Jorge Drexler, now 62, has established himself as a accomplished singer-songwriter after beginning his career as an ear, nose and throat specialist in Uruguay. Born and raised in Montevideo under a civic-military dictatorship, Drexler initially pursued medicine while performing music at night, paying for his early recordings with earnings from clinical practice. He eventually relocated to Madrid after being invited by Spanish musician Joaquín Sabina, where he shifted his focus more fully to songwriting and performing.
Drexler gained international recognition when his song El Otro Lado del Rio (The Other Side of the River), composed for the film The Motorcycle Diaries, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2005. At the time largely unknown, he was not invited to perform at the ceremony but instead delivered an a cappella version during his acceptance speech. His breakthrough came after he began blending his romantic and poetic impulses with scientific interests, writing songs that explore themes of biology, physics, and human migration. His composition Todo Se Transforma, based on Antoine Lavoisier’s Law of the Conservation of Mass, marked his first major commercial success and led to subsequent hit songs and Latin Grammy wins.
His latest album, Taracá, represents a return to the candombe sound of his native Uruguay and has received eight nominations at the Latin Grammys scheduled for 12 November. The project features contributions from an ensemble of Latin American musicians spanning classical guitarist Julio Cobelli and rapper Young Miko, and was partly inspired by the recent death of his father. In discussing the contemporary music landscape, Drexler emphasized the growing prominence of Spanish-language artists globally, noting that the United States has become increasingly bilingual and that performers like Bad Bunny have expanded international audiences for Latin music.
Drexler has also worked as a translator and consultant on songwriting, having assisted Colombian artist Shakira with translating her compositions. He approaches his craft with scholarly depth, frequently drawing on philosophical and literary references ranging from Spinoza to Homer. Despite his numerous accolades, Drexler maintains a measured relationship with success, keeping his awards in a closed cabinet and viewing achievement as inherently connected to the completion of a creative process rather than as an endpoint.
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