Leonor Watling She is a renowned Spanish actress and singer, widely celebrated for her work in film, television, and music. She has starred in acclaimed films such as My life without me (Isabel Coixet), Talk to her (Pedro Almodóvar) and The Oxford Murders (Álex de la Iglesia), in addition to popular series such as Temperance and Nasdrovia. Her performances have earned her multiple award nominations, establishing her as one of the most versatile and respected actresses in Spain.
Beyond acting, Watling is the lead singer and co-founder of Marlango, a band he formed with Alejandro Pelayo in 2002 that fuses influences of jazz, pop, and cabaret. With several albums released, Marlango She has built a loyal fanbase in Spain and Latin America. She has also collaborated with prominent artists such as Coque Malla, Jorge Drexler, and Kevin Johansen. Throughout her career, she has successfully balanced her musical and acting roles, remaining a key figure in Spanish culture and constantly exploring new creative avenues.
Leo Sidran He is an American musician, producer, composer, and journalist with a prolific career spanning more than 25 years. He is the son of the legendary jazz pianist and composer. Ben Sidran, He grew up immersed in music and began recording and producing from a young age. He has released numerous solo albums, fusing jazz, pop, and folk with a modern sensibility, and has worked with renowned artists such as Jorge Drexler, with whom he produced On the other side of the river, the winning song of Oscar in 2005, or Alex Cuba with whom he produced Healer album that won a Latin Grammy in 2015.
In addition to his musical career, Sidran is the creator of the renowned podcast The Third Story, where he has interviewed key figures in music and art. As a producer, he has worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from jazz to Latin music and pop. With a regular presence on the European and American music scenes, Sidran has built a versatile career, combining his talents as a performer, composer, and communicator.
Leo & Leo (Leonor Watling and Leo Sidran)
Leo (Sidran) and Leo (Watling) have known each other for over 15 years. They're always close when Leo – the American singer-songwriter – comes to play in Madrid, and they always use that phrase that's so often said but so difficult to put into practice: “We have to do something together.”.
In the autumn of 2023, their paths finally crossed in Vitoria, with Leo playing with The Groovy French Band (Sidran's regular accompanists) and Leonor with the Javi Peña trio.
From there, they began to organize themselves to record original songs by Leo sung by Leonor and played together with The Groovy French Band (Max Darmon, Paul Sany & Romain Bouiges) until in September 2024, in three precious days in Studio One (Madrid) they recorded the chosen songs from Leo's discography and two original songs written for this project.
Along with contributions from mutual friends (Kevin Johansen, Jorge Drexler and Javi Peña) and some brass recordings made in NY (Michael Leonhart, John Ellis, Jacob Garchik) the album (mixed by Matias Cella in Buenos Aires) will be finished in February 2025
Biography of the artists
The unique alchemy that is generated between Leonor Watling and Leo Sidran It had a splendid manifestation in “Leo & Leo”, the album they are presenting live with The Groovy French Band.
Perhaps the destinations of Leonor Watling and Leo Sidran They were destined to cross paths. At least since he worked with Jorge Drexler in “On the other side of the river”, the song that earned the Uruguayan musician an Oscar in 2005, and which represented his definitive international breakthrough.
The Madrid-born artist (vocalist of Marlango and with a very extensive career in the world of cinema) and the prolific and versatile composer from Wisconsin are united by their passion for jazz, minimalist acoustic folk and distinguished pop.
And all of that is extraordinarily reflected in “Leo & Leo” (2025), the exquisite album they recorded last year, and which they present live with The Groovy French Band, the trio composed of Max Darmon on bass and double bass, Paul Sany on keyboards and Romain Bouiges on drums.