Oscar Isaac Teams Up with Gaby Moreno to Release Stripped-Down Cover of “Luna de Xelajú”

Oscar Isaac is paying homage to his Guatemalan roots through song…

The 44-year-old Cuban-Guatemalan actor has joined voices with Gaby Moreno to release a stripped-down rendition of the classic waltz anthem, “Luna de Xelajú.”

Oscar Isaac & Gaby MorenoThe lead single off Moreno’s upcoming album was released on Friday alongside a music video directed by Diego Contreras, which sees the two guitarists and singers performing the track in one take at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles.

“‘Luna de Xelajú’ is considered the 2nd anthem of my country, Guatemala. Written by Paco Pérez in the 1940s,” explains Moreno. “I’ve been singing it since I was a teenager and more recently have been performing this song live in my concerts, usually as an encore. I invited my dear friend and incredible artist, Oscar Isaac, to sing it with me for this very special acoustic version…Just two voices with two guitars, singing together this timeless, sweet, and nostalgic song from our motherland.”

Isaac is no stranger to displaying his musical prowess on screen.

The Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated actor played a struggling folk musician in the Coen Brothers-directed Inside Llewyn Davis, and also co-wrote an original song for the 2011 film 10 Years. However, “Luna de Xelajú” is particularly notable because it sees Isaac singing in Spanish.

“My grandmother Graciela Argentina Nicolle de Estrada would perform ‘Luna De Xelajú’ in the concert halls of Guatemala. Growing up it was always hummed or sung as a lullaby by my mother Eugenia, and was a favorite of my uncle Guillermo’s,” Isaac says. “I’m grateful to Gaby for asking me to share this song as a way of honoring my family and all of Guate.”

Since moving to the U.S. from her native Guatemala, Moreno has put out seven albums with her 2022 record Alegoría earning a Grammy nomination for best Latin rock or alternative album. She was previously nominated in 2017 in the best Latin pop album category for her Spanish-folk album, Ilusión.

In addition to her music, Moreno has a long list of credits in TV and film. She co-wrote the theme song for Parks and Recreation, and most recently collaborated on Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix show Cabinet of Curiosities.

Moreno also received a 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards nomination for her song “A Song In My Heart” in the Eugenio Derbez-starring film, The Valet.

“Luna de Xelajú” is the first single from Moreno’s “X Mí (Vol. 1)” EP (pronounced “Por Mi”), slated for release on May 5 via Cosmica Artists.

The new record — a blend of songs in both English and Spanish — “will house a collection of rich and soulful acoustic songs that have remained dear to Gaby’s heart,” per the press release.

Isaac Covers Bill Murray’s Star Wars Theme Parody from Saturday Night Live

It appears the force has awakened Oscar Isaac

The 36-year-old Guatemalan and Cuban American actor, currently starring as Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, recently covered Bill Murray’s Star Wars theme parody from the iconic Saturday Night Live lounge singer sketch.

 Oscar Isaac

Isaac, who earned a Golden Globe nod for his role in the comedy-drama Inside Llewyn Davis, is a talented musician. The Juilliard School graduate starred in the film10 Years, in which he played a musician. He performed his own song “Never Had” in the film.

Currently covering January’s GQ, Isaac discussed his widely varied roles over the years and even combined a few of their influences in the awesome guitar solo.

CBS Films Acquires Distribution Rights for Isaac’s “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Oscar Isaac has plenty of reason to sing…

CBS Films has acquired the domestic distribution rights to the 33-year-old half-Guatemalan/half-Cuban actor’s highly anticipated film Inside Llewyn Davis.

Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the film is set in the folk-music circuit in downtown New York’s Greenwich Village in the 1960s.

Isaac, who impressed critics with the song he penned and performed in the reunion film 10 Years, stars as the singer-songwriter who navigates through that music scene.

Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham and Justin Timberlake co-star.

CBS Films acquired the U.S. rights for the for close to $4 million, according to Deadline.com.

No word yet on when the film will be released in the U.S.

First Trailer Surfaces for Isaac’s “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Oscar Isaac will be back to making music on the big screen…

Following his role as a famous musician in 10 Years, the Guatemalan-born actor and singer is starring as a singer-songwriter looking for a break in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene in Joel and Ethan Coen‘s latest film Inside Llewyn Davis.

Oscar Isaac

The first trailer for the film, which has yet to find a distributor, was recently released as part of an invitation to the film’s debut screening next month hosted by Nonesuch Records and T-Bone Burnett.

Burnett has re-teamed with the Coen brothers on the music for Llewyn after earning five Grammys for his work on the duo’s O Brother Where Art Thou?

Meanwhile, Isaac has reunited with his Drive co-star Carey Mulligan in the film, which also stars John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham and Adam Driver and Alex Karpovsky of HBO’s Girls.

Isaac’s Original Song for “10 Years” Gets Oscar Buzz

He’s made an impression on Hollywood with his striking good looks and acting abilities… But Oscar Isaac’s recent project could have music industry executives taking note.

Oscar Isaac in 10 Years

The 32-year-old Guatemalan-born actor recently starred in 10 Years, the Jamie Linden-directed high school reunion ensemble film with Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Aubrey Plaza and several others.

Isaac, best known for his roles in The Bourne Legacy, Drive and W.E., plays a famous musician who returns home for his high school reunion and gets into some serious shenanigans with old friends. But it’s his performance of the original song he actually wrote for the film that’s drawing a lot of attention, including some Oscar buzz for Best Original Song.

“Once I got the role, the producers were sending me different possibilities for songs. But I’ve been playing and writing music my whole life, and thought that I would love to take on the challenge of creating a song that we can use for the movie,” says Isaac. “So I wrote a song called ‘Never Had,’ and he loved it, and I ended up performing the song live in the movie.”

10 Years was released on DVD last month.

Meanwhile, Isaac will soon appear on the big screen in the Coen Brothers-directed ‘60s folk music film Inside Llewyn Davis.