Born a California girl on November 24, 1970, Julieta Venegas grew up in the tequila-laced border town of Tijuana. A multi-Latin Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Julieta played with Mexico's biggest names before going solo and embarking on an explosive international career, even writing music for movies. Her music has been compared with that of Bjork and Fiona Apple in its aggressive bid to push creativity forward.

But Julieta got tired of sleepy beachside towns and took to the world's biggest city, Mexico City, where she met soon-to-be megastars Café Tacuba, a band that pushed her into her own stardom, which came slowly. At first she became an accordion player for the band Lula, then her fame picked up amid La Milagrosa, a trio with heavy hitters Jorge Fratta and Rafa González. With a knowing nod to the real power in the band, the group renamed itself simply Julieta Venegas.

1996 thrust Venegas' into mainstream pop when she signed with BMG Ariola records and kited over to L.A. to record her debut album, Aquí, in which she sang and played piano and the accordion. Julieta is not one to forget her roots and influences; almost everyone she had worked with in the past took part in the album.

Julieta's Mexican and overseas fans were hankering for more, which they got in 1999, with her second album, Bueninvento. The star power behind her this time was even more dazzling. Engineer Joe Chiccarelli roped in Tom Waits' guitarist Joe Gore, REM drummer Lenny Waronker, and Los Lobos sax man Steve Berlin.

Bueninvento was launched to deafening praises for the album's carefully-studied melodies, unabashed emotion, and play-it-again addictiveness. The Latin Grammys gave her two nods, nominating her for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song ("Hoy No Quiero").

With a part in 2000's massively important tribute album to Los Tigres del Norte, Venegas buttressed her place in Latin pop rock, and spent the next three years touring and collaborating all over the Spanish-speaking world.

Julieta changed direction radically with her third album Sí, a move that pleased many and angered some. Gone was the gloomy accordion-laced slow rock. Julieta went cheery with ear-friendly pop tunes that appealed to a larger crowd. She says in this album she found happiness by learning too look at the bright side of things. Those who craved her dreary black lipstick croons didn't buy it.

But whether she's a sell-out or it's an evolved product, Sí won three Latin Grammys, for Best Solo Artist, Best Artist from Mexico and Artist of the Year. Despite her detractors, Venegas' music has been likened to the bold progressive stylings of PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple and Bjork, taking rock en español one step further.

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