Reina del Cid

Reina del Cid
Reina del Cid
Background information
Birth name	Rachelle Cordova
Born	March 8, 1988 (age 34); Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	Folk rock; indie folk; indie rock; bluegrass;
Occupation(s)	Musician; singer-songwriter;
Instrument(s)	Vocals; acoustic guitar;
Years active	2008–present
Website	reinadelcid.com

Reina del Cid
Born	Fargo
Nationality	United States of America

Rachelle Cordova (born March 8, 1988^{[non-primary source needed]}), better known by the stage name Reina del Cid, is an American singer-songwriter and lead of the eponymous folk/rock band formerly based in Minneapolis, and now based in Los Angeles.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Del Cid was born in Fargo, North Dakota. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Minnesota in 2010.

Career[edit | edit source]

After graduating from college, she worked as an editorial assistant for University of Minnesota Press. Her stage name originates from references to Spanish literature: her guitar is nicknamed "El Cid", named after the Castilian nobleman of the same name, and her name "Reina", meaning Queen in Spanish, the Queen of her guitar.

Del Cid and her band have released five studio albums to date: blueprints, plans (credited to "Reina del Cid & the Cidizens") released in 2012, The Cooling, in 2015, Rerun City in 2017, Morse Code in 2019 and Candy Apple Red in 2022. The Cooling and Rerun City were recorded at Pachyderm Studios. Songs from the second album were featured on NPR, and Baeble Music. Their subsequent single release, "Death Cap" and its accompanying music video, which was filmed in Iceland, was featured in Paste Magazine.

Del Cid and her band have developed a significant following on their YouTube channel as independent artists. She regularly releases original songs and covers in her series of videos, Sunday Mornings with Reina del Cid.

In July 2019, del Cid announced the release of a full-length album, Morse Code. It was officially released on October 4, 2019, with a kick-off concert at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

In early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Reina relocated to Los Angeles and lived with her bandmate Toni Lindgren. She recorded her fifth studio album, Candy Apple Red. It was officially released on April 28, 2022 at the release concert at the Turf Club in Minneapolis.

Band members[edit | edit source]

Reina del Cid – lead vocals and rhythm guitar
Toni Lindgren – lead guitar and backup vocals
Andrew Foreman – bass
Nate Babbs – drums
Zach Schmidt – drums (2014–2018)

Discography[edit | edit source]

blueprints, plans – Released September 15, 2012 (Credited to Reina del Cid & the Cidizens)
The Cooling – Released June 16, 2015
Rerun City – Released December 8, 2017
Morse Code – Released October 4, 2019
Candy Apple Red – Released April 28, 2022

References[edit | edit source]