On March 25, it will be two decades since the passing of Rocío Dúrcal, the legendary Spanish singer whose partnership with Mexican legend Juan Gabriel became one of the most successful in Latin music, producing classics like “Amor Eterno,” “El Destino,” and “Como Tu Mujer.” To honor her legacy, her first concert at Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional, held on Nov. 22, 1991, will be screened in 200 cinemas across Latin America and Spain under the title Rocío Dúrcal, 20 Años Sin Ti (meaning “Rocío Dúrcal, 20 years without you”).
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Fully remastered and presented in 4K, the concert is coming to the big screen thanks to a partnership between Sony Music Vision and Cinépolis +QUE CINE. In addition to Rocío Dúrcal’s performances, it features appearances by two pivotal figures in her career: Mexican singer-songwriter Enrique Guzmán, who shared the screen and stage with the artist during her youth and her arrival in Mexico in the ’60s, and Juan Gabriel, who revived her music career after three decades, transforming her into a ranchera icon with songs he wrote and produced.
“We believe this is the most beautiful way to remember and honor her. On YouTube, you can watch a song or two, but in this case, it’s a full concert,” says her daughter, singer Shaila Dúrcal, to Billboard Español.
A singer of many timeless hits, Dúrcal — who called herself “the most Mexican Spaniard” — continues to captivate music lovers, boasting 9.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and countless videos created with her songs on TikTok.
“It’s true that there are many types of music nowadays, but young people also have their romantic side, and they are connecting more and more with that,” adds actress Carmen Morales, another of her daughters, regarding her mother’s ballads.
Rocío Dúrcal (real name María de los Ángeles de las Heras) was born on Oct. 4, 1944, and began her career in her native Spain as a teenager. She appeared in musical films such as Canción de Juventud, Más Bonita que Ninguna, and Amor en el Aire, which catapulted her to fame in the ’60s before partnering with Juan Gabriel in the late ’70s.
Among other accolades throughout her career, Dúrcal won the 1998 Billboard Latin Music Award for Regional Mexican Album of the Year with Juan Gabriel for Juntos Otra Vez. In 1999, she was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame, and in 2007, she posthumously received the Billboard Latin Music Award for Latin Greatest Hits Album of the Year for Amor Eterno: Los Éxitos.
Rocío Dúrcal, 20 Años Sin Ti marks the beginning of a series of events to honor the singer on the 20th anniversary of her passing. A new mariachi song by Shaila Dúrcal will be released on March 25, coinciding with the premiere of the concert film in countries such as Mexico, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Meanwhile, a theater production featuring passages from her life, starring Carmen Morales, will tour Spain starting in October.
Regarding the possibility of the concert being screened for free later at Mexico City’s Zócalo — similar to Juan Gabriel’s concert recorded at the Palacio de Bellas Artes a few months ago — there was no confirmation. “For us, who carry on our mother’s legacy, it’s very exciting to do these kinds of things. We have many ideas in mind that we’re working on,” says Morales. “What we can assure you is that whatever is done will be done in a way that befits a star.”
