La Oreja de Van Gogh’s Songwriter Pablo Benegas Exits Group as Amaia Montero Returns
Spanish Pop band La Oreja de Van Gogh is seen backstage at the Latin Grammy Awards in New York, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006. The group won Best Vocal Pop Album (AP Photo/Paul Hawthorne)
After months of speculation, La Oreja de Van Gogh finally confirmed that they’re reuniting with their original lead singer Amaia Montero today (Oct. 15). However, Montero’s welcome back news also revealed that the Spanish pop band’s guitarist and songwriter, Pablo Benegas, is departing from the project for now. Benegas is known as the band’s lead songwriter, along with Xabi San Martín.
“Returning together to the rehearsal space and feeling that everything is still here, that time was waiting for us where we left off,” the band wrote online. “Playing together again, closing our eyes to listen better and unable to suppress a smile: is this really happening?” The band continued to write about their excitement and how they’ve been writing new music over the last year in San Sebastián, Spain. They also reveal that they’ll be sharing more news soon.
Along with the good news, the band also announced Benegas’ departure from live shows. “Our dear Pablo, on his part, continues to be part of the group, although this time he will not be joining us on stage,” they said. “After thirty years on the road, he has decided to take a break and enjoy more time with his family, as well as explore new professional challenges. Until we meet again, we wish him all the best.”
While Benegas’ exit could be due to his family, as previously mentioned, Spanish media outlets are speculating reasons beyond that. Spanish media ABC speculates that Montero and Benegas didn’t have the best bond, and that Montero re-joined the group with the idea of adding her own songs into the mix, something that could potentially interfere with Benegas’ way of working. However, the songwriter told El País that he’s not leaving the group, but that he won’t be accompanying them at this stage. The band’s upcoming plans seem to be a world tour next year.
Benegas’ songwriter credits include the band’s classic hits like “Rosas,” “La Playa,” and “Jueves,” alongside the band’s producer and songwriter San Martín. Notably, “Rosas” and “La Playa” credit all band members, including Montero. After Montero left in 2007, Leire Martínez was the band’s vocalist until last October.