Belén Barenys

Mari Belén Barenys González,[3] known as Belén Barenys (born 28 November 1999), is a Spanish actress and singer, sometimes known by her stage name Memé (Catalan: [meˈme]).[4][5] Having performed as a dubbing actress since childhood, she rose to prominence as part of the group Rigoberta Bandini. She co-created and stars in the Filmin series Autodefensa.

"Memé" redirects here. For similar names, see Meme (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Barenys and the second or maternal family name is González.
Belén Barenys
Barenys in 2021
Born
Mari Belén Barenys González

(1999-11-28) 28 November 1999
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain[1]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active2003; 2009–2015; 2019–present
Children1
FamilyPaula Ribó (cousin)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals

Career

Barenys began dubbing roles in 2003, when she provided additional voices for the Catalan release of Brother Bear.[6] In 2009, she also began voicing films in Spanish, with two roles in the dub of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.[7] The next year, she dubbed the voice of Princess Elizabeth in The King's Speech into both Spanish and Catalan.[6][7] She continued dubbing through 2015, providing voices in one or both languages for films including Up, Brave, Frozen, Cloud Atlas, Maleficent, and as Riley in Inside Out.[6][7] She first acted live in 2019 series El muerto vivo.[4]

In 2020, Barenys and her brother joined their cousin, Paula Ribó, in musical project Rigoberta Bandini; they began performing live shows as a group in 2021.[8][9] The siblings joined Ribó (as did Ribó's partner) when she realised she needed a band, turning to her family as she had composed music with Barenys since they were young.[10] In March 2021, Ribó and Barenys performed their popular single "Perra" at the 13th Gaudí Awards.[11] At the end of this year, they released the single "Ay mamá", with which they competed in Benidorm Fest 2022 for a chance to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest later that year. The single went viral and reached number one in Spain.[8][9]

In early 2022, Barenys started her own music project, with the stage name MEMÉ.[1][12] This name was a childhood nickname, from her brother unable to say her name correctly when they were young.[10] ABC noted that the stage name is somewhat reminiscent of the lyrics of "Ay mamá", but that fans of Rigoberta Bandini would recognise her from the performances.[12] She sang and rapped on song "KSA" (by group Habla de mí en presente) as featured artist, released in January 2022[13] on Habla de mí en presente's album Vivir más. Mondo Sonoro wrote that "KSA" had "crazy rhythms" and imagination, showing that "with a good base, you can make any lyrics into a hit".[14] In March 2022, she released her first solo single, a hyperpop song called "La contraseña del Gmail" that was considered likely divisive because of its irreverent lyrics and tone. Barenys explained that the song was about sad things so she put it to an upbeat track so she could "dance to her own shit".[12][2]

In November 2022, Filmin premiered their third in-house production, Autodefensa, an irreverent sitcom co-created by and starring Barenys and close friend Berta Prieto. After Barenys and Prieto recorded a video about a trip in Peñíscola while intoxicated and shared it on Instagram saying it should be a Filmin documentary, director Miguel Ángel Blanca approached them to create the series.[10] It was nominated for two Feroz Awards in 2023, including one for Barenys, Prieto, and Blanca with Best Screenplay for a Series.[15] El Mundo described Autodefensa and Barenys' first two singles as Memé as transgressive and "certainly not suitable for boomers."[10]

Personal life

Barenys studied philosophy at university but dropped out in her second year to pursue acting full-time.[10] She has a daughter.[16]

Discography
See also: Rigoberta Bandini § Discography

Singles
List of singles (as MEMÉ)
Title Year Album
"KSA" (Habla de mí en presente feat. MEMÉ) 2022 Vivir más
"La contraseña del Gmail" Non-album singles
"Mátame"[17]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2019 El muerto vivo 1 episode
2022 Autodefensa Belén / Cristo Also co-creator and co-writer

References
  1. "MEMÉ — liveindallas". Live In Dallas. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  2. "Memé, la prima de Rigoberta Bandini, toma el relevo de Las Bistecs en su primer single". Jenesaispop (in Spanish). 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. "Rigoberta Bandini - A concert to enjoy one of the current benchmarks of the Catalan independent music scene". Temporada Alta. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. Segovia, Marina (30 January 2022). "Rigoberta Bandini: No sin su corista. Así es Belén Barenys". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  5. "La prima y la pareja de Rigoberta Bandini, protagonistas de su actuación en el Benidorm Fest". Europa FM (in Spanish). 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  6. "Fitxa Actor de Doblatge Belén Barenys". El Doblatge. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  7. "Belén Barenys - Ficha Doblaje". El Doblaje. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. "Hablamos con Rigoberta Bandini sobre ser una Perra". Binary Spain (in Spanish). 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  9. "Así es Rigoberta Bandini, una de las grandes favoritas para representar a España en Eurovisión". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  10. "Belén Barenys, mucho más que la corista de Rigoberta: "Me da mucho miedo dejar de ser punki, hacerme muy adulta y muy aburrida"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 20 November 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  11. Rigoberta Bandini - Perra - Actuación junto a Belén Barenys en los Premis Gaudí (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  12. "«Deja de violarme, déjame drogarme»: así es el debut de Memé, la prima de Rigoberta Bandini". abc (in Spanish). 3 May 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  13. Habla de mí en presente - KSA (feat. MEMÉ) (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  14. Disturbios, Don (18 February 2022). "Habla de mí en presente, crítica de su disco Vivir más (2022)". MondoSonoro (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  15. "Lista completa de nominados a los Premios Feroz 2023". Formula TV (in Spanish). 24 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  16. "Belén Barenys, prima de Rigoberta Bandini, madre primeriza". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 15 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  17. MEMÉ - mátame (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via YouTube.
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