Alejandro Lerner is an acclaimed singer/songwriter from Argentina who rose to national fame during the early '80s. While his popularity as an icon of the mid-'80s Argentine pop/rock scene would diminish steadily over time, he continued to release new albums with regularity. His latter-day music was generally well received among longtime fans and critics, earning him a number of Grammy nominations. Over the years his songs have been covered frequently. Among the more notable artists to cover his songs have been Santana, Ricardo Montaner, Luis Miguel, Carole King, Cristian Castro, Mark Anthony, La Ley, and Alejandra Guzmán; moreover, the Lerner song "Nuestro Amor Se Ha Vuelto Ayer" became a chart-topping smash hit for Victor Manuelle in 2006.nn Born on June 8, 1957, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lerner began his musical career in the 1970s, collaborating with legendary Argentines such as Raúl Porchetto, León Gieco, and Gustavo Santaolalla. He began his solo recording career in 1982 with the album Alejandro Lerner y la Magia, featuring a band comprised of Hernán Magiano (bass), Damián Figueroa (guitar), Oscar Kreimer (saxophone), and Luis Queron (drums). The debut album was a resounding success, spawning a pair of lifelong hits, "Por un Minuto de Amor" and "Nena Neurótica." Lerner in turn chose to drop his backing band (i.e., "La Magia") and mount a full-fledged solo career. His next two albums, Todo a Pulmón (1983) and Lernertres (1984), were even more successful than his first, spawning the respective hits "Todo a Pulmón" and "No Hace Falta Que Lo Digas." A couple albums of archival material, Sus Primeras Canciones (1984) and Concierto (1985), were released in the wake of his early-'80s breakthrough success. In the meantime, the singer/songwriter took a three-year break, not releasing an album of new material until Algo Que Decir (1987), an independently released effort.nn In 1988 Lerner began an association with BMG that includes the albums Canciones (1988), Entre Lineas (1990), Amor Infinito (1992), Permiso de Volar (1994), and La Magia Continúa (1995). He subsequently switched major labels, moving to Universal for the release of latter-day albums such as Volver a Empezar (1997), Si Quieres Saber Quién Soy (2000), and Buen Viaje (2003). Universal also released a career retrospective, 20 Años (1999), and a live album, Lerner Vivo (2002); meanwhile, BMG released its share of best-of compilations as well. Following another sabbatical and independently released effort, Canciones Para Gente Niña (2006), Lerner returned with the Latin Grammy-nominated Enojado (2007), his first album on EMI. ~ Jason Birchmeier
