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Eljuri

A widely celebrated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Eljuri has created an eclectic and globally inspired body of work rooted in Latin traditions, but also covering reggae, rock, funk, and Middle Eastern. Often considered one of the greatest Latina guitarists, the Ecuadorian musician began her career in New York, playing in punk and Latin rock groups before launching a successful career as a bilingual, genre-fluid solo artist in the late 2000s. Following her acclaimed 2008 debut, Eljuri continued to tour internationally and slowly amassed an adventurous catalog that included 2012's Fuerte and 2016's La Lucha. She later devoted an entire record, 2019's Resiste, to reggae songs before expanding her palette once again with 2022's musically and lyrically defiant Reflexión. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, but raised mostly in New York City, Cecilia Villar Eljuri is the daughter of Paco Villar, who was a pioneer in Ecuadorian broadcasting, and songwriter Olga Eljuri de Villar. With their encouragement, she began studying piano at the age of five, though by her teenage years, she had shifted her focus to the guitar and began writing her first songs. In the mid-'90s, Eljuri became guitarist for the Trouble Dolls, an English language alt-rock band who enjoyed some modest local success. Wanting to further explore her Latin heritage, she later formed her own band, Grupo Fiesta. A mix of rock en español and Latin pop, Grupo Fiesta recorded two albums -- 2000's Sueño and a self-titled set in 2003 -- before Eljuri decided to become a full-time solo artist. Her first solo album, En Paz, was released on Manovill Records in 2008 and boasted well-known guests who ranged from rock artists like Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano to Jamaica's iconic reggae rhythm section, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. Over the coming years, Eljuri toured heavily, building on her reputation as a Latina guitar hero and eclectic songwriter, two traits that shone through on her sophomore set, 2012's Fuerte. Inspired by travels through Mexico and Colombia, Fuerte again featured Sly & Robbie as its rhythm section. Her next set, 2016's fiery La Lucha, was her most stylistically diverse to date. Traversing reggae, pop-punk, bolero, and Afro-Caribbean, the material struck a defiant and often uplifting tone. Since her early days with the Trouble Dolls and Grupo Fiesta, reggae music has remained a central influence and on 2019's Resiste, Eljuri offered up her first album devoted entirely to the genre. Like many musicians, Eljuri's usually robust touring schedule was halted during the global pandemic of the early 2020s. By 2022, however, she was back on the road and touting a diverse new collection of songs. By this point, she was widely recognized as one of greatest Latin guitarists, and her fifth album, Reflexión, supported this. An intriguing mix of Latin, Middle Eastern, funk, rock, and reggae, Reflexión's songs were also rife with socio-political themes and the celebration of and fight for human rights.
© Timothy Monger & Alex Henderson /TiVo
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Discography

12 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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