b. Julieta Venegas Percevault, 24 November 1970, Long Beach, California, USA. Venegas was raised across the border in Tijuana, Bajo California, Mexico, and from an early age displayed musical aptitude. She took lessons in voice, piano and cello as well as music theory, studying at the Escuela de Musica del Noroeste and at San Diego's Southwestern College. Entering the field of popular music, she sang with the band Chantaje, later named Tijuana No!, before moving to Mexico City where she played accordion with the bands Lula and La Milagrosa. It was with this latter group, a trio that also featured Jorge Fratta and Rafa Gonz lez, that she attracted serious attention, so much so that the band was renamed Julieta Venegas. With the launch of her solo career, she not only sang, but also continued to play accordion as well as piano and guitar. The result is a fiery blend of traditional Latin music with contemporary pop.
Venegas' reputation has spread internationally, owing to visits to Colombia, Spain and, notably, Argentina, where she recorded and also brought into her repertoire compositions by Andres Calamaro. Her popularity was acknowledged when her 2000 release Bueninvento was nominated for a Latin Grammy award as Best Rock Album and the track, "Hoy No Quiero" was nominated for Best Rock Song. In 2004, her third album S¡ won three Latin Grammy awards including Best Solo Artist. In Mexico, her first two albums went gold, the next two platinum. Gradually, audiences outside Mexico caught on with her fourth album Lim¢n Y Sal also making gold in Spain and the USA. Singles from her albums have also sold very well in Mexico.
Mexican television audiences have grown accustomed to recordings by Venegas, which have been used on series such as Sos Mi Vida (2006), a show in which she also appeared as herself. Other onscreen television appearances, usually as herself, include La Edad De Merecer (2000), Neruda En El Coraz¢n (2004), En Mi Pa¡s (2004), Caiga Quien Caiga (2005), Noche Hache (2006) and Hospital Central (2006), as well as numerous television specials and pop music shows. Additionally, her compositions have been used on television shows as well as on the soundtracks of several Mexican films.
DISCOGRAPHY: Aqu¡ (RCA 1998)***, Bueninvento (RCA 2000)****, S¡ (RCA 2003)****, Lim¢n Y Sal (Sony 2006)***.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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