Manuel Carrasco

Manuel Carrasco Galloso (born January 15, 1981) is a Spanish pop singer from Isla Cristina (Huelva), Spain. He rose to fame during his participation in the second edition of the Spanish reality TV singing competition Operación Triunfo, where he finished second. He has gone on to record four studio albums, including his debut album, Quiéreme, which sold more than 200,000 records.

Manuel Carrasco was born on January 15, 1981 in Isla Cristina, a seaside town in Huelva, Spain. Son of José Carrasco and María Galloso, he is the fourth of five siblings. From a very young age, he worked as a painter with his brothers, while he rehearsed and performed with a carnival group from his town. He joined the group when he was 13 and led it at age 16.

At 21, he tried out for the second edition of the Spanish interactive reality TV show Operación Triunfo (Spain's version of Fame Academy or Star Academy) where he finished second. The winner of that edition of OT was Ainhoa Cantalapiedra. As one of the top three contestants of the edition, Carrasco bid to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, but the chance to represent Spain was won by Beth.

His first album, Quiéreme was released a month after the show's end in 2003. The album was produced by Miguel A. "Capi" Arenas and included four songs written by Carrasco himself. His first album sold more than 200,000 copies. The Quiéreme concert tour performed in 39 cities throughout Spain.

While recording his second album, Carrasco was offered the chance to participate in the Latin American music festival, “II Festival Mundial de Canción,” in Puerto Rico. After competing against 22 singers from countries around the world, Carrasco won the competition with his self-composed song titled “Dibujar Tu Olvido.”

In October 2004, he released his second album, Manuel Carrasco. It was produced by Jordi Armengol, Jordi Cristau and Carrasco himself. All of the 13 songs (lyrics and music) were composed by Carrasco. He sold more than 100,000 albums and performed in 80 cities in the tour for his second album, including Ceuta, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Throughout the tour, Carrasco was accompanied on stage by renowned musicians, including Jordi Armengol (electric guitar and artistic direction), Jordi Cristau (keyboards), Jordi Portaz (bass), Eduardo Cortés (Spanish guitar), Carlos Martín (percussion) and David Simó (drums).

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