Russian Red | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Lourdes Hernández González |
Origin | Madrid, Spain |
Genres | Indie, Folk |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Octubre / Sony Music Entertainment |
Website | http://www.russianred.com |
Russian Red is the stage name of Lourdes Hernández, a Spanish indie and folk singer-songwriter.
Known by many as the Spanish Feist, in reference to the Canadian singer-songwriter who inspires her in many of her attitudes on the microphone, Hernández—who writes and sings all of her compositions in English—states that she sings in that language instinctively because she has always listened to music in English.
Russian Red's project began when Hernández met Brian Hunt, a musician with an English father and Spanish mother, with whom she recorded a demo (which included tracks that remain unpublished like "Reason", "The Night of the Paper", and "Sadie") that reached more than 70,000 visits on her MySpace page by 2008.
The name Russian Red comes from the colour of a lipstick that Hernández herself usually wears. When asked how she chose the name, Hernández stated: "I had a band without a name some time ago. Since then, I was haunted by an obsession: to find the ideal artistic name. One day, I fell in love with this colour that a girl was wearing. I pronounced its name, and now it is my pseudonym."
Little by little, Hernández has become well known in the Spanish indie arena, performing more than 60 shows during 2007 and taking part in the prestigious Primavera Sound, among other festivals.
The Spanish producer Fernando Vacas asked Hernández to record an album to be issued by his label Eureka. The album, her first, was called I Love Your Glasses and quickly became a success, leading El País columnist Alfonso Cardenal to deem Russian Red the "revelation of the year".
With the release of her first album I Love Your Glasses Russian Red became well-known and popular in Spain. In late 2010, Russian Red signed with Octubre of Sony Music Spain. In May 2011, she released her second album Fuerteventura. At the same time, she toured in Asia including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea. She also published a duet with Elvis Presley of his song "Love Me Tender" in the special Spanish edition of the album Viva Elvis. Fuerteventura was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland with producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, David Byrne, Mogwai).