The next Santa Cruz Full Moon will feature Pitingo’s performance. The renowned singer from Huelva will be one of the highlights of the event, which will be held on December 1,2 and 3 in the capital of Tenerife.
The CEO of the Development Society, Carmen Pérez, announced last summer that Plenilunio will have “numerous hours of activities, music, theater, urban sports, leisure, gastronomy and fashion” in the streets of Santa Cruz, with the main course of musical performances at night.
According to Pérez, “García Sanabria Park, the Príncipe, Candelaria and Alameda squares, along with the Puerto-Ciudad esplanade next to La Gesta Park, will be strategic points.” It will be in the Plaza de la Candelaria, with a date and time yet to be confirmed, where the Pitingo concert will take place.
Pitingo, in Plenilunio Santa Cruz
Pitingo, whose real name is Antonio Manuel Álvarez Vélez, was born on November 6, 1980 in Ayamonte, Huelva, Spain. Son of a gypsy mother and a payo father, he grew up in a family environment deeply rooted in the flamenco tradition. His father was a Civil Guard and he grew up in a barracks.
Pitingo’s passion for flamenco has family roots, being the grandson and nephew of singers and belonging to flamenco sagas with great tradition, such as ‘Valencia’ and ‘Carpio’. In addition to his love for flamenco, Pitingo is also attracted to black music, particularly soul..
Pitingo moved to Madrid when he was only thirteen years old, where he began to frequent flamenco tablaos and peñas, immersing himself in the city’s music scene. He began working at the Barajas airport carrying suitcases, and in his free time he sang bulerías and fandangos. His artistic career took off when his adoptive aunt, Salomé Pavón, took him to one of the Los Magos meetings in Madrid, where gypsy and payo musicians gather. This exhibition brought him into contact with great figures of flamenco singing and marked the beginning of his professional career..
In 2005, Pitingo appeared on the album “Búho Real”, a compilation of songs by nine singer-songwriters, including two of his songs, “Los quereles” and “El olvido”. His unique style, combining flamenco with soul, led to the creation of a new musical genre that he called “soulería,” a fusion of soul with bulería, a style of flamenco..
