Gerard Quintana

Gerard Quintana Rodeja (born 27 November 1964 in Girona, Catalonia) is a Catalan singer, songwriter, poet, writer, actor, and radio and TV personality.He first came to prominence in 1986-2001 as the lead singer of the rock band Sopa de Cabra.Sopa de Cabra was one of the leading bands of the rock català genre.Since the dissolution of the band in 2001, he has pursued a very successful solo career.As a singer/songwriter independent of his extensive input into the original musical repertoire of Sopa de Cabra, he completed 5 well-received albums between 2003 and 2010, together with 3 in collaboration with Jordi Batiste, and a recent album (2014) with Xarim Aresté.His solo work from 2003-10 reveals a personal and intimate style which is not easily classified, but may, perhaps, be characterised as poetry and music about the human condition.He also writes and publishes poetry, and has written regularly as a journalist for online Catalan newspapers and journals.He has published two books and appeared in the film Diogenes, the dog. During the temporary reunion of Sopa de Cabra in 2011 to celebrate 25 years since the band's formation and ten since its final appearances, Quintana reverted to his original rock-star style of singing and performance, and his most recent work (2013-4), in collaboration with Xarim Aresté and a new supporting line-up, continues that approach.Quintana is a very articulate and charismatic speaker, and has become a well-known figure in Catalan culture quite apart from his musicianship.In recent years he has expressed his personal political and ideological views, including his support for Catalan independence.