 After experimenting with band names, such as "Los Sin Nombre" they decided on "La Oreja de Van Gogh" which means "Van Gogh's ear".In 1998, the band was signed by Sony BMG after they won a Rock music competition in San Sebastián.Amaia then completed work on the band's first album Dile al sol, which sold about 800,000 copies in Spain, making it the 20th best-selling album in Spanish history.