Manuel Garcia

Known for his folk-pop melodies and profound lyrical storytelling, Chilean singer-songwriter Manuel García was born in Arica on 1 March 1970. He pursued History and Geography Education at the University of Tarapacá before venturing to Santiago in 1994. There, he studied professional guitar performance under Luis Orlandini at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His musical career took off in 1995 with the formation of the band Coré, a prelude to his later collaboration in Mecánica Popular, founded in 1997 alongside Diego Álvarez, Marco Chávez, and Mario Villalobos. Mecánica Popular, a blend of rock, trova, and poetic influences, released three albums—Mecánica Popular (1999), La Casa de Asterión (2000), and Fatamorgana (2003)—before calling it quits in 2005. Embarking on a solo career in 2003, Manuel García first gained attention with a documentary on Argentinian musician Atahualpa Yupanqui. 2005 saw the release of his debut solo album, Pánico, earning accolades from Chilean media for its innovative sound. His subsequent albums, Témpera (2008) and S/T (2010), showcased Manuel García's evolving musical style, blending trova, rock, and electronic influences. On Acuario, his fourth solo LP, he surprised fans by doubling down on the electronic instrumentation, citing the music of ABBA, Kraftwerk, and Blondie as inspiration for the album. Preceded by the single "Medusa," Retrato Iluminado (2014) featured contributions by Ángel Parra, Ángel Parra Jr., and Javiera Parra. Over the following years, subsequent releases such as Harmony Lane (2016), Los Habitantes (Bestiario) (2017), Abrazo de Hermanos (2019) featuring Pedro Aznar, Compañera de Este Viaje (2021), and El Caminante (2022) cemented his status as one of the most original singer-songwriters in Chilean popular music.

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