Zacarias Ferreira

Zacarias Ferreira was born in the town of Canca Arriba, Tamboril, the musical epicenter of the Dominican Republic. Zacarias was surrounded by music from an early age, his father and uncles all semi-professional musicians. When old enough, Zacarias relocated to the capital city of Santo Domingo in pursuit of a musical career. While attending the Conservatorio Nacional, Ferreira supported himself by playing in local bachata groups, which eventually led to a five-year stint with local celebrity band Brugal & Compania. Always having had his eyes fixed on a successful solo career, Ferreira released his debut CD, Me Libre, in 1997 on the Discomania label. The disc was well received, eventually winning a Cassandra Award. Ferreira's sophomore release, El Triste, hit the market three years later, winning him his second Cassandra and announcing his arrival in the genre as a major player. The following year Ferreira became the nation's first bachatero to be invited to perform at the Festival del Presidente, where he shared the stage with artists such as Marc Anthony, Marco Antonio Solis, and Los Hermanos Rosario, to name a few. The United States welcomed Ferreira for the first time in 2001. During his short visit he gave an impressive 77 performances in 48 days. Ferreira was picked up by the Campesino record label for the release of his third record, Adios. His first appearances on Billboard charts didn't happen until some time later, when the bachata genre began to pick up steam in the U.S. Released in 2006, "La Avispa" and 2007's "Dime Que Falto" put Ferreira's name on Latin airplay charts as tropical radio introduced listeners worldwide to one of bachata's pioneers. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi