Ximena Sariñana

Imagine Natalia LaFourcade with a soft spot for jazz and you'll get an idea why Ximena Sariñana is being called one of the most promising acts in Mexican pop.

An actress and singer, the 23-year-old Sariñana is the daughter of Mexican filmmaker Fernando Sariñana (Amarte Duele, Todo El Poder). The blue-eyed cutie began singing at age 15 and went on to front the band Feliz No Cumpleaños in the mid-2000s. The seven-member jazz-pop outfit released the singles Ya Pasaste and Perro Parado before going on an indefinite hiatus – they broke up – in 2007. Their debut album remains unreleased.

That same year, Sariñana went solo and released her debut album, Mediocre, in México. Normal a slow and sultry ballad and the seductive Vidas Paralelas have become staples on Mexican radio. She also proved her indie cred by filling in for the singer Feist (of 1 2 3 4 fame) when Broken Social Scene played Mexico City.

Sariñana is currently touring México to support Mediocre, which is scheduled for a June U.S. release.

See: myspace.com/ximenamusic