Juan Diego Mateos Reina (Jerez de la Frontera, 1969) is a Spanish flamenco guitarist. He began studying guitar at the age of thirteen with José Luis Balao and Manuel Lozano “El Carbonero”.
Over his career he has worked with leading flamenco and world music artists, including Jorge Pardo, Carlos Benavent, Remedios Amaya, La Macanita, Joaquín Grilo, Joaquín Cortés, Antonio Canales, Sorderita, José Mercé and Miguel Poveda.
Mateos has released four solo albums: Luminaria (2003, awarded the National Critics Prize), Respira (2010), Bedallama (2017) and Una promesa (2024). He has also recorded as a collaborator with artists such as María Jiménez, Jorge Pardo, Sorderita, Pepe de Lucía, Remedios Amaya, Guillermo McGill and Tomasito.
In January 2026 he was announced as one of the eight finalists of the III Paco de Lucía Flamenco SGAE Award. Mateos will participate with his composition Variaciones de Una Promesa (Variations on a Promise). Juan Diego Mateos expressed: “It’s called Variations on a Promise because it’s a continuation of the single from my previous album, Una promesa. The promise a father makes to love his son for life. That feeling every father knows. That fuels the instinct for survival.”
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.