Coti

Julieta Venegas and Paulina Rubio owe Coti Sorokin – big time. Sorokin, one of Latin America’s most influential pop songwriters, has helped Venegas and Rubio write some of their greatest hits, Andar Conmigo and Te Quise Tanto, respectively. But the young Argentino is not just penning hit tracks for others, he's in the midst of becoming a pop star himself.

In the late '90s, Coti began rocking with Luz Mala in his native Rosario, Argentina. He then moved to Buenos Aires with the intention of starting a solo career, but instead took up writing for artists like Andrés Calamaro, Fito Páez, Alejandro Lerner, Diego Torres and Charly García.

A decade later, Coti would finally launch his solo career from Spain, with a strong self-titled debut. The buzz generated by life-affirming songs like Antes Que Ver el Sol and "Que La Vida" no doubt helped Coti secure the opening slot for Shakira’s visit to Madrid in 2003. A second album, Canciones Para Llevar, followed in 2004.

But it was Coti's third outing, the 2005 live album Esta Mañana y Otros Cuentos, that perked up ears in Latin America. Among the highlights of the album is Nada Fue Un Error, a upbeat pop number – featuring none other than Julieta Venegas and Paulina Rubio. The track became an enormous hit that has since become his signature song.

Gatos y Palomas, Coti’s fourth album, was released this week via Universal. On Gatos, Coti shuffles between Tom Petty and Robbie Williams, creating simple songs that showcase a more introspective and socially conscious outlook. The album's first single, the ranchera-influenced Canción de Adiós (Goodbye Song) is already making waves on Spanish radio across the U.S.