# Bad Gyal

Alba Farelo Solé (born 7 March 1997), known professionally as Bad Gyal, is Spanish singer and songwriter. Bad Gyal has developed a strong cult following ever since her musical career began in 2016, with an interpretation of Rihanna's "Work" in the Catalan language. She continued to make music as an independent artist, releasing records like "Jacaranda" and "Fiebre". Bad Gyal later released two mixtapes: Slow Wine (2016) and Worldwide Angel (2018), which established her as an emerging artist within the Spanish urban scene.
Bad Gyal signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv in 2019 and saw mainstream acclaim with songs like "Santa María", "Zorra" and "Alocao", the latter becoming the number-one song in Spain for 2019. 2021 saw the release of her first project as a signed artist Warm Up, and Sound System: The Final Releases. Her debut album, La joia, was released in 2024.

## Early life and education

Alba Farelo was born on 7 March 1997 in Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona. The eldest of five children, Farelo is the daughter of Eduard Farelo [ca], actor and voice actor. Farelo's younger sister Irma is also a singer, performing under the name Mushkaa.
At 18, Farelo entered the University of Barcelona, aiming to study fashion design. While attending university and simultaneously working at a call centre, she released "Pai", an adaptation of "Work", by Rihanna and Drake, in Catalan.

## Career
### 2016–2018: Slow Wine Mixtape and Worldwide Angel

After "Pai" gained popularity on YouTube, and was picked up by a local radio, Farelo started recording Slow Wine Mixtape, alongside producer Pablo Martínez. The mixtape was released on 9 November 2016 and caught the attention of several professional magazines and music outlets, including Pitchfork and Fact. The latter named her song "Jacaranda," the best single of 2017. After releasing the record's debut single "Fiebre", Bad Gyal's popularity grew exponentially. The song has developed a cult following ever since. The mixtape's success and critical acclaim led Farelo to perform at numerous festivals throughout Europe. In late 2017 she also toured Mexico and the United States.
In February 2018, she released her second mixtape, Worldwide Angel, to critical acclaim. The album was licensed and distributed by Canada Editorial. The mixtape was produced by Jam City, Dubbel Dutch, Florentino and El Guincho. It spawned many singles including "Blink", "Candela" and "Internationally". To promote the album, she took part in international festivals such as SXSW and Lollapalooza and toured the United States once again. In November 2018, she embarked on her first Asian tour, which visited Japan, China, and the Philippines. She also released "Open the Door" featuring Jamaican singer Govana, "Yo sigo iual" and "Unknown Feeling".

### 2019–2021: Commercial breakthrough and Warm Up

Formerly signed with the production company Canada Editorial, in April 2019 it was announced Farelo had signed with Interscope Records and Aftercluv Dance Lab. As a signed artist, was able to enter the mainstream. Her first release was "Santa María", featuring Busy Signal, which became her first charting song in Spain, and was later certified gold. Its B-side, "Hookah", peaked at 55 in Spain. In October 2019, Farelo collaborated with Omar Montes on "Alocao", which peaked at number one in Spain for several weeks and is certified five times platinum. Two months later she released "Zorra", which peaked at number 2 in Spain. A remix featuring Rauw Alejandro was released in February 2021.
In 2020, Farelo was featured on Kafu Banton's "Tú eres un bom bom", which would later be remixed in collaboration with Guaynaa. She also released "Aprendiendo el Sexo" later on, with a music video produced by Canada and filmed at the W Hotel in Barcelona. In November, she released "Blin Blin" to commercial success and the acclaim of the general public. The track became viral in her home country and significantly used TikTok. She also partnered with Vodafone and offered a unique virtual concert.
Bad Gyal released her first extended play Warm Up on 19 March 2021. The EP peaked at 5 in Spain. She also collaborated with clothing brand Bershka and released an exclusive clothing line. On 25 June, she collaborated with Mariah Angeliq and María Becerra on "BOBO", which sampled TLC's "No Scrubs" and sparked controversy due to similarity with Luchy DR's "Bufón". As tour season came to an end, Farelo published "Flow 2000" as well as her second extended play Sound System: The Final Releases featuring songs she had been performing live for years yet remained unreleased. She released "A la mía" in parallel, exclusively for the Grand Theft Auto Online radio station Motomami Los Santos hosted by Rosalía and Arca.

## Discography

* La joia (2024)

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2019 | La hora musa  [es] | Performer |
| 2020 | Gaudir | Co-protagonist |
| 2021 | Maestros de la costura  [es] | Guest appearance |
| 2021 | Drag Race España | Guest judge |
| 2024 | La joia: Bad Gyal | Herself |

## Tours
### Headlining

* Slow Wine Mixtape Tour (2017)
* International Bad Gyal Sound System (2019–2021)
* La Joia Tour (2022–2023)
* La Joia 24 Karats Tour (2024)

### Supporting

* Mañana Será Bonito Tour (2023)

## Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Bad Gyal :
| Award | Year | Recipient | Category | Result |
| Heat Latin Music Awards | 2024 | Herself | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2024 | Herself | Best Latin New Artist | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2022 | Herself | Best Urban Act | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2023 | Herself | Best Spanish Urban Act | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2024 | Herself | Best Spanish Urban Act | Won |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2024 | La Joia 24 Karats Tour | Best Spanish Tour or Concert | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2024 | "Perdió este culo" | Best Spanish Video | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2024 | "Guay" (with Ozuna) | Best Latin Video | Nominated |
| Los 40 Music Awards | 2024 | "Mi Lova" (with Myke Towers) | Best Urban Collaboration | Won |
| ARC Awards | 2021 | Herself | Best Self-Titled Artist Tour | Won |
| Latin American Music Awards | 2024 | Herself | New Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Latin Music Italian Awards | 2020 | "Alocao" (with Omar Montes) | Best Eurolatino Song | Won |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2022 | Herself | Best Spanish Act | Won |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2024 | Herself | Celebrity Crush | Nominated |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2024 | Herself | Crack Artist | Nominated |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2024 | Bellakeo Supremo | "Bota Niña" (with Anitta) | Nominated |
| Premios Juventud | 2022 | Herself | New Female Artist | Nominated |
| Premios Juventud | 2023 | Herself | Female Artist – On The Rise | Nominated |
| Premios Lo Nuestro | 2023 | Herself | Breakthrough Female Artist | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2021 | "Alocao" (with Omar Montes) | Best Urban Song | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2021 | Herself | Breakthrough Urban Artist | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2022 | Herself | Urban Artist | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2022 | Warm Up | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2022 | Warm Up | Best Urban Album | Nominated |
| Premios Odeón | 2022 | "44" (with Rema) | Best Urban Song | Nominated |
| Premios Tu Música Urbano | 2022 | Herself | Top New Artist – Female | Nominated |
| Premios Tu Música Urbano | 2023 | Herself | Top Rising Star — Female | Nominated |
| Rolling Stone en Español Awards | 2023 | Herself | Voice of the Audience | Nominated |
| Premios Vanguardia | 2023 | Herself | Premio Talento Joven Internacional (Young Talent Award) | Won |