Consuelo Velázquez

Consuelo Velázquez, affectionately known as Consuelito, is an emblematic figure in Mexican music, especially in the realm of bolero. Born in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, in 1916, her musical talent manifested at a very early age. By the age of four, she already displayed a remarkable musical ear, which led her to begin her piano studies at six at the Serratos Academy in Guadalajara. At 19, she moved to Mexico City, where she continued her training and graduated as a concert pianist at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Her career as a concert pianist led her to become a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, in addition to receiving instruction from great masters such as Claudio Arrau.

Consuelito's journey as a composer began when, at 19, she was encouraged to sign her own songs after a conversation with Mariano Rivera Conde, who asked her about the name of her "composer friend." Thus, her career took off with the creation of songs that would become classics. One of her greatest achievements was Bésame mucho, a piece she wrote at 16 that would become a love anthem, performed by world-renowned artists such as Nat King Cole, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra. This bolero, which captures the essence of a longing love, was recorded for the first time in 1941 and quickly became popular, reaching the hearts of listeners in multiple languages and cultures.