Franca Masu, on the strength of one fleeting appearance in the fall of 2000 in Vic, near Barcelona, Spain, and the quiet release of her debut CD, was immediately hailed as "revelation of the year" by stunned and delighted Catalan critics. Her CD soon won a prestigious music magazine award as "surprise of the year" and has since received official recognition ("best debut album") from none other than SGAE, the Spanish national performing rights collecting society! This is a dream come true beyond our wildest expectations!

Catalunya llunyana! Distant Catalonia!... Franca's native Alghero, a lovely little seaport facing Spain from the Italian isle of Sardinia, has deep ties with Catalonia that go back to the 1300's, and locals - even kids! - speak the medieval variant of the Catalan language in which Franca sings so captivatingly... so we figured (hoped) her act might attract some attention over there... bridge the brine, as it were...

But to win fervent accolades and awards and be offered important concerts and television broadcasts in Spain, to have a steady flow of rave reviews (one written by Catalonia's number one international female star!), and all this in the space of a few months... WOW!!!! For a very individual and uncompromising artist, working well outside the usual dictates of the market place (her first track lasts 17 seconds, track two over seven minutes!) - whose material "blends the art song, jazz, and World Music", as a major Spanish monthly put it - that's utterly amazing!

Of course, what's really amazing is her record, which you can get by clicking on SHOP in the menu above. Possibly even more astounding are her live appearances, which you can read about - along with interviews, articles, her bio, and much more - in the READ section. Access to lots of photos as well as videoclips, comic strips and animations is just a click away (LOOK). And, to get an idea of her musical world, we've prepared 30-second excerpts from her CD tracks (LISTEN). If you're already a fan and would like to join others (and hear from Franca herself), click on WRITE. Registered club members have special access to rare demos and other desirables, so sign up now (it's free)!

Franca's career is going into fifth gear, so visit her pages often to get the latest on the art and life of this this wonderful woman!

MARK HARRIS