Javier Álvarez

Javier Álvarez (Born in Cuatro Caminos, Madrid, October 7 1969) is a Spanish singer-songwriter.

His musical influences come largely from traditional pop songs. Among his influences are ABBA, Michael Jackson, James Taylor, The Eagles, Tracy Chapman, Nanci Griffith, Suzanne Vega and Emmylou Harris.

He began his studies in English Philology and in 1991 he spent some months in London where he began to dedicate himself to music.

When he returned to Spain, he began to play in the Madrid Metro and in Retiro Park, and then later in bars and cafés like the famous Libertad 8, where he met with other singer-songwriters such as Pedro Guerra.

In 1994 he recorded his first album, counting on the collaboration artists Ana Belén, Víctor Manuel, Luis Pastor, Pedro Guerra and Rogelio Botanz. Songs such as "La edad del porvenir" and "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro" catapulted him to fame. He also recorded a version of "Las casas de cartón" about Venezuelan singer-songwriter Alí Primera.

In 1999, his album Tres, where he experimented with electronic sounds and more "radical" lyrics, underwent censoring on major radio stations.

After Tres he had a series of problems with the EMI-Chrysalis music label (which he has criticized in one of his songs on that album) and he broke from them. His subsequent album was on the DRO label -- Grandes éxitos, which, despite the title, is not a greatest hits album, but covers of songs of other artists.