Colombian singer-songwriter Elsa y Elmar celebrates twelve years of her career with a Spotify Session transforming five of her tracks into champeta and salsa arrangements directed by producer Junior Zamora. The project makes her the first Colombian artist to headline one of these sessions.
Here is the kicker: while Elsa previously performed with a maximum of four musicians, this production plunges her signature vocal delivery into a much larger, rhythm-heavy ensemble. The release arrives as a major milestone for the independent artist, cementing a career that stretches from her early days at Berklee College of Music to multiple Latin Grammy nominations.
The Bottom Line
- The Milestone: Elsa y Elmar becomes the first Colombian artist to headline a Spotify Session, marking twelve years in the industry.
- The Sound: Producer Junior Zamora anchors the new arrangements in champeta, salsa, and Pacific Colombian rhythms (“prietitud”).
- The Tracklist: Five established songs—”Grecia,” “seguradetodo,” “La Ventana,” “palacio <3,” and “Culpa, Tengo”—are reimagined for a larger ensemble.
From Bucaramanga to Mexico City
Born Elsa Margarita Carvajal in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the artist relocated to Mexico City in 2018. Her path to the current session spans more than a decade of independent releases and stylistic shifts. While studying musical interpretation at Berklee College of Music, she released her debut EP Sentirnos Bien in 2013 and won the grand prize in the Latin category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for “Me Viene Bien” in 2014.
Her trajectory gained serious momentum with her 2015 electropop debut album, Rey. By 2016, she was opening for Coldplay at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá. Subsequent releases leaned into Caribbean textures, yielding her first Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist with 2019’s Eres Diamante. Further releases included the 2020 EP cuatro veces 10, the 2022 Album of the Year nominee ya no somos los mismos, and 2024’s Palacio, which she released through her independent label, Elmar Presenta.
Inside the Junior Zamora Collaboration
For this milestone session, the musical direction and production are spearheaded by Caleño artist Junior Zamora. Zamora handles vocals, percussion, and drums, injecting what he defines as “prietitud”—a distinct barrio flavor originating from Cali and the Colombian Pacific. His arrangements, alongside work by arranger Iván Lozano, shift Elsa’s catalog.
The backing lineup features Giovanni Caldas on piano, Joseph Arango on trumpet, and Jefry Cuesta on acoustic and electric guitars. Selva Volcán leads the chorus, supported by instrumentalists Gerson Quiñones, Adrián Viáfara, Johan Prado, Rodolfo Moreno, May Riascos, and Newi Rosero. Over this dense, percussion-driven foundation, Elsa maintains the intimate and clear vocal style that defined her previous work with collaborators like Carla Morrison, Ximena Sariñana, Caloncho, and Conociendo Rusia.
| Project / Milestone | Year | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Sentirnos Bien (EP) | 2013 | Released during her studies at Berklee College of Music. |
| Rey (Album) | 2015 | Electropop debut; followed by opening for Coldplay in Bogotá (2016). |
| Eres Diamante (Album) | 2019 | First Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. |
| ya no somos los mismos (Album) | 2022 | Nominated for Album of the Year at the Latin Grammys. |
| Palacio (Album) | 2024 | Coproduced with Julián Bernal via her label Elmar Presenta. |
| Spotify Session | N/A | First Colombian artist to lead the session, featuring Junior Zamora. |
Reimagining the Catalog
The session strips down and rebuilds five specific cuts from her discography: “Grecia,” “seguradetodo,” “La Ventana,” “palacio <3,” and “Culpa, Tengo.” By transplanting these tracks into salsa and champeta frameworks, the production tests how well indie songwriting translates to danceable, large-ensemble arrangements.
With six total Latin Grammy nominations under her belt, Elsa uses the streaming platform’s spotlight to document her evolution from a solo acoustic performer into an artist capable of commanding a full ensemble.
