Decades on the Eurovision stage still shape the story around Amaya, now stepping onto a barefoot path with a boat motif as Blanca Paloma prepares to defend a flamenco-centered voice. EaEa, a lullaby steeped in identity, roots, and power, arrives to accompany a show that promises to celebrate flamenco’s depth at this year’s festival.
Among the eighteen applicants vying to represent Spain in Liverpool in 2023, this entry stands out as the only act returning after placing fifth in the inaugural edition, driven by a single, hypnotic track titled Secreto de agua that remains tightly edited and lyrically captivating.
Blanca Paloma Ramos (Elche, 1989) jokes that she owes her national breakthrough to Benidorm Fest, a shift from behind-the-scenes work as a set designer and wardrobe manager to the spotlight as a singer and songwriter. Her evolving artistry has grown through multiple releases and live performances this summer, adding new songs to a growing catalog that foreshadows a debut album built on personal voice and stagecraft.
In the ensuing months, she has released several tracks, with Niña de fuego signaling a busy period of composition and refinement. She has been testing material in concert settings, pushing songs beyond the studio into live arenas and thereby clarifying her own sound and direction. This momentum supports a forthcoming album that anchors her stage persona and musical vision.
Blanca Paloma won’t be performing in the special ‘Benidorm Fest Star’
EaEa emerged from a collaborative process with producer José Pablo Polo and, occasionally, Vicente Huma, ultimately earning a place as a potential ambassador for Spain at Eurovision by presenting a strong sense of identity, rootedness, and power.
From the first note, the candidacy aligns with Spanish tradition, though it embraces risk. Flamenco hasn’t been a central Eurovision rhythm since 1982, yet it remains a distinctive cultural mark that the team wants to valorize, arguing that its traditional value sometimes shines most when presented beyond national borders.
For Paloma, flamenco feels like a legacy, shaped by an all-Andalusian paternal lineage and especially her late grandmother Carmen, described as the Seville mother, a tailor, and the heart of family gatherings. The lineage informs her artistic voice as she navigates a path from past to present, weaving a modern sensibility through a traditional framework.
Remedios Amaya’s Eurovision experience is a historical touchstone—she finished last in her time—yet the current moment, influenced by global artists like Rosalía, has opened doors for artists to express flamenco through modern approaches. The EaEa track builds on flamenco roots while blending melodies and folkloric elements from diverse traditions, including Arabic and Sephardic influences, shaping a lullaby or an antinana that broadens the cultural palette rather than confining it to a single tradition.
Paloma views the lullaby as a historical study of song, noting that it could be the earliest music hummed by a mother to her child and perhaps the first sound we hear outside the heartbeat. Music, in this frame, travels the world by carrying love, transforming through different voices while remaining deeply personal.
staging
The staging reflects a deliberate effort to tell a story beyond conventional song structure, exploring contrasts and journeys from shadow to light and from vulnerability to empowerment. It is a core objective of the performance to convey meaning that resonates beyond the notes themselves.
This vision marks a challenge for someone who has spent a decade refining live presentation. After a hypnotic, theater-inspired take on Secreto de agua in 2022, the production team added a more cinematic dimension this time, incorporating camera work that amplifies the narrative arc of EaEa.
Fans not ready to wait for Benidorm Fest can catch a preview of this live storytelling at a Madrid show at Café Berlín on the 12th, offering a chance to experience the trance-like energy described in the performance and its visual storytelling.