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Aleks Syntek
Aleks Syntek in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña
Born	(1969-09-29) September 29, 1969 (age 48)
Origin	Merida, Yucatán, Mexico
Genres	Synth-pop Latin pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instruments	Keyboards guitar
Years active	1979–present
Labels	EMI Sony
Associated acts	Aleks Syntek y la Gente Normal
Website	syntekoficial.com

Raúl Alejandro Escajadillo Peña (born September 29, 1969), known by his stage name, Aleks Syntek, is a Mexican singer and songwriter.^[1] He is married to Karen Coronado, sister of talk show host Ingrid Coronado. He has earned nine nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards, a Grammy nomination, five nominations for the MTV Latin Awards, and is the winner of three Latin Billboard awards. He has also received an Ariel award from the Cinametografia Mexican Academy for Best Film Music. He has sold over 4 million copies of his work as a singer.

As a performer and singer Syntek has released 10 albums receiving numerous Gold and Platinum disc awards for high sales. He has earned special awards such as "The Honor Composer Achievement Award" presented by the Univision Network by the hands of actor Edward James Olmos and also "The Music Legacy Award" presented by the North American Society of Composers SESAC. Syntek also starred and pioneered the hit show The Voice in México.

Career

As a child, Syntek began his artistic career by acting in television commercials during the late 1970s, subsequently participating in the Pinwheel program produced by RTC, and then as a comedian in Alegrias de medio día (infantil) in 1979 which later led to the hit TV show Chiquilladas^[2] broadcast on Televisa in the first half of the decade of the 1980s. After leaving the program he decided to devote himself to the world of music and began working as an assistant and programmer in music recording studios. He was nicknamed "Syntek" by his friends because of a peculiar event: Syntek at that time did not have enough money to buy a keyboard, so he would borrow them from friends, this situation led him to be known as "El sin Teclados" after which he derived the name Syntek. After having participated with members of the group Caifanes to form the band "Pistolas de Platino" and then joining Kenny y los Eléctricos until 1989, he formed his own group called Aleks Syntek y la Gente Normal.

Syntek is an international self-taught artist and is on the board of the Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México^[3] (Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico).

Syntek has shared the stage with artists such as Celia Cruz, Juanes, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Duran Duran, Shakira, Kylie Minogue, Miguel Bose, Juan Gabriel, Gianmarco, Noel Schajris, Armando Manzanero, Juan Luis Guerra, Plácido Domingo y La Orquesta Filarmónica de las Américas with Alondra de la Parra, Ana Torroja, Ruben Blades, Jesse y Joy, David Bisbal, Luis Fonsi, Laura Pausini, Amaia Montero. His work focuses not only on Pop and Rock, but he has also composed instrumental music for films and shorts with excellent commercial results, in 1999 he was awarded the Prize of the Mexican Academy of cinematography "Ariel" in the category "Best Original Composition for Movies" for Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas.^[4] He has also worked for Disney Latino writing and singing his adaptation of the song composed by Randy Newman for Toy Story 3 which won the Oscar for "Best Original Composition For Movies". He performed the song "Ricas Frutas" to Sesame Street worldwide through the label Putumayo. In 2005 he collaborated the song "Un héroe real" for the animated film Robots and is the Spanish voiceover for the main character "Rodney Tin" and in Despicable Me for the character Vector aside Andres Bustamante. Syntek composed the principal theme for Cantinflas the movie, released September 2014 in the US and internationally and was distributed by Pantelion (Lionsgate and Televisa).

Syntek is the first and only Latino to run a disc digital release exclusively on iTunes originals.^[5]

The Voice México

In the second half of 2011 Syntek participated pioneering The Voice in Mexico: La Voz Mexico alongside Lucero Hogaza León, Espinoza Paz and Alejandro Sanz. The broadcast broke box office records in the history of Mexican television. In their participation Syntek performed duets with fellow program and guest artists such as Laura Pausini, David Bisbal, Amaia Montero and the duo Jesse & Joy. The winner of his team, Oscar Garrido, reached 3rd place in the competition.^[6]

Today

Syntek was invited by Miguel Bosé to participate in Papitwo presenting the theme "Duende" as well as the singer Fey who invited him to launch her album Primera Fila with the song "El cielo puede esperar" written by Syntek. In 2012 Syntek launched his single "La Tormenta" and shortly after he released his album Syntek + Syntek which reintroduced Electronica and New Wave sounds which had distinguished him at the beginning of his career. At the same time the Spanish singer Malu invited him collaborate on her album, achieving Platinum Sales in Spain with the single "Solo el amor nos salvara" which was authored by Syntek and interpreted by both during the broadcast The Voice Spain. Syntek also participated as a driver of the National Geographic show Sorprendentemente aired in Latin America.^[7]

In early 2014 he released the song "Corazones Invencibles", the first single of his latest album Romantico Desliz and part of the soundtrack of the Mexican telenovela of Televisa (2013) Lo Que La Vida Me Robó starring Angelique Boyer, Sebastian Rulli, Luis Roberto Guzman, and Daniela Castro. The song has held the number one place in charts for several weeks in the nations radio. Romantico Desliz was placed as #1 album sells in iTunes.

Teletón USA

TeletónUSA, the U.S. fundraising arm of the Teletón Foundation and focused on serving children with neuromusculosketal disabilities through comprehensive rehabilitation, inaugurated the first Children's Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA (CRIT USA) in San Antonio, Texas, on October 30, 2014. Various media figures and network executives, including the President and CEO of Univision Communications Inc, attended the event. Aleks Syntek and Luis Coronel sang the U.S. National Anthem and TeletónUSA Anthem respectively during the ceremony.

In an interview with Univision Syntek stated: "I am very happy to be honest, I like the cause, the children are my thing and I have always said that. We have to choose a cause, and as always I chose all causes that have to do with children on the street, with diseases, or children that are handicapped."^[8]

Controversies

Throughout 2017 and 2018, Syntek became the subject of controversy as a result of his strong criticisms of reggaeton music. He has called it a "vulgar", "mysoginist", "cheap" and "generic" genre which promotes "wrong values" in society,^[9] and on one occasion he stated that listening to reggaeton could induce people into committing crimes.^[10]

Record labels

On July 2012, after working with EMI music for 22 years, he moved to Sony Music and released his first album internationally and in over 40 countries under the name of "Syntek + Syntek" and later in 2014 released the album Romantico Desliz.

Discography

Collaborations

• "Microchips "Niños Eléctricos" (1988)


• "Microchips "De Película" (1989)


• "Sasha Sokol Trampas de Luz (1989)


• "Timbiriche 10 (1990)


• "Caló Lengua de Hoy (1990)


• "Caló Ponte Atento (1992)


• "Queen en español – Tributo a Queen" (1997)


• "Tributo a José José" (1998)


• "Selena Vive!" (2005)


• "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte" – Ana Torroja (2006)


• "Porterhouse, Vol. 2" Steve Porter (2007)


• "Homenaje a Pedro Infante" (2007)


• "Todos Somos Rigo Rigo Tovar" (2007)


• "Timbiriche 25 (2007)


• "Putumayo Kids Presents: Sesame Street Playground" (2008)


• "Álbum X" Kylie Minogue "In my arms" (2008)


• "Primera fila" – Fey "El cielo puede esperar" (2012)


• "PapiTwo" – Miguel Bosé (2012)


• "Solo El Amor Nos Salvara"- Malú
  

Filmography

Syntek has dubbed characters in animated films, including Rodney Copperbottom in Robots and Vector in Despicable Me.^{[citation needed]}

Television

• 
  La Voz... México (Primera Temporada; 2011)... Jurado y Coach.


• A Ciencia Cierta en el Canal 11 IPN


• Chiquilladas (1982-1983)... Varios Personajes


• Mis Huéspedes (1982)


• 
  La Carabina de Ambrosio (1982)


• Rehilete


• Intro de "La familia P.Luche"


• 
  La Señal – Jingle para XHGC, año 1990^[13]

References

External links

• Official website