Ronda can be justifiably proud of the achievements of one of their own, 21 year old María Villalon, winner of the Spanish X-Factor competition in 2007, and currently enjoying success with her singles “La Lluvia” and “Cosas que no sé de ti” and her second album “Los tejados donde fuimos más que amigos” which has reached #4 on Los 40 Principales albums charts at the time this article was written.

Her passion for music comes from a classical music background, and listening to the bolero, fado, or bossa nova as a child. As an adult singer María performs a variety of styles that showcase her amazing voice in the romantic ballad, ‘María la Portuguesa’, ‘Te Espero Aqui’, ‘Gli ostacoli del cuore’ or her X-Factor songs ‘No te olvides de mi ‘, or ‘Hijo de la luna’ immediately come to mind.

Arriving at her parents home for our interview María was dressed ready to go to the beach, she is a woman who works hard, but when she is home in Ronda prefers to dress down. Despite her sister and friends hovering anxiously, María was thoroughly professional, taking an interest in my questions, and giving thoughtful answers.

Meeting María is disarming, she is a charming young woman, intelligent, and exceptionally modest about her success, declining to describe herself as a star. María in fact explains she prefers the quiet life that Ronda offers to the rat race of Madrid where she is based.

María’s journey to music stardom began as a young child when she enrolled at the music conservatory in Ronda and learned to play the cello, and then appeared on several Andalucían television shows as a child performer.

It was her singing voice that captured the attention of the music industry, and at the age of 11 recorded her first album entitled Entre Sueños, though it was winning the first season of Simon Cowell’s X-Factor that truly launched her career.

And María is quick to credit her parents and family for her success, telling me of her father driving all over Ronda and the Costa del Sol during the X-Factor show in a van with María’s photo, name and the number to call to vote for her emblazoned on the side.

One imagines that to win X-Factor competition must require a great deal of strength of character, this is evident in María’s outlook as she describes her commitment to finishing her university studies, a degree in Spanish literature, whilst at the same time continuing with a gruelling concert agenda that has seen her play every city in Spain.

Winning X-Factor led to a contract with Sony BMG and 2 albums plus an EP of her X-Factor songs, as well as a new single “Cosas que no sé de ti” and national tour. María is also penning several new tracks that she hopes will feature on her next album, but her main focus is preparing for what she describes as her most emotional and nerve wracking concert to date, performing in Ronda as headline act for the Pedro Romero Feria.

Asked if she has plans to record English tracks, María seems slightly embarrassed, she lacks confidence to speak English in case she makes a mistake, but confesses she’d love to follow in the footsteps of her biggest idols and take on a global tour.

Having opened for Alicia Keys during her Spain concerts last year, María Villalon is determined to record some English tracks and break into international markets. Asked where she would most like to perform, María is adamant, performing in England in a big stadium like Wembley would be a career highlight.

Ronda’s favourite daughter is not only proving to be a star, she is also proudly Rondeña and hopes that her example will inspire other Rondeños to reach for the stars, she mentions Angeles Vela, a Eurovision hopeful in 2010 who will open for her during the feria as a possible future star.