“I go for a groovy vibe,” says singer-percussionist Debora Galan, “mixing old jazz and Latin jazz standards with lounge music, along with whatever surprises I decide to add in.”
Born in Madrid, Spain, Galan says she was singing at family gatherings before they moved to the U.S. when she was eight. “Both my mother and grandfather sang flamenco, and that was a big influence on what I listened to and, later, my own music.”
After her family moved to Washington DC, “I learned my first Mexican rancheras and was performing them at school functions. By the time I graduated high school I had already had my first paid professional gig. I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life, and that was my dream from that point on.”
In 1987 Galan settled in San Diego, where she joined the Carlsbad-based variety band OSM and expanded her repertoire to include gospel and contemporary Christian music. From there, Galan went on to perform with Burt Brion, Steven Ybarra, Deborah Flores, and the Fabulous Pelicans. In 2008 she struck out on her own, performing as a soloist and with her band Silk.
Her 2016 full-length All About Love was produced by Emmy-winning Latin/world music producer Allan Phillips and features Galan's cousin Gil Perel, who performs with the Nashville Symphony. Preceded by the single “Arms of Love,” the album includes a Latin jazz cover arrangement of “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life.”