Silvestre Dangond

Silvestre Dangond is a prominent Colombian singer, composer, and percussionist who has become one of the most influential figures in modern vallenato. Born Silvestre Francisco Dangond Corrales on May 12, 1980, in Urumita, La Guajira, he is widely recognized as a leader of the "Nueva Ola" (New Wave) movement, a style that modernized traditional vallenato for a younger generation.

Dangond spent much of his youth in Valledupar, the heart of vallenato culture, after his family relocated there when he was a year old. Music was a constant presence in his upbringing; his father encouraged his participation in local children's festivals, and his godfather was the legendary vallenato singer Jorge Oñate. These early influences were pivotal, and by the age of 13, Dangond had already recorded a song written by the acclaimed composer Octavio Daza.