Aroma

• Genre: Cumbia
• Hometown: Mexico City

About

Headed by a quartet of sassy, silken-haired young ladies, Aroma's other 10 members just provide the music. It all started when producer Ignacio Rodriguez heard a recording of a singer called Techi while he was in Paraguay. He was so taken with her voice he invited her to sing live at an upcoming Los Angeles de Charly event in Asuncion. The night of the performance, Rodriguez offered her a job as the head of a group that had no name or other members. She accepted and moved to Mexico City, where she met Tatiana, the group's first dancer. After slowly accumulating musicians and two other frontwomen (Marbella and Ana Bel), the group recorded its first album in 2001, launching the hits "Mentiras" and "Querido Ladron" in the process. By 2002 the cumbia group had become the full spectacle it is today, including a stable of dancers, singers, musicians and a light show.

- Sarah Bardeen