The Enthralling Rebekah Del Rio

All Photos:  Alan Mercer

Rebekah Del Rio began her professional music career when she was just 11 years old in her hometown of San Diego, California. I met Rebekah a few years ago through my friend Rudy Calvo.  I fell in love with her and her artistry immediately.  We shot her album cover for 'All My Life' in her bedroom on her bed.  I have seen her perform live several times and she is always outstanding.

Her unique style is perhaps best represented in her signature song, the wrenchingly beautiful ballad "Llorando," a Spanish-language version of Roy Orbison's 'Crying,' which strongly evokes both her Latin roots as well as such vocal influences as Patsy Cline, Linda Ronstadt, Eydie Gorme, and Karen Carpenter.

David Lynch cast Rebekah as herself in his nightmarish hymn to L.A., 'Mulholland Drive.' In a pivotal scene, Rebekah plays an otherworldly cabaret singer who sings an electrifying a capella rendition of 'Llorando.'

In a Village Voice interview, Lynch describes his partnership with Rebekah as a "happy accident": Her noteworthy performance has been universally praised as "a dazzling star turn," by John Powers in the L.A. Weekly, to "uniquely twisted," and "utterly enthralling," by Gregory Weinkauf from the New York Times.

Ms. Del Rio was received with a standing ovation at the 12th Annual Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall after singing "Llorando" a capella. Rebekah was joined by Sting, Sir Elton John, and James Taylor clad in sombreros and maracas while she sang "La Bamba" for a tribute to the 60's. Rebekah has also performed with the Royal Philharmonic in England.

You can hear Rebekah’s haunting vocals on numerous soundtracks such as 'Sin City,' 'Streets of Legend,' 'Man On Fire,' 'Mia Sarah,' and she’s featured in new Richard Kelly film, 'Southland Tales' where she plays an Opera Diva.  Rebekah is in another David Lynch film, his movie 'Inland Empire.'

This year the European singing group Il Divo recorded her classic song 'Llorando' as a duet with Rebekah.  Her new album 'Love Hurts Love Heals' is a tribute to her son Phillip who lost his battle with cancer in 2009 at the age of twenty-three.  Rebekah is a strong and passionate artist who will go on and create many more hours of beautiful music for all of us to enjoy!  

 make-up:  Rudy Calvo

  

AM:  How did Il Divo hook up with you Rebekah?

RDR:  I got an email from Il Divo's management telling me they wanted to do a cover of 'Llorando' but they really wanted to do it with me and would I be interested in recording it with them.

AM: How exciting that must have been!

RDR:  I said of course I would but I was stuck in San Francisco doing a show so I couldn't leave.  They put me in a fabulous studio and the boys were in London, the producers were in Prague and they skyped in to me so I could sing along on the second verse. 

AM:  I really like it.

RDR:  It's harmonious and beautiful, quite dynamic.  I just hoped for the best, just because you record something doesn't mean it will ever be released. 

make-up:  Rudy Calvo

AM:  You are going to gain a lot more fans!

RDR:  Yes!  They've sold 25 million records already in seven years.

AM:  Now tell me about your new recording...

RDR:  In 2010 I had been through so much.  I really needed to get my act together and figure out what my destiny is.  I am here and yes my son had to leave, but I'm still here.

AM:  You must really miss Phillip.

RDR:  I had such a strong connection with my child.  We made a decision that after he passed whenever I saw 11/11 I would know he was thinking about me.  That was our sign to each other.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

AM:  Do you see it often?

RDR:  I see it all the time!  I see it almost every day.  Once I was getting some things for his garden and the total price was $111.11!  Then when I was putting my show together the ticket sales were one thousand, one hundred and eleven dollars and eleven cents!

AM:  How unbelievable is that?

RDR: That was Phillip saying Mama everything is going to be fine.   I realized 2011 was never going to happen again.  I'd been wanting to do this record with all these songs I wrote over the course of Phillip's illness.  I wrote so many torch songs full of hurt and gorgeous songs about the spirit and how we evolve. I decided I was going to set goals and make them happen. 

AM:  What did you do first?

RDR:  I got together with these wonderful songwriters and musicians in New York.  In 2008 I met Heather Holley who is this amazing songwriter and we started writing together.  She is responsible for getting Christina Aguilera her first record deal.  She has written many songs with Christina.

AM:  That is wonderful!

make-up: Rudy Calvo

RDR:  It was an honor to write with her.  Fast forward to 2010 when I hear Heather Holley's name and I think to myself that I should reconnect with her and ask her if she would be interested in doing one song for this new project.  So I wrote her and asked what she thought and she told me she loved my songs and would do the whole album! 

AM:  I like the way you describe the music as cinematic and epic.

RDR:  It is like a soundtrack to a movie you just watched. 

AM:  It also sounds like rock music from England!  I love the song "Damned"

RDR:  Interestingly enough Alan that song was written with Heather in 2008.  She had written this as a poem.  She asked me if I wanted to write music to the lyrics.  I said I would love to and I sat down at the piano and worked it out.  We had the great fortune of working with Dave Eggar who just played cello on the new Evanescence album. He really made that song and he is part songwriter now.

AM:  It is one of the musical highlights on the album.

make-up: Rudy Calvo

RDR:  His take on it is so gorgeous.  This is all real music with real instruments, not from a computer.  This song has become an anthem to 'Love Hurts Love Heals'.  When you want something so bad and having it is not good for you and you know it you are 'Damned'. 

AM:  Will you have a video on Youtube soon?

RDR:  As soon as everything gets approved we will have one!  I really feel this is my destiny now.  This is my son and I giving it to you. 

make-up: Rudy Calvo

To learn more about Rebekah Del Rio visit her web site http://rebekahdelrio.com/