Annette Moreno.

Annette Moreno was born in San Diego in 1972, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and grew up in Tucson, Arizona, in a family where music was part of everyday life. By age 12 she was already singing and playing violin in Los Salmos, her parents' mariachi group, and she spent twelve years on that stage before her own lyrics asked her to take another road.

In 1995 she recorded her first solo album, Volar Libre. The turn she is best known for came later: in the early 2000s she sang with Rojo, the band that took Christian rock in Spanish to another level, and wrote "Jardín de Rosas," one of the group's most-sung songs. When she left, she restarted her career alongside her brother Eli as "Annette Moreno y Jardín."

The album that put her on the map was Un Ángel Llora (2002). Songs like "Bájate de la canoa," "Complicado," and "Guardián de mi corazón" played for months on Christian radio in Mexico and Latin America; the album earned her a 2003 Latin Grammy nomination for best Christian album in Spanish, and several of its songs made it onto the soundtrack of the film Cicatrices.

She has not stopped since: Ruleta Rusa (2004), Revolucionar (2008), Barco de papel (2011), Extraño mi futuro (2015), 1972 (2022), and La Reina (2024). The Premios Arpa recognized Ruleta Rusa, Revolucionar —in two categories— and Barco de papel. She has also recorded with Tercer Cielo, Redimi2, and Funky, and in 2026 she is still releasing music: "Lugar Favorito (I Love You)" and "Demente" are her most recent singles.

Her music does not sell a life without bruises: it speaks of anxiety, of failures, and of starting over, with faith in Christ at the center and without dressing up the pain. That is why she is heard both by those who grew up in church and by those who found her songs through the radio. Nearly three decades after her first album, she remains one of the most recognized female voices in Christian pop in Spanish. Which of her songs has kept you company?