Ana Gabriel (born December 10, 1955) is a Mexican singer and composer was b… Read Full Bio ↴Ana Gabriel (born December 10, 1955) is a Mexican singer and composer was born as María Guadalupe Araujo Yong, in Santiago de Comanito, Sinaloa, Mexico. She first sang on the stage at age six, singing "Regalo A Dios" by José Alfredo Jiménez. She moved to Tijuana, Baja California and studied accounting. At age 21, in 1977, she recorded her first song, titled "Compréndeme". During her long career, she has hits in three different genres of music: rock en español, Latin Pop, and rancheras.

As of 2013, Gabriel had released twenty studio albums, three live albums, and fifteen compilation albums. Three Gabriel albums reached number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums, and seven singles reached number one on the Billboard Latin Songs chart, including "Ay Amor", "Es Demasiado Tarde", and "Quién Como Tú". Her work earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award nomination, four Latin Grammy Award nominations, thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards, as well as awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; in 2006, she received the Excellence Award at the Lo Nuestro Awards.

In 1987, Ana Gabriel won third place at the OTI Festival in 1987, celebrated in Lisbon, Portugal, where she performed an orchestral version of the pop-power ballad song "Ay Amor", which later was released as a single in its album version; it climbed to the top position in Mexico, all-over Ibero-America and on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for 14 consecutive weeks.

In 1988 Gabriel released her first album, Tierra de Nadie, followed by Pecado Original in 1989, which met with some chart success. Her 1990 album Quien Como Tú made her a force within the Mexican music industry. Eight months later, her live album En Vivo showcased her powerful stage act and scored several hits: "Hice Bien Quererte", "Propuesta", and "Solamente una Vez".

Throughout the 1990s Gabriel released an album almost every year. A versatile singer, she showcased her talent as an interpreter of many different musical styles, from lambada to mariachi and romantic ballads to pop music. She also honed her skills as a songwriter and a producer, releasing Mi Mexico, a ranchera-influenced, mariachi-backed pop album, in 1991. This unique blend of styles was also reflected in the songs, all written by Gabriel. Her lyrics described strong, active women involved in their love lives, counter to their passive, traditional depiction in older songs. The album also included a tribute to Mexico's most popular singer-songwriter, Juan Gabriel (no relation).

Gabriel scored a number-one hit with the duet "Cosas del Amor" in 1991, which she sang with Vikki Carr, a Mexican-American pop singer famous in the 1960s. The single earned Gabriel a Lo Nuestro Award for Song of the Year in 1992. At the same awards ceremony Gabriel was also named Female Artist of the Year in the Regional Mexican category and Pop Female Artist of the Year; Mi México was named Regional Mexican Album of the Year. In 1993, Gabriel was awarded Best Pop Female Performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards.

In 1996 she released the pop-oriented Viven-cias. She followed this with the traditional ranchera album Con un Mismo Corazón in 1997, an album she wrote and produced herself. Of particular interest is her title-track duet with Vicente Fernandez, one of the most prolific and popular ranchera singers in Mexican history. Burr wrote of the duet, "The beauty here lies in the melding of two great voices—Gabriel's husky sensuality and Fernandez's powerful, understated expressions—set against a 25-piece symphony."

Gabriel released another live album in 1998, En la Plaza de Toros Mexico, a 30-track boxed set. That same year she traveled to Miami to work with the renowned producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., on her 1999 album Soy Como Soy. The result was a pop-influenced ranchera album that went gold in the Latin music market and helped Gabriel win the Ritmo Latino Music Award for Female Pop Artist of the Year in 2000.

With the release of Eternamente in 2000 Gabriel returned to mariachi love ballads, using only guitar as accompaniment. That same year she also appeared with other Mexican music icons in an independence day television special called Viva Mexico, a celebration of Mexican music and history. In 2001 Gabriel released Huelo a Soledad, once again balancing the traditional sounds of Eternamente with sophisticated pop songs, a cappella numbers, and dance tracks.

In 2002 Gabriel's platinum-selling album Sagitario was released. In that same year she won the Billboard Latin Music Estrella Award in recognition of her contribution to the Latin music industry, performed at a tribute concert for Vicente Fernandez sponsored by the Latin Music Awards, and participated in the ninth annual Las Cruces International Mariachi Concert and Festival in New Mexico. In December of that year she was scheduled to perform at the eleventh annual Christmas Mariachi Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, but was denied a work visa and refused entry into the United States.

Gabriel is a devout Catholic, telling Luther Orrick-Guzman of QV Magazine, "I believe and have a lot of faith in God." She places a red rose and a white carnation onstage at each of her performances, telling Orrick-Guzman the flowers symbolize "communication between myself and God." Her performances are also noted for their power and the respect she has for all of her fans.

Que pena
Ana Gabriel Lyrics

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Ni una mínima señal
Que diga que has pensado en mi
Sola con mi amor acuestas
Entre las paredes de mi habitación.

Nada que me diga
Donde te podre encontrar
Y es que me dejaste un día

Porque tu querías escapar.

Pensando que sera de mi
Cariño vuelve
Que yo aquí te espero. Por favor.

Ay, ay, ay que pena
Sola me quede
Llorando este amor que tu dejaste
Ay, ay, ay que pena
Sola me quede
Llorando este amor que tu dejaste
Sin razón.

Nada que me diga
Nada que me diga

Pensando que sera de mi
Pensando que sera de mi

Ay, ay, ay que pena
Ay, ay, ay que pena

Ay, ay, ay que pena
Ay, ay, ay que pena

Overall Meaning

In Ana Gabriel's song "Que Pena," the lyrics convey the feelings of heartbreak and loneliness that come with a sudden breakup. The singer is left with no communication or sign of their former partner's intentions, and they are left to cope with the pain of the separation alone. The first verse paints a picture of isolation with the words "sola con mi amor acuestas," meaning "alone with my love you lie down." The singer is left to face the heartbreak and longing for their lover in the confines of their own room.

The chorus emphasizes the feeling of loneliness with the repetition of "Ay, ay, ay que pena" which translates to "Oh, oh, oh, what a shame" in English. The singer is left crying over the love that their partner left behind without a clear reason. The second verse echoes the first with the sentiment of being lost and unsure of how to move on without any communication from their former partner. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, further emphasizing the feeling of sorrow and loneliness that comes with heartbreak.

Overall, "Que Pena" is a melancholic ballad that conveys the emotions of loneliness and heartbreak that come with a sudden breakup. The repetition of the chorus highlights the pain and longing felt by the singer, and the sparse lyrics further emphasize the feelings of isolation and uncertainty in the face of separation.

Line by Line Meaning

Ni una mínima señal
I haven't received any indication from you

Que diga que has pensado en mi
That you have thought about me

Sola con mi amor acuestas
Alone with my love

Entre las paredes de mi habitación
Within the walls of my room

Nada que me diga
There's nothing that tells me

Donde te podre encontrar
Where I can find you

Y es que me dejaste un día
And it's because you left me one day

Porque tu querías escapar.
Because you wanted to escape

Pensando que sera de mi
Wondering what will become of me

Cariño vuelve
Please come back

Que yo aquí te espero.
I'm waiting for you here