Leiva

Born in Madrid on April 30, 1980, Spanish singer-songwriter José Miguel Conejo Torres bore a striking resemblance to Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva, so much so his friends nicknamed him Leiva. The name stuck and when he started upon his musical career he adopted it as a stage name. After rising to stardom in his native Spain as one half of the successful pop-rock duo Pereza, Leiva split from his partner Rubén Pozo and went solo, releasing the album Diciembre in 2012 on Sony Music. With Leiva being widely acknowledged as the musical driving force behind Pereza, the album was eagerly anticipated by his fans. Upon release it received wide critical acclaim including winning a Rolling Stone Award for Album Of The Year and two Latin Grammy nominations validating the singer-songwriter's decision to pursue a solo career. The single "Eme" lifted from the album was a ballad about the painful breakup with his girlfriend Michelle Jenner and became a predictably successful hit firmly establishing Leiva as a credible solo performer within the Latin market. Two follow up albums, Pólvora in 2014 and the 2016 release Monstruos went straight to number 1 in the Spanish Album Charts. After Monstruos, Leiva strengthened his career as both artist and producer, overseeing albums like 11 by Abel Pintos and Lo niego todo by Joaquín Sabina. In 2017, he composed the Platinum-certified, Goya-winning title track for the film La llamada. His fourth solo album, Nuclear (2019), produced hits like "No Te Preocupes por Mí," though its supporting tour was cut short by the pandemic. Leiva continued his creative streak with "Nunca Debiste Cruzar el Mississippi" for the series Veneno (2020), and in 2021 he released Cuando Te Muerdes el Labio, a collaborative album featuring 14 female Latin artists. In 2025, he achieved a personal milestone with "Caída Libre," a duet with Robe Iniesta, followed by the release of his sixth studio album, Gigante, showcasing a new visual and musical concept through a series of one-take video singles. "El Polvo de los Días Raros," one of the album's singles, reached number 46 on the Spanish charts.