María José Llergo's new album, titled El Juego and released by Sony Music, is characterized by contemporary pop production, incorporating string arrangements, Latin rhythms like bachata and cumbia, and electronic music elements. The work is also described as an amalgam of self-help philosophy and the typical overproduction found in today's popular music.
The artist's flamenco roots, which marked her beginnings, seem to have taken a backseat in this new phase. Few rhythmic traces are appreciated in tracks like Espina clavá, Bien de amores, or Traicionero, but flamenco as a primary genre is barely perceptible.
Llergo has confirmed the authenticity of a curious anecdote from the album cover: a dove snatching glasses from a man, described by the artist herself as a "señoro" (gentleman). The singer, born in Pozoblanco (Córdoba) on April 15, 1994, began her musical career with the music video Niña de las dunas.
Throughout her career, María José Llergo has garnered various accolades. She won an award from the Spanish Music Academy for best folk album. Her first studio album, Sanación (2020), was promoted on television programs and presented at the Flamenco on Fire Festival. She has also participated in music platforms like A Colors Show, releasing songs such as La luz and Tu piel.
Her presence in popular culture has extended to other areas, including an appearance in a beer commercial in 2021, which championed the Andalusian accent by recreating the figure of Lola Flores. In 2022, she received the Goya Award for best original song for Te espera el mar, from the film Mediterráneo.
In 2023, she released Ultrabelleza, an album that, according to critics, maintained her flamenco roots and earned her the Ruido Award for Best Album of the Year. More recently, on July 8, 2024, she became the fifth Spanish artist to record a Tiny Desk concert, accompanied by musicians Julio Martín Macías, Carlos Sosa Zambrano, and Juan Manuel Montoya.
