* En anglais uniquement
A seven-time Latin Grammy nominee, electronic producer/DJ Carlos Jean Arriaga has been at the helm of some of the biggest Spanish pop records of the noughties. Born in the industrial city of Ferrol in North-West Spain in 1973, he began his music career in 1998 when he formed indie pop band
Najwajean with actress
Najwa Nimri, who released their debut album,
No Blood, in the same year. In 2000, he launched a solo career with
Planet Jean, and continued to spend the decade alternating between the two, with his own
Back to the Earth (2002), which featured the European hit single "Mr. Dabada," (chosen by Intel for a world-wide ad campaign), and
Mr. Miracle (2006) sandwiched between the duo's soundtracks to the Daniel Calparsoso-directed films Asfalto and Guerreros, and 2008's Till It Breaks. Arriaga also found time to produce albums for a whole host of Latin artists including
Alejandro Sanz, Miguel Bose, and
Hombres G, several of whom he assembled for his 2010 Haiti earthquake charity single, "Ay Haiti," which also featured his Haitian-born father, Jean Robert Jean. In 2011, he set up Plan B, an online collaborative project which allowed both established and amateur musicians to experiment with tracks he uploaded. This initiative formed the basis of his 2011 compilation,
Introducing Carlos Jean, and went onto become a hugely popular feature on the Spanish entertainment show El Hormiguero. ~ Jon O'Brien