Mexico's Ana Gabriel is the queen of infusing pathos into every note she sings. Her smoky alto seems to be endlessly striving — to communicate her feelings, to grab your attention, to soothe you or convince you. And convince you she does. For decades, this singer has performed emotional pop ballads and solidly traditional ranchera, acting as a female singer, songwriter and producer in what are often quite macho Mexican musical realms. In the process, she's sung duets with a veritable who's who of musical stars, introduced a woman's perspective into an overwhelmingly male genre, and given comfort and inspiration to millions of fans. In shows packed with hits, Gabriel's husky voice can more than outmatch the horn section of a ranchera, and she'll often throw in classic Mexican songs and lead the crowd in sing-alongs. She's toured extensively in Mexico, Latin America and North America, and in 2020, she undertook her Estamos A Tiempo North American tour.

Ana Gabriel in Concert

Born María Guadalupe Araujo Yong in Guamúchil, Sinaloa, in 1955, to a Mexican father and a mother of Japanese-Mexican heritage, Ana Gabriel showed her proficiency for music early on. She reportedly sang a José Alfredo Jiménez song in public when she was just six years old, and at age seven, began singing in earnest and composing her own songs. Her talent was abundantly evident, so when the singer turned 15, the family pulled up roots and moved to Tijuana to give her more opportunities. After participating in musical contests, she released her first album, Un estilo, in 1985. Her first smash hit was "Simplemente amigos" in 1986, but her real breakthrough came in 1991 when she won her first Premios Lo Nuestro award. She's received more than 30 nominations for Premios Lo Nuestro since then, as well as Grammy and Latin Grammy nods, and her albums have hovered at the tops of the charts for decades. She recorded a very popular pair of albums with Juan Gabriel in 2007 and 2008, and is famous for duets with artists including Yuri, Plácido Domingo, Vicente Fernandez, Jon Secada and others.