Starlite Festival Marbella 2024

Starlite Festival, Marbella - 14th June to 31st August 2024

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia

by Chris Chaplow

The Starlite Festival is a three month-long music and cultural event held in June, July and August at the Cantera de Nagüeles, in Marbella. It is established as one of the important annual social and entertainment events in Spain.

STARLITE FESTIVAL 2024

Starlite Festival 2024 will take place at the Cantera de Nagüeles in Marbella between 14th June and 31st August 2024. Eight auditorium concerts were announced in November 2023 and by end of February 35 were anounced including international artists such as Sheryl Crow, Mike Towers, Camilo, Christian Nodal, Take That, Diana Krall, Keane, Gypsy Kings, Simple Minda, Tom Jones, UB40, Luis Miguel and Sara Baras. Others such as Julian Marley and Van Morison, mainly national, artists continued to be announced in late spring 2024. The festival comprised a total of 63 concert nights. The festival was closed on Sundays with the exception of Take That's first night on 14th July 2024.

2024 Artists line up:

About the Artists

by Alex Cutts

Aitana
Aitana is a 24-year-old Spanish pop princess from Barcelona who rose to fame in 2017 on Spain’s X-Factory-style reality TV show, Operación Triunfo. In 2019 she received the Best Pop Vocal Album award at the Latin Grammys and has since held four number one spots in the Spanish music charts. She first performed at the Starlite Festival in 2020 and returned to perform in 2021. Aitana is best known for her electropop tunes “Lo Malo”, “Telefono”, “Vas a Quedarte”, and “Mon Amour”.

Vanesa Martin
Local singer-songwriter Vanesa Martin, from Malaga, joins the Starlite Festival, taking to the stage on Friday 29th June. 18 years after the launch of her first album “Agua” in 2006, Martin has released a further seven studio albums, her most recent being named “Siete Veces Si”. Her music is full of passion and emotion allowing her fans to relate to her on a personal level; her poetic songwriting often captures meaningful topics such as self-love and female empowerment.

Myke Towers
Michael Torres from Puerto Rico, better known by his stage name Myke Towers, is one of the biggest and most current Latin artists in the world. He has collaborated with some of the most well-known names in Latin music, featuring on songs with global stars Bad Bunny and Becky G. His discography is a combination of reggaeton, Latin trap, and dancehall, and features salsa and hip-hop influences. He began rapping in his late teens and almost three decades later topped the Latin Album Charts with his hit record “Easy Money Baby” in 2020.

Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel is a Mexican singer and producer, also known by his nickname “El Sol de Mexico”. He was the best-selling Latin artist in the 1990s and popularised the bolero genre with hits such as ‘Hasta Que Vuelvas’, which received a nomination for Record of the Year at the 2003 Latin Grammys. He is one of the world’s top-selling Latin music artists, having sold over 60 million records worldwide. Miguel’s voice spans three octaves earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Los Secretos
Los Secretos are a rock band that formed in Madrid in 1978, often associated with the Movida Madrileña; the punk movement in Madrid in the 1980s following the death of dictator Franco. The band is currently made up of five members; frontman Álvaro Urquijo, Ramón Arroyo on the guitar, Jesús Redondo who plays the keyboard, bassist Juanjo Ramos, and drummer Santi Fernández. Over the years eight other members have been a part of the Los Secretos band, but Urquijo is the only one of the three original members who remains. They are considered one of the most influential groups in Spanish rock history for their participation in the “New Wave” popular music revival.

Siempre Asi
Andalusian pop group, Siempre Asi from Seville will take to the stage of the Starlite Festival on Monday 19th August. This band of 8 boasts powerful vocals with half of its members being singers! Their Sevillan flamenco roots shine through in their music, having made them a staple in Spanish popular music for more than 25 years.

Emilia
Argentinian singer-songwriter Emilia began her music career as the lead vocalist of the cumbia pop group Rombai before her solo career took off in 2019. She blends reggaeton, pop and urban flair. Emilia has previously collaborated with Argentinian trap artist Duki who performed at La Cala Mijas festival in 2023. She recently released her 2023 album “.mp3” featuring Y2K-style catchy dance hits, following on from the release of her hit 2022 debut album “Tú Crees en Mi?” which was certified Platinum in Argentina, and reached the top 50 in Spain.

Camilo
The five time Latin Grammy winner from Medellin, Colombia, will take to the Starlite stage on two occasions this summer - Saturday 6th July and Monday 8th July. Camilo has collaborated with some of the biggest international names in music during his 5 year musical career, including Shakira, Selena Gomez, and Camila Cabello. Camilo first appeared on the music scene in 2008, after winning the TV talent show Factor XS, the Colombian version of the British show The X Factor, in 2007. His style can be described as Latin pop, but it's his unique soprano voice that makes him stand out from the crowd and continue to top the charts.

Christian Nodal
Making mariachi mainstream; singer-songwriter Christian Nodal from Mexico was born to a family of musicians and grew up playing various instruments and writing his own songs. At just 17 years old, Nodal released his first single ‘Adiós Amor’, and has since won three Latin Grammy Awards. Nodal’s music brings a unique blend of mariachi and norteño, aptly named mariacheño, to the Latin music scene - think Mexican folk meets European polka. The Mexican singer-songwriter is known for popularising traditional regional Mexican music and has amassed over 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Gipsy Kings
Gipsy Kings bring Catalan flair to the Starlite Festival this summer with their blend of rumba, flamenco, salsa and pop. The group of travelling musicians formed in Arles, France, in 1979, born to gitano parents, Spanish Romanis who fled Spain in the 30s during the Civil War. They are known for adding a Catalin twist to their covers of popular English-language songs - including their 1987 track “A Mi Manera”, a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”. Other covers include Bob Marley’s “One Love” which they collaborated on with the famed reggae singer’s son Ziggy. Collectively, they have globalised rumba and flamenco music and found real success with their self titled 1987 album, which was one of few Spanish-language albums to spend 40 weeks in the US charts.

Also playing the intimate Trocadero Flamenco Festival in Sotogrande on Fri 16th August 2024

Antonio José
Antonio Jose began his career in 2005 when he earned second place in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Ten years later in 2015, Jose went on to win season 3 of the Spanish talent show “La Voz” which led to him releasing his album “El Viaje” under the Universal Music Group record label. His music brings inspiration from his Cordoban routes, bringing an Andalucian twist to his pop songs, featuring traditional flamenco sounds. At just 28 years old, Jose has already released 8 albums and received 12 Platinum records and a further 15 Gold.

 

Alex's Starlite Playlist

 

 

La Oreja de Van Gogh
The 5 piece pop group from San Sebastian, north Spain, have had over 20 years of success throughout their musical career, selling more than 8 million albums globally. La Oreja de Van Gogh is one of Spain’s most renowned musical exports, with eight studio albums under their belt. Over the past two decades, the band has changed its members and been fronted by two different vocalists; Amaia Montero from 1996 until 2008, and Leire Martinez from 2008 til today.

The group has received multiple accolades including the Best Pop Album award at the Latin Grammys, MTV International’s Best Spanish Artist, and 10 million monthly listeners on the music streaming giant Spotify.

Abraham Mateo & Nil Moliner
On Friday 16th August, Spanish singer Abraham Mateo, from Cadiz, will join forces on stage with Nil Moliner, singer and former rock band member from Barcelona. Mateo rose to international fame at 14 with his hit song “Señorita”. Throughout his career he has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry; collaborating with Jennifer Lopez,

50 Cent, David Guetta, and more. His counterpart, Moliner began his musical career in 2005 as the vocalist and guitarist of the Catalan pop-rock band CyBee. During his 20 year career, he has recorded several Platinum Albums and multiple Gold Albums. In 2021 he released his second album “Un Secreti Al Que Gritar” featuring fellow Starlite performer Ana Mena.

Ana Mena
From Estepona, Ana Mena returns to her homeland for Starlite 2024 for a single performance on 23rd August. Mena began her career in the spotlight in 2009 as an actress in the Spanish TV show “Marisol, la pelicula”, and later featured in countless TV shows and movies, including the big screen success “La piel que habito”, alongside famed Andalucian actor Antonio Banderas. In 2010, Mena competed in and won Disney’s “My Camp Rock 2” musical reality show. Her success continued, in 2023 Ana Mena won the award for Artist of the Year at the Los 40 Music Awards and took the number one spot in the charts with her newest album “BELLODRAMA”.

Sara Baras
Flamenco dancer Sara Baras from Cadiz will perform her new show “Vuela” at this year’s Starlight festival on Saturday 17th August. Baras has been dancing all her life and has toured Barcelona’s flamenco festivals since she was young. For three decades Baras has travelled the globe performing her famous flamenco dancing and has won multiple awards for her routines, including the Spanish National Dance Award in 2003. Her company “Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras” was founded in 1998 and has performed over 4.000 shows during its 25 years in operation. Sara performed ad Starlite in 2013 and 2018.More about Sara Baras >

Hombres G
The 4 four-man Spanish rock band started in Madrid in 1983 and is considered one of Spain’s most prevalent pop-rock groups of the 80s and 90s. Celebrating 40 years on stage, Hombres G will perform their greatest hits from the past four decades. Their sound is heavily influenced by the Beatles and the British new wave movement, delivering a unique Spanish twist on rock and roll. In 2007 they were nominated for “Best Pop Album By A Duo or Group With Vocal” at the Latin Grammy Awards, for their tenth album, aptly named “10”.

History

The first use of the former Puerto Banus stone quarry site, situated above Marbella, was in 1983. Alfonso Hohenlohe, who founded the Marbella Club Hotel, and singers Julio Iglesias and Plácido Domingo, decided to create the Auditorio de Marbella open-air auditorium, and to found an internationally-renowned music festival. They held a successful Tenors concert, however the annual festival didn't happen. David and Elizabeth Brockman did try and revive it with the Festival International de Music Marbella in 1989. The quarry was then left abandoned for 23 years. 

In 2012 the quarry site was cleaned up and a new auditorium constructed for the inaugural Starlite Festival. It has been held annually ever since and grown to become on of Spain's leading music festivals. Over the years Enrique Iglesias, Elton John, Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, Ricky Martin, Tom Jones, Pet Shop Boys, Alejandro Sanz, Eros Ramazzotti, Luis Fonsi, Plácido Domingo and Anastacia have all played. The 2017 edition was overshadowed by a  late license dispute with the Marbella town Hall, and 'Marbella' was removed from the Starlite Festival name and logo. The Lounge concept was subsequently dropped in favour of Sessions stage and VIP areas to avoid alegations of unfair competing with Marbella nightclubs. Due to the nature of the open air all-seated venue the Starlite festival was able to continue in Summer 2020 and 2021 albeit with social distancing few international performers.

A parallel event, the Starlite Gala, a star-studded charity concert and dinner which was launched in 2010 at Villa Padierna Hotel and moved to the present venue in 2012. The Starlite Gala usually takes place on second Saturday in August, and is led by Antonio Banderas.

 

All editions of Starlite festival

Line up and notes about the other editions of the Starlite festival:

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia

Booking.com