Kany García

Kany García

Kany García is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Born Encarnita García de Jesús in 1982, she grows up in a musical household: her father is Spanish, her mother is Puerto Rican, and her family includes a musician brother, José Antonio, who plays cello with the Sinfónica de Puerto Rico. She is the youngest of three children.

Early training and television breakthrough

She begins classical music studies as a child, learning cello, theory, solfeggio and chorus. At 13, she attends the Escuela Libre de Música, where she takes up guitar, and later studies at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico. She first appears on television in 2004 as a contestant on Objetivo Fama, the Puerto Rican singing contest, and becomes known as one of the show’s most successful non-winners. During the competition she is involved in a car accident, leaves the show, spends time in intensive care and recovers with limited sensation in her left toe.

Songwriting and recording career

After the accident, García turns increasingly to composition and songwriting. She writes a song for Janina Irizarry’s debut album Todo De Mí. In 2006 she signs with Sony BMG and releases her debut album, Cualquier Día, in 2007. The album is a commercial success and produces four top 40 singles on the Billboard Latin Tracks chart.

Her second studio album, Boleto De Entrada, follows in 2009. It reaches the top five of the Billboard Latin albums chart and includes “Feliz,” her first US Top 20 hit on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks.

Awards and recognition

García receives four Latin Grammy nominations in 2008. She wins Best Female Pop Vocal Album for Cualquier Día and Best New Artist.

Style and genre

She is associated with Latin pop and related Latin styles, including pop and reggaeton.