by Stacia ProefrockBorn in Madrid on December 28, 1959 in Madrid, Spain, Ana Torroja was more strongly encouraged to further her academic pursuits than her musical ones. Her studies at the School for Economic Sciences paid off most, however when a faculty party allowed her to meet José María Cano, who, with his brother, Nacho, would become her partners in the Spanish supergroup Mecano. The three became successful nearly immediately and would embark on a two-year tour to support their first recordings. The stress of that tour led to the first temporary breakup of Mecano, when Torroja was ordered by a doctor to take a break from singing in order to save her voice. That break led to a two-year sabbatical when Torroja moved to New York, began travelling around the world, took dance classes and took up diving as a hobby. When she finally decided that she wanted to sing again, the Cano brothers were both involved in solo projects, so she embarked on one of her own. She released her first album after nearly two years of preparation, on July 7, 1997, Punto Cardinales. Shortly after the album's release, the brothers were freed up from their previous responsibilities and Mecano was reborn. In March of 1998, their final album was issued -- afterwards the band broke up for good. Torroja began work shortly after on her newest album, a complicated solo project with heavy orchestration and clear pop vocals entitled Pasajes de un Beso. The album, which featured the work of Arto Lindsay, Andres Levin, Txetxo Bengoetxea and Jason Hart, was recorded entirely in New York, which by that time had become her long-term base of operations. It would take two years until Torroja stepped back into the studio, but in 2002 she teamed with Deep Forest keyboardist Eric Mouquet for her new project, Fragil. Based more in traditional Spanish music, Mouquet helped her incorporate the music of her roots into a modern pop sound.