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Cecilia Villar Eljuri was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and raised in the cultural melting-pot of New York City, USA.  At an early age, Eljuri was exposed to a variety of performance arts thanks to her father, the legendary radio, theatre and television pioneer Paco Villar and her mother, composer Olga Eljuri de Villar.  Following in her mother’s footsteps, Cecilia began instruction in piano at age 5.  While sitting under the piano, Cecilia was musically inspired by her mother’s beautiful compositions and lyrical phrasing and so began to compose her own melodies as well.

Cecilia fell in love with music and followed around her older siblings to catch a glimpse of what they were listening to.  She sought out new instruments to play including autoharp and mandolin and at age 12, picked up drums and started her first band playing Rolling Stones covers.  Then at age 14, Cecilia discovered the guitar, exploring both acoustic and electric sounds, she found the freedom to express herself and develop as a singer-songwriter.  With NYC as her backyard, Cecilia began sneaking into as many clubs and concerts as she could to hear live music and became greatly influenced by rock music.  These years inspired her to write one of her earliest songs, a punk-rock anthem called I’m Just a Teenager.

By 17, Cecilia was no longer sneaking into NYC clubs; she was performing in them.  Her first real gig was playing in a punk band at the infamous CBGB’s.  “The experiences from playing New York City shows as a teenager expanded my musical horizons, seasoned me as a live musician and toughened me up to be a true New Yorker” says Cecilia Villar Eljuri. “These were some real Rock & Roll moments - especially being a female lead-guitarist and singer!”  She co-founded as principal songwriter and lead-guitarist the regionally successful group Trouble Dolls and released an EP in 1997.  Creating a strong buzz with their blend of rock, punk, reggae, funk, and Latin (with a touch of rap), the Trouble Dolls consistently sold-out CBGBs and the Bitter End.  Cecilia was immersed in the NYC live music scene and during these early years of the Trouble Dolls, began a friendship with Jeff Buckley whom she credits with turning her on to the Sine Café scene.  It was also during this time that Cecilia met Paola Romano who was managing the Trouble Dolls and working at SPIN magazine.  The two immediately clicked sharing the same musical tastes and visions.  By 1998, Cecilia’s passion for music was pulling her to explore her Latin side so she left the Trouble Dolls and with Paola’s guidance formed Grupo Fiesta.

“The vision I had for Grupo Fiesta was clearly identified as a mix of my backgrounds – a Latina with rock roots,” says Cecilia.  With song arrangements and instrumentation using both traditional Latin and rock grooves, Grupo Fiesta took off from the very start and would release two albums, Sueño in 2000 and a self-titled album in 2003.  Beginning with an early national television performance with El Leon and Volumen Cero called Buscando Bandas in 2000, Grupo Fiesta went on to receive radio air-play on over 250 stations in the US and Canada (charting in the top 20 in both Latin and Worldbeat CMJ Charts), have a music video for the track “Todo Para Ti” in heavy rotation on MTV Español, HTV, and LATV, and collect reviews from major press including the New York Times and Billboard.  Cecilia was touted for writing “catchy four minute standards… with hooks that would make Sheryl Crow blush” and as “a deep-rooted instrumentalist – her guitar playing reminiscent of a young Carlos Santana” (Global Rhythm Magazine).  The New Yorker magazine agreed stating that Cecilia’s guitar solos were “building on the legacy of Carlos Santana.” All Music Guide said, “Guitarist/songwriter Cecilia Villar has the ability to become a powerhouse.” “It was a very exciting time,” reflects Cecilia. “The clubs filled up with young, hip Latin rockers who were craving Latin Alternative music as opposed to the mainstream salsa and merengue being played on commercial radio.  It paralleled the earlier punk and new wave movement that had gone on at CBGB’s.”

After years of leading bands, Cecilia decided to go solo in 2006 to further explore her Latin roots and Ecuadorian heritage.  She traveled to South and Central America, built a home recording studio and started writing and arranging songs for what would ultimately become her May 2008 release, En Paz.  Teaming up with Romano as co-producer, Cecilia created an album more serious in nature than any of her previous releases.  “The driver for this record was my need to express what was going on in the world – from my point of view,” explains Cecilia.  They knew the arrangements had to reflect the same intensity of the lyrical topics and melodies so Yossi Fine (David Bowie, Lou Reed, Antibalas) was brought on as producer and principal bass player.  “His background in worldbeat with a heavy drum and bass focus combined with my Latin-rock background pushed the boundaries of the traditional to create a fresh new fusion that stretched all three of us,” reflects Cecilia. Nir Z joined the recording on drums (Genesis, Chris Cornell, John Mayer) along with a cast of top tier musicians.  Polishing off the album are tracks collaborating with special guests.  On the breezy El Aire, Cecilia teams up with reggae icons Sly & Robbie and on the flamenco-infused Jaula, rock-maven Johnette Napolitano contributes vocals.  Reflects Cecilia, “creating this album has been an incredible journey in uncharted waters, and I can’t wait to see where it will lead!”