Francisco Santiago was born in Córdoba, Spain, where he started his vocal studies in its Conservatorio Superior de Música, and later finishing them at Madrid's Real Conservatorio Superior de Música where he got the Higher Education Singing Teacher's degree.

Recipient of scholarships from different institutions (Junta de Andalucía, Diputación de Córdoba, Juventudes Musicales and Concurso Internacional de Canto Pedro Lavirgen), he furthered his studies at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, headed by Alfredo Kraus, where he became awarded with the diploma of outstanding student from his chair, which he received from Her Majesty Queen Sofía in official ceremony at the Palacio del Pardo.

He received singing classes from Teresa Berganza and Rayna Kabaivanska, among others. Nowadays, he improves his vocal techniques with master Angelo Capobianco, in Verona, Italy.

He made his professional debut in 1992 at Sevilla's Teatro de la Maestranza, in Tosca, next to Plácido Domingo.

Owner of wide repertoire of lyrical songs and sacred music, he performs different styles and composers: Mussorgsky'sSongs and Dances of Death, Ravel's Don Quichotte a Dulcinee, Verdi's Requiem, Haydn's Stabat Mater, The Creationand Missa in tempore Belli,Mozart's Coronation Mass and Requiem, Haendel's Messiah, and deserves to be mentioned his performances at Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Música,Barcelona's Palau de la Música, Sevilla's Reales Alcázares and Mérida's Roman Theatre.

He had already sung at the most important spanish theatres, such as Madrid's Teatro Real in La Sonnambula,Sansón y Dalila, Don Carlo, Tosca, Albeniz's Merlín, Halffter's Don Quijote, and Puccini's La Bohéme, Barcelona'sGran Teatro del Liceo in Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth de Mzensk, Verdi's Macbeth and Otello, and Parsifal, all recorded on DVD, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Tosca, Carmen, La Bohéme, at Sevilla's Teatro de la Maestranza in Marina, Die Zauberflöte and Madame Butterfly, at Bilbao's Palacio Euskalduna (ABAO) in Salomé, at Oviedo's Teatro Campoamor in Lucrezia Borgia and Salomé, Auditorio de la Coruña in Mozart's Zaide , at Córdoba's Gran Teatro with La Bohéme and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, at Valencia's Palau de la Música in La venta de los Gatos and El Gato Montés, Jerez's Teatro Villamarta in Tosca,  La Bohéme, and Il Trovatore.

Among the conductors with whom he has worked are Yehudi Menuhin, Romano Gandolfi, Richard Boninge, Antoni Ros Marbá, Enrique García Asensio, Maurizio Benini, García Navarro, Armiliato, Rinaldo Alessandrini, G. P. Sansogno, etc.