Carmen y María
A duo born between Mallorca and Barcelona: Carmen Cortés and María La Blanco fuse the rhythmic richness of flamenco with funk, R&B and neo-soul — “groove y soniquete”, two voices that become one.
Biography
Carmen Cortés comes from Mallorca, where she trained as a flamenco singer and dancer — all the way to Seville's Fundación Cristina Heeren, then Barcelona's ESMUC. María La Blanco grew up in Barcelona's Porta neighbourhood, raised on 2000s R&B and pop divas before finding funk and groove, also at ESMUC. In 2022 they began posting highly personal covers on social media: the meeting became a duo.
Their signature fits in two words: María's groove and Carmen's soniquete — the flamenco swing. Flamenco palmas, vocal harmonies that melt into a single voice, María's guitar: their sound is organic, raw and luminous. In parallel, they also sing backing vocals for the band La Plazuela on tour.
After the singles “MÍRALAS” and “Ya Se Fue” (2024), they released their first record, Groove y Soniquete (2025) — two albums in one, bringing together their solo worlds and their joint songs. In 2026 came the EP De otros, nuestras, reimagining four classics by Ray Heredia, Francis Cabrel, Alejandro Sanz and Los Chichos. Selected by Sounds from Spain (ICEX) and presented by the Sonde3 agency, they open their first North American showcase in Montreal.
Stages and milestones
2026 — Club Sauvage — Barcelona · 2025 — Sala Apolo — Barcelona; Es Claustre — Maó (Menorca) · Backing vocalists on tour with La Plazuela
Upcoming dates
- Tuesday November 17, 2026 — Vitrine officielle — Mundial Montréal 2026 (soirée d'ouverture) · La Sala Rossa, Montréal (Canada) — Official page ↗
Public dates — collected from the artist's official channels on November 9, 2026.
Discography
2026 — De otros, nuestras (EP) · 2025 — Groove y Soniquete (debut album) · 2024 — MÍRALAS (single); Ya Se Fue (single)
Calendar
- Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 9:20 p.m. — Mundial Montréal (16th edition) — official opening-night showcase, presented with Sounds from Spain — La Sala Rossa, Montreal
Show formats
- Duo — two voices, guitar and palmas
- A flamenco-groove repertoire in Spanish, from intimate formats to festival stages
On video — their Mundial Montréal 2026 showcase
The official presentation video of Carmen y María for Mundial Montréal 2026: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · 9:20 p.m. · La Sala Rossa, Montreal. Video © Mundial Montréal — provided to Festival TV in the festival's official media kit.