At 49, Ximena has built a long list of collaborations with some of the music industry’s most important figures. Among them is Kike Santander, one of the leading producers of the 1990s, with whom she began working at the age of 14. She first sang radio and television commercials, which allowed her to become financially independent, move from Cali to Bogotá and later to Miami, and continue working with Kike Santander as a songwriter under his publishing company, Famous Music Publishing.
The first major artist in her career was Alejandro Fernández. Her song “Me Estoy Enamorando” gave its title to this landmark album, which sold more than three million copies and earned Ximena both a gold and a platinum record.
She also received five gold and five platinum records through her work with artists including David Bisbal, Ednita Nazario, and Olga Tañón. Her work with Tañón brought further recognition at both the Latin and American Grammy Awards through two albums for which she wrote the first and second singles. Both albums won Best Merengue Album. Her single “Miénteme” remained on Billboard’s Top 20 chart for more than 20 weeks.
In 2011, her song “A Punto de Llorar”, recorded by Los Rieleros del Norte, spent 25 consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard’s Latin chart and earned Ximena her first BMI award.
Ximena has co-written songs with Juanes, Gloria Trevi, Chiquis Rivera, and Luis Fonsi. She also adapted Beck’s “Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard” into Spanish. Juanes performed the adaptation at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the premiere concert for the album “Song Reader.”
Today, Ximena is part of Rebeleon Entertainment, led by multiple Grammy-winning engineer and producer Sebastian Krys, with whom she has worked closely for the past eight years. Since 2011, she has also been part of Warner Chappell Latino, working with Gustavo Menéndez. Ximena was previously part of other major publishing companies, including Máximo Aguirre Music Publishing, where she developed her love for regional Mexican music—a genre that has brought her many successes.
Notable artists with whom Ximena has collaborated throughout her career include Alejandro Fernández, Juanes, Gloria Trevi, David Bisbal, Olga Tañón, Reik, Noelia, Thalía, Alejandra Guzmán, Gisselle, Yolandita Monge, Rogelio Martínez, Paty Cantú, Cumbre Norteña, Bobby Pulido, Anahí, Dulce María, Miriam Rodríguez, Aitana, Danna Paola, Christopher Uckermann, Cristian Chávez, and Kalimba. She also co-wrote most of the songs on “El porvenir” with the acclaimed Spanish band Marlango. Ximena contributed to Luis Fonsi’s album “VIDA,” which received nominations in several Latin Grammy categories.
One of Ximena’s most rewarding projects was her work on the first and second albums by Chilean artist Camila Gallardo, with whom she wrote most of the songs on both records. The albums received nominations in two different categories: “ROSA” for Best Alternative Pop Album at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards, and “MONSTRUO” for Best Latin Pop Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Another important project for Ximena was adapting most of the songs on “Spanish Model” from English into Spanish. The album also forms part of Elvis Costello’s “50 Songs for 50 Days” / “50 Canciones Para 50 Días” and was performed by a range of Latin artists.
In recent years, Ximena has worked with Chilean artist Francisca Valenzuela, Gustavo Galindo, Colombian artist ESTEMAN, and the Colombian duo VALE—Valeria and Valentina. La Santa Cecilia, with whom she wrote the single “Quiero verte feliz,” was nominated for Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards and for Best Latin Tropical Album at the 65th Grammy Awards in 2023.
Ximena is currently based temporarily in Europe, where over the past two years she has written for upcoming projects by prominent Spanish artists including VEGA, Cirilo, and Sara Sánchez, as well as Turkish artist Murat Evgin and Slovenian artist Klemen Slakonja. At the same time, she has been writing her sung autobiography: a deeply personal album that has allowed her to explore a different side of herself from a deeply honest and vulnerable place. It will be titled “La casa de las sombras.”