The Andalusian María Terremoto belongs to a great saga of flamenco artists, and she has lived up to her name by turning the flamenco scene upside down from a very young age.
María Fernández Benítez, known in artistic circles as María Terremoto, is a young singer from Jerez de la Frontera. She is the daughter of one of Jerez’s leading figures in flamenco singing, Fernando Fernández Pantoja, and granddaughter of Fernando Fernández Monge “Terremoto de Jerez”, she grew up between songs and feelings.
Her childhood was marked by the art of flamenco: from a very young age, she was already singing with talent and showed great talent. She made her debut at a zambomba in a neighbor’s courtyard where she surprised all those present when she was just one year old.
And at the age of eight, his father, considered by many to be one of the best cantaores in history, gave him a bulería in the family peña known as the “Asociación Cultural Fernando Terremoto”. It was then that this artist of the new millennium made it clear that the Terremoto family saga would be very much alive for many years to come.
Those who know her highlight her great talent: María Terremoto masters different styles such as soleá, bulería, fandango and cantiñas, while keeping an eye on the present. Moreover, he does not only excel in singing. Thanks to the years he lived in Seville, María learned from the great bailaora Manuela Carrasco, whom she considers her third grandmother.
BIO
Where were you born?
Jerez de la Frontera (Andalucía)
Date of birth
1999
Flamenco family
Fernando Fernández Pantoja “Fernando Terremoto”, is his father.
Fernando Fernández Monge “Terremoto de Jerez”, his grandfather.
The consecration of María Terremoto
She won the Giraldillo Revelación at the XIX Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, becoming the youngest artist to receive it (16 years old). Undoubtedly, she earned the respect and admiration of the entire audience who enjoyed her integrity and sobriety, so uncommon in young people of her age.
After the award, María began touring the different stages throughout Spain as one of the most promising young cante artists, triumphing thanks to her astonishing abilities. María has her own way of expressing what she feels through the art of flamenco, something that provokes an explosion of feelings in the audience.
He released his first solo work in 2018, La huella de mi sentío, where he transmits all the art that runs through his veins.
After a successful tour, in which he performed on the most important stages of the flamenco scene, he received the Cruzcampo award for the best performance at the Festival La Isla Ciudad Flamenca, the Premio Joven Ciudad de Jerez 2019 and the award for New Creators 2019 from the Secretariado Gitano.
“I like Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, La Paquera de Jerez, Estrella Morente and listening to a lot of music”, she explained on RTVE.
La huella de mi sentío, round record
For her first album, she achieved critical acclaim and was described by various media as the standard-bearer of young flamenco singing.
The album, based on the cantes she has known since she was a child, has a lot of traditional flamenco and jondo, as well as contemporary tinges close to the current sound of cante jondo.
María Terremoto’s songs are full of feelings and have reached different corners of the planet. Her way of expressing herself through singing has influenced different cultures outside flamenco, and it is no coincidence that since the days when her father used to take her to the tablaos, she has become an artist through and through.