# Mayte Martín

María Teresa Martín Cadiemo (born 1965) is a Catalonian artist, self-taught guitarist, and flamenco singer.

## Early life

Cadiemo was born in 1965 in Barcelona, Spain. Her parents were from Catalonia and Málaga. While on holiday in Cartagena, her father entered her into a Flamenco/Cante contest, which she won.
During this time, she furthered her knowledge of flamenco styles, mainly by listening to recordings of flamenco cantaores like Juan Valderrama, Manolo Caracol, Camarón de la Isla, Lole Montoya and Pastora Pavón Cruz, also known as La Niña de los Peines. She also received some formal musical training, and practiced as a "cantaora de atrás" (singer for flamenco dance).

## Career

In 1987, she won the first prize, the Lámpara Minera at the Concurso Nacional de La Unión (also known as Festival de las Minas). Two years later, she won the Antonio Chacón Prize, for the best malagueña at the Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba. At the same time, she started an international career after being chosen by Peter Gabriel to perform at Womad Festivals. In 1994, she recorded her first album, Muy Frágil, with guitarist Chicuelo and arrangements by Joan Albert Amargós (who also contributed to other flamenco musicians like Paco de Lucía and Camarón de la Isla). In 2000, she published her second flamenco recording, 'Querencia', which was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Flamenco Album in 2001.
In 1996, she resumed her work as a singer for dance when she met bailaora Belén Maya, with whom she has toured the world with the works "Mayte Martín + Belén Maya" (since 1996) and "Flamenco de Cámara" (since 2003), receiving critical acclaim.
In 1997, she was given the Barcelona City Award by the City Council, and the National Music Award in the category of "Best Flamenco Composer".
In 1993, she started touring with jazz pianist Tete Montoliu, a professional relationship that lasted until Montoliu's death in 1997. Together, they recorded 'Free Boleros', live in 1996. In her second bolero recording, 'Tiempo de Amar', (2002), Omara Portuondo appeared as a guest artist in some tracks.
In 2005, she celebrated her 30 years as a performing artist at the Palau de la Música Catalana, with a concert titled 'Mis 30 años de amor al Arte', and toured Spain and other European countries.
In June 2006, she took part in a tribute tour for Leonard Cohen together with Martiriio, Kiko Veneno, Javier Colis and Luz Casal, with a Spanish version of "Hey, That's no Way to Say Goodbye". The tour was later recorded on a CD called "According to Leonard Cohen".
In 2007, she was requested by classical pianists duo Katia and Marielle Labèque for a project involving Spanish and classical music, which toured for several years. Joan Albert Amargos and Lluis Vidal composed the arrangements for two pianos. The recording included traditional songs as well as compositions by Manuel de Falla, Federico García Lorca, Enrique Granados, Joaquín Rodrigo, Paco de Lucía, and Martín herself.
In 2009, she was requested by poet José Luis Ortiz Nuevo to compose music for the poems of Málaga-born poet Manuel Alcantara, for the flamenco festival of Málaga that later became the CD Al cantar a Manuel, recorded with guitarists José Luis Montón and Juan Ramón Caro, percussionist Chico Fargas, among other musicians.
In 2012, after cutting all ties with the recording industry, she decided to make a new recording with the help of crowdfunding, through the crowd financing portal Verkami. She recorded her live performances of bolero and other Latin American music in the Barcelona Venue Luz de Gas. The recording was issued with the title Cosas de dos.
In 2013, with guitarists Jose Luis Montón and Juan Ramón Caro and percussionist Chico Fargas, she created a new project for the Barcelona flamenco festival, "Por los muertos del cante", a reading of traditional flamenco songs.
Her 2018 album Tempo Rubato was a collaboration with a string quartet.

## Recordings

* Muy Frágil, K-Industria Cultural (1994)
* Free Boleros, K-Industria Cultural (1996)
* Querencia, Virgin (2000)
* Tiempo de Amar, Virgin (2002)
* De fuego y de agua, KLM, with the sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque (2008)
* Al cantar a Manuel, Nuevos Medios S.A (2009)
* Cosas de dos (2012)
* Tempo Rubato (2018)