Biography:

Paulina de las Mercedes Tamayo Cevallos ( Quito , April 14, 1965 – Quito , October 21, 2025), [ 1 ] was an Ecuadorian singer of national music , popularly known as “La Grande del Ecuador” for her outstanding career in traditional genres such as albazo , pasillo , yaraví and pasacalle , etc. [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

Early years

He was born in Quito into a family connected to music. His parents were Fausto Tamayo and María Luisa Cevallos Paladines, and his great-uncle was the composer Víctor Manuel Valencia Nieto. National music was regularly heard in his home, especially the duet Benítez y Valencia and Fresia Saavedra , influences that marked his childhood. [ 4 ]

He began singing at the age of five, when he won the Colombian-Ecuadorian Rumichaca de Oro Festival in Tulcán , performing the pasillo “Entrega final”. [ 4 ] At the age of six he joined the theater company of the actor Ernesto Albán , with whom he worked for approximately fourteen years, an experience that consolidated his stage and artistic training. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]

At the age of nine, Paulina Tamayo traveled to Lima , Peru , invited by the Ecuadorian Embassy, ​​to participate in a series of artistic presentations. During one of them, offered at the diplomatic headquarters, she performed several pasillos before an audience that included the renowned singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda . According to Tamayo herself in an interview with El Telégrafo , the Peruvian artist was moved when she heard her sing the pasillo “Rebeldía”, composed by Víctor Nieto , and congratulated her at the end of her performance. [ 6 ]

In 1977, at the age of twelve, he participated in the Latin American Youth Festival, held in Acarigua , Venezuela , where, according to Ecuadorian media, he won first place representing Ecuador. During his childhood and adolescence, he took his repertoire of national music to international stages, promoting traditional Ecuadorian genres. [ 7 ]

Among his first recordings are the songs “Imploración de amor”, “Fe perdida”, “Mentiras” and “Callecita de amor”, all composed by his mother, María Luisa Cevallos Paladines. [ 8 ]

Musical career

In 1979 he released his first album, Colección de Oro , which was followed by other vinyls and more than a dozen recordings in CD format, focusing on Ecuadorian music. [ 4 ] Although he recorded several albums – including Inimitable (2001), 4 Décadas de Canto Apasionado (2011) and A lo Grande con la Grande (2016) – he often pointed out that he preferred direct contact with the public rather than an abundant record production. [ 4 ]

Throughout her career she performed at international festivals and stages in Latin America , the United States and Canada , and shared the stage with artists such as Roberto Carlos , Rocío Dúrcal , Lola Flores , Juan Gabriel , Los Panchos , Los Visconti , Julio Jaramillo , among others. [ 4 ] In 2016 she gave a multitudinous concert at the Coliseo General Rumiñahui in Quito, where she was honored by her audience and colleagues. [ 4 ] In 2018, together with her son Willie, she composed the musical theme “Bi-Tri yo te canto”, dedicated to the Club Deportivo El Nacional , a soccer team of which she was a fan. [ 9 ]

Between 2022 and 2023 she continued to be active: she released the song “Soy del Auquitas, guambrito” dedicated to the soccer team, the Sociedad Deportiva Aucas , obtained a degree in Musical and Sound Arts from the University of the Hemispheres , and recorded the pasillo “Sombras” as a duet with the Peruvian singer Eva Ayllón . [ 4 ] That same year she offered symphonic concerts as part of her A lo grande tour .

Paulina Tamayo celebrated her four decades of artistic career with a concert at the Ágora of the Ecuadorian House of Culture in Quito in April 2011, an event in which several national artists participated in her tribute. [ 10 ] In 2016 she made international presentations in Latin America and the United States, promoting her album A lo grande con la grande . Between 2017 and 2018 she was part of the jury of the television program Yo me llamo , broadcast on Teleamazonas , alongside singer-songwriter Juan Fernando Velasco and actress Paola Farías . [ 11 ]

Style and influence

Tamayo was considered by the press and the public as an emblematic representative of traditional Ecuadorian music . Her performances combined vocal power and an attachment to the national roots. She was referred to by various media as an “ambassador of Ecuadorian folklore,” a symbolic title that alludes to her work in cultural dissemination. [ 12 ]

National and international tours

During her career, she represented Ecuador on stages in Latin America, North America and Europe , promoting traditional genres such as pasillo , albazo and pasacalle . She was invited to perform in Peru , Colombia , Venezuela , Mexico , Argentina , Canada and the United States , promoting national music in various international festivals and programs. [ 12 ]

Discography

Paulina Tamayo included the songs “Ecuador en mi corazón” and “La canción de los Andes” in her repertoire. The Ecuadorian press has mentioned “La canción de los Andes” as one of the emblematic performances of her career. During her career, she also performed songs such as “Parece mentira” and “Avecilla”. In her public statements, the artist expressed her interest in Ecuadorian national music. [ 13 ] ​[ 14 ]​ In 2025, her video “La canción de los Andes” surpassed one million views on her official YouTube channel. [ 15 ]

Albums · Paulina Tamayo – Gold Collection (1969) · Paulina Tamayo 25 Years – On her Silver Wedding Anniversary (1995) · Paulina Tamayo 30 Years – Inimitable (2001) · Paulina Tamayo 35 Years – Today Like Yesterday (2006) · Paulina Tamayo 40 Years – 4 Decades of Passionate Singing (2011) · Paulina Tamayo 45 Years – Ecuador in My Heart (2014) · Paulina Tamayo Going Big With the Big Girl . (2016) Death He died in the early hours of October 21, 2025 at the age of 60, due to respiratory failure in the early hours of Tuesday while he was resting, a fact confirmed by his family and work team through social networks. [ 16 ]

Credits:

Wikipedia