Valeria Castro’s notebook: “They drew attention to us with the volcano in La Palma, but they forgot us again”

To enter is to enter a box full of memories, photographs, seeds, hugs… It is the spitting image of its owner: valeria castro (La Palma, 1999) built the perfect shelter for those who must touch the land. Their harmony forms the skeleton of this house of Canarian sage and volcanic marrow. Raw and sweet in equal parts. But always ready to heal. “I don’t want to write anything but hot songs. I make music to accompany people,” he says. Something obvious as soon as you open the door.

In the midst of pop and folklore, the artist has created a unique cosmos. A place where applauses and silences are never devoid of emotion. He began making versions of La Oreja de Van Gogh, Vetusta Morla, and Jarabe de Palo. quickly collapsed these social networks. His glassy voice and ethereal appearance have made a handful of souls fall in love with him eager for new attacks. This little push spurred him to release songs that until then had kept him out of modesty. And what I thought no one would understand has almost become a philosophy of life.

“Guerrera y Culpa” led the first step with “Chiquita” (2021), a delicate songbook of six stories that caress the public and critics’ cheeks. And the small venues that I used to play acoustics started to get crowded at an unexpected moment. Valeria’s success is passed on from heart to heart. She’s held on so firmly that anticipation for her debut album doesn’t stop growing:’with love and care (2023) It will tear our shell again on March 24.

“Collect the love I show while doing things. This is the only way I know of not to harm myself and those around me”, he assures in the landscape where the LP was born. El Periódico de España visits the studio where their stories were shaped. In this room of Mapa Música, Valeria has illuminated the 11 pieces that make up it. Bright and warm. He humbly displays his notes on a reddish carpet.. He usually composes with his cell phone, but then they remain intact in a notebook.

This perfection is one of its distinguishing features. Like the diminutive words he used to put his messages together. “There are no musicians in my family, so the passion comes from education. When I was four years old, my parents decided to enroll me in a school to teach piano, guitar and singing. From that moment on, I like to think that I had a commitment to music that I hope will never be lost,” she recalls. The responsibility he faced in this aspect gave confidence to those around him who watched each footprint with anticipation.

What role did La Palma play in your imagination?

This is the epicenter of the album. I always keep my family, our little house, routines in mind… This universe is essential for our feet to be on the ground. One thing I claim a lot is to live where you come from, not the one who comes. I grew up in an area surrounded by the sea. And I didn’t travel to the Peninsula until I was 14. This temperament impressed me: I found many limitations that I learned to value over time. I suddenly realized that what I had was more than enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAGMaTKonc4

Why did you start your career with covers?

introspection. I’ve been composing since I was 15 years old, but those songs were bad. And there’s nothing wrong with assuming that. I am more attached to others. But I tried to touch them even though they were not mine. That was the beginning of how I wanted to express myself. And then what I turned upside down in my subjects. I started to be proud of them from the age of 18. They represented me.

Although he is 24 years old, his voice is quite mature. Some people spend their entire careers looking for it and fail to succeed.

I discovered it from others. And step by step, I develop the seal, which I will embody later. Something has changed in me since I met Sílvia Pérez Cruz. From that moment I started following Silvana Estrada, Natalia Lafourcade and Jorge Drexler. They were the ones who wanted me to look at the root. Therefore, I find elements of Canarian folklore. I’m relieved that they’re there so they can take it off whenever I want.

The impulse of Alejandro Sanz

Among the names he dared to use were Pereza, Rosario Flores, Andrés Calamaro… and Alejandro Sanz. In fact, the latter posted a tweet that knocked Valeria out: “When talent and sweetness come together, things like this happen. Don’t take your eyes off her.” Suddenly this young woman had a lump in her throat. One who was slow to release: “It was unbelievable. Especially because it comes from a singer who inspires me a lot”. The unity that developed between the two was such that The author of “Corazón partío” invited him to join a talk on Instagram.They also sang the song “Since When” together. It didn’t take long for the video to go viral.

This connection placed enough different pieces to give him enough encouragement to edit his first songs. A few months later ‘Chiquita’ arrived. “I would never say they are the best in the world because that would have been a little humble on my part but I remember being very calm. Equal I thought I couldn’t write anything new. after them. Time has taught me yes. And I was able to overcome that fear that sometimes paralyzed me.”

For him, composing is synonymous with relaxation. At the individual and societal level. Passionate about the world around him. And that’s why he doesn’t stop looking from side to side to do his bit. With the vision of those who always feel with the same strength as they breathe. ‘Oh my love’ is a good example. We get two of the verses “No one passed without showing him a single map / No one passed without a word to him”. It is a song that reflects migration with humanity, which is scarce at times.

“I wanted to give another framework for people to meditate on. I know I write with privilege and cannot tell the truth, but bringing the matter up for discussion worries me,” says Valeria, who finds herself more chaotic than organized when it comes to creation. She is one of those who started pulling the rope from an idea, where we never know where it will lead. So she confronts the melody and the words at the same time. He wants everything to be consistent with the moment the magic happens: “I like to think it’s an impulse… a heartbeat.”

‘Guerrera’ has become a feminist anthem. Who was it composed for?

To my mom and grandma. It is the women who enlighten me the most in life. I look every day to learn to live. I wanted to dedicate those little steps I took to them. It’s a very special ballad, as it’s been flying around since birth. Talk about constant obligation to justify your actions. To reveal the eyes watching us.

There are still things to do.

Definitely. When I was little, we didn’t have that many speakers. And although we have them now, we still have quite a few to use. I am proud to be a part of this. Many women had to clear the way so I could walk today. I likewise have a responsibility to continue to do this for those who follow.

‘Culpa’ has been viewed over four million times on Spotify. Why did people connect so well with your message?

This song is about the need to forgive in order to move on. It is one of the few romantic love songs in my repertoire. These kinds of stories are often taken to extremes, but I think there’s a nice middle ground.

volcanic eruption

When Valeria left La Palma, she decided to go to Madrid. on that side Began biotechnology degree. Six lessons have already passed from that decision. Although he is about to finish, he no longer sees it as a plan B. Music has started to meet (almost) all expectations. “The title will always be there… when I get it,” he says with a laugh. However, this distance sought has damaged him from time to time. The last one is during the eruption of Cumbre Vieja.

On September 19, 2021, a natural disaster began, lasting 85 nights and occupying 1,219 hectares. Lava engulfed 1,576 buildings and affected 7,000 residents. “It was tough. Now that he’s more or less digested, I treat him normally. I was away and it affected me. I wanted to be with mine. My house was facing the volcano. And my grandmother’s is on the lava path. He took it… I’ve had bad times but I tried to squeeze out the best possible juice”. Inside with love and carethere is a theme dedicated to the reverse that sheds some tears.

“There are thousands of brave men with their own wounds. And there is a desire for a future where the sky is not dark” in “Un hogar”. the poem he intended to look at his beautiful island. “They focused on us for a few weeks, but they forgot about us again,” he emphasizes. Meanwhile, love continues to sow so that life can sprout again. On his first LP, there are many references to hope. Not only geographical, but also personal: caressRoot’heat ‘I feel’claw ‘Habit’anger ‘A little’… This symbolism goes beyond chords. You can sense it in words, pictures, colors and postures. What makes it even more unique? project aiming to pamper the seams.

“I like to demand precision,” he concludes. There is no doubt that Valeria’s art preserves this necessity, which is so hard to find today. That’s why it’s so hard to let go of the music when it touches you. A creeper whose house lost the penalty and closed the back. smell reels flying in their rooms, easily blending into the flavor of the place. abrasions. And Malmsey notes permeate every pore. On this edge of life, everything is reduced to success: feel until the skin hurts.