imported>Merlyn26 at 22:18, 12 June 2025

2025-06-12T22:18:52Z

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{{Short description|Mexican rock band}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Zoé
| image = Zoé Bluebird Theater 08.11.11.jpg
| caption =
| landscape = yes
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Cuernavaca]], [[Morelos]], [[Mexico]]
| genre = [[Alternative rock]], [[neo-psychedelia]], [[psychedelic rock]], [[space rock]]
| years_active = 1994–present
| label = [[Sony Music]] (2001–2004) Noiselab (2005–2008) [[Capitol Latin]] (2008–Present)
| website = [http://www.zoetheband.com/ zoetheband.com]
| current_members = [[León Larregui]], vocals Sergio Acosta, lead guitar Jesus Baez, keyboards Angel Mosqueda, bass guitar Rodrigo Guardiola, drums
| past_members = [[Siddhartha (Músico)|Siddhartha]] (Drums) 
Alberto Cabrera (Drums)
}}
'''Zoé''' is a [[Grammy Award]] and [[Latin Grammy Award]]-winning [[Mexican rock]] band. It was initially formed in [[Cuernavaca, Mexico]] in 1994, although membership started to stabilize in 1997. The band has achieved success in Mexico and most Spanish-speaking countries with albums such as ''Rocanlover'', ''[[Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea]]'' and ''[[Reptilectric]]''.

==History==
Zoé's history begins in [[Mexico]] in 1994, with slight influences from [[Seattle]]'s [[grunge]], Zoé went through a period of changing line-ups and varying styles before stabilizing in 1997, with León Larregui (guitar and voice), Sergio Acosta (guitar), Alberto Cabrera (drums), Ángel Mosqueda (bass guitar) and Jesus Báez (keyboards). By this time, a clear influence from [[The Beatles]] could be seen alongside the Britpop and grunge stylings.

===1998–2004: Debut album and ''Rocanlover''===
Faced with a lack of venues in which to showcase their music, Zoé relied upon self-organized concerts, the Internet and a self-published demo. All of these efforts, plus a good deal of positive word of mouth, helped them gain popularity in [[Spanish language|Spanish-language]] [[radio station]]s in the [[United States]]. They signed their first recording contract in 1998, but nothing came of it. They independently released an album in 2000 that attracted the attention of [[Sony Music]], who took over its distribution. Popular songs from this recording included "Asteroide" and "Miel". Following the success of this album, some of their songs were included in the [[soundtrack]]s of movies like ''[[Amar Te Duele]]'', ''[[Ladies Night (film)|Ladies Night]]'' and ''[[The Dreamer (2000 film)|The Dreamer]]''.

In November 2003, Zoé released a second album, produced by [[Phil Vinall]], who had previously worked with bands like [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]] and [[Elastica]]. This new album was titled ''Rocanlover'', and the main singles were "Peace and Love", "Love" and "Veneno". Although their musical style was becoming more clearly defined, the band had still not found an identity. In 2017, looking back at this period, Larreguí characterized this as a time of experimentation and trying different things; for example the band had not decided if they wanted to record more songs in English.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vuelve la música botánica de Zoé |url=https://www.esquire.com/es/actualidad/musica/a11641993/vuelve-la-musica-botanica-de-zoe/ |website=Esquire |date=August 2017 |access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref>

===2004–2007: ''The Room'', ''Rocanlover'' and ''Memo Rex Commander''===
Zoé left Sony in early 2004. The band kept working and touring during the whole year without a label behind them and started to gain a big following with the self-promoted singles "Love" and "Veneno". In early 2005, the band started working on new songs for their next album. By mid-2005, the band had recorded the song "[[Dead (Zoé song)|Dead]]" with their own resources. Also at this time, Cabrera left the band and Rodrigo Guardiola joined. Some major labels in Mexico were very interested in signing the band{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}, but Zoé, tired of their bad past experiences, surprised everyone and signed an independent deal with [[Noiselab]], a fast-growing independent label from Mexico. New songs to complete the EP, named ''The Room'', were written. The EP made it well into the Mexican sales chart and shipped over 50,000 copies.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5RQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22the+room%22+zoe&pg=PA62|title=Hits of the World|page=62|journal=[[Billboard Magazine]]|date=2005-11-19|accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6hUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=billboard+zoe+%22the+room%22&pg=PA12|title=Noiselabs Raises Indie Acts' Volume in Mexico|journal=[[Billboard Magazine]]|date=2006-05-06|page=12|first=Olaf|last=Furniss|accessdate=2012-01-09}}</ref> Some new songs were recorded in English, and some producers, like [[Alan McGee]], expressed interest in taking them to the UK and Europe. The release of the EP was followed by two sold-out shows at the Metropolitan Theater in Mexico City and a national tour.

The first six months of 2006 were quite active for Zoé. They kept playing strategic shows like the [[Vive Latino]] Festival and devoted themselves to the production of their third studio album. In January, the band went to Manzanillo to start preproduction with the British producer Phil Vinall. In February, there were shows and more preproduction in Mexico City, and March was used for basic tracking at [[Sonic Ranch]] Studios in [[Tornillo, Texas]]. In April, post-production and more shows; the songs were mixed in May. The album was finished by early June.

''[[Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea]]'' (Memo Rex Commander and the Atomic Heart of the Milky Way) was released on 12 July 2006, going straight in to the Mexican charts at number one. The first single from the album, "[[Vía Láctea]]", had some rotation in local music channels like [[MTV Latin America]] and [[Telehit]]. The album achieved [[music recording sales certification|gold record]] status after more than 40,000 units sold in the four weeks after its release and it received very good reviews from the specialized press.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}

On 1 September 2006, Zoé performed in Mexico's [[National Auditorium]], a sold-out show in one of the most important stages for music in Mexico. Later, at the [[Palacio de los Deportes]], they performed with [[Nick McCarthy]], the guitarist (and sometimes vocalist) from the [[Scotland|Scottish]] band [[Franz Ferdinand (band)|Franz Ferdinand]]. In November 2006, they toured with [[Gustavo Cerati]] and [[Los Tres]] in Mexico and the United States. On 28 November 2007, they recorded their first live CD/DVD, in the [[Palacio de los Deportes]] ("Sports Palace"). The CD version is available with the title of 281107.

===2008–2010: ''Reptilectric''===
In fall 2008, Zoé released a fourth album, ''Reptilectric''. Containing 11 tracks, all in Spanish, ''Reptilectric'' signalled the end of Zoé's experimentation with writing and recording songs in English. It was produced by Phill Vinall. The title track was released as the first single on 8 September. The album debuted at number one in the Mexican charts and it was subsequently certified platinum for over 80,000 copies sold there. The band toured in support of the album in Mexico, Latin America, the United States and Spain. A remix album called ''Reptilectric Revisitado'' was released in October 2009, with remixed versions of the songs on the original album as well as cover versions by other Latin American artists. In Spain, the band released ''01-10'', a compilation album of some of the band's biggest hits and new versions of songs from ''Reptilectric'' and ''Memo Rex Commander'' featuring the Spanish artists [[Enrique Bunbury]], [[Anni B. Sweet]], [[Dorian (Spanish pop band)|Dorian]] and [[Vetusta Morla]]. The band performed at Coachella in support of ''Reptilectric''.

===2011–2012: ''Música de Fondo''===
In March 2011, the band released an MTV Unplugged album titled [[MTV Unplugged/Música de fondo]], with new interpretations of their biggest hits as well as new music. Guest performers included [[Adrian Dargelos]], [[Enrique Bunbury]], [[Chetes]] and Denise Gutiérrez of [[Hello Seahorse!]]. Four singles were released from the album: "Soñé", "Labios Rotos", "Luna" and a cover version of "[[Bésame Mucho]]". With this album, the band was nominated for awards at the [[Latin Grammy]], [[Lunas Del Auditorio]] and [[MTV Europe Music Awards]]. In October 2011, the album went Gold in Colombia, the band's first album to do so outside of Mexico. As a personal thank you for the overwhelming success of this album, the band released a special single called "Energía" ("Energy") in February 2012.

===2013–present: ''Prográmaton'' and ''Aztlán''===
Zoé released a fifth album, ''[[Prográmaton]]'', and announced an extended tour of 75 shows in 16 countries. In this new stage, Zoé presented what could be labeled their most mature and experimental work. The personnel that achieve this combination of music, lyrics and instrumental talents are Leon Larregui (vocals, guitar), Sergio Acosta (guitar), Jesús Báez (keyboards), Angel Mosqueda (bass guitar) and Rodrigo Guardiola (drums).

After a two-year break where they launched a documentary called ''Panoramas'' and where Larregui released his second solo album, Zoé released the single "Azul" on 1 March 2018. Weeks after, the singles "Temor y Temblor" and "Clarividad" where also released, announcing their inclusion in the album ''[[Aztlán (album)]]'', which was released on 20 April 2018.

==Tour==
*Zoé Unplugged Tour

==Discography==
[[File:USKMXMTZLFA6BBRJWSG66DOG2Y.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Zoé]]

===Studio albums===
*''Zoé'' (2001)
*''Rocanlover'' (2003)
*''[[Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea]]'' (2006)
*''[[Reptilectric]]'' (2008)
*''[[Prográmaton]]'' (2013)
*''[[Aztlán (album)|Aztlán]]'' (2018)
*''[[Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia]]'' (2021)

===EP===
*''The Room (EP)'' (2005)

===Compilations===
*''Grandes Hits'' (2005)
*''Noiselab 001'' (2002)
*''Zoé Hits 01–06'' (2006)
*''Reptilectric Revisitado'' (2009)
*''01-10'' (2010)

===Live albums===
*''281107'' (2008)
*''[[MTV Unplugged/Música de Fondo]]'' (2011)
*''8.11.14'' (2015)

===Singles===
*"Deja te Conecto" (2001) (''"Let Me Connect You"'')
*"Asteroide" (2002) (''"Asteroid"'')
*"Miel" (2002) (''"Honey"'')
*"Peace and Love" (2003)
*"Love" (2004)
*"Veneno" (2004) (''"Poison"'')
*"Dead" (2005)
*"[[Vía Láctea]]" (2006) (''"Milky Way"'')
*"No me Destruyas" (2006) (''"Don't Destroy Me"'')
*"[[Paula (Zoé song)|Paula]]" (2007)
*"Reptilectric" (2008)
*"Nada" (2009) (''"Nothing"'')
*"Poli" (2009)
*"Labios Rotos" (2010) ("''Torn Lips''")
*"Luna" (2011) ("''Moon''")
*"[[Bésame Mucho]]" (2011) ("''Kiss me a lot''")
*"Energía" (2012) ("''Energy''")
*"10 A.M." (2013) ("''10 A.M.''")
*"Azul" (2018) ("''Blue''")
*"El Duelo" (2020) ("''The Duel''")

==Awards and nominations==

===Grammy Awards===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:70%;
|-
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:50%;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:35%;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:6%;"| Result
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[50th Annual Grammy Awards|2008]]
| rowspan="3"|[[Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album|Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album]]
| ''[[Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[61st Annual Grammy Awards|2019]]
| ''Aztlán''
| {{won}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[64th Annual Grammy Awards|2021]]
| ''[[Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

===Latin Grammy Awards===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:70%;
|-
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:50%;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:35%;"| Nominated work
! scope="col" style="width:6%;"| Result
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|[[8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2007]]
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Song|Best Alternative Song]]
| "No Me Destruyas"
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"|[[Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]]
| ''[[Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|[[10th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2009]]
| ''[[Reptilectric]]''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video|Best Short Form Music Video]]
| "Reptilectric"
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|[[12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2011]]
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|Best Rock Song]]
| "Labios Rotos"
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]]
| rowspan="2"|''[[MTV Unplugged/Música de Fondo]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video|Best Long Form Music Video]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[13th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2012]]
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]
| "Besame Mucho"
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2014]]
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video|Best Short Form Music Video]]
| "Arrullo de Estrellas"
| {{nom}}
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|[[19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards|2018]]
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Song|Best Alternative Song]]
| "Azul"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video|Best Long Form Music Video]]
| "Panoramas"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album|Best Alternative Music Album]]
| ''Aztlán''
| {{nom}}
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Zoé (band)}}
*{{Official website|http://www.zoetheband.com/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071222111854/http://www.groundcontrolmag.com/detail/1/593/ Zoé], ''Ground Control'', September 2007
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715194300/http://www.rockenespanol.com/?artists/zoe Zoé] at ''Rock en Español''

{{Zoé}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoe}}
[[Category:Capitol Latin artists]]
[[Category:Latin Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Mexican alternative rock groups]]
[[Category:Rock en español music groups]]
[[Category:Universal Music Latin Entertainment artists]]

Zoé (band) - Revision history

imported>Merlyn26 at 22:18, 12 June 2025