This week, Angela Aguilar [1] covered Lady Gaga [2]'s "Shallow" for the Recording Academy's new installment of Grammy Reimagined [3]. If her last name sounds familiar, it's because she is legend Pepe Aguilar's daughter. At 15 years old, Angela is sure following her famous family's footsteps, but her talent proves she's succeeding because she deserves it. She might be young, but she already has been nominated for both the Latin Grammys and the Grammys.
The Recording Academyhas its eyes set on her, as they tapped Angela to participate in their video series that features artists bringing a fresh take on classic Grammy-winning or nominated songs by their favorite artists — from the record of the year, song of the year, best rock song, best R&B song, and best rap song categories.
Angela loves Lady Gaga and really wanted to do her version of "Shallow" from the movie A Star is Born for this series, but she had one minor obstacle: she had to get Gaga's permission [4] first in order to record it. She didn't think that was possible, so she was almost about to forget it. However, her mom and team reached out, and eventually got the approval. Not only did Angela get to do it, but she killed it, marking the first time she's played piano and sang in English at the same time for a broad audience, and stepping away from her usual genre: rancheras.
The name Angela Aguilar might sound extra familiar lately because she's fresh off her Premios Juventud performance last week, where she teamed up with Pipe Bueno and Cristian Nodal to pay homage to Mexican music. It was a very sweet moment, as an extremely proud Pepe Aguilar introduced his daughter and she proved that she had a voice that could stand on her own and definitely doesn't need her to rely on her family's last name, because el talento le sobra.
In March of 2018, Angela released her first solo album, Primero Soy Mexicana, produced by her father, Pepe. The album featured 11 well-known ranchera songs previously performed by other prominent artists such as Lucha Villa, Rocío Dúrcal, and her grandmother, Flor Silvestre. The album earned her two Latin Grammy nominations, one for best new artist, and another one for best ranchero/mariachi album. Later that year, she earned a Grammy award nomination for best regional Mexican music album.