Gabriel Ríos (born August 25, 1978) is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter based in Belgium.[1][2] He has released five studio albums between 2004 and 2021 and is best known for the singles "Broad Daylight" and "Gold".[1][2]
Gabriel Ríos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gabriel Ríos August 25, 1978 |
| Origin | Ghent, Belgium |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Label | PIAS Recordings |
| Website | gabrielrios |
Early life
editRíos was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up on the island.[1] In 1996, at the age of 17, he moved to Ghent, Belgium, to study painting at the LUCA School of Arts.[3]
Career
editBands and Ghostboy (1996–2005)
editAfter settling in Ghent, Ríos performed with the bands The Nothing Bastards and L. Santo before starting a solo career.[2] His debut album Ghostboy was released in Belgium in 2004 and was produced by Jo Bogaert, known for his work with Technotronic.[2][4] The album combined Latin, hip hop, rock and electronic music, and the single "Broad Daylight" received airplay in Belgium, the Netherlands and France.[1][2] A live album, En Vivo, followed in 2005.[1]
Angelhead and European Border Breakers Award (2007)
editRíos's second studio album, Angelhead, was released in 2007 and was again produced by Bogaert, with a stronger emphasis on pop electronica.[1][2] That year he received a European Border Breakers Award (EBBA), an annual prize awarded by the European Commission to ten emerging European artists who had achieved success outside their home country.[5][6]
The Dangerous Return (2010)
editNew York and This Marauder's Midnight (2011–2015)
editIn 2011 Ríos moved to New York City.[2] Between October 2013 and 2014 he released one new song each month online; the first of these, "Gold", became a hit in Flanders.[2] An unauthorized tropical house remix by Australian producer Thomas Jack subsequently went viral online.[2] The songs were collected on his fourth studio album, This Marauder's Midnight, released in the Benelux in late 2014 and internationally in 2015.[2] "Gold" won the public-voted "Hit van het Jaar" (Hit of the Year) at the Music Industry Awards (MIA) for 2014, presented at a televised ceremony in Lint on January 8, 2015.[9]
Flore (2021)
editRíos's fifth studio album, Flore, was released in February 2021. It consists largely of Spanish-language reinterpretations of Latin American and Caribbean songs, including material by Rafael Hernández and Facundo Cabral, alongside several original compositions.[10] The single "La Torre" was a duet with American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart.[10]
Discography
edit- Studio albums
- Ghostboy (2004)
- Angelhead (2007)
- The Dangerous Return (2010)
- This Marauder's Midnight (2014)
- Flore (2021)
- Live album
- En Vivo (2005)
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | European Border Breakers Award | — | Won[5][6] |
| 2014 | Music Industry Award | Hit van het Jaar ("Gold") | Won[9] |
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ankeny, Jason. "Gabriel Ríos – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ankeny, Jason. "Gabriel Rios". Apple Music. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Gabriel Rios". De Roma, Antwerp. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Ghostboy – Gabriel Ríos". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "An interview with Border Breakers winner Gabriel Rios" (PDF). European Commission. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Europe's hottest new artists recognized at EBU sponsored European Border Breakers Awards". European Broadcasting Union. January 16, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- ↑ "The Dangerous Return – Gabriel Ríos". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Jef Neve". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Stromae is opnieuw de grote winnaar van de MIA's, nieuwkomer Oscar and The Wolf wint 3 awards" (in Dutch). VRT. January 8, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Flore – Gabriel Ríos". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
External links
edit- Official website
- Gabriel Ríos at AllMusic
- Gabriel Ríos discography at Discogs