Al Otro Lado del Río

Background:

A Jewish Uruguayan singer and songwriter who currently resides in Spain, Jorge Drexler achieved international attention with his Academy Award-winning song “Al Otro Lado del Río” from the 2004 motion picture “The Motorcycle Diaries/Diarios de motocicleta,” making Drexler the first Uruguayan ever to pick up the honor. His music is a blending of Uruguayan traditional music (murga, milonga, candombe), pop, bossa nova, jazz and electronic music that impacts in very private compositions with authentic arrangements. Another significant part in his every song is the words. He often writes about love, race, religion and reflection about identity. Debuting as a professional musician in 1992 with “La luz que sabe robar,” Drexler has since launched many albums, including his first album with Virgin, “Vaivén” (1996), “Frontera” (1999), “Sea” (2001), “Eco” (2004), “12 Segundos de Oscuridad” (2006) and “La Edad del Cielo” (2007).

Doctor

Childhood and Family:

Jorge Drexler was born on September 21, 1964, in Montevideo, Uruguay. He remained in Uruguay, where he studied medicine and became a doctor, until 1995, when he headed to Spain to further pursue a career in music. Jorge learned how to play piano at age 5, and later took guitar and composition courses.

La Edad del Cielo

Career:

Jorge Drexler discovered a knack on music while learning how to play piano when he was five. A doctor in Uruguay, he tried his hand in song writing at age 25, before embarking on a professional recording artist. In 1992, he released a debut album called “La Luz Que Sabe Robar” under a local label, Ayui. His sophomore effort, “Radar,” followed two years later in 1994.

Drexler's career did not enter a new phase until 1995, when he was invited to Spain by famed Spanish songwriter Joaquín Sabina and was introduced to other major Spanish singers, such as Pablo Milanés, Víctor Manuel and many others. Together, Drexler and those musicians performed live in Spain. After signing a recording deal with Virgin Records, Drexler launched “Vaivén” in 1996, which he recorded with Spanish musician and was produced by Gonzalo Lasheras. The album contained several old songs from his previous albums combined with new compositions. He stayed in Spain and released “Llueve” in 1998. Also with Virgin, the singer/musician had “Frontera” in 1999 and “Sea” in 2001.

After a short break, Drexler returned to his studio for his next release called “Eco” (2004). The album marked his debut with Dro and was partially recorded in Uruguay with Uruguayan musicians, despite he spent most of the year at Spain. It was also in 2004 that Drexler recorded the song “Al Otro Lado del Río” for the critically acclaimed biographical movie “The Motorcycle Diaries/Diarios de motocicleta” (2004), which represented Brazil in many film festivals worldwide. Based on an Argentinian book, about a Cuban-Argentinean legend, with a Mexican and an Argentinean actor in the leading roles and spoken in Spanish as well as helmed by Brazilian director Walter Salles, the movie nabbed to Academy Award nominations and went on to win one in 2005 for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song, for Drexler's song “Al Otro Lado del Río.” With Oscar on his pocket, Drexler has made a distinction for being the first Uruguayan ever to win Oscar and the song becomes the second song in a language other than English to receive the award.

During the Oscar ceremony, Drexler performed the song along with Carlos Santana and Antonio Banderas. In addition to Osrar, the accomplished musician also earned a World Soundtrack nomination for Best Original Song Written for Film.

Drexter released “Eco2” in 2005 with three bonus tracks and DVD. “12 Segundos de Oscuridad” followed in 2006. His new album, “La Edad del Cielo” (2007), was released by iTunes.

Awards:

• Academy Award: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song, “Al Otro Lado del Río,” “The Motorcycle Diaries,” 2005