Paula Ribó González (born 30 April 1990),[1] is a Spanish singer, actress and playwright best known for her musical project Rigoberta Bandini, for which she writes, performs, and produces the music.[2][3] Ribó's multi-departmental professional career started at age seven, when she provided the Iberian Spanish dubbing voice work for the title character of the children animated series Caillou.[4] She continued to work as a voice actress in both Catalan and Castilian for international firms such as Universal and Disney starring in big productions such as Peter Pan and Brave, as well as in film series like The Twilight Saga or The Divergent Series and musical films such as Les Misérables, Sing and Frozen.[5] She also has been the regular Spanish-dubbed voice of Emma Stone, Dakota Fanning and Shailene Woodley.[6]
After graduating Institut del Teatre, she ventured into the music scene in 2011 alongside two college friends with the formation The Mamzelles.[7] They released two studio albums. In parallel to her contribution in film, Ribó created her own theatre production company, directed four plays, started in six, and wrote other four.[8] She also starred in selected Catalan television films and series.
In 2019, Ribó launched her second musical project under the pseudonym Rigoberta Bandini. Her third single, "In Spain We Call It Soledad", released in 2020, became viral on Spotify and launched Bandini into stardom. She achieved national recognition in 2022 placing as the runner-up at the Benidorm Fest in the run to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Ay mamá", which became her first entry in and first number one song on the Spanish charts.[9][10]
Career
In 1996, at the age of six, Ribó participated at the Zecchino d'Oro children song competition in Italy with the song "La scatola dei tesori".[11][12]
Ribó studied theatre at the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona.[15] In 2010, together with Paula Malia y Bàrbara Mestanza, she founded the music group The Mamzelles. The band released two albums Que se desnude otra (2012) and Totem (2014).[16] In 2012, they created a theatre company, The Mamzelles Teatre.[15]
In 2019, Ribó launched her solo music career under the stage name of Rigoberta Bandini, a fusion of names from human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú and John Fante character Arturo Bandini.[17][14] In 2020, she rose to prominence in Spain as her single "In Spain We Call It Soledad" became viral in Spotify.[18]
In December 2021, she was selected to participate in the first edition of Benidorm Fest, the song festival organised to determine Spain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "Ay mamá",[19] placing as the runner-up. The song became her first entry in the Spanish charts, as well as her first single to reach the first position in the Spanish charts. Having already accumulated a large fanbase, the appearance at Benidorm Fest "catapulted her to the top of the Spanish music industry".[20]
Ribó has written two "songs of the summer" for Estrella Damm, each with Spanish and Catalan versions. In 2021, she wrote "A ver qué pasa" / "Aviam què passa", which she also performed, and in 2022 wrote "Aquí, ahora y así" / "Aquí, ara i així", which was performed by Santi Balmes, Clara Viñals, and Renaldo.[21][22][23] She also wrote the song "Bienvenidos al show", performed by Amaia, in 2022; a few months later, the two announced another song, "Así bailaba", performed together.[24]
Ribó is married to comic Esteban Navarro, from the comedy group Venga Monjas [es; ca]. The pair began their relationship in March 2019[25] and had their first child, Nico, in June 2020.[26] Becoming pregnant only six months into a relationship, Ribó said that she had to "rethink many things" at the time but that having him was the best decision she made.[20] Ribó and Navarro married in a civil service at Barcelona City Hall in May 2023; unconventionally the mayor, Ada Colau, was the officiant.[27] They held a reception in June 2023, with Ribó dedicating a song to Navarro in a moment that became a viral video.[20]
Ribó has an older sister.[28] Her father Pepe has been president of the Federación de Peñas Madridistas de Cataluña, the group that organises official fan groups of Real Madrid CF in Catalonia, since 2007.[28] In 2022, Ribó and Navarro attended the premiere of Alexia: Labor Omnia Vincit, the documentary mini-series about Barcelona femení captain Alexia Putellas.[29]
1 episode;[35] her music heavily features on the soundtrack[36] and creator Daniel Sánchez Arévalo said that she was an influence when he was writing the series.[37]
Commercials
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2012–2013
"Envàs, on vas?"
Herself
Catalan government recycling campaign featuring the Mamzelles[38][39]
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