7. By age ten, she was playing acoustic guitar and continued studying classical piano. During summer vacations and Christmases, she and her brothers would travel to Santiago, where they would visit relatives. Eventually, the family would make the permanent move to Santiago, when she was 12. Valenzuela attended Saint George's College, an elite private school in the Vitacura neighborhood of Santiago.
After submitting poetry of her own composition to various literary magazines and taking summer poetry courses, Valenzuela's parents helped her submit more material to a friend, who was also a literary critic at Stanford University. Many of her poems were published in the Latin American literary magazine, El Andar. In 2000, she published her first book,"Defenseless Waters", featuring a collection of her poems and illustrations. The book featured a foreword by famed Chilean author, Isabel Allende. She released her second book,"Abejorros/Madurar", which was distributed in Spain and Latin America in 2001. As part a promotional tour for "Defenseless Waters", she brought her guitar and keyboard to venues in northern California, where she gave poetry readings and performed songs of her own composition. Valenzuela is fluent in English and Spanish, and often composes songs in both languages.
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